The coming of Jesus changed all that. He didn’t really introduce a new concept. Faith had been available for centuries. Abraham exercised the principle of faith thousands of years before Christ. Abraham did not receive righteousness through the law or good works but through faith.
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. 5 But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works saying, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom, the Lord will not reckon sin. (Romans 4:1-8). Abraham made many mistakes and did not always follow God completely. Yet because of his great faith he was considered righteous by God, irrespective of his works.
Romans goes on to say: Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his faith was reckoned for righteousness. How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision: and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them and the father of circumcision. (v 4:9-12).
What the scriptures are saying is that faith and the obtaining of righteousness are not dependent on our works, however good, but of faith through grace. Righteousness is thus not obtained by working towards it but receiving it from God as a free gift.
Jesus made this very clear when He appeared bringing the New Covenant.
“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
FROM THE LEAST to the greatest of them.
“For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”
When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. (Hebrews 8:7-13; Also Jeremiah 31:33-34).
Thus no longer does man have to be righteous according to a code of conduct. He is made righteous simply by believing that by faith in Christ he is made righteous. By exercising faith in Christ, righteousness is simply imputed to him. It becomes part of his nature, written on his heart for all time. Over time faith will completely transform that man into the exact nature of Christ, who was without sin.
Christ through the Holy Spirit has provided us tools to exercise while we are on the way to becoming perfect (1 Corinthians chapter 12). One of these is the gift of faith (I Corinthians 12:9). A believer can use this gift, among others, to assist in the forming the Body of Christ. A mature believer will possess all the gifts but not yet being perfect does not preclude the Christian to exercise the full force of any gift, including faith. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are also given to the church to perfect these gifts and ultimately the Body ( see Ephesians Chapter 4).
Ultimately, without faith it is impossible to please God. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). God is not pleased with our works. He calls our works we do to please him filthy. For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, attempting to do righteous works, no matter how well intentioned does not earn us points with God; actually the opposite. He rejects them. Only faith will suffice.
Faith can be the basis of the greater works that must occur in order to usher in the Kingdom of God. There will be mountains to move, miracles to be done, nations delivered, problems solved to name a few but only through faith will they be accomplished. The wisdom of man will never prevail; he only creates more problems than he solves. Faith in our Lord can accomplish all things-right!
An Expose on divine Revelation
Matthew 16:18 is written in the context of Matthew 16:13-19. The meaning, when considered in view of the scriptures therein, is clear but is often misinterrupted incorrectly.
Jesus begins his discussion with the disciples by asking “Who do men say that I am?” (v.13). The disciples answered by saying some thought He was John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah, and others one of the prophets (v.14). Apparently the speculation as to who Jesus was prevalent among the multitudes.
Jesus, expecting the disciples to have more insight than the multitudes, than asked “Who do you say I am?” (v.15).
Simon Peter, the boldest of the disciples, spoke up and said “You are Christ [Messiah] the Son of the living God” (v.16).
Jesus said to Peter: “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona [son of Jonah; a man]: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Christ was saying that Peter the man was blessed because man, flesh and blood, had not revealed this to him but God. Sarx, among other meanings, is the Greek word for flesh, meaning the physical body or nature whether of man, beasts, fish or birds. Blood, Haima in Greek, means, among others “the blood of the human or animal body” or “the life force of man”, as opposed to the divine.
The word “reveal” is “Apokalupto” in Greek meaning: “to remove a veil or covering, exposing to open view what was before hidden” (see also Apokalupsis meaning revelation, one of three words in the NT referring to the second coming of Christ). Therefore Peter, a man of flesh, had spoken what was formerly concealed, exposing it to open view. He revealed what was in essence the coming of the Lord Jesus. This “revelation” did not come from man but was revealed by the Father in Heaven (from the spiritual realm).
Christ said further: “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [a stone], and upon this rock [large rock, bedrock] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. (Verse 17).
The word “Peter” is in Greek “Petros”, a stone. The rock referred to in the scripture (“upon this rock”) is Petra in Greek which means a large rock or bedrock. What was this bedrock? It is the subject of this entire series of scriptures. The BEDROCK is the REVELATION from the Father to human flesh (Petros the stone). Webster’s Dictionary defines revelation as: “The act of revealing or exposing…a striking disclosure not before