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THE GENUINENESS OF FAITH

Text: 1 Peter 1
15 March 2020

THE PLACE OF FAITH

The role of faith is unmistakably taught in the Scriptures. The following may be highlighted:

  1. Faith enables us to see God’s power keeping us     1 Peter 1:5
  1. Faith, of course, has to be genuine     1 Peter 1:7

a) If faith is genuine it is not afraid of fire

b) Fire would only refine the faith of the individual

c) Faith that has been tested and found to be true would bring glory to God

  1. Faith enables us to appropriate the salvation given by God and His grace     1 Peter 1:8

a) Salvation is, of course, given to us by the grace and mercy of God

b) We could never earn salvation

GENUINENESS OF FAITH

How may we know that we have “genuineness of faith?”

  1. The word “genuineness” has an interesting root

It is drawn from a word that has the following nuances:

a) It is examined

b) It is tested

c) It is proven to be genuine

  1. The application of this word to “faith”

a) The faith of the individual would be examined

b) It would also be tested

c) It is then proven to be genuine or otherwise

  1. The historical context of 1 Peter 1

a) The Apostle Peter wrote his epistle in the first century

b) This was a very difficult period of time for Christians

c) There was much persecution of those who professed faith in the Lord Jesus

d) Many lost much because of persecution

i) Jobs

ii) Homes

iii) Lives

PREVAILING FAITH

The genuineness of faith prevailed and enabled believers to experience the following:

  1. Trust in God remained intact
  1. Strength was found to cope with suffering
  1. The joy of faith in the Lord remained strong

FINDING GENUINE FAITH TODAY

Let us be challenged to find genuine faith amidst the global fear of Covid-19! Let our genuine faith bear good testimony of our trust in the Lord our God!