Step 3 | Lesson 1
Faith
Through God’s mercy and grace, we recognized our lost condition, repented of our sin, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to receive the gift of eternal life. Moment by moment we reaffirm that decision by turning our will and lives over to the care of God.
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Let’s begin with Step 3, as we look into the 12 Steps with God
Step 3 – Faith – Through God’s mercy and grace, we recognized our lost condition, repented of our sin, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to receive the gift of eternal life. Moment by moment we reaffirm that decision by turning our will and lives over to the care of God.
Now, we will begin talking about faith, a gift from God that makes both our initial salvation and our subsequent daily walk with Christ possible.
Hebrews 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
This verse leads a person to considerations of God’s stature and our own great needs before Him. Genuine faith does not simply believe that a divine being exists, but that the God of Scripture is the only real and true God who exists. In Step 1, we discussed confession because we genuinely recognized our problem as sin. In Step 2, we recognized God’s plan in dealing with our sin problem. Now in Step 3, we move from taking in information to responding to it.
Let us stop for a minute and think through some things…
- If sin is our problem, and God has the only solution, doesn’t it make sense to trust Him?
- But trust is difficult. Often when you trust someone, they fail to meet your expectations. Does the gospel seem too good to be true? Are you skeptical of how it works?
- Real trust can only go as far as the trustworthiness of the one you are trusting. Do you believe an all-powerful, all-knowing, and loving God is trustworthy?
- When you boil it down, who is more trustworthy, God or yourself? When you trust yourself to take care of your sin, what happens? When you trust God to take care of your sin what happens?
As one young woman in 12 Steps with God recently said, I tried it my way and it didn’t go so well.
There is an account in the Bible of a man who recognized his need to be saved and yet he did not know how to get there. Somehow (the Bible does not give these details) he knew he needed God’s forgiveness and rescue. Through the testimony of a very committed Christian, this man knew he had found someone who could help him be saved, so he candidly asked, “What do I need to do to be saved?”
Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
Salvation is just that simple, and yet that difficult. To trust in Jesus Christ is to fully acknowledge that He is who He said He is – He is the Christ, the Son of God and His death was a literal substitution for yours, and that life is offered as a free gift from God. It is not difficult to understand but can be difficult to accept, yet salvation only comes when you accept in complete faith, just as the man in the book of Acts.
Romans 10:13, “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Paul quoted the OT Prophet Joel (2:32) to emphasize that salvation is available for people of all nations and races. To call upon God is to believe that He hears, He can help, and that He will indeed come to your rescue. The one who calls upon His name has already concluded that they have a need, and that He is the only one that can meet that need.
Romans 10:9-10, “If you will confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made for salvation.”
The word confess is not a simple acknowledgement that He is God and the Lord of the universe, since even “demons also believe, and shutter” (James 2:19) – this confession is a deep personal conviction, without reservation, that Jesus is that person’s own master or sovereign…the One who makes lasting victory/recovery possible.
The context of these verses gives an innate order of faith and public confession. One only makes a public proclamation if he is convinced of the truth of his message within his own heart, and that man’s heart is moved by faith. But also true is the fact that sometimes we can be swayed by our audience to say what we believe they want to hear, though our hearts are not in it. Many a man has offered a statement of salvation, yet never trusted in his heart. That is why the verses call on both the heart and the mouth. We trust within…in our heart, and witness without…we acknowledge to the world that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.
Consider and Confess:
- In honesty, do you believe there is a God? Why or why not?
- If you do believe there is a God, do you believe He is capable of rescuing you from sin’s penalty? Why or why not?
- If you do believe He is capable, are you trusting Him to remove your sin and its consequences?
- If you are really trusting God to take care of your sin, how do you live as a result of that trust in God? Do you take advantage of His grace? Do you strive to please Him in humbleness? Do you maintain an accurate view of His mercy and grace, or do you take your salvation for granted?
- If you have trusted in Christ, have you shared that with others? Why, or why not?
- Proverbs 23:7 says, “… as a man thinks, so is he…”. Based on your lifestyle, is there evidence of trust in God?
Looking Forward:
After walking through Step 1 – Confession and Step 2 – Gospel, we have arrived at Step 3 – Faith – the pinnacle of the first three steps. In this capstone step, we reflect on the fact that faith is a gift from God and trust in Him is what makes our salvation possible.
In the next part of Step 3 we will explore the moment by moment…turning our wills and lives over to the care of God – this is where the rubber meets the road. This is when we put our faith into action and begin walking closer and closer to Christ each day.
Conversion…
Faith and Repentance
- True saving faith includes knowledge, approval, and personal trust,
- Knowledge is not enough.
- Knowledge and approval (agreement) are not enough.
- I must decide to depend on Jesus to save me personally.
- Faith should increase as our knowledge increases.
- Faith and repentance must come together,
- Both faith and repentance continue throughout life.
Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old gained approval.
Step 3 | Lesson 2
Faith
Through God’s mercy and grace, we recognized our lost condition, repented of our sin, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to receive the gift of eternal life. Moment by moment we reaffirm that decision by turning our will and lives over to the care of God.
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Great for personal study or discipleship
Let us finish Step 3, as we look into the 12 Steps with God
Step 3 – Faith – Through God’s mercy and grace, we recognized our lost condition, repented of our sin, and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to receive the gift of eternal life. Moment by moment we reaffirm that decision by turning our will and lives over to the care of God.
Now, we will explore the moment by moment…turning our wills and lives over to the care of God – this is where the rubber meets the road. This is when we put our faith into action and begin walking closer and closer to Christ each day.
We have discussed faith as a step in justification – coming to know Christ as our Lord and Savior. How does faith function in sanctification? Faith is our lifestyle, a journey of walking and growing in Christ. So, let us examine our faith by our lifestyle.
Several scriptures encourage believers to live in faith, the first one is…
Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
These two verses are rich in encouraging the Christian to walk in faith. It reminds us that as believers we do not run alone serving Christ, but that we are in the best of company as we live in faith. These verses are clear – sin draws us away from a faith in God. Rather than focusing on eliminating sin, we need to focus our attention on Jesus himself because He is at the heart of our faith. And just in case we needed some motivation at this point, the last part of verse two reminds us of how committed He was to us. How can we do any less for Him?
A second passage to help challenge us with the need to live in faith is…
Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
You may have never thought of a day’s work as a form of worship, or offense, but these verses establish that thought very clearly. Our bodies, with which we live these lives, are vessels to be presented to God as worthy elements to be used for His exaltation. In this we are to “renew” our minds to pursue His desires for our lives. Our lives must be lived for His purposes to be achieved, in accordance with His principles as our guide, and with His Spirit as our strength. This is the least we can do. When we live for ourselves, we sin by refusing God His due.
In Romans, Paul makes the point well as he strictly commands His own…
Romans 6:13, “and do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God.”
The word present refers to a decision of the will – a decision of our will to be an instrument of sin or God’s glory. The question comes down to a minute by minute decision to implement God’s will or our own.
The last passage to discuss here is…
1 John 1:5-10, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”
Notice the humanity of these verses. How often do we stretch the truth to sound better to someone? When we live in sin, but say our lives are good with God, we are lying. Walking in darkness is not a part of a living faith and should not be tolerated. When we walk in darkness and know we should be in the light, we make untrue claims. But when we walk in the light, we do not need to make any claims at all because everything is as it should be. Walking in the light is a place of fellowship with God and with one another. If you are living in sin, but want to come back to righteousness, living with a clear conscience, it is an easy transition. Verse 9 gives the prescription for restored fellowship and righteousness: confession. When we acknowledge our sin to God, and own it, He is able to then forgive and restore us. However, it is difficult in pride to confess your sin, and admit your wrongdoing. In case you feel tempted to make excuses for your sin, the final verse makes it clear that our denial of sin is a huge insult to Him.
To live in righteousness is to be honest. Committing to righteousness is what living in faith is all about. We want to be a people who are always trusting God, and always striving to live for Him in holiness.
Consider and Confess:
- Do you find it difficult to live for God in this world? Why or why not?
- Do you tend to leave faith only in the salvation compartment and neglect trusting God each day with every challenge, struggle, or decision you make?
- If you really do believe in God, why do you return to sin? (Or maybe a more challenging question: If you keep returning to sin, is it possible you really do not believe in, or trust God?)
- To live for God is to be growing, moving away from sin. Do you work on renewing your mind in the Word of God, presenting your body as God’s vessel, removing sin from your life through confession and repentance, or disciplining your life in holiness?
- When temptation to sin comes on strong, do you know how to find relief in Christ? We have stated in this step, “Moment by moment we reaffirm that decision by turning our will and lives over to the care of God,” but to do that takes commitment of the mind and heart.
- Do you really want God to influence your will? If so, what do you do to accommodate Him?
- Are you really turning your life over to His care? How, specifically?
- Are you spending time with Him? (Prayer and Bible Study)
- Are you worshipping Him? (Individually and Corporately)
- Are you fellowshipping with His people? (Church)
- Are you forsaking sinful ways, influences, or patterns? (Repentance)
- Do you really believe that God is able to help you? Why, or why not?
Looking Forward:
At this point, the major sins of your life have been prominent in your thinking, but what about sin that you do not think about as much? What about sin you have not recognized yet? Wouldn’t it be good to deal with it too?
Are you committed to your new life in Christ or not? If so, then you must be willing to do the tough work of self-examination? Are you ready for that?