3 Expressions Of Genuine Faith Revealed.

“...These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with glorious, inexpressible joy.“{1 Peter 1:7-9 nlt}

These dear followers of the LORD Jesus were encountering suffering, slandered, scattered throughout different areas, and despite great slander where it was said they sacrificed their children, were enemies of Rome, and did not believe Ceasar was LORD but said Jesus was LORD and in doing so were denying Ceasar. Nero it is believed had burnt Rome down and accused the Christians of doing it, which caused great resentment, hatred, and suffering resulted. It is estimated there were over 60 million slaves in those days and in the court of law they had no rights, they were not treated as humans but as objects. Peter writes and tells them how to respond to suffering and how to be Godly citizens in an ungodly society as a testimony to those who watched them. And when God saved some, they would remember the believer’s lives lived out before them and glorify God for their witness!  Their suffering according to the will of God was not in vain and God would use it to also spiritually mature them. -{Read 1 Peter 5:10}.

Their suffering, trials were not in vain in the LORD’S hands and the difference in their trials, suffering, compared to those without Christ, revealed that their faith was genuine. They themselves would know, have assurance as they gave the marks of saving faith. And in this passage, we see Three Evidences, expressions of Genuine faith that is anchored in the LORD!

  The suffering instead of destroying their faith displayed their Genuine faith!

Note the 3 Evidences, and remember it was against the background of suffering when everything seemed so unfair, cruel, inhumane, and it was. But against that background, if their faith was not genuine, like the false disciples they would have walked away and it would have been evident-{Read John 6:60-64}. But their faith was genuine, the real deal, and the suffering did not quench it, dissolve or destroy but highlighted it!

Consider the 3 EVIDENCES OF GENUINE FAITH

1. – You Love Him –

“Though you have not seen Him you love Him” – v8. Present tense, the habit of their lives to “Love Him,” The phrase is also used in Rom 8:28; 1 Cor 2:9; Psalm 97:10; Exodus 20:6. Two practical ways this is seen are Compliance and Confidence! Compliance to His Word-{Read John 14:21} and… Confidence, assurance that “all things work together for good to those who love Him and are the called,” -{Read Romans 8:28}. What is a follower of Christ? Someone who loves Him!  You are loving Him. It is a love of choice, a love of the will, faithfully loving Him as the goal and bent of living your life. A love relationship with the LORD Jesus. “We love because He first loved us. “-{1 John 4:19}.  He is “the preciousness” according to 1 Peter 2:7, and those who do not love Him? “ If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha.{Come LORD}”-{1 Corinthians 16:22}. You are loving Him, though you have not seen Him is What Peter says of these suffering ones! “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.”-{Ephesians 6:24}. You love Him for who He is! And these Peter whom Peter addresses were suffering and though they had been accused of being anti-government were in fact in submission to the government, they were good- Godly citizens. -{Read 1 Peter 2:13-17}. Their love for the LORD was shown in practical ways, such as obeying Him in a society that mistreated followers of Christ. They were Godly citizens in an ungodly society.{ 2:11-15}. Their love for Him was greater than the hatred their enemies had against them. And the evidence? Their choosing to obey Him! They loved Him through the “bad” times! 

2. – You Trust Him – {entrust Him. }

“Though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him.” – v8. Present tense commitment. The habit of their lives. Though they had never seen Him physically they trusted Him! Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed?  Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” – {John 20:29}. Faith believes, relies’s upon, entrusts itself wholeheartedly in the LORD Jesus and the truth about Him as recorded in His Word. And faith is strengthened by the Spirit in the Scriptures! “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”-{Romans 10:17}. Love and faith are two expressions of the Christian’s relationship with the LORD Jesus. A Love of Loyalty!  The heart of the relationship is His love for us and in response our Loving and trusting Him! And the “fruit” of trusting Him? Not only compliance to His Word but love for  His people! “ For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,”- {Ephesians 1:15}. Trusting the LORD is not in a vacuum but has ramifications, loving…others! You Trust Him because He is trustworthy, reliable in all that He says, promises!

3. – You Rejoice Because of Him.- -{Exult, rejoice greatly } Because of Him –

“You greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.”– v8. “Agallio,” depicts jumping and shouting for joy that cannot be contained.”  It is Present tense, not jumping for joy because of our circumstances but because of Him and our future with Him! Your delight is found in Him, a Person! Loving and trusting Him is the springboard to rejoicing in and because of Him! These are the two main ingredients in any relationship, love and trust. When either is violated the relationship deteriorates. But He who is love and is trustworthy and will never betray us and has proven His love for us by coming to earth, living a sinless life and dying in our place for our sin that we should not die IN sin, has proven His Love, loyalty, commitment to us and His gift of salvation to us and newness of life draws our heart to Him and in response love Him and trust Him continually. You can trust the ONE who loves you, and no one loves us like Him! And He is our Joy, delight! Think of it on a human level, you find great delight in the one you love and trust!

This deep joy is not a mood, but a deep conviction that The LORD is in control, Sovereign King. It includes confidence in Him to keep and fulfill His Promises, and a future hope where He manifests His ultimate victory. IT IS CONFIDENCE IN Who He is, His promises, His victory, His assurance that give the believers truth to think on and which the Holy Spirit testifies to, through His Word and ignites the heart of the believers building them up in their faith and joy!

Note; Loving Him, Trusting Him, Rejoicing greatly In Him, are all “present tense,” the habit of their living!

“Beet defines joy as “triumphant overflow of Christian gladness.” Barclay adds that “It is not the joy that comes from earthly things, still less from triumphing over someone else in competition. It is a joy whose foundation is God.” “Joy is the byproduct of obedience. (Source Unknown) Richard Sibbes – “Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy.”

Have you ever seen your trials, suffering as opportunities for you, that’s right, you, to know that your faith is genuine, the “real deal,” that you belong to the LORD Jesus. And it was suffering, trials, tribulations that brought out the truth of who you belong to, you belong to Jesus and these tests of your faith have proved that you have Genuine faith in the LORD!

Your troubles Testified that your faith is Genuine, by your choices in how you respond!

Let’s not warp this and make it out that it is perfection in our responses, that there are never moments of doubt, difficulty, or failure. even Peter, took his eye of the LORD when he walked on water… He also denied the LORD at the cross … But then He then preached fearlessly on the day of Pentecost… and then out of fear was hypocritical withdrawing from Gentiles out of fear of the Jews in the Book of Galatians.”But God..,” restored… and he learned to walk and the beauty with the LORD, is that failure is not final for the child of God. For He who begins a good work IN you will complete it.-{Read Philippians 1;6}. So, don’t think perfection… think… New Direction.. the way you are going in life. You fail, sin, confess it, own it, and turn from it and depend upon the LORD who has promised, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”-{Philippians 2:13 NLT}. You see, part of loving Him is evidenced, expressed by obeying His Word-{Read John 14:21} and when you sin that you own it confess it and turn away from it is an expression of love because you are following His Word in what to do! Love is expressed in obedience, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”-{John 14:21}

So, good job, learn from how you fell in sin and start afresh confessing it and thanking Him HE IS YOUR ADVOCATE with God, Jesus the Righteous, -{Read 1 John 2:1}. Leaning in on Him, trusting yourself less and Him more! And when you have sunk under circumstances and like Peter on the water taken your eye of Him due to little faith in Him, confess your sins to Him as He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanses us from all unrighteousness!-{Read 1 John 1:9}. Begin afresh, start again, and do you know our failures can “work for good” as they can wean us of self-reliance and unto God dependency. Paul put it this way, indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;”-{2 Corinthians 1:9}. Also, they not only give us a healthy distrust of self-reliance but compassion towards those who fail or sin, desiring their highest good. -{Read Galatians 6:1}.

God uses trials, suffering, not only to APPROVE, but also IMPROVE our faith!

In The Fiery Furnace, their Faith was Developed and Displayed.

Suffering, trials, great pressures, tribulations come in many ways, different in intensity and they come and in them as we look to Him, depend on His Spirit to strengthen us and obey His Word, “good” can come out of them. Namely three things

  1. Your Faith is Revealed as Authentic, Genuine to…you!
  2. An Opportunity to share the Gospel with those who ARE watching your life and see your responses to suffering, unfair treatment! – ” but sanctify {Set Apart} Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense {argument, explanation} to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.– {1 Peter 3:15-16}
  3. Your Faith is on Display to you, Through you to others of Him who saves!

Look again and see what are the Three  Evidences of Genuine Faith.

Memorize and meditate the verse 1 Peter 1:7-8, so the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance when suffering, under pressure, or temptation, and recall the three evidences to motivate you to make choices according to thee three aspects.

Remember you memorize, meditate, not just for you to Know God’s revealed will and walk in His ways but also to SHOW, REMIND  OTHERS  of these truths to aid, encourage them ad if they have failed to remind them to begin afresh

Peter had failed, but it was not final, God restored him and gave him the responsibility to feed His people…. and he wrote these two epistles, 1 and 2 Peter. Peter has been called the apostle of “Hope!” And since God is the God of all hope-{Read Romans 15:13}… There is hope for you, me, and countless others to begin afresh and manifest the three evidences of Genuine faith!