The Faith that was Delivered to the Saints

What is this faith? Briefly stated, it is this: “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them.” Heb. 7:25. He can take away sins by His sacrifice!

Now the time of reformation has come—the time for putting all things in order! This faith has been delivered to the saints. It has been given to them in the new covenant because they have been sanctified by the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. When Jude was “very diligent” to write to them he considered it necessary to exhort them to contend for this faith because those who had crept in unnoticed wanted to seize it from them. The mystery of lawlessness has also been extremely successful in this. Jesus had good reason to say, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8.

Those who only want a “covering” and do not want to obey, obviously are not interested in being saved to the uttermost, or for all things to be put in order. For them this faith is a judgment over their lives, something to avoid at all cost. Those who preach lawlessness have even managed to persuade people that it is pride to believe in victory! If anyone today who has tasted of salvation in the new covenant should say with Paul, “But thanks be to God, who [always] gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” he would be looked upon as a proud, self-righteous person. Either that, or they would reply, “Of course, that was in Christ, it was not Paul.” By saying this they have in a mysterious way robbed you of your faith; all you are left with is the understanding that Paul only meant a “covering,” and not personal victory.

Or if you should say, “Follow me, as I follow Jesus,” the retort would be, “Paul could say that, but we had better just crawl to the cross.” Or if you quote the scripture, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on . . .,” they will reply, “Yes, we are to press on to perfection, but we will never actually attain it.” Or if you should quote to them, “That you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing,” they will reply, “Yes, the Scriptures do say that, but have you ever known anyone who was perfect?”

Notice that as soon as you begin to speak in that faith which was once for all delivered to the saints, you encounter violent resistance from the harlot. You are branded as someone who rejects both grace and the blood and attempts to be saved by his own works. Almost everybody succumbs to this influence of lawlessness.

However, Paul has taught us how to recognize these lawless wolves. “Remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.” Read Acts 20:30-35.

These lawless pastors and evangelists certainly know how to weep and plead with you to come under the covering of grace; yet afterwards they are not genuinely interested in whether you get victory or become a new creation, as long as you keep certain commandments they give you in order to keep you from falling into open scandal. As long as you practice tithing you are considered an excellent church member. If you come to them, bemoaning your lack of victory, and seek their counsel, they simply reply, “You must not look at yourself; just look at Jesus. He is your righteousness. The work of Calvary is sufficient, brother!” Then these hirelings let it go at that. And if you come with exhortations, they exclaim, “Preach Christ! Surely we are not to help God with our salvation, are we? Salvation is complete and free. Hallelujah!”

Compare today’s preaching with the apostles’ approach, and perhaps you will get a clearer vision, and be liberated from this mystery of lawlessness before it is too late. Consider these scriptures:

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Col. 1:28.

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind.” 2 Cor. 13:11.

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Col. 4:12.

“That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim. 3:17.

Can you see how the faith of the new covenant shines with crystal clarity through the apostles’ messages, exhortations, and words of comfort? We could go on quoting similar scriptures at great length. But can you also see the necessity of contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints? Never before was this exhortation more fitting: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 20-21.

Here is another example: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Rom. 7:18-19.

Those who do not want to hear about victory over sin grasp at verses such as these, saying, “How can we be any better than Paul?” But they don’t even bother to understand the context in which Paul wrote these words. Paul did not say that nothing good dwelt in him, but it was in his flesh that nothing good dwelt. On the other hand, Paul writes much about all the good that dwells in us—everything to which we have been saved by our precious faith. Philemon 6; Rom. 15:14; Phil. 1:11.

In Romans 7 Paul does not speak about conscious sin, but about sanctification—going from light to light. He says, “For what I am doing, I do not understand.” Vs. 15. “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” Vs. 20. When you lie, lose your temper, or get offended, you cannot say, “I do not understand what I am doing, it is not I who do it but sin that dwells in me.” Not at all! You know very well what you are doing. Sin, which dwells in you—in your flesh—has found a place in your heart. Now it is you who are offended, etc. You are serving sin, not only with your flesh, but also with your mind. Paul did not do this. Vs. 25. However, in those areas where he lacked light, sin in the flesh asserted itself, and he saw in a greater light that he had done things that he hated, deeds that he never condoned with his mind. He calls these “the deeds of the body,” and he put them to death by the Spirit. Rom. 8:13. But if you deliberately do those things which you know to be sin, then you are a servant of sin; you have no right at all to compare yourself with Paul in Romans 7. However, you will be saved from your bondage to sin through the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, and you will become a servant of God. Rom. 6:22. We must believe more in the power of grace and the blood than in the power of sin and Satan. Rom. 5:17.

It is not written in the Scriptures that the children of God are sinners. On the contrary! “He who sins is of the devil.” 1 John 3:8-10.

Let your light shine, and contend earnestly for the faith in the new covenant that has been delivered to the saints.