LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JANUARY 09, 2023

TOPIC: LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD

BY T. O. BANSO

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 New King James Version).

The Bible says that anyone in Christ is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, they have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). That means that anyone who has given his life to Christ is no longer the person he used to be by virtue of the death of Jesus in his stead on the cross. When Jesus died, the believer died with him; when Jesus was buried, he was buried with Him; and when He rose from the dead, the believer also rose with Him.

Romans 6:5-8 says, “Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him” (New Living Translation).

God forgives the sins of anyone who accepts Jesus as His Lord and Saviour. Psalm 103:12 says as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. The distance of separation is unending because the east and the west can never meet!

After being born again, the believer is to live a new life in Christ Jesus as he obeys the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. He cannot live that new life by his power. Christ lives in him. Therefore, the Christian life is Christ living through the believer. Paul puts it this way: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 New King James Version).

To live by faith in the Son of God (Jesus Christ) means to live by trusting or believing in Him. As the Amplified Bible explains it, it means to live “by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in” the Son of God. He loved you and gave himself for you – He died on the cross to save you.

Anyone who has given his life to Jesus is accepting His lordship. He is signing up for a new life. “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17 New King James Version). You should not give your life to Jesus and continue to live the way you did previously.

You are a new creature; old things must go with the past. There must be changes in your life as you continue to have faith in the Son of God and yield control of your life to the Holy Spirit. Those who depend on their human efforts frustrate themselves. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says Jesus died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

John the Baptist whose ministry only prepared the people of his age for the ministry of Jesus preached the message of repentance. He was not excited that multitudes were coming to him for baptism; he demanded a changed life, charging them to bear fruits worthy of repentance. He also said every tree which did not bear good fruit would be cut down and thrown into the fire (Luke 3:8-9).

Different groups of people in the crowd began to ask him what they must do. He told the crowd that if they had two coats, they should give one to the poor; and if they had food, they should share it with those who were hungry. To the corrupt tax collectors, he said they should show honesty, and make sure they collected no more taxes than the Roman government required them to do. Also, he told the soldiers not to extort money, not to accuse people of things they knew they didn’t do, and to be content with their salaries (Luke 3:10-14).

When Jesus came, He continued with the message of the Kingdom, but He offered His life rather than preaching only dos and don’ts. Life in the Kingdom of God is by faith in the Son of God, not in the believer’s strength, ability, or righteousness. At new birth, the believer’s sins are exchanged for God’s righteousness. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 New King James Version). In other words, God made Jesus Christ, who had no sin, become sin so that in Christ we could be made right with God.

A child of God should not live for himself but for Jesus. He should not live his life but Jesus’ life because he has been joined with Him. “We are not our own bosses to live or die as we ourselves might choose. Living or dying we follow the Lord. Either way we are his. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he can be our Lord both while we live and when we die” (Romans 14:7-9 The Living Bible).

Paul says in Galatians 5:24 that those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. He continues in Verses 25-26: “If we are living now by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Then we won’t need to look for honors and popularity, which lead to jealousy and hard feelings” (The Living Bible). That’s talking of the new life in Christ Jesus, which is not possible to live without the Holy Spirit.

Live by faith in the Son of God, not by your willpower. Live by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in Him. The new life in Christ Jesus is a life of continuous dependence on Him, not a life of self-reliance. Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 New King James Version). The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). Live by faith in Jesus Christ. Let your love for Him be evident in your obedience to His teachings (John 14:15).

Live by faith in the Son of God. You will face some challenges in life but continue to live by faith in Him. Don’t exchange your God for another god because of trials or problems (Jeremiah 2:11). Exchange your weakness for His strength by waiting upon Him (Isaiah 40:31). God’s power shows up best in weak people (2 Corinthians 12:9). Don’t forsake God, the fountain of living water, or dig for yourself cracked cisterns that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). Live by faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.  I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to live by faith in the Son of God. Help me to abide in Christ and Christ in me so that I will bear much fruit in Jesus’ name. I shall live by the Holy Spirit and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every part of my life.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org