Living in Liberty

A Ministry of Bryce Lowance

Elder Bryce Lowrance

Find Entries

Faith & Testimony

6 September 2014

"Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee." (John 4:50-54)

Did Jesus heal the nobleman's son before or after the man believed?

We can clearly see that Jesus performed this awesome miracle despite the fact the nobleman was still abiding in unbelief. Even though the man did not have complete faith is Jesus, his son was saved. It was only after Jesus had healed his son and told the nobleman that he believed.

After the nobleman returns home and learns details of the time of his son's healing, John records that the man believed and his whole house.

There are two interesting questions about this account.

1. Didn't John record that the man already believed before he headed home?
2. How is it that the nobleman's house believed?

Let's consider the first question. From this we can easily see that belief/faith is not always a fixed amount or degree. Our level of belief can fluctuate with our experience and increased understanding of the power of God. All children of God have the same "seed of faith," if you will. Paul calls this the "measure of faith." (Romans 12:3) They all have an inborn trust in God but it is only by experience and education in the power of God that the child of God can outwardly express faith and belief.

The second question is quite simple. The man told them what happened and they were able to believe that Jesus had the power to heal from great distances.

The answer may be simple but it is extremely profound. If the man had not told them, they could not have believed!

They, no doubt, had been born again or else they would not have been able to believe at all. But they were made able to outwardly show belief in the gospel when they were told what had happened.

This gospel faith is dependent upon the presence of the "measure of faith" given in the new birth. But the faith given in the new birth is independent of gospel faith.

« Is God Limited By Our Lack of Faith? | Bible Study »

Tags: belief, devotion, doctrine, faith, harmony_of_the_gospels, jesus, john, miracle, new_birth, regeneration

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.