Genuine Faith
1 Timothy 1:5, “ Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and fromsincere faith.”
The Bible speaks of many different kinds of faith: Strong faith, weak faith, sincere faith, shipwrecked faith, little faith, etc.
The Apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, reminds him of the purpose of his commandment: love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Sincere can also be translated as genuine faith. It is a kind of faith that is not pretend or masked, it’s real. It’s the kind of faith that is stood the test of time, it has stood the test of trials, and it comes out purified and sincere.
How refreshing it is when we meet people where there is no facade. You know that they say what they mean and they mean what they say. This is what Paul was reminding Timothy of- to have a faith that is real, one that other people can learn from and follow.
As believers, we don’t want to have feigned faith, where we say one thing in church and live a life that is contrary to what we say we believe. Living a life that goes against our conscience will eventually lead to what Paul later says in his letter as “shipwrecked faith”, a kind of faith that hits obstacles and is destroyed, often taking others down with it.
True, genuine faith is a precious thing to God. Someone who continues to believe His Word and lives a life that matches what they believe is someone God can use. Genuine faith is based upon the revelation of who they are in Christ and what God has done in them. When we know how God sees us and believe what He says about us is how we can ensure our faith remains sincere. Satan will use our past mistakes and feelings of guilt against us. He will accuse us of everything we’ve done wrong and then whisper lies to us that we are hypocritical or that we’re not being genuine in our faith because of the way we’ve acted.
Don’t fall prey to his schemes! Genuine faith is most evident when someone knows who they are in Christ and acts on that truth. Coming boldly to God’s throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace in time of need is genuine faith because it is based on the truth of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.
I want to encourage you today to examine yourself in the faith. Are you allowing guilt and condemnation to rob you of living a genuine life with genuine faith that is based upon what God has done in you? Or are you appreciating what Jesus has done for you and in you and living as the righteous saint that God has made you to be? After all, the Bible says that the righteous are as bold as a lion! (Proverbs 28:1)
Be bold in your sincere faith! It’s who you are in Him that has made you worthy!
Remember, we love you, and we are praying for you.
Blessings,
Chloe
