Creflo Dollar - Faith of God vs. Faith in God - Part 2
We have entered into the realm of the finished. We’re not going back to the past, we are in the finished, we are in the completed, we are in the done, we are in the finished, and we are in the can’t be undone. I ain’t moving from that place, every time something comes to my mind, I remind myself, it’s done, my victory is done. All the battles that I’ll ever fight, the victory of it is done. I ain’t scared of no battles 'cause whatever comes, I just keep myself standing in the finish and the victory is already there, so listen, I gotta stand. I ain’t gonna be scared, I ain’t gonna be afraid, just stand. Don’t move nowhere, stay in that realm, stay in the dimension where God abides.
You gotta understand the last words Jesus said was, «It is finished». And then you go around, «No, it ain’t, no it ain’t, you gotta do this and this, I got seven steps for it to be finished. I’ll slap you, seven steps for it to be finished». It’s already finished, it’s already finished, you ain’t doing nothing. Come on, tell me, what, what, come on, come on, come on, you didn’t do your job, you was off your job. Sweet lips, sweet lips, sweet lips, sitting up there let me do that, sweet lips. All right, 24, «Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster,» the Mosaic law, Mosaic law was basically do good, get good. The Mosaic law is you gotta do something to get something from God, that’s what dead works all about, dead works are you trying to deserve something and working hard to get something from God.
The law was all about performance, the law was a performance-based agreement, «If you do this, then God will do that,» the law was all about a performance-based agreement, «If you do this, then God will do that,» okay? «The law was our schoolmaster,» they had to have something, people were doing stupid stuff back then. But it was designed to, «bring us unto Christ,» it was good until Christ showed up. And once you came under Christ, «you might be justified by faith,» and we’ll deal with that in a minute, «But after that faith is come,» what, faith has come? Well, what did they have before faith come? What’d he mean faith is come? «But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster».
Well, who was it that actually came? Jesus is our faith, I said Jesus is our faith, I said Jesus is our faith. God gave us Jesus, and then we accepted Jesus, and Jesus is our faith. And Jesus is what God thinks of you. Jesus is our faith, he looks at you and he thinks Jesus. «But after that faith is come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster». Which means we are no longer under the law because faith has come, Christ has come, Jesus has come. Faith is a person, faith is a person, faith is a person, Jesus is the faith that came, come on, next verse, «For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus».
We’re gonna look at that, «For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ, you put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all,» what? «One in Christ,» come on, next verse, «And if you be Christ’s,» and you are, you are, «heirs according to the promise». All right, let’s read that in the, what is that, Galatians 3? Let’s read that in the Mirror and then I’ll start the sermon for today. I ain’t started yet, I’m just trying to get everybody on the same page.
Galatians chapter 3, and let’s look at start at verse 24. This is pretty amazing here, he says, «The law was acting just like a slave appointed to be the guardian of his master’s children, until they would be of age to go to the proper school of Christ to find in faith their righteousness revealed and endorsed. Now that we have arrived at our destination, the prophetic road signs and pointers are of no further use. Faith replaced the custodian. Now that faith has come the law is no longer relevant. What Jesus Christ believes to be true about you is the final confirmation of mankind’s redeemed sonship. His faith is the only valid reference to your belief»!
So you know what he just said, «Don’t we have to believe»? Yeah, I believe that it’s his faith, I believe that my faith is his faith. «Nothing resembles your previous identity as Jew or Gentile, bond, free, male, female, Billabong, now you are all defined in oneness with Christ! You’re defined in oneness with Christ,» as your identity, «He is your significance and makes you beautiful! Since Christ is the seed of promise,» oh, that’s good, «Christ is the seed of promise, it is only in our realizing our union with him that we are equally related to Abraham and heirs of the promise. Faith and not flesh relates us to Abraham. Faith,» I ain’t got to be Jewish. Faith is what relates us to Abraham, not flesh, not DNA, not blood type. He’s the father of those who have received this faith.
Now, let’s look at verse 24 and let’s milk these things. «So the law was our guardian until Christ came that by faith we might be justified». Now in the Greek, that verse is translated, «by faith». The word faith, you remember last week, is a genitive case, meaning that the faith belongs to someone, but who does it belong to? You see, traditionally, we see the word «by faith,» the phrase «by faith,» and automatically we read it as by putting our faith in Christ. And then by putting our faith in Christ, we might be justified, that’s what we read. No, no, no, the Greek doesn’t say by, it says «ek,» E-K, which points to the origin and the source.
So whose faith is being referred to here in this verse? Christ’s faith, the source of this faith is Christ, not us, it’s Christ who’s the source of the faith. Our faith is not the origin or the source of our justification. Our faith is not the source of our justification. Our faith is not the source of our righteousness, it’s not the origin, his faith is. Now, if you’re referring to his faith as your faith, we cool, but you know what I’m saying, I’m trying to make a distinction between his faith and you thinking you got your faith, that’s not his faith, I know y’all got that. Verse 25, «Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian».
So the word faith in this verse is also a genitive case, which means it belongs to someone, whose faith does it belong to? And again, Paul is talking about this and he’s making it very clear, because here he says, you know, and you ask yourself this question, was it our faith that got us free from the Mosaic law? No, our faith didn’t get us free from the Mosaic law, Jesus set mankind free from the law, it’s his faith. So this verse is referring to his faith, in other words, when he who is a full expression of God’s faith comes, which is Jesus. When he who is of a full expression of God’s faith come, mankind was no longer under the law. So the faith came, Jesus came and the faith justified… now here’s a word I want you to keep, this is so cool, the faith justified all mankind.
Two thousand years ago, the faith justified all mankind, so here’s the shocking thing. Everybody on the planet, salvation has been made available, Titus chapter 2, to everybody in the whole world. Justification available to everybody in the whole world. What’s the issue? You accepted it and they hadn’t realized it yet. What’s our job? Get them to realize what a gift Jesus is to you, get them to realize what a gift Jesus… some of you might be here today and you’re not born again. What am I trying to do? I’m trying to get you to realize what a gift he is to you. But you keep focusing on, «Do this and go to heaven, do that, go to hell».
I’m trying to get you to realize, he’s already done everything for you, please accept him. Please accept him. But you know how most Christians are, we make it hard, «Now if you get saved, you gotta be holy, 'cause you can’t see Jesus if you ain’t holy, which means you can’t wear them pants no more». We make it all hard. «I tell you what, you can’t miss them more than one Sunday a year or you ain’t right, and God don’t like ugly,» and it’s always this thing, you know, that’s trying to make it hard for people. Jesus said, «My yoke is easy, my burdens are light,» but church folks try to make it hard, and they don’t even do all the stuff they’re trying to make it hard for other people to do. Are y’all following me now?
It was the God faith that was embodied in the God man, that was embodied in Jesus Christ. He’s the source and the origin of our justification, not your faith. He, through his faith, was the source of all gifts. You are righteous because of him, redeemed because of him, perfect because of him, holy because of him. You’re all the things right now because of him. That is your stance, and he’s working on your desire to get you to line up with your stance. But the day you accepted him, all of these things are yours.
Now, he’s working on your desire to help bring you in the line and realization of what you already have. I love this stuff, boy. Verse 26, is the King James, «For you are all sons of God,» now it says here «through faith in Christ Jesus,» again, this verse has «in» in it, «faith in Christ Jesus,» and in the Greek it is, it’s there too, «in,» but the Greek word, you know, it’s not in as far as you’re having to do this to earn it. It’s not saying that we ought to put our faith in Christ. Please don’t, don’t get that same thing going on in that verse. It’s not saying you have this because you put your faith in Christ, it is saying that it is the faith of Christ. God’s faith is the source and the origin of our sonship, not your faith, God’s faith is.
The reason why you’re a son of God and the reason why you’re children of God is because of the faith of Jesus Christ. You didn’t do nothing to make that happen. That’s not what’s being said in this in verse 26. The word «faith» in this verse, again, it’s a generative case, meaning who does it belong to? Who is it? Well, it says that it is «through faith that we are made sons of God,» his faith that makes us children of God, it is his faith. I love Acts 17:28, turn there in King James, Acts 17:28 and 29. Please understand what I’m saying, it was through the faith that was in Christ Jesus is what he’s saying here, the faith that is in Christ Jesus, that is possessed, that is embodied by Christ Jesus, the reflection of God’s faith. Paul is not saying that we are sons because of our faith in Christ Jesus.
Acts 17:28 and 29, «For in him we live, in him we move, in him we have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also,» what? «His offspring,» verse 29, «Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, or graven by art and man’s device,» and stuff that came from his stuff. To tell you the truth, we have always been sons. It was his doing, not ours that made us sons, we came from him, he is our daddy. Okay, so here we go the Christian folks, «Not if you’re not saved».
Please understand, the whole world has access to all of the gifts that have been made available to mankind. What’s the only thing standing between them and the gift, the only thing that was standing between us? We accepted him, so we are accessing, we are taking a hold or laying a hold of what we realize now that is ours. We’re accepting the gift. What’s the only difference? The only difference is everything that he made available for all of us here in church, he made available to everybody in the club. So what’s the deal?
They’re not accepting it in the club, but you know what, they will, you know why? 'Cause you and me and, more than that, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost saying, «All right, so you won’t accept this, so now I got to, I got a way already planned, the path has already been planned. You say you ain’t gonna accept it here, but I already got the path. I know what you got to, I know where you’re gonna be at the day you realize that you want to accept me. I already know, so go ahead, but I got this thing covered. You gonna want me, you gonna want what I got, you gonna need what I got, you’re gonna get tired of what life is dealing to you. And once you get tired of that, I’m gonna be whispering in your ear, 'Hey, I got something better. Hey, hey, it’s already done, it’s already finished, it’s completed, it’s done. It’s a gift, let me give you a gift. Everybody like gifts, let me give you a gift, let me give you a gift».
But the issue is, as simple as what I just explained to you, religion has made it hard. Religion’s made it so hard, and with it, religion has put the threat of hell and the fear of death. And then consequently, with the threat of hell and the fear of death, then you fear the most comes upon you and all of the stuff happens and people end up dying without accepting a free and gracious gift, because they kept going to the church. It’s like a drug pusher would just give you a little taste, so you keep wanting more of the same bad stuff. «Why do you keep going to that church»? «'Cause my mama went there». «Where your mama at»? «She dead».
I have nothing else to do in this life. I have done everything I want to do. I could leave the earth today and say what a ride. But every time I think about y’all… and the religious journey that I’ve gone through with others and the condemnation; coming to church, condemn, coming to church and get more shame from the pulpit. The sermon shamed me. They preach on fatherhood and they tell me how bad of a father I am, in so many words, by talking about all the things I needed to do. And they say nothing to me about God trying to help me and God gonna help me and God got this planned out, that you just going to hell. You’re a bad father, you ain’t no good, God don’t like ugly.
And I just was condemned and just beat myself up and, «I’m just trying, Lord, I’m just trying, Lord,» and then you try and then you, you don’t slip up, but you cuss somebody out. And 'cause you condemned and shamed in church and you just, you know, you’re human so you gotta release this and you’re supposed to deny you’re human, you ain’t human, you are human. You are human, then you deny your emotions like you’re not supposed to have emotions, you do have emotions, you have emotions, you get sad, you get happy. Then they tell you you can’t even be sad at your mama’s funeral, 'cause if you’re sad at your mama’s funeral, then you ain’t got no faith. I just, just, I was like, «You know what? I’m over this».
There was just several times I thought, «Well, you know what, maybe the atheists has got it better than some of this. This stuff don’t even make no sense to me, I’m just tired. Time I think I got it and then something else come up, and then time and», come up, man, «Well, you need to confess the Word». «Well, what do I need to confess»? And then I write it down and then that wasn’t enough, so I wrote another page down. Then it wasn’t enough, and I wrote, I got five pages of confession. I’m gonna be late to work, I got all these confessions I gotta say. And then I talked to God, then it wasn’t enough to talk to God, and I gotta talk to God for an hour. I’m like, «Well, where that at,» you know, «Well, should you not pray for one hour»?
Okay, well, that’s what he said, and, you know, so I’m gonna pray for one hour. And then I get up some morning and I’m tired 'cause I went to bed at midnight that night, and I got up and I set my clock for one hour and I said and then I got up some morning and I got to going I’m like, «Ooh boy, I’m getting this thing. I’m in the Spirit,» looked at the clock, ain’t but two minutes went by. I’m like, and then finally one day God was like, you know, you know, I told him, I said, «I just gotta be honest with you, if I can’t be honest with you, who I’m gonna be honest with»?
And I went to God and I said, «I don’t enjoy this prayer time». And you know what he said? «Me neither,» because God don’t want you to having to pray out of, «You got to». He wants you to pray out of, «I want to». He don’t want you to give out of, «I got to,» he wants you to give out of, «I want to». He don’t want you to love out of «I got to,» he wants you to love out of «I want to». He wants a desire from you to want him, to want to do him, and he wants to work on you and to give you the delight of your life so you can live life in abundance to the full, until it overflows. That’s the kind of God life he wants you to have. but you can’t have it because you’re too entrenched and stuck into religious law and tradition.