Foundations of Faith – Faith is an important one if you’re living in the Bible Belt. While there are some larger pockets of Lutheran or Catholics in the Carolinas, most of the Christians belong to reformed tribes of Christianity, like the Baptist. There more different kinds of Baptists than there are Lutherans, but one of the common threads is that they reject infant baptism. AND, in general, they reject all the means of grace. I bring this up because so often when you speak with a Baptist about Baptism or the Lord’s Supper, you aren’t talking about Baptism or the Lord’s Supper. You’re talking about this lesson – Faith and Conversion.
Coke or Pepsi?
If you ask a corpse if he would like a Coke or a Pepsi what would he say? (Don’t say Diet Coke, either…) He would probably stay tight lipped on the subject because… he’s dead. So also if you asked a corpse to confess his faith in Jesus, you wouldn’t get much of an answer out of him. That’s perfectly obvious. The stunning development in all of this comes from Ephesians 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. That means, apart from Jesus, you’re a spiritual corpse!
First Step
So, there are Christians all over the place. Fewer than in years past, maybe, but it’s not THAT hard to find a Christian. Where did they all come from, if they were all spiritually dead and unable to come to God on their own? Faith comes from God the Spirit. God uses the gospel – the good news of Jesus – to create saving faith in a dead heart. The Spirit brings the dead soul back to life! Romans 10 tells us faith comes from hearing the message.
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s study from our series, Foundations of Faith – Faith.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.