The Faith of the Son of God

I love it when God illuminates a scripture in a fresh way.  Yesterday I was reading the Bible waiting for my number to be called in the Medicare office and read Galatians 2:20 in the King James Version:  "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."  There is a subtle difference from the New King James I found most illuminating.  I point this out not for the purpose of pitting one translation over another, but it shed light on another facet of God's truth I had not yet considered.  The New King James Versions reads, "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."  I do not believe one of these is "right" and therefore the other is "wrong," but they both hold forth important God-breathed truth.

Do you see the difference?  The NKJV renders Paul's statement "...the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God."  Christians realise our life is intended to be one marked by active reliance in Christ, delighting to do His will.  We place our trust in Christ, and as we walk in obedience the life of Christ is lived out through us.  Now compare this with the wording of the KJV:  "...the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God."  I found this remarkable.  Not only do we live by faith in Christ, but we live by the faith of the Son of God.  The faith we possess is a gift from God.  We cannot muster or manufacture such a response to God in our flesh.  God has dealt to each person a measure of faith, and our faith can be increased as we step out in obedience and see God's faithfulness.

The genuine faith we possess, therefore, is of the exact kind Jesus demonstrated when He went to the cross for the sins of the world in obedience to the Father.  The very fabric of our faith is cut from Christ's faith.  Our spiritual DNA is the same, having been filled with the same Spirit and same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:19-23 tells us we were not purchased with corruptible things "...but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ²⁰ He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. ²² Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³ having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever."  Our faith and hope is to be in God, and now the life that we live is to be a demonstration of the faith of the Son of God, even as we love one another as He has loved us.

This is just another example of how the living Word of God is powerful, packed with truth, and applicable to our lives.  God's Word will never pass away, and the wisdom and power of it will not be exhausted for eternity.  Of making books there is not end, yet there will never be another book like the Bible that searches hearts, convicts of sin, is a lamp to our path, and will remain relevant and fresh for all time.  You who are hungry dig into God's Word, for a feast awaits!