From Despair to "Burning Hearts": 5 Surprising Lessons from the Road to Emmaus
In the wake of profound loss, the human psyche often retreats into a state of "hope deferred." As Proverbs 13:12 warns, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick."

This is not merely a poetic sentiment; it describes a specific psychological and spiritual malaise—a "sick heart" characterized by devastation, disillusionment, and a heavy existential inertia.

In Luke 24, we encounter two travelers in the grip of this sickness. They are fleeing Jerusalem for a village called Emmaus, a name that translates to "Warm Springs." Their destination was chosen for its promise of comfort; they were seeking a "warm bath" or a "Calgon take me away" moment to soothe the trauma of the previous three days. They were walking away from the site of their disappointment, looking for a lukewarm escape, unaware that they were about to be intercepted by the very Truth they believed was dead.

1. The Longest Walk and the Gentlest Teacher
The seven-mile trek from Jerusalem to Emmaus takes approximately three hours—a window of time that Jesus utilized for the first extended Bible study of the new covenant. It is a striking revelation of Christ’s character that He did not manifest with a thunderous rebuke or a demand for immediate spiritual alignment. Instead, He adopted the posture of a gentle pedagogue, meeting them in their "slow of heart" state.
There is a profound analytical lesson here: Jesus prioritizes fellowship over immediate performance. He walked with them in their sadness, demonstrating that the "Word of Life" is not an abstract doctrine to be studied from a distance, but a reality to be "handled" and known through shared experience.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life... that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us." (1 John 1:1-4)

2. Unbelief is Not a Vacuum—It’s Believing a Lie
A common misconception is that unbelief is a lack of faith. In reality, unbelief is a highly active state; it is the act of believing a lie over the truth. The travelers were "sad" because they were meditating on a corrupted narrative. They were tuned into what we might call the "Fox News" of the first century—the worldly reports and "5 o’clock news" cycles that focused exclusively on the death of a prophet and the perceived victory of Rome.
To find healing, they had to change which "report" they were absorbing. This is where the metaphor of the "little foxes" from the Song of Solomon (2:15) becomes relevant. These "little foxes" are the troubling thoughts and worldly anxieties that hinder our relationship with the Divine and spoil the vine of our faith. True spiritual transformation requires us to move beyond these distorted mental models and tune into the "Good News"—the only report capable of curing a sick heart.

3. The "Warm Springs" Paradox
The travelers were seeking Emmaus because they wanted the relief of "warm springs" to dull the pain of their disappointment. They were looking for a lukewarm, temporary comfort that would allow them to settle into their grief. However, the narrative presents a sharp paradox: while they sought a warm bath, they encountered a refining fire.
As Jesus expounded the Scriptures, their hearts began to "burn" within them. This was the fire of the Holy Spirit, a refining presence that prunes away the "futile imaginations" and unbelief that take root in times of crisis. We often mistake a desire for escape for a need for healing. Yet, as the Road to Emmaus shows, the "refining fire" of the Word is a far more potent remedy for a sick heart than the lukewarm waters of a temporary retreat.

4. The Pivot of "Lambano" (Taking Hold)
Perhaps the most psychologically intriguing moment occurs as the party nears the village. The text notes that Jesus "acted as if he was going on." This was not a deception, but a pedagogical provocation. By appearing ready to walk away, Jesus elicited a choice from the travelers, moving them from passive listeners to active participants.
They "constrained" or "compelled" Him to stay. This is the essence of the Greek word Lambano—to take hold of something for oneself. Spiritual illumination is not a passive event; it requires a volitional "taking hold" of the Truth. Jesus knocks, but as an act of perfect love, He does not force the door. The travelers had to move from being mere spectators of the Gospel to people who actively "grab hold" of the Word of Life and insist that He abide with them.

5. Illumination Happens at the Table
There is a deliberate sequence in this encounter: hearing leads to seeing. Throughout the seven-mile walk, the travelers’ eyes were "restrained." Despite receiving a masterclass in theology, they remained blind to the Person standing before them. They required what the source describes as a cleansing of "ear wax"—the healing of their hearing through the Word—before they could receive the "eye salve" of true illumination.
The climax occurs not during the lecture, but at the table. This reflects the promise of Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine (SUP) with him." The act of "supping" represents deep intimacy and fellowship. It was only in the breaking of the bread—the moment of shared life—that their intellectual reasoning was transfigured into spiritual sight.

"Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight." (Luke 24:30-31)

The Road Where Faith is Reborn
The journey to Emmaus began with two individuals who were cold, despondent, and fixated on death. It ended with them being aflame, full of faith, and racing back to Jerusalem to testify. The very road that served as their retreat from trauma became the place where their faith was reborn.
As you navigate your own seasons of disappointment, consider the report you are currently meditating on. Are you seeking the "warm springs" of a lukewarm escape, or are you willing to let the Living Word refine your heart? The "little foxes" of worldly counsel will always lead you toward despair, but the refining fire of the Word offers a path to a "burning heart"—one that no longer just hears about the Truth, but sees and knows the Life behind it.

The Divine Pivot: Why Your Struggle for Holiness is Actually Holding You Back
Many of us carry an invisible weight—the quiet, persistent exhaustion of spiritual burnout.

We have long been haunted by the image of a celestial inspector, shears in hand, looking for reasons to discard us the moment we fail to produce.

We treat our faith like a high-stakes performance review, constantly checking our growth against a list of virtues we haven't quite mastered, feeling forever one step behind where we "should" be.

But what if the very effort you are using to "grow" is the thing keeping you from the life you desire?

 In the Gospel of John, Jesus introduces the metaphor of the Vine and the Branches, not as a new set of rules, but as a radical escape.

He presents Himself as the True Vine—the authentic source of life—contrasting the many "false vines" and "imitation lights" that promise life but offer only the empty works of the flesh.

To abide is not to work harder; it is to realize that the life you are trying to manufacture is only possible through a profound, effortless union.

1. "Taking Away" is Actually "Lifting Up"
One of the most profound "lightbulb moments" in the Greek text of John 15:2 concerns the phrase "takes away." In our modern mindset, we assume this means God discards the non-fruiting branch. However, the Greek word airo more accurately means "to lift up" or "to raise from the ground."

A vine branch is utterly helpless when it is lying in the mud. Tangled in the dirt of "earthly-mindedness," it cannot receive the light or air necessary to produce fruit.

The Vinedresser doesn’t discard the struggling branch; He reaches down into the grime to lift it up, cleaning it so it can finally see its reality from a higher vantage point.

This shifts our view of God from a harsh judge to a supportive gardener who intervenes specifically when we are stuck in the mud of our own failures.
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-4)

2. The "Useless Shoots" of Self-Condemnation
We often view "pruning" as a painful punishment for sin, but the source context reveals it as a cleansing from "useless shoots." These are the energetic drains that suck the life out of the branch, restraining it from bearing fruit. Surprisingly, these shoots are often our most "spiritual-sounding" anxieties.
The most restrictive useless shoots include:
• False guilt and lingering condemnation for things already forgiven.
• Paralyzing regrets over past seasons.
• The "I wish I was more holy" mindset.
This last one is a paradox. The desire to be "more righteous" feels noble, but it is actually a shoot that restrains fruit because it is rooted in the lie of lack rather than the truth of supply. When you focus on what you "wish" you were, you are denying what you already are in the Vine. The Vinedresser prunes these thoughts because they focus on the branch's performance rather than the Vine’s infinite sap.

3. The Impossible Life: Stop Trying, Start Trusting
There is a central, provocative truth at the heart of this union: the Christian life is impossible for a human to live on their own. Most of us default to a "WWJD" approach, attempting to copy Jesus’s behavior through sheer discipline. This is a recipe for exhaustion because a branch cannot produce life; it can only bear the life that flows through it.
The pivot point of the spiritual life happens when we reach the end of our strength and admit, "I can't do this." In that moment of failure, God doesn't express disappointment. Instead, He says, "Good." It is only when we surrender our fleshly willpower that we allow the Divine Nature to finally work through us. Our failure is not a dead end; it is the radical escape into His sufficiency.
"With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible." (Mark 10:27)

4. Union with Distinction (The Braided Life)
Abiding is described in the source as being "braided and twisted together" with the Divine. It is a marriage union so tight that the lines between the Vine and the branch begin to blur. Yet, this is a Union with Distinction.
The source is clear: "I am not Christ... I am the unique me that God created." This distinction is vital for a healthy relationship with the Divine. We do not disappear into a nameless pantheism; rather, we are "perfected in one." Like separate strands in a single, unbreakable cord, your unique personality and Christ’s life are entwined. You are a partaker of the Divine nature, but you remain the unique expression of His glory that He intended from the beginning.

5. You Already Have Everything You Need
The most transformative shift a believer can make is moving from acquisition to acknowledgment. We often spend our lives praying for "more" patience, "more" virtue, or "more" power, as if these are external packages God hasn't delivered yet.
However, 2 Peter 1 and Philemon 1:6 suggest that God's divine power has already given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. "Adding" to your faith is not about searching for something missing; it is the acknowledgment of every good thing already in you through Christ.
• You don’t lack virtue; you lack the "seeing" of the virtue already present.
• You don’t lack holiness; you have simply forgotten that you were purged from your old sins.

If you feel "barren," the source suggests it is because of a type of spiritual blindness—a forgetfulness of your current union. The spiritual life is not about attaining what you don't have; it is about waking up to what you have already been given.

Conclusion: A New Way to Abide
The shift from self-discipline to total reliance is the difference between a branch straining to create a grape and a branch simply resting in the flow of the sap. Abiding is not another task for your to-do list; it is the surrender of the self-effort that has kept you exhausted and fruitless.
When we stop trying to be like Him and start trusting Him to live through us, the fruit of His life begins to appear naturally. We no longer need to produce; we simply need to behold.
A Final Thought: What if the very effort you're using to "grow" is the thing keeping you from the Vine? Which "useless shoot" of self-criticism or willpower can you allow the Vinedresser to prune away today, so you can finally rest?

The Great Fear Exchange: How Trading Your Anxiety for Awe Sets You Free
1.0 Introduction: The Fear Paradox
The Bible presents a curious paradox about fear. In hundreds of passages, the message is a clear and comforting, "Fear not." Yet, in others, we are told that the "Fear of the Lord" is the very beginning of wisdom. This apparent contradiction can be confusing. How can fear be both something to be cast out and something to be embraced? What is this "good" fear, and how is it different from the anxiety and terror that can so easily consume us?
This apparent conflict isn't a contradiction, but an invitation to a deeper understanding. The Bible speaks of two profoundly different kinds of fear, originating from two completely different sources. This article will explore the critical distinction between the "tormenting fear" that holds us in bondage and the "godly fear" that sets us free. By understanding this difference, we can uncover how embracing one kind of fear is the ultimate key to being delivered from the other.
2.0 Takeaway 1: Not All Fear Is Created Equal—There’s ‘Godly Fear’ and ‘Tormenting Fear’
The foundational concept is that the Bible speaks of two distinct categories of fear. The first is a tormenting fear, which the Apostle Paul clarifies God does not give us. This is a spirit of being afraid, an anxiety born from the moment Adam first believed a lie over God’s truth in the garden. It is a fear that leads to bondage and causes us to shrink away from the presence of God.
The second type is godly fear, which the Bible describes as good, clean, and profitable. This is not a fear of being punished or condemned. Instead, it is a "reverent Awe" for our creator, born out of a deep and secure love for Him. In a beautiful, reciprocal truth, the source material defines this as "standing in reverent Awe of your Father and creator Who loves you, values you and stands in awe of you." It is the posture of a heart that correctly perceives God's majesty and overwhelming love, leading to wisdom and life.
Psalm 19:9: "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether."
3.0 Takeaway 2: The Root of Tormenting Fear is the Fear of Death, Born from a Lie
The origin of tormenting fear is traced directly back to Adam in the Garden of Eden. When he chose to believe the serpent's lie over God's truth, a destructive fear entered his heart for the first time. He became afraid of the very presence of God, who is Love itself. In a profound act of irrationality, Adam ran from the presence of Love. When God came to walk with him, Adam's response revealed this new, internal state of torment.
He said, "I was afraid and hid myself" (Genesis 3:10). This is the fear that causes humanity to hide from God, to shrink back from His love. It is the very bondage that Jesus came to break. The source identifies the ultimate root of all this torment: the fear of death. Jesus entered into humanity to destroy the power of death and release us from the grip of this foundational fear.
Hebrews 2:14-15: "...that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
4.0 Takeaway 3: The Ultimate Antidote to Tormenting Fear is Perfect Love
The solution to tormenting fear is not to try harder or simply "suck it up." The true antidote is receiving the perfect love of God. This truth powerfully refutes the "Gospel of fear"—an image of an angry, fuming God waiting to punish us, captured perfectly by the satirical billboard, "Don’t make me come down there …. God."
Instead, the Bible presents God as a savior who is for us, not against us. He is not a condemner, but the one who loves us enough to come and set us free. Embracing the truth of God's perfect love is what actively expels tormenting fear from our hearts. When we know and believe that we are loved perfectly by God, the fear of punishment and condemnation has no place to reside. This truth is the foundation of our boldness and freedom.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
• 1 John 4:18
5.0 Takeaway 4: The Great Paradox—‘Godly Fear’ is What Delivers You From All Other Fears
Here lies the central, transformative argument: embracing "godly fear" is the exact mechanism that delivers you from all other "tormenting fears." Holding a reverent awe for God is what frees you from the fear of man, the fear of lack, and even the fear of death.
Consider the analogy of David and Goliath. The armies of Israel were paralyzed by tormenting fear, hiding from their enemy. But David, a young shepherd boy, stood in reverent awe of God. This godly fear did not make him timid; it filled him with the boldness to face an impossible giant because his focus was on God's power, not the enemy's threats.
This explains the challenging passage in Luke 12:5, where Jesus says, "Fear Him who... has power to cast into hell." Read in isolation, this can sound terrifying. But in context, Jesus was directly addressing the fear-based religion of the Pharisees, warning his disciples against their "marred image of God and an unhealthy fear." He wasn't commanding them to be terrified of God as a punisher; He was giving them the key to overcome their fear of man.
Jesus tells you who to revere… and in the very next breath, he tells you why this sets you free: because you are of infinite value to the one you revere. He immediately pivots from this strong command to a tender reminder of our immense worth, saying we are of "more value than many sparrows." True fear of the Lord isn't about dreading a punisher; it's about anchoring your heart in the awe of the one who holds all power and values you infinitely. In that awe, all lesser fears dissolve.
6.0 Conclusion: Trading Terror for Awe
The biblical concept of fear is not a contradiction but a profound distinction. The "fear of the Lord" is not about being terrified of God; it is about seeing Him correctly—with a loving, reverent awe that places everything else in its proper perspective. This is not a fear that binds, but one that liberates.
When our awe of God becomes greater than our fear of circumstances, people, or death, we are set free. This shift in perspective is what liberates us from the anxieties and tormenting fears that hold us captive, filling us instead with a peace and boldness that cannot be shaken.
What one "tormenting fear" in your life could be silenced by embracing a reverent awe for a God who loves you and is for you?

Sermon: From a Crime Scene to a Manger – God's Divine Answer
We are all familiar with the traditional image of Christmas: a peaceful stable, gentle animals, devoted parents, and a baby asleep in a manger. It is a scene of tranquility and quiet hope. But as we reflect on this familiar picture, we must ask the central questions that give it its profound power: Who is this Baby lying in a manger, and why was His birth so monumental that it required God Himself to enter our world? 

This morning, we will explore the Nativity not as a gentle bedtime story, but as God's powerful and direct response to a cosmic crime.

The true meaning of Christmas is found in understanding the Incarnation—the astonishing act of God joining Himself to humanity. This is not merely a birthday celebration. This is why no one ever writes on your birthday cake, "Happy Incarnation." This was a singular event in all of history, a divine intervention with eternal consequences.

To grasp the awesome significance of the solution that arrived in that manger, we must first go back to the beginning—back to the scene of the crime that made the manger necessary.

2. The Crime Scene: Humanity Murdered by a Lie
To understand the remedy, we must first understand the wound. The Bible doesn't present the Fall of Man as a simple misstep or a minor infraction. It presents the Garden of Eden as a Crime Scene, a place where humanity was spiritually murdered. The perpetrator was not a stranger, but one created with a high purpose: Satan. He was created to serve humanity, to be a point man to the Tree of Life. Instead, in an act of cosmic betrayal, he pointed to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He used deception as his weapon.

Centuries later, Jesus Himself would unmask this ancient enemy in a fiery confrontation with the religious leaders of His day. As they boasted of their spiritual heritage, Jesus diagnosed the murderous, deceitful nature of their hearts by tracing it back to its source. In the Gospel of John, chapter 8, verse 44, He declares, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him."

Jesus wasn’t speaking in abstractions. He was identifying a premeditated spiritual homicide. Satan, knowing full well the consequence of disobedience, intentionally used a lie to bring about humanity’s death.

The gravity of this act is something even our human legal systems can grasp. If you ask legal experts, "Can a person be charged with murder for a lie that led to another's death?" they will tell you, "Yes, a person can be charged with murder...if a lie they told was the direct or foreseeable cause of another person's death." If human justice recognizes the lethal power of a lie, how much more does divine justice recognize the cosmic treason committed in the Garden?

This foundational crime set the stage for a universal consequence, ushering in a new and terrible reality for all mankind.

3. The Consequence: The Universal Reign of Death
The crime in the Garden was not an isolated incident; it had inherited, universal repercussions.

Adam’s act of disobedience infected the entire human race, subjecting us all to its fatal consequence: death. The Apostle Paul lays this out with forensic precision in his letter to the Romans, chapter 5, verses 12 and 17 through 19 from the New King James Version:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— [17] For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) [18] Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. [19] For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

Paul’s argument is a stark contrast of two Adams. Through the first man, Adam, one act of disobedience unleashed sin and death upon the world, making all humanity sinners by nature and subject to condemnation. Death began its reign. But Paul doesn't leave us there. He introduces a second Adam—Jesus Christ—through whom one righteous act offers the free gift of righteousness and life.

If death reigned so completely through one man's offense, what kind of solution could possibly be powerful enough to reverse it? What kind of hero could conquer a king as universal as death itself?

4. The Divine Solution: The Incarnation and the Justification of Life
God’s solution was as profound as the problem was severe. To reverse a cosmic crime and overthrow the reign of death, no angel, prophet, or priest would suffice. God Himself had to intervene directly. The solution was the Incarnation.
This is the central doctrine that the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, assumed human nature and was "made flesh" in the person of Jesus Christ. God did not send a representative; He came Himself, joining His divine nature to our human nature.

Now, you may wonder how this is even possible. Theology gives us a profound term for this mystery: The Hypostatic Union. It simply means that Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct, complete natures: fully divine and fully human. This union of God and man in one person makes Him the "perfect mediator," able to fully represent humanity to God and fully represent God to humanity.

With this understanding, we can see the Nativity in its true light. If the Garden was a crime scene, the Nativity was a Justification of Life Scene. In the manger, we witness the beginning of God's divine plan to justify and redeem humanity from the consequences of the crime committed in the Garden. God entered our world, in union with our humanity, to undo what was done and restore what was lost. This divine act didn't begin with a whisper; it began with a proclamation from the heavens.

5. The Proclamation: A Savior to Conquer Death
The announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds was far more than a simple birth announcement. It was the first proclamation of victory, the divine declaration that the solution to humanity's oldest and deepest problem had arrived. Let's revisit that majestic scene from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 10 through 14 in the New King James Version:
"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. [11] For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger." [13] And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: [14] "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Notice the angel's primary identifier for this child: a Savior. But what was His primary mission? So often, our understanding of salvation is too small.

Forget about the idea that we needed to be saved from an angry God, or even primarily from our bad behavior. It was really about a crime that was committed intentionally against all humanity, and God Himself came to deal with it. The core issue was not just our actions, but our very state of being—a state of bondage to death. Scripture confirms this purpose again and again:

 Hebrews 2:14-15 states that Jesus took on flesh and blood so "that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

• Hosea 13:14 prophesied this victory, with God declaring, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death."

• John 10:10 presents Jesus' own mission statement in direct opposition to the enemy: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
This divine purpose, this mission to conquer death and restore life, all began in the humility of a stable, with a baby lying in a feeding trough.

6. Conclusion: Feeding on the Truth, Finding Our Worth
The Nativity, then, is God's divine and definitive answer to the crime committed in the Garden. Where a lie brought death, God sent the Truth to bring life. And the setting of this arrival is filled with meaning. It is no coincidence Jesus was laid in a manger, a feeding trough. He is the Word made flesh, the Truth that we are to feed on and be set free from the lie.
And what is that lie? It is the ancient whisper that we can cultivate our own life, that we can be fulfilled and whole independently, apart from God. The antidote to that poison is to feast on the person of Truth Himself.

Sadly, like the woman at the mall who dismisses a nativity scene as "religious stuff," our busy world often misses the profound worth and divine purpose of this event. But the carol "O Holy Night" captures the theological climax of this story with poetic precision:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
That final line reveals the ultimate outcome of the Incarnation. "'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth." Why? Because in that manger, we see how far God was willing to go to rescue us. He humbled Himself, joined Himself to our fallen humanity, and came to justify us from the death sentence we were under. In doing so, He didn't just save us; He affirmed our immeasurable worth to Him.

If the Garden was a Crime Scene, the Nativity is the Justification of Life Scene, where God Himself came to take away the sin and death of the world so that we could be free to be joined to Him who was raised from the dead.

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The  Resurrection Life .
Trying to produce Gods Life by the arm of the  flesh is futile.
We are not called to produce Gods Life but to bear His Life. 
Man apart from Gods Spirit is but perishing dust . 
He that has the Son has the Life . 
He that doesn’t have the Son dosnt have the Life . 
God never created man to live apart from His Life. 
Man may seem to be living the good life but the good life is not eternal.  What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world yet loose his own soul ? Only In Christ do we actually Live  and move and have our true Being. Without Christ we may be breathing but we are not fully Alive . The Resurrection of Jesus is the evidence of what God always intended for all of humanity and that was immortality of Life . That is to be raised up with a body that knows no death or corruption. Eternal life begins when you confess with your mouth Jesus Christ as Lord and Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead . The gospel is the death ,burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . Jesus died to the world and the flesh for life and trusted His Father for Life , to raise Him up so that He would possess a body that would see no corruption. We who believe in Jesus also possess the same Spirit of Life that was in Christ . The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that corruption will be swallowed up by His Life for everyone who is clothed with Christ will be glorified. Death is no match For Gods Life  if the same Spirit that Raised Christ from the Dead lives in you then you will be quickened by that Spirit not only in this life but in the life to come.

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
 

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed

From Faith to Faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

There's a lot to be said in these two verses.

First Paul says that He is not Ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the  power of God unto salvation for everyone who allows their heart to be persuaded to believe it ..

There is transferring power in the simple gospel message of Jesus Christ. The Gospel that says Jesus Christ died , was buried and was raised the third day ..

The Gospel that says all have been redeemed and forgiven and that all may now come and receive the gift of eternal life freely .

Paul says that this message is for everybody .. whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved .

Paul said that he was not ashamed of the message .. because he knows how the message transformed his life .

Paul was also saying that in this gospel message that the righteousness of God was revealed meaning that the faithfulness and the goodness of God was revealed through what God demonstrated by becoming flesh and laying down His life so that we could receive the life that He has always desired to share with us .

This message of Gods unconditional love and desire to save us and to share all that He is with us is revealed from Faith to Faith.

If we look up the word Faith it's the persuasion of God that persuades our hearts to actually believe what God believes .

Now we see that this Faith comes From Faith To Faith .

The Word from is the origin in which Faith comes from .. and we know that Faith originates  from God not from Man . The word To as in To Faith means the place or destination  where Faith is directed. So with this in mind Faith or the persuasion of God that comes from God is given to man in order to persuade all men to believe the Gospel so that man may be saved .

The Bible says that God has given every man the measure of Faith .. and that Faith comes by hearing and hearing buy the Word of Christ ..or the Gospel of Christ .

Paul goes on to say that the just will live by Faith. The Just are those who God has already created righteous , holy and complete in Christ .

The Just are those who have been persuaded to believe the truth about the finished work of Christ through the gospel.

the word Live is Zao .. which is to experience the true Life of God . This Life is not just the promise of life in the future but a Life that every believer is able to experience in the right here and now . 

Did you know that Faith has a Voice and Faith speaks?
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God .
The greek word for Faith is persuasion. Faith is the persuasion of God who is constantly speaking and persuading us to believe what God believes so that we are then able to receive every good and perfect gift that Gods desires for us to receive.
 Faith is  always speaking and encourages us to  have ears to hear what the Spirit of Faith is saying to the church, but sometimes we true a deaf ear to Faith or you could say that we harden our hearts to what the Faith is saying. In James 1:21 it says that we need to lay aside all superfluity and naughtiness and receive with meekness the implanted word that is able to save our souls. The main reason that we need to hear what Faith is saying is so that our soul will not be filled with death but with Life and Peace.  When Faith speaks we have two choices to either listen and respond to the faith or refuse to listen to the faith . Our response to the faith is called being obedient to the faith. If we refuse to hear then it's called being disobedient to the faith.

James could see that many in the church were not continuing in the faith that they were being persuaded away from the Faith to a faith or persuasion that was not from the Lord . This is why James said that Faith without works is dead or you could say that Faith only works when it finds a heart that responds .
Also lets hear what the Apostle Paul said to the church in Galatia
Galatians 3:1 
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

his only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Did you hear  what Paul said ? This only would I learn of you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
The scripture says that we walk by Faith not by Sight .. and Not by the Flesh 
The ones who are are  truly blessed are the ones who actually hear Faith and respond to the Faith
 
Faith has a voice and Faith speaks . Listen to what Romans 10 says about the voice of Faith

Romans 10:6-13 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)  or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “

The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Faith speaks and Faith says it is finished ! Faith says that there is now nothing left to do but believe in Christ for whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved . by Rick Sarver 

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Faith Works through Love
Jesus ( The Faith, The promise of Life made flesh and the very expression of the Love of the Father came into the world to save the lost)
Jesus ate and drank with sinners and yet was accused by the religious crowd of overlooking and even promoting sin
Sounds much like the same religious crowd today
Jesus was known as the friend of sinners who would eat with them and hang out all day with them.
So was Jesus overlooking the sin that people were bound in because He was a friend to them and loved them where they were?? No
Faith works through Love!
Remember Zacheus? And how Faith persuaded Zach to believe the love that God had for him? And the end result was the Fruit of Life.
The root of sin is that most have believed a lie over the truth about who God really is and how God views people as His precious ones that He values and came to die for
Was Jesus endorsing sin by being a friend to sinners? or did Jesus come to reveal the Fathers  Love to those were bound in sin so they would believe in Him and be set free from the lie.
Jesus told the criticle religious crowd that wisdom is justified by her children.
Faith works through Love not Hate.