Greetings from San Diego! As this spring Holy Day season draws to a close, it's important that we think deeply about the meaning of Pentecost as it affects us personally. Most of us have repented and have been baptized. We accepted Christ's sacrifice for our sins and received the precious gift of the Holy Spirit.

Together we are to be the "firstfruits" of God's spiritual harvest (Lev. 23:17). The Apostle Peter tells all of us who are truly converted, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" ( 1 Peter 2:9-10).

At this time of year especially, we need to ask ourselves: Are we beginning to shape up as a "royal priesthood"? Are we really walking daily in God's "marvelous light"?

We must not kid ourselves! Either we are becoming more like Jesus Christ or we're not.

Pentecost pictures the time when God "poured out" the Holy Spirit to help the first Christians overcome and become His genuine firstfruits. The inspired Peter told them on the first Pentecost of the New Testament Church era, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:38-39). Notice that this promise was for all Christians and for all times—for as many as God will call! A little later, Peter said, "And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit [which] God has given to those who obey Him" (5:32).

The Apostle Paul likewise tells us that "hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us" (Rom. 5:5 NRSV). And just what is that love? The Apostle John explains, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:2-3).

Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we receive the very "love of God." And this love flows down the channel—the "riverbed"—of the Ten Commandments, which tell us how to love God and how to love our neighbor. Time and again, in many different ways, God tells us, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God" (4:7 ASV). And Jesus Christ says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).

Yet we are all human. And throughout God's Church in all ages there have been brethren involved in feuds, hurt feelings, power struggles and just plain selfishness and carnality. Paul exhorted two of the leading ladies in the Philippian Church to "learn to get along." He wrote, "I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord" (Phil. 4:2).

Again, Paul wrote, "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:14-16).

Evidently, in the Churches of Galatia some people were trying to "bite and devour" one another. Of course we would NEVER allow any such attitude to creep into our minds!

Or would we?

Brethren, as we think of the immediate blessing of Pentecost—the gift of God's Holy Spirit—we all need to determine more than ever to USE this precious gift in our lives to truly love God and to love one another.

Let us each ask ourselves: How much have I really overcome my innate selfishness this past year? What new insights have I been given to help me overcome the "selfish self” that God sees and others see, but that I am not always aware of?

Am I willing to humble myself to take sincere admonition and correction from others—and from God's ministry—when I need it? Or, do I "blow up"—often get my feelings hurt—and try to maintain my own righteousness?

Do I ever let a "spirit of bitterness" come into my mind? Do we realize just how dangerous that is? For bitterness will simply BLIND us to the real facts of a situation and make it almost impossible to see our own faults and be able to repent.

Let us all remember this inspired message from the book of Hebrews: "Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled" (12:14-15). I personally heard Herbert W. Armstrong say a number of times, "Brethren, bitterness is like a drug—a poison. If you let it `hook' you, it will be nearly impossible for even the Holy Spirit to reach your mind and straighten you out!" So each of us must CRY OUT to God to help us resist and overcome even the beginning stages of bitterness before this evil force enshrouds our minds, perverts our thinking and literally DESTROYS our spiritual character.

Let's remember Jesus Christ our Savior, "who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered" (5:7-8).

Christ suffered more than the vast majority of human beings will ever come close to. And His suffering was undeserved—something that's not always true for the rest of us! Yet through it all, our Savior never once became bitter. Even as the Roman soldiers were literally putting Him to death, His reaction was to pray to the Father, saying, "Forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). In light of this tremendous example, we must pray FERVENTLY that God will keep us from ever becoming bitter, unforgiving or vindictive.

The Holy Spirit within us also helps us to focus on God's Kingdom. As I have so often preached and written, we must get our minds off the self and always try to see the big picture. Paul tells us, “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" (Col. 3:1-3).

If we can humbly and prayerfully visualize the GLORY that God is preparing for us, if we can realize how small ANYTHING in this life is compared to that ultimate reward, then we can perhaps gain a proper perspective. For we are only here a little while. We are made of dust. To become anything more than that, we must truly SURRENDER to let Jesus Christ live His life in us through the Holy Spirit. We should seek that Spirit. We should cherish it and exercise the power it gives us. We should continually study, pray, meditate and fast before our God and CRY OUT for Him to chasten us, fashion and mold us, and guide us in every way—through His Spirit.

We should meditate on the magnificent promises of God, "that through these you may be partakers of the DIVINE NATURE" (2 Peter 1:4). And we must never forget the enormously encouraging statement of the Son of God: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13).

So let us continually ask for more of God's Holy Spirit. Let us seek it with all our hearts. Then let us use it in our lives to become more like Jesus Christ in all that we think, say and do.

Remember that there is "no partiality" in God's eyes (Rom. 2:11; Col. 3:25). No matter how long we have been in the Church, no matter what job or position we hold, God is concerned with how much we have grown in genuine spiritual character and maturity. How much we have surrendered to let Christ live His life within us through the Holy Spirit. How much we have genuinely learned to "walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16).

Separated brethren are beginning to come with the Global Church of God. And dozens more "brand new" people are also beginning to attend. But how should these new people be received? Remember when you first attended? Were the local brethren warm and welcoming? Or did some seem to be cold and distant? No doubt many of you have fond memories of brethren greeting you, inviting you over for dinner, calling when you were sick.

Even though we are small and often geographically scattered in many Global congregations, it is still vital that we warmly welcome the precious "little ones" in the faith whom Christ is adding to His Church. We must also extend a warm hand of fellowship to those who transfer their membership to the Global Church of God and help us in doing the Work. We need to greet these brethren and make them feel wanted and appreciated in every way we can. We need to have them over to our homes to visit or for a meal—or take them out to a restaurant if we're able to do so. As we all know, "breaking bread" helps bind people together and makes for a warm and relaxing social environment. We all need to take advantage of this—not only with those newly attending but also with those who have always been there to fellowship with and encourage us!

We need to show deep concern for our newer brethren—for their health and well-being—and perhaps send a "get-well" card, call them or visit them when they're ill. Let them know we care. Let's strive to encourage all of our new brethren in conversation. Let's tell them about the Work and the opportunities we have to get the Gospel out to all the world in a unique manner. Yet don't "unload" on them regarding second and third tithe and all of the deeper things that are better for them to learn bit-by-bit as they grow and become more able to handle "spiritual meat.” Remember God's own instruction on this point: "Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14 KJV).

And let us all be careful to not voice any "unusual opinions" or "prophecies" to new people, which can be disconcerting if they are not well grounded in the Truth. We may want to discuss some of this speculation with elders or older brothers in the Truth, but it should definitely not be done with newcomers.

In all things, let us try to build in each local Church and video group a genuinely loving, caring "family spirit" to nurture God's children. If we truly love each other and show this in our interaction with ALL the brethren, it can go a long way toward fulfilling what Jesus said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another" (John 13:34).

by Thomas E. Robinson

What thoughts leap to mind when you hear the word "faith"? Miraculous healing? Walking on water? Daniel unharmed in the lion's den? All of these, of course, are the outcome or results of faith. But they do not constitute faith itself. And while there certainly is an association here, faith—as we will shortly see—involves so much more.

Do you sometimes go through your day trying to keep focused on living a Christian life—only dipping into "faith," however, when you need some noticeably miraculous divine intervention? Though I think we would all agree that this is not how we should think, that's sometimes the way it turns out, isn't it?

Indeed, our struggle to walk in God's way can actually become a futile, legalistic exercise if we do not have a proper understanding of the need for faith. For, according to Jesus Christ, faith is one of the "weightier matters" of the law (Matt. 23:23). So, while every part of God's law is important, some parts—namely, "justice and mercy and faith"—are even more important. Christ rebuked the scribes and Pharisees in this section of Scripture for their hypocrisy in paying scrupulous attention to the smallest ordinances of the law and yet neglecting the most important areas of God's way of life.

In previous issues of the Global Church News, we have examined justice, i.e. righteous judgment, and mercy in two separate articles. We now conclude our three-part series on the weightier matters of the law with the subject of faith.

The Law of Faith

Just what exactly is faith, anyway? Most of us are familiar with the biblical definition given in Hebrews 11—known as the "faith chapter." It says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (v. 1). But what does that really mean? Technically speaking, the word "faith" is a translation of the Greek pistis, the noun form of the verb pisteuo, which means "to believe." In simpler terms the word for "faith" could just as well have been translated "belief” (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13). By the same token, some have coined the verb "faithe" (pronounced like "bathe") to replace occurrences of "believe."

The word "substance" in Hebrews 11:1 is translated from the Greek word hypostasis—yes, the same term that has been misused by mainstream Christianity with respect to the Trinity argument. It is a compound word, formed from hypo, meaning "under," and histemi meaning to "stand up" or "establish." Thus, it is something that "stands under"—i.e. forms a "foundation" or "base.” It is rendered earlier in the same book as "confidence" (cf. 3:14). Furthermore, the word for "evidence" here can also be translated "proof."

In essence, then, it is our faith or belief that is the basis of a hoped-for circumstance actually coming to pass. And this faith is all the proof we need in order to know that it certainly will. Jesus told His disciples, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt... if you say to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt. 21:21-22).

So true faith, in context, is not about "concentrating really hard"—exerting some kind of personal "mind power" to set events in motion. It is, rather, the mindset we must have when approaching our Heavenly Father with a request for Him to fulfill. Understand, of course, that part of genuine faith is realizing that we must ask according to God's will, and that He may choose to override our requests for our own good or for the good of others (cf. 1 John 5:14; 2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Again, we must have this mindset of faith whenever we approach God: "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). First of all, then, we must believe in the Creator and Ruler of the universe, who is revealed in the pages of the Holy Bible. And we must also trust that He cares for us and wants to richly reward us for wholeheartedly seeking Him.

This, of course, requires that we believe in His power to accomplish anything He wants to. And why shouldn't we? After all—He made the entire cosmos! Realizing that God was all—powerful, the patriarch Abraham—having no legitimate heir—believed that despite his old age, the Almighty would fulfill His promise to give him a vast multitude of descendants through his elderly wife Sarah. The Apostle Paul explains that Abraham "did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20). The next verse follows with a well-put definition of faith: “Being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

Paul then makes an interesting statement: "Therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (v. 22). "Righteousness," as well as "justification," both have to do with being "lined up" with God and His way of life. This follows as Psalm 119:172 declares that obeying God's commandments constitutes righteousness. But how is belief imputed as obedience?

Every last one of us is guilty of breaking God's law, the penalty for which is death (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). This clearly means we've been out of alignment with God. Nevertheless, through God's amazing mercy we can be justified put back in line with Him—by repenting and accepting in faith that Christ's sacrifice has paid the penalty for sin in our stead (Acts 2:38; Rom. 3:24-26; 5:9-10).

Bear in mind, of course, that true repentance is a deep commitment to obey God from this point forward. And although initial justification occurs apart from actual physical deeds (3:28), repentance itself constitute a spiritual "work" since it is essentially keeping the spirit of God's law in the mind—which will naturally translate into righteous acts. That's why Paul says, "For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the DOERS of the law will be justified" (2:13).

Still, it must be understood that no amount of lawkeeping will remove the penalty for prior lawbreaking (3:20). Only faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice can do that. Moreover, even when converted we still sin and continually need forgiveness through faith (1 John 1:8-9). So we can't earn our salvation. Paul writes, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith" (Rom. 3:27). It's interesting that Paul calls the requirement of belief a "law." Again, remember that faith is a weightier matter of what? Of the law! In Hebrews, disobedience is equated with disbelief (cf. 3:18-19). Thus, those people who have a problem with law might be surprised to learn that they also have a problem with faith!

Establishing the Law

By no stretch of the imagination does faith do away with God's law. That wouldn't make any sense whatsoever. Paul writes, "Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31 ). "Establish" here is from a Greek word we saw earlier—histemi, "to stand up." But just how does faith enable the law to stand?

Take a moment and think about the following question. If you absolutely and totally believed everything God has said, would you really continue to break His law? Here's an analogy. Let's say you pick up a bottle that you absolutely know to be filled with deadly poison. Unless you're trying to commit suicide, how likely would you be to take a drink—knowing without question that you will die in pain over the next several minutes?

And just as painful death is the result of drinking certain poisons, so also are suffering and misery the results of sin. But there is another path we can take. For God tells us that His way of life will bring the greatest happiness and the most wonderful existence possible. And when we are in a mindset of absolutely believing what God says, we adhere to His way—fearing to "drink the deadly poison.”

At other times, we may "know" God's way is right, but we somehow forget how absolutely REAL He is and that He's right here with us. Consequently, we don't take His warnings seriously. We may think that instant, fleshly gratification will make us "feel better"—and so we end up giving in to temptation. But notice that a major culprit here is disbelief. If we really and truly believed God—being utterly convinced that He, in Spirit, was always right here with us—we would know better and act accordingly. Christ said that knowing the Truth would set us free (John 8:32). Of course, in this sense, "knowing" is really a matter of faith (cf. 2 Thess. 2:13).

But for carnal human beings, such absolute faith lies out of reach. The natural human mind, bombarded by Satan's negative broadcast (cf. Eph, 2:2) and subject to its own myopic interpretation of reality, simply cannot gain the proper perspective on its own. And that is in large part why the carnal mind can't submit to God's law (cf. Rom. 8:7}. It is constantly under assault from the enemies of faith—such as worry, fear, doubt and human reason (cf. Matt. 6:25-30; 8:26; 14;31; 16:8).

So as human beings, our own faith in God and Christ is not enough. When Jesus spoke the words that introduce this article to a man who wanted Him to heal his demon-possessed son, the man replied, "Lord, I believe; help my Unbelief!" (Mark 9:24). This is exactly what WE must ask of God on a continual basis. Humanly, there is always going to be some doubt, along with the other enemies of faith. So what does God do?

Consider that the Almighty Himself battles none of the enemies of faith. He certainly has no doubts about His own existence or what He is capable of doing. Furthermore, from His omniscient perspective, He knows absolutely the joys of His own way and the consequences of sin. Even as a human being, Jesus Christ retained this amazing perspective. Thus, His faith was absolute. And incredibly, God has made it possible for us to have that very same faith. But how?

It's at this time of year that we reflect on the most precious gift God has given us—His Holy Spirit. Following true repentance, having faith in Jesus Christ, who died for us, as our personal Savior, and being baptized for the forgiveness of sin, we receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). It is not a "spirit of fear, but of power" (2 Tim. 1:7). For part of the fruit it bears in our lives is "faith" (Gal. 5:22-23 KJV). Indeed, the very faith of Jesus Christ, who now lives in us through the Spirit. As Paul wrote, "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" (Gal. 2:20 KJV; cf. Rev. 14:12).

So faith is not just something we are to draw on every now and again. For we are to actually LIVE by faith—in fact, by Christ's faith. And this translates into obedience: "For the righteousness [or law] of God is revealed from faith to faith [i.e. ever-increasing faith]; as it is written, `The just shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:17).

Besides what we saw earlier about obeying based on absolute trust in God's Word, there is yet more to the relationship between faith and lawkeeping. When we purpose to obey God-something that's humanly impossible to accomplish on our own-we step out in faith, knowing that we are not "flying solo: ' We know that to the degree we yield to Christ living in us through His Spirit, He keeps the law in and through us-as the "author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2).

We can compare it to leaping across a 1,000-foot chasm that just has to be crossed. Humanly speaking, of course, it's impossible-just as it is to keep God's law in its full spirit and intent on our own (Rom. 8:7). Nevertheless, it CAN be done. For there IS a way to leap that chasm. It is the way of faith. If we believe, then Jesus Christ will leap the chasm through us. As Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

But it's not as if we sit back with nothing to do. For that belief must be accompanied by action on our part. We can't just wait for Christ to carry us—that simply won't happen. He won't "do it all for us.” We must jump too—with all our might—taking a "leap of faith.” And then, through the power of the Holy Spirit—like some unseen rocket pack strapped to our back—Jesus will exercise His omnipotent will. And in partnership with Christ, we will make it across! As Paul writes, each of us must "labor, striving according to His working which works in [us] mightily" (Col. 1:29). Indeed, we must work—but only through faith, or our work is in vain.

As the Prophet Isaiah explained, "all our righteousnesses [i.e. our attempts to keep God's law on our own] are like filthy rags" (Is. 64:6). This was a big part of ancient Israel's problem, as Paul explained: "They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:2-3).

It is by faith that we must yield to Jesus Christ living in us, trusting in Him to establish within us God's righteousness-the full spirit and intent of His commandments. And this is only possible by the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit.

Here, then, is how faith establishes the law—it is through faith that we receive and use the power of the Holy Spirit, through which Jesus lives in us, to obey God. Then, like Paul, each of us can say that we are found in Christ, "not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law [that is, trying to earn salvation through mere self generated effort], but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:9). And righteousness remember, is walking in God's commandments.

Walking with God

This is living faith—faith accompanied by righteous works. The Apostle James says, "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?" (James 2:20-22). A synergism exists between faith in God and in His way of life, and our commitment to doing godly works. Every time we take that leap of faith to obey God and are successful through Christ living in us, the more faith we will have to obey in the future. Indeed, nothing succeeds like success! The next verse in James 2 says this is actually how "the Scripture was fulfilled which says, `Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’"

The entire Christian life is an exercise in faith. And the more we grow in faith, the more faithful—or trustworthy—we become. Incidentally, some Bible versions list the weightier matters of the law as "justice and mercy and faithfulness" (cf. NASB). But it doesn't really matter how you say it, since faithfulness to God is developed through the faith of Jesus Christ growing ever stronger within us. Indeed, the more confidence we have in God, the more He can depend on us to remain true to Him—and the more trustworthy we will be in general.

So it's time for some personal evaluation. How are we doing in this weightier matter of God's law? Are we letting Christ build His faith within us? Or do we too often rely on our own "solutions"—contrary to God's laws? When money is tight, for example, do we dip into our tithes—or do we obey God and trust in Him to see us through to our next paycheck? Do we work on the Sabbath or Holy Days because we're afraid of losing our jobs or being passed over for promotion? Do we refuse to go to the Feast for the same reasons? Or do we do what God says, believing He'll take care of us as He promises? Do we avoid approaching our brother who's seriously offended us because we want to avoid an "unpleasant situation"? Or do we obey the instructions in Matthew 18 looking to the Eternal God to resolve matters?

Do we continually forgive our brother who, though repentant, repeatedly sins against us remembering that mercy is also a weightier, more important part of God's law? Humanly, continually forgiving someone might not seem like a very smart thing to do. Yet Christ told His apostles, "If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, `I repent,' you shall forgive him" (Luke 17:3-4). To which His stunned apostles replied, "Increase our faith" (v. 5)—something we should all be asking.

Remember that our whole life is to be one of faith. So in everything we must always "do the right thing" and let the chips fall where they may—confident that God will preserve us and make "all things work together for good" (Rom. 8:28). The biblical story of Shadrach, Meshech and Abed-Nego drives home this lesson in a powerful way (cf. Dan. 3). Of course, we must make sure not to develop a "martyr syndrome" and actually invite persecution—e.g. pitching a virtual fit in a restaurant and lecturing the waiter that eating shrimp is against God's law. We are, rather, to lead a "quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence" (1 Tim. 2:2; cf. 2 Thess. 4:10-12).

As we go through the process of growing in Christ's faith and, thereby, His character, we come to realize the full REALITY of God. We come to an acute awareness of our own nothingness without Him. This produces a profound humility and, in turn, even greater submission to His divine will: "`God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Therefore submit to God.... Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up" (James 4:6-10).

And this takes us to Micah 6:8. When Jesus mentioned the weightier matters of the law to the Pharisees, he was essentially paralleling what He had inspired the Prophet Micah to write hundreds of years before: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Doing justly, of course, corresponds to justice or righteous judgment. The love of mercy or lovingkindness becomes simply mercy. And walking humbly with God? This is real, living faith.

Deep humility and reverence, then, must be our attitude as we walk hand in hand with our loving Father and Creator. Humble and trusting—as a little child. And, in this way, the just live by faith.

So what does God require of you—of us all? That we wholeheartedly love and obey Him, giving special attention to the weightier matters of the law judgment, mercy and faith! As we go through our Christian lives, then, let all of us devote more time to these vital areas in prayer, study and meditation. And, more important still, let's live by them and grow to become more and' more like our Savior Jesus Christ.