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One of the most difficult aspects of learning to walk by Faith, pray in Faith and to use our Faith in our daily lives, is learning to have patience and then learning to make positive Confessions with our mouth about what we believe. It would be great if we could just sit down and pray patience into ourselves, but we cannot do that Patience is a learning decision that we choose to move toward. We have to learn how to stand and wait calmly, not frustrated and up tight, because when we are frustrated and up tight or anxious, one thing is for sure, and that is that we are NOT operating in Faith. We will and DO, go nowhere, with God, by allowing ourselves to be impatient.
In terms of physical manifestation, it is not that God is holding back patience from us, It is simply that Faith takes time to work. It is our faith that brings things to pass into our lives -- and life experience. We have to learn how to wait, from the time we pray until the time the thing you have prayed about or for, manifests into your life. It is in the operation of our Faith that we learn patience' that patience is developed, AND how we learn to increase our endurance. Contained within the Biblical meaning of the word "patience," in fact, is endurance. it means to "stand and stay' right there, no matter what comes to pass, and to stand there unwavering, unchanging -- IN OUR FAITH.
Let us look at Hebrews 10:23: "Let us hold fast the confession of our Faith without wavering' (for he is faithful that promised.)" In the Greek, this verse literally reads, "We should hold fast the confession of the hope." Paul says in Hebrews 11:1 that: "Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for." So -- for as long as I know and understand what FAITH IS, and if I am holding onto my hope, I am holding onto my Faith, as well -- and if I am standing on and holding onto my Faith, I will also have and experience hope.
In Hebrews 10:23, Paul is teaching us about being "patient." We use a common expression all the time, do you remember? "Hold tight." It has the meaning of getting a grip on something so you do not fall off and get hurt by slipping. Paul is telling us to "Hold FAST," to our confession of Faith because Faith does not always materialize or manifest instantaneously. If you become "Impatient" and give up your confess of Faith, you will then miss the answer to your prayer. Once again, you have to act like the Word of God is true. You have to ACT on what you SAY you believe. You do that by continuing to CONFESS your faith, (i.e. remember, confession is always with your mouth).
So often we allow ourselves to surrender to temptations. Let us look at James 1:2 once again: "My brethren, count it ALL JOY when you fall into all kinds of temptations." Temptations means "trials and tests of our Faith." James is very clearly saying that temptations are not joyful. He is not telling us to feel good about temptations. It is never a joy when we undergo temptations or tests of our Faith. What James IS SAYING, however, is to count it, TREAT IT -- or consider it as though it were -- a joy.
Please understand, that does NOT mean that we run around telling people how happy and please we are that things seem to happening to us, that brings our faith to the test. No of course not. But we need to have an inner joy -- to "treat it as joy," inwardly. If we allow ourselves to react to the temptation or the TEST, the thing you are reacting TO -- will overpower you. However, if you count it as joy, as in James 1:2, you also have to include verse 3. You have to read them TOGETHER. Let us take a look at these two verses together. Verse three says: "Knowing this, that the trying (i.e. the testing) of your Faith works (i.e. produces) PATIENCE." Remember, it is NOT YOU that is being tested -- IT IS YOUR FAITH, that is being tested.
The word "trying" in the Biblical sense really needs to be translated as "Proving." In a positive sense, "proving" is the same as testing something, to make sure it will do what it is designed to do.
You need to know, in all of this, WHO you are proving your Faith to! It is not God Who brings temptations, trials and/or tests to you. It is Satan. And his purpose in bringing them is to destroy your Faith and you along with it, if he can.
How do you overcome these trials and temptations? BY COUNTING THEM AS JOY and letting patience have it perfect work in you. It is the working of your Faith that brings PATIENCE, or literally, "ENDURANCE."
In Hebrews 6:12 - 15 we read:
12. "That you be not slothful, but followers of them who through FAITH and PATIENCE inherit the promises.
13. For when God made the promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
14. Saying, surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise."
Like us, our father Abraham did not obtain the promise UNTIL he had PATIENTLY endured. Notice also, verse 12 of Hebrews 6, -- who gets the promise? "That you be not lazy, but followers of them who through 'faith and patience' inherit the promise."
Faith comes first, but right after that is patience. Utilizing both these qualities will help you inherit the promise. As we said before, PATIENCE and ENDURANCE, the ability to STAND STEADFAST, no matter what happens is our goal.
All Christians need to learn that, If God is on your side and you are on God's side, and God has something for you, there is nothing that can keep it from you.
Let us take a look at Proverbs 18:21. This scripture verse is the biblical foundation for the principle of death or life being IN THE POWER of the tongue. The primary thing that we do with our tongue is to speak, or talk. So it is with our TONGUE that we CONFESS our Christianity. Christianity, one could say, if CONFESSION from beginning to end, whether we like it or not. Think for a moment how much of our Christian walk, worship, teaching, praying -- is done with our Tongues. Real Christianity then must be a positive CONFESSION. Notice I did not say Christianity was positive thinking, although positive thinking can certainly play a condition role in our positive confessions as we learn to operate in our Faith!
Let us look at this word confession for a moment. One of the sad things about our society today is that most people have come to believe that "Confession" means to accept or acknowledge your guilt and shame for something that you have done, said, behaved in some way, or forgotten to do, etc.
In actuality, CONFESSION means none of that. Often times we don't even translate into good English from the Greek translations for the Scriptures. In the Greek, the word "confession" means "that you AGREE WITH or say the same thing that God says about you and/or your circumstances." Our salvation involves confession and has nothing to do with emotions or feelings or actions related to guilt and shame, as has been taught by our society and culture and sadly, the Church in all to many cases.
In most churches, we are usually told that if we confess our sins the Lord will save us, and that is UNTRUE. (WAIT! Before you are ready to hang me here, let me finish this thought!) That is NOT the way you get saved. It sounds good, but from a Biblical point of view, that is NOT how it works, There is no place in the Scriptures that says one must confess his or her sins so that he or she can get saved. THAT IS NOT TAUGHT Bible! Although it is taught in some churches. We are not saying who is right or wrong here, just what is Biblical and what is not.
What must a person do then to be saved -- from a Biblical point of view? Let us look at the book of Romans 10: 9, 10:
"If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ (i.e. please notice that it does not say, confess your sins or just confess Him in your thoughts), and shall believe in your heart (i.e. Your spirit) that God has raised Him (i.e. Jesus) from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED. For with the heart (i.e. spirit) a man believeth unto righteousness; and the MOUTH confession is made unto salvation."
It is upon this positive Confession then, that we approach the Sacrament or Holy Mystery of Baptism. Our Baptism then becomes the outward and visible aspect or sign or form of the thinking and the CONFESSION of our mouth -- of Romans 10: 9. 10. Here the Confession of our Lord Jesus Christ and the information in Romans 10: 9, 10 and the ceremony or ritual of Baptism work together in a wonderful beauty of union with God. As always the Sacraments are a vital part of our Christian experience and growth.
When we sin (i.e. make mistakes that lead us away from Jesus, from God, from the Holy Spirit) it is not that we have literally LOST our righteousness, or our right standing before God, or that God has left us, or Jesus has left us, or the Holy Spirit has left us, BUT it makes us "FEEL -- EMOTIONALLY" like we have been separated. We literally loose our sense of right standing (i.e. CLOSENESS/UNION with) before and with God. That is when we will fell lost, without God, alone or forgotten and unwanted. That is the time when Satan will come to you to convince you of your own low self-worth and self-esteem. That somehow nobody cares or wants you in their lives, respects or loves you unconditionally.
How then do we restore our FEELING or EMOTION of right standing/closeness and UNION with God? That is the time that we do what we are instructed to do in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from (i.e. the feeling or emotions of) all unrighteousness." in 2 Corintinans 5:21 we read "He (i.e. Jesus) who knew NO SIN was made to BE SIN for us that we might be made the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM."
Let us end this lesson with the Gospel of Matthew to be found in chapter 10, verses 32 and 33: "Whosoever therefore shall CONFESS me before men (i.e. with their mouths) him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven."
Blessings,
+Perry (Joseph Benedict) Sills, S.T.D.
Bishop Primus
The Evangelical Orthodox Catholic Church in America
San Jose, California
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