T.R.A.S.H. TALK

(Truly Redeemed and Sanctified in Him)

The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality

In this T.R.A.S.H. Talk we will be looking at 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 as it pertains to Faith’s reality. Faith is a word that tends to be used for many circumstances in life and it is often times confused with the word Belief. 

People generally have no problem believing in something they can not see such as when they lay their head down to rest, they believe they will wake up; or, they believe tomorrow will arrive right on schedule, the sun will rise and set each day as it has since the beginning of time. They believe Spring will follow Winter, Summer will follow Spring, Fall will follow Summer etc.. There are thousands of things that are easy to believe in because it has been proven time and time again that those things have never failed. It is easy to have faith that these daily events will occur so we tend to take each day for granted (meaning we take it without objection or question). But what about your belief as to why they occur like clockwork? Many say, “I haven’t really thought about it much.” Some say, “Because God allows them to occur.” Some have had life altering situations that have caused them to really stop and realize the blessing of each and every day of life as being a gift from the most High God (Yahweh). However people believe, it still doesn’t have much to do with the reality of Faith but more with presumption.

1 Corinthians is a letter that Paul was compelled to write to the body of believers of Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) in Corinth. It’s purpose was to address some concerns he had resulting from two letters he had received from some Corinthian believers. The first letter he received informed him of divisions and immorality in the church (church being the body of believers). This was disturbing to Paul and those of whom brought their concerns to him. 

Divisions and immorality in the church were occurring because the believers had failed to protect themselves from the culture of the city and had given way to sectarian divisions. Paul called sectarianism a sin. What does this mean? It means that the young (new) believers had fallen away from following the way of Jesus Christ and instead took their identity in following their various leaders—many of whom led them astray from the gospel. Within the Corinth believers, various sect were now being formed and the leaders did not direct their eyes and way on Jesus. The cunning serpent managed to creep in and give a dose of deception in order to throw them off track. 

It wasn’t long before brethren were suing brethren rather than trying to resolve disputes among themselves, sexual immorality became a problem and the church was in a bit of a crisis. Sound familiar today? I’m sure they all believed the basic principles of what they had been taught about Yeshua but had fallen from the Faith in Yeshua and the sole reason for His coming to Earth, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead.

Sectarianism Definition: excessive attachment to a particular sect or party, especially in religion.

Did you know that in 2023 there are more than 45,000 Christian denominations globally and more than 200 in the U.S., according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity? I personally consider this somewhat disturbing considering the Holy Bible only speaks of one church, one body, one Spirit, one Creator.

Fast forward to Chapter 15 and Paul sends a message in his letter to Corinth. The message is a reminder of the risen Messiah. He begins with:

“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.” (1 Cor 15:1-2 NKJV)

Paul reminds them of the gospel he preached, the one about Jesus and the reason He came, died, and rose from the grave, so that those who ‘hold fast that word’ which he preached would be saved. He ends his thought with, ‘unless you believed in vain.’ We also know that the gospel preached has two very specific commandments; 1) Love the Lord God with all our heart and have no other gods besides Him; and, 2) Love one another as our self and as God loves us. In addition, Paul’s letter speaks of the spiritual wisdom and the spiritual gifts everyone the body of Christ are given which are to be used for His glory and to continue to spread the gospel of good news and advance the kingdom of God.

Paul had taught the early church in Corinth the importance of staying connected to Jesus and His ways in every area of their life. They had to stand firm in faith. The letter is for you and me today. It seems many believers (professing) have either forgotten or never learned the monumental impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He became our victory over death through His victory over death, for those who will hold fast the word of His testimony (1 Cor 15:57).

Paul continues his letter saying,

“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once…” (1 Cor 15:3-5)

Some of the Corinthians were teaching the new believers that there is no resurrection of Jesus Christ and as a result were bearing false witness against Paul’s teachings of the Messiah (bearing false witness against your neighbor is a sin). In Chapter 15, Paul continues his letter with setting the record straight about the resurrection of Christ and His defeat over the enemy once and for all. What many people missed then, and still do today, is the message that taking things for granted, having divisions and sexual immorality within the body of believers is Sin and is also a form of denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Our Father in heaven, the Creator of the heavens and earth did not send us His only begotten Son because He woke up one day and said, “let’s do something different today.” He sent Jesus because He has a plan for mankind to be redeemed and reconciled back to Him.  Jesus (Yeshua) came to this earth by way of an immaculate conception to a women of whom Yahweh considered to be free of sin and walked in purity and righteousness in His eyes. This was never to make Mary an object of worship or a god herself. She was blessed, meaning she was favored by God. What we lack in understanding the scriptures is the mystery of what the young virgin represents to all mankind.  The bride of Christ is a pure woman; made holy; washing her with water through the Word; as a radiant church; without stain or wrinkle (Matthew 25:1-3, Proverbs 31, Ephesians 5:26 Revelation 12:25)

In Luke 8:21, when His disciples had told Jesus that His mother and brothers were looking for Him, Jesus said, “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” When He spoke those words, He revealed the mystery that the mother and brethren represents those believers (church family) who would listen and hear the word of God and be obedient to do it. This church family is the New Jerusalem and will be those who walk in purity and righteousness in His eyes and will be arrayed in white linen garments, which are the righteous acts of the believers. She will indeed be a glorious church without spot or wrinkle…a bride who has made herself ready. (Revelation 19 and Revelation 21:9-27)

Our Messiah’s life on this earth was not in vain. His mission was to redeem mankind from sin. In the midst of Him teaching his disciples, healing the sick, casting out evil spirits, He was also mocked, ridiculed, and finally beaten, tortured, and crucified on a cross unto his physical death for one reason only. Because he was the ONE that would bear the sins of all mankind upon himself. He Is our Salvation, our Deliverer and absolutely no one can come to the Father except through Him. The work on the cross was done! He was placed in a tomb for three days and three nights and rose from the dead for two reasons:

1) To have victory over death, thereby giving us the opportunity for eternal life with Him; and

2) Revealing yet another mystery of his second coming: that being one day here on earth is as a 1,000 days in heaven, he will return again on the third day (after 2,000 years, in the early 3,000th year to gather his beloved bride and reign with her for 1,000 years (eternity). His first mission is complete, making Him our Passover lamb, our Atonement for sins. The second mission is soon to come and the Lamb will come for His bride.

His resurrection is our evidence that He is alive and is our living Savior. He made Himself visible to hundreds of people who can never deny who they saw, what they heard, what He taught them. As a result, the good news of Him being the only Messiah and the only way to eternal life has spread throughout the nations.

Although Paul did not walk with Yeshua during His time on earth, he had a powerful spiritual encounter with the Messiah about 8 or 9 years after His resurrection and ascension. Paul knew Jesus was very much alive based on what transpired between the two. This life changing event caused Paul to cease from his own works, sanctify himself, and serve the Holy Messiah with all his heart. His Faith and belief was not in vain. (Acts 9)

Do you take seriously the magnitude of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead? Just as He voluntarily bore the sins of mankind on the cross and took them to the grave, and rose from the dead, we also are to lay our sins down at the cross and die to self so that we can be resurrected unto a new life, being transformed from the old person into a new creation in Jesus Christ eternal life. Beloved, continuing in sin is not holding fast to the word but rather believing in vain. (For more on dying to self, click on Resurrection of the Dead teaching here.)

Selfish ambition, pride, immorality, divisions, every work of the flesh, sectarian mindsets all need to go. (Galatians 5:16-25)) Having a mindset of ‘Let us eat and drink tomorrow for His return is delayed’ is the WRONG mindset and is ‘believing in vain’. So many will perish for a lack of knowledge of who Jesus Christ is. Many will perish because they put their trust and identity in someone or something other than who they are in Jesus (idolatry). Our spirits are to be one with Him.  Our eyes and hearts must be on Him, ⁹and our conduct must be worthy of Him and His way. Anything else is idolatry and a form of denying the resurrection of Jesus, our living Savior. 

Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. (Mark 8:34)

Faith’s Reality

What is the definition of faith, and specifically faith toward Yahweh? 

The writer of the book of Hebrews states it in chapter 11, verse 1:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it (Faith) the elders obtained a good testimony.” (Hebrews 11:1-2) 

So when it says, “Faith is the substance (being sure) of things hoped for, and Faith is the evidence (certainty) of things not seen.” it means is that there is an entire world and entire existence apart from what can be seen.

“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3)

Beloved, Faith is your encounter—in a routine way through all of the stages of your life—with the reality that though you cannot see it, you’ve bumped into the evidence of its existence again and again and again. This evidence is meant to cause you to rely on the reality of the thing that you cannot see, based upon your contact with it. We have not seen the Kingdom of God. You cannot say, “Look here the Kingdom; look there the Kingdom,” because the Kingdom is within you and the Kingdom is invisible.

“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!” or ‘See there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

What evidence do you have that the Kingdom of heaven exists? The resurrection of Jesus the Christ! The fact is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit continuously bombards you with the evidence that, though it is unseen, it is real. You see the Kingdom of heaven in terms of “the goodness of God and his grace in your life.” So the Scriptures say, “Blessed are you who have not seen and yet have believed.”

“Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” – (John 20:29)

Jesus is risen from the grave and the evidence is clear and has been made clear. Don’t let your belief be in vain by continuing in sin of any kind. Remember, saying you believe Jesus is the Messiah but continuing in sin is the same as crucifying Him over again and denying His resurrection from the dead.

Many believers in Corinth were still young in the Lord and easily swayed by deceitful doctrines and traditions of man causing divisions and sects to form. How can we learn from their situation?

What Jesus wants from His followers is for them to grow from those early rudimentary encounters with Yah’s goodness—the parking space that you got in front of the crowded restaurant, or the occasion that somebody called you at the moment that you were thinking about him or her—if you do not allow these things to develop in you and to become a body of evidence, then you have to learn again and again, the same thing. Though it may seem foolish and/or redundant, when God is teaching you faith, He teaches you faith in a manner that you can understand based on your spiritual state.

Faith is an elementary foundational doctrine to grow in Christ (see full teaching here). Make sure you understand this clearly. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it (Faith) the elders obtained a good testimony.” (Hebrews 11:1-2) 

We’ve just read Faith is “the evidence of things not seen”. Faith is also the substance of things hoped for. At this point, hope then is not a “wish”. Hope is that consistent conformity with what God has previously declared to you, that which you are basing your actions for the future. 

Hope is certainty, hope is security, hope has no element of uncertainty to it!

Hope means that God, who has given you the substantive (concrete) awareness of His promise and has always been faithful in His promises, when the thing that He has now substantively promised you is waiting to be fulfilled, you don’t act as if it’s not going to. Because your hope is not a wish that it would happen, but the certainty that this future, too, will be as certain to you as every other thing that God substantively brought forth having previously promised it to you. 

Stages of Faith Growth:

There are many stages in your growing up (maturing) in God because your relationship to God, as the children of God, is referred to in Scripture in multiple sequences. You begin with being born again, (birth, babes desiring spiritual milk). As you continue to grow, so must your Faith continue to grow. As teenagers (young men, young women), you are to become stronger in the word and faith and overcoming the wicked one. As mature believers, you have spiritually developed (been tested and approved by God) and have a real relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. You become sons of God and walk in Sonship with Him. Mature believers do not sweat the small things in life because they have moved on to the things of the Kingdom of God. It is the mature believers who are to be given charge over the babes and teenagers and will point them to the risen Christ in all things.

1 John 2:12-14:

Their Spiritual State

12 I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.

Where do you see yourself in the area of Faith and where it is you want to be?  How does your faith toward God grow up? One of the areas in which your faith towards God grows is that you begin to understand that the Living God lives in you and intends to live through you. I repeat: “The Living God lives in you and intends to live through you.”  Sin and death are defeated. This is Faith’s Reality.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

May you be encouraged in knowing that Yeshua came for you, me, and all who seek Him. He is today and He is forever more. He will come again for all His people who are called by His name because we are truly redeemed and sanctified in Him. Blessings and love to all.

In Christ Service,

Garry and Norma Umphress