Standing Firm in the Faith of Christ Jesus!

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” - 1 Corinthians 16:13, 1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

Because of the prince of this world who is Satan, the enemy of God (2 Corinthians 4:4), and that we are born as sinners from the beginning (Romans 3:23)—we ought to stay alert-minded in the faith of Christ Jesus, and wear the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) at all times. This is because Satan is waiting for us to make a foolish mistake of faith, so He could devour us from that time on. This is why the word of God says:

Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise… Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Since Satan longs us to depart away from the faith in Christ Jesus, and to destroy us in any way He can—we have to abide the word of God in full-devotion. This is because it is a greatest weapon against Satan. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Thus, the word of God is also known as “The Sword of the Spirit,” or “The Word of Life.”  For this reason, we should not be ‘ashamed of the gospel [word of God], for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”’ (Romans 1:16-17)

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever…"  (1 Peter 1:23-25)

Furthermore, with the word of God, we should spiritually encourage or influence one another—since we are members of one body, which is the Christ. (Romans 12:4-5) “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) This is because 1 Peter 5:9 says, “… your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Now you non-Jewish people are not visitors or strangers, but you are citizens together with God’s holy people. You belong to God’s family. You believers are like a building that God owns. That building was built on the foundation that the apostles and prophets prepared. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building. The whole building is joined together in Christ, and he makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Christ you are being built together with his other people. You are being made into a place where God lives through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19-22)