Genuineness of Faith

“You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials so that the genuineness of your faith-more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 1:6,7

I really appreciated Larry’s illustration a couple weeks ago on genuine faith as we were studying Legalism in Galatians. It brought me to a passage that I had studied but had not seen in this light. When a Secret Service Agent is being trained by the Treasury Dept for Counterfeiting; they will only handle the genuine article as they go through training.  They will study and become completely familiar with real currency.  They are not allowed to handle a fake or a counterfeit bill during their entire training.  How it feels, how it looks, even how it sounds and smells, are what they are trained to know of the genuine article. Why this intense training and focus on only real currency? Well, when the fake or counterfeit bill crosses their path, they will easily spot the fraud because they have always focused on the genuine article.

That’s what Peter was talking about when he spoke of the genuineness of your faith in his first letter.  We need to be seeking Jesus, having such an intimate relationship with Him and Him only. We need to stay immersed in His Word and read it daily.  We need to be in communication with Him through prayer, study, and fellowship with other believers. Why? So that when “so-called” Biblical quotes are passed our way or when we listen to teachings or even read Christian literature, we can spot the counterfeit and turn away from it. 

We live in a world today that teaches us to conform to the standards of the world. We are told to be tolerant. We are told that we live in a bubble, that we are peculiar for following God’s ordinances and truths.  Ya know what, we are to be peculiar.  Jesus even prays to His Father as we remain in the world but not of the world. (John 17:6-16)  Our foundation in Christ should be so solid and deep that we need to be shocked by what the world offers and then stand our ground in His Truth. 

Study the genuine article…Jesus Christ…and you will be hard pressed to ever receive a counterfeit.

A Growing Bond-Servant of Jesus Christ,

Joe