of faith, Philo Judaeus, the head of the Jewish community in Alexan dria during the time of Christ, wrote, "Now he who has sincerely believed in Cod has learned to dis believe in all else, all that is created only to perish." Though Philo did not write spe cifically upon the Christian faith, his comments do help reveal a nec essary dimension of the word faith known to the people of that day. We should make certain that our only commitment is to Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 4:2). We should be ready to follow through on our stewardship. Do we have a ready willingness to do the Master's work? It is because of this concept of loyalty or firmness that we have the idea of faithfulness presented as an essential part of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians five. While all the qualities of character in Gala tians 5:22 and 23 need to be found in our lives, loyalty should clearly mark our walk with Jesus Christ day-by-day. FAITH IS CONFIDENCE There are some important words given in Scripture which indicate the importance of salvation. In our study we have seen how some im portant synonyms are acceptance, obedience and loyalty. Faith is really a quality of life which com mits us to act in a particular man ner. It should be a sign to observers that we have placed our confidence in the Lord. Faith is an act on our part of accepting Christ, showing obedience and loyalty to Him. It is a symbol to the world and a sign to God that we mean business for Him. Our fourth synonym, confidence, shows to others that our commit ment to God is real. Faith should Page 18
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