WHAT IS IMPLIED IN EVANGELICAL FAITH:

1. It implies an intellectual perception of the things, facts, and truths believed. No one can believe that which he does not understand.
2. Evangelical faith implies the appropriation of the truths of the Gospel to ourselves. It implies an acceptance of Christ as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. The soul that truly believes in Christ, believes that He tasted death for every man, and of course for it. It apprehends Christ as the Saviour of the world, as offered to all, and embraces and receives Him for itself. It appropriates His atonement, and His resurrection and His intercession, and His promises to itself. Christ is thus presented in the Gospel not only as the Saviour of the world, but also to the individual acceptance of men. He saves the world no further than He saves individuals. Evangelical faith implies a personal acceptance and appropriation of Christ to meet the necessities of the individual soul.
3. Faith is a state of committal to Christ, and of course it implies that the soul will be unreseveredly yielded up to Him, in all His relations to it, so far and so fast as these are apprehended by the intellect.
4. Evangelical faith implies an evangelical life. This would not be true if faith were merely an intellectual state or exercise. But since, as we have seen, faith is of the heart, since it consists in the committal of the will to Christ, it follows, by a law of necessity, that the life will correspond with faith. Let this be kept in perpetual remembrance.
5. Evangelical faith implies repentance towards God, that is, a turning from sin to God.
6. Evangelical faith implies a renunciation of self-righteousness. It is impossible for one to embrace Christ as the Saviour of the soul, any further than he renounces all hope or expectation of being saved by his own works, or righteousness.
7. Of course it implies peace of mind. In Christ the soul finds its full and present salvation. It has found its resting-place in Christ, and rests in profound peace under the shadow of the Almighty.
8. It implies hope, as soon as the believing soul considers what is conveyed by the Gospel, that is, a hope of eternal life in and through Christ.
9. It implies joy in God and in Christ. St. Peter speaks of joy as the unfailing accompaniment of faith, as resulting from it.
10. Present evangelical faith implies a state of present sinlessness [covered by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7)]. Observe: faith is the yielding and committal of the whole will, and of the whole being to Christ. This, and nothing short of this, is evangelical faith. But this comprehends and implies the whole of present, true obedience to Christ. This is the reason why faith is spoken of as the condition, and as it were, the only condition, of salvation. It really implies all virtue.

When contemplated as an attribute of love, it is only a branch of sanctification. When contemplated in the wider sense of universal conformity of will to the will of God, it is then synonymous with entire present sanctification. Contemplated in either light, its existence in the heart must be inconsistent with present sin there. Faith is an attitude of the will, and is wholly incompatible with present rebellion of will against Christ. This must be true, or what is faith? -- REVIVAL TRUTHS by Charles G. Finney

Psalms 118:19-29 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the LORD: This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my Salvation. The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity [lit. wellbeing]. Blessed be He (Jesus) that cometh in the Name of the LORD: we have blessed you out of the House of the LORD. God is the LORD, which hath shewed us [resurrection - sunrise] light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar. Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good: for His mercy endureth for ever. -- Holy Bible

The Bible study is dedicated in the name of Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior. May the Lord Jesus Christ be honored by our devotions, our study and in our fellowship. May all the people be blessed and grow in the grace and knowledge of the love and presence of God our creator and our savior. Amen!

Frederica examines the salient Nativity scripture.

Frederica reads a passage on interpreting scripture from her new book Welcome to the Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity, published by Paraclete Press.

Looking for an inspiring book to read during Lent? Try the Bible! Fr. Tom specifically recommends certain books of the Bible during this season.

As he travels, Fr. Tom is often asked to say some things on the radio about how to read the Bible. Where do you start? What translation does he recommend? What presuppositions should be discarded and what should be maintained? In this new episode, Fr. Tom addresses each of these questions and more.

In the third part of his series on reading the Bible, Fr. Tom discusses the various English language translations that are available and offers his recommendations.

Today, Jeannie begins a brand new series on the Bible, so this would be a good time to subscribe and download so as not to miss any of the episodes.

How are we to understand words like "inspired" and "inerrant" when it comes to the Holy Scriptures?

Jeannie continues her discussion about the inspiration and veracity of the Bible.

To talk about how we got our Bible we have to start with the oral tradition.

As Jeannie continues her series on the Introduction to the Bible, she begins a three-part subset on Bible manuscripts.

What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and what do we need to know about them?

As Scribes copied the biblical texts, what affect did this process have on words, phrases, or theology?

In her continuing series entitled Introduction to the Bible, Jeannie looks at the Septuagint and the influence of Greek thought and culture.

As the Intro to the Bible series continues, Jeannie begins a discussion of the canon of Scripture beginning with the Hebrew texts.

In this episode, Jeannie continues her discussion of the canon of Scripture and why the Old Testament is different in the Protestant Bible.

Now that we have learned about the Old Testament canon, Jeannie turns her attention to the New Testament.

Jeannie provides an explanation of why it is so important to study the canon of Scripture and to hold the line on what the Church has approved.

We have a mid-week supplemental lesson from Jeannie today with helpful information about the "Christian" and "Gnostic" apocryphal books and why they were rejected by the Church.

In this second supplemental lesson, Jeannie continues her teaching on the apocryphal books, in particular, the Gnostic gospels.

In her concluding lesson on the canon of Scripture, Jeannie discusses the books of the Bible that were included by the Church and why.

Today, Jeannie talks about the many and various translations and versions of the Bible

As we get closer and closer to studying the book of Genesis, Jeannie helps us understand the techniques of patristic interpretation.

Jeannie continues her lesson on how the early Church interpreted the Scriptures.

Pres. Jeannie continues her lesson on patristic interpretation beginning with an explanation of exegesis vs. eisegesis.

As Jeannie continues her intro to the Bible lessons, she helps us understand biblical interpretation and the school of Alexandria.

Jeannie continues looking at the influence of Alexandria and in particular Origen on the early interpretation of Scripture.

Today, Jeannie looks at two of the Cappadocian Fathers: Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa.

We don't know the future, but past sermons provide a clue of what we are to do. Fr Joseph speaks at St John the Divine/Lake Charles, Louisiana.

What does the Bible say about the Church? How did the first Christians understand the Church? How did (and does) the Church fit into God’s plan for man’s salvation?

What impact did the written New Testament have on the early Church? How did the early Church develop along with the Bible? Finally, how does the New Testament faith community compare with the Church today?

On the feast of St. Sisoes the Great, Fr. Andrew comments on how St. Sisoes was able to understand both death and life through the story of the Holy Scriptures.

Using the example of the centurion, who believes that Jesus will heal his servant with just a word, Fr. Andrew asks if that kind of faith is even possible in our own age.

Speaking at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick asks the question 'Whose Bible Is It?' He presents four different paradigms for Scriptural interpretation through specific examples from multiple traditions, wrapping up with an Orthodox example and giving general principles for how the Orthodox Church reads the Bible.

Do Orthodox Christians believe in the Bible? On the first episode of the new season of the OCF podcast, media student leader Dan Bein asks Fr. Brendan Pelphrey this question and more.

Matthew returns again to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination and examines its merits in light of St. Paul's letters to the Ephesians and to Timothy.

How can St. Paul's use of the term "all men" be interpreted as "some men"? When it's used to erroneously support the Calvinist doctrine of predestination. This week, Matthew shows how.

In the final chapter of his series, Matthew conclusively shows St. Paul's meaning behind his use of the term "predestined."

Did you ever try to find something even remotely Orthodox in your local superstore, gift shop, or bible book store? Chances are, you'll find all manner of things purporting to be spiritual, religious, new-fangled and Christian -- though nary even a wall calendar reflecting the Ancient Faith. Besides, what should you do when you do find one?

Did you ever try to find something even remotely Orthodox in your local superstore, gift shop, or bible book store? Chances are, you'll find all manner of things purporting to be spiritual, religious, new-fangled and Christian -- though nary even a wall calendar reflecting the Ancient Faith. Besides, what should you do when you do find one?

Fr. Joseph speaks in Belleville, Ontario, at a seminar hosted by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Lovely folks, lovely place. But like many of us, they have their work cut out for them—keeping Orthodox Christianity ALIVE in that little place. Here follows a few snippets from our time together.

As the following game show reveals, some of your favorite Bible verses might not be in the Bible!

In this episode AFR blogger and podcaster Fr. Stephen De Young talks with Fr. Anthony about parish Bible study, why it is so fun and awesome, why some priests and parishioners are hesitant about it, and ways to draw people in and make the effort sustainable. Fr. Stephen posts his parish Bible study notes here and the recordings here; Fr. Anthony posts his notes here and the recordings here. Enjoy the show!

St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy is full of pastoral and vocational wisdom. This is awesome. Even more awesome? Getting St. John Chrysostom's teaching on it! The version read is from The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistles of St. Paul the Apostles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (The Oxford Translation, Edited, with Additional Notes, by Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D., LLD.).

St. Paul's first epistle to Timothy is full of pastoral and vocational wisdom. This is awesome. Even more awesome? Getting St. John Chrysostom's teaching on it! The version read is from The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, on the Epistles of St. Paul the Apostles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (The Oxford Translation, Edited, with Additional Notes, by Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D., LLD.). Poor pronunciations are all Fr. Anthony, though! This chapter has some difficult teachings about the role of women in the Church (to include exegesis on the Fall). Enjoy the show!

Children's Bible Reader, part two, 2006, Greek Bible Society, Scripture Quotations taken from Contemporary English Version, Copyright 1995, American Bible Society. Used by permission. Illustrations by Martha Kapetanakou-Xinopoulou. "Adam and Eve turn away from God" "Cain and Abel" "The wickedness of people destroys the earth"

Children’s Bible Reader, part three. 2006, Greek Bible Society, Scripture Quotations taken from Contemporary English Version, Copyright 1995, American Bible Society. Used by permission. Illustrations by Martha Kapetanakou-Xinopoulou. "People continue to sadden God" "A shepherd trusts in God" "Abraham and Sarah have a son"

Children’s Bible Reader, part four. 2006, Greek Bible Society, Scripture Quotations taken from Contemporary English Version, Copyright 1995, American Bible Society. Used by permission. Illustrations by Martha Kapetanakou-Xinopoulou. "Isaac marries Rebecca" "Two different brothers"