What does God do when we believe His Word?
When a person believes His Word, God reckons that faith for righteousness, especially for salvation. Scripture declares it, and the believer takes God at His Word, walking by faith. This is how we know the truths being taught, because faith receives what the Word declares.
Les explains that we walk by faith, taking God at His Word. If the Word declares it, then we believe it, and God reckons it for righteousness, especially for salvation. He connects this to verse 8, where Paul says we are confident and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Because of that confidence, Paul labored, knowing his life was not his own. Even when he faced sickness, attacks, and near death, unfinished business remained: people still needed the gospel.