Yes—faith, defined as taking God at His Word, is the only way to recognize sin and the only basis for dealing with it through Christ's blood.
Les Feldick teaches that the first step of faith is to believe what God says about you: that all have sinned and come short of His glory. Without this faith, a person cannot accept God's verdict about sin and cannot know how to walk in the Christian life. Faith also deals with sin by trusting that Christ's blood is the propitiation for sin and that God's promise of forgiveness is true even when feelings do not confirm it.
Romans 3:23 — It is the foundational verdict a person must believe to recognize sin.
Hebrews 11:6 — It shows that without faith it is impossible to please God, making faith essential in responding to sin.
Hebrews 9:22 — It connects the dealing with sin to the shedding of blood, which faith trusts.
Romans 3:25 — It reveals that Christ is the propitiation for sin through faith in His blood, the means by which sin is dealt with.
Romans 8:1 — It promises no condemnation for those justified by faith, freeing the believer from perpetual insecurity.
Scripture declares that every person has sinned: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Faith is the essential response that pleases God: "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Dealing with sin also rests upon the shedding of blood: "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). God has "set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood" (Romans 3:25), and for those who are in Christ Jesus, "there is therefore now no condemnation" (Romans 8:1). Abraham's example is given as the pattern of righteousness by faith: "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3).
Les Feldick defines faith as "taking God at His Word" and emphasizes that the first step of faith is to believe what God says about us—that we are sinners, sons of Adam who have fallen short, regardless of how good we appear. Until a person believes God's verdict, he has not taken the first step of faith. This is the foundation for recognizing sin (Romans 3:23). According to Les, faith is not only the necessity for salvation; it is also the necessity for the Christian walk. Since a believer cannot know how to walk without believing what God says, faith continues to govern daily life. Christ's death and resurrection are an accomplished work of God; believers are justified by faith, not by their own energy, and can therefore live without perpetual insecurity. Faith also deals with sin by trusting what God has done through the blood of Christ. Les teaches that God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood—the two cannot be separated. Even when a believer does not feel forgiven, he is to say, "I know I'm forgiven, not because I'm perfect, but simply because I can believe what this book says." Faith treats God's promises as true and rests on the fact that God Himself paid the penalty for all our sin.
The first step is not to change behavior but to believe God's verdict about yourself. Les Feldick says God tells us that regardless of how good we may be, we are sinners; we have already sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is "taking God at His Word," and it is the first step in responding to sin (Romans 3:23).
Les Feldick teaches that faith is not only the necessity for salvation—it is the necessity for the Christian walk. "How are you going to know how to walk if you can't believe what God says?" Faith remains the means by which believers live and walk, not merely the doorway into salvation.
Because the believer is justified by faith through what Christ has done, Les says there is no reason to live in perpetual insecurity, wondering whether they have done enough. God has declared that those who are Christ's have no condemnation. Faith also means believing God's promise of forgiveness even when feelings do not change—the Book says it has happened, and that is what pleases God.
Les Feldick connects faith and blood directly: God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood; without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and without faith there is no salvation. He also points out that the difference between Cain and Abel is that Cain did not believe what God said. Thus the way to deal with sin is not by human achievement but by taking God at His Word about the blood of Christ.
Faith Is Essential to Please God
Les Feldick uses Hebrews 11:6 to show that without faith it is impossible to please God, and Hebrews 9:22 to show that without the shedding of blood there is no remission—both underline the non-negotiable roles of faith and blood in dealing with sin.
First Step: Believe God's Verdict That You Are a Sinner
Les defines faith as taking God at His Word and says the first thing to believe is what God says about you—that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory.
Faith Is Necessary for the Christian Walk
Faith is not only necessary for salvation but also for daily Christian living; a believer cannot know how to walk unless he believes what God says.
Justified by Faith, Free from Perpetual Insecurity
Because justification is by faith and all of God's work, the believer need not live in perpetual insecurity about whether they have done enough.
The First Step of Faith: Believe What God Says About You
Les says the first step of faith is to believe that you are a sinner and a son of Adam, and then to believe that God has declared believers justified freely.
Believing God's Word Over Feelings
Faith means saying, 'I know I'm forgiven' not because of personal perfection but simply because the Book says it has happened, even when feelings don't confirm it.
Faith Trusts God's Payment for All Sin
Faith is a concerted trust in the act of God paying the penalty for all our sin; God sees that faith as salvation, just as Abraham's belief was accounted as righteousness.
Faith in Christ's Blood as Propitiation
Les combines faith and blood: God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood, and without faith there is no salvation; Cain's problem was that he did not believe what God said.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This verse is the foundation for recognizing sin: the first truth faith must accept is personal sinfulness.
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
It establishes that faith is essential in any approach to God and any response to sin.
Hebrews 9:22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
It connects the dealing with sin to the shedding of blood, which Les pairs with faith.
Romans 3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
It shows that faith in Christ's blood is the God-appointed way sin is dealt with.
Romans 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
It gives the believer confidence that condemnation is removed by being in Christ, a truth Les uses to remove perpetual insecurity.
Romans 4:3: For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
It is the scriptural example Les cites that righteousness is accounted through faith.
Faith recognizes sin by taking God at His Word. The first truth God reveals is that all have sinned and come short of His glory; when you believe that verdict about yourself, you see your need and your condition exactly as God describes it.
Yes. Les Feldick says faith is not only the necessity for salvation but also the necessity for the Christian walk. A believer cannot know how to walk unless he or she believes what God says.
Faith rests on what the Book says rather than on feelings. Les teaches that you can say, 'I know I'm forgiven, not because I'm perfect, but because I believe what this book says,' and that is what pleases God.
God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in His blood; without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and without faith there is no salvation. Faith and blood go together in God's remedy for sin.
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