Grounded
in the Gospel!
D.G.
Miles McKee
Calvary
assures us that the wrath which should have justly consumed us has
fallen upon our Substitute (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Faith in Christ
alone, therefore, rescues us from the bondage of having to perform to
gain God’s acceptance and welcome. In Christ alone, faith sees and
embraces the Father’s smile.
Though faith is not our
righteousness, it fastens us to the righteousness of Christ and sees,
as the old-time preacher, Solomon Stoddard, saw that it is now safe
for us to appear in heaven.
Indeed, the only safe way to
heaven is FAITH IN CHRIST. Faith grasps that our acceptance before
God is in Christ alone and not in our faith. Faith in faith saves no
one. Genuine, gospel faith knows this!
Indeed, real faith
grasps that our eternal standing in the ages to come depends, not
upon anything in us, but upon the unchanging righteousness of Christ
alone outside of us.
When we are not grounded in the
gospel, we quickly make the mistake of looking within ourselves to
determine whether or not we feel saved. Unfortunately, if we find
what we consider to be the correct feelings, we then content
ourselves that our faith is healthy and assume we are, therefore,
eternity bound.
Conversely, alarm bells ring when we can’t
find those feelings. If these feelings are undiscovered, we then
assume that our destiny is in doubt. When we live like this, we are
unsettled and confused. We are not grounded in the gospel. We have
not yet understood that anything subjective, whether it is the work
of the Spirit in us or our feelings and experiences, can ever qualify
as the object of our faith. They are not the gospel! Acquittal
before God comes only through the person and work of the Lord Jesus.
He alone is the sinner’s plea for,
“He
that believeth on Him
is not condemned”
(John 3:18).
“Lo!
th’ incarnate God, ascended,
Pleads the merit of His
blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly;
Let no other trust
intrude:
None but Jesus, none but Jesus,
Can do helpless
sinners good.”
-Joseph
Hart
Faith
is not the ground of our justification. Faith was not tried, found
guilty and executed on our behalf.
Our justification is
obtained in Christ, not in our faith. By faith we receive that which
has already been accomplished in Christ. In other words, faith takes
a hold of the justification obtained at Calvary. But faith does not
justify us. Faith is not the basis of our justification, but rather
faith is the means of receiving and resting on the doing, dying and
rising again of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A justified
believer has had their sins taken away but the taking away of their
sins does not bring justification. Justification (acquittal) is the
Father’s declaration that our sins are gone, that we are not
guilty, and that He considers us righteous.
Conclusion:
The power to believe is generated by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:1).
It is from the heart we believe (Romans 10:10). Yet this making alive
by the Spirit does not justify us. Nothing within us saves us. We are
entirely saved outside ourselves by a remarkable, past historic
finished work. The Spirit has baptised us into Christ. He has taken
us out of ourselves and placed us in Christ (see Galatians 3:27;
Romans 6:3-7). It is in Christ that all blessings are
discovered.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
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