The Wednesday Word

 The Gospel Truth About Faith (Part 2)

D. G. Miles McKee



Faith is dynamic and continues to grow as it is bathed in the gospel.


Romans 10:16 says, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 
 

Notice how the “WORD of GOD” and the “GOSPEL” are equated in this passage. They are one and the same!  Faith will grow, therefore, as the gospel is expounded!  The preaching of the good news of the person, work and offices of Christ always brings and generates faith. Therefore, we must get away from the notion that the message of Christ is exclusively for evangelistic meetings!  The gospel is every bit as much for the believer as it is for the lost!

What a wonderful gift of God faith really is!  It enables us to take hold of the ‘so great salvation’ that has already been accomplished in Christ Jesus.  When faith comes to our lives, it agrees with God’s verdict that our human righteousness is no cleaner than a filthy rag.  In the light of the gospel, faith causes us to abandon all hope of ever being saved by our own goodness.
 
The more we are bathed and washed in the gospel the more we will realize it is not because we have been filled with the Spirit or have had some new blessing that we are fully accepted and welcome in heaven.  Faith’s vision is not foggy!  Faith sees clearly that we are not made more welcome in heaven because of our experiences.  Faith does not rest on experiences … no matter how intense they have been.  Faith sees that our full acceptance and welcome before God rests entirely upon Christ's experience for us and not on our experience of God.

Faith also sees that we are not saved because we are being good and are trying to be obedient to God: Faith sees, however, that the obedience of Jesus Christ is entirely superior to our faulty attempts at obedience and totally sufficient to satisfy all the demands of God’s holy and righteous character.

But surely this is a dangerous teaching!  Are there not those who will twist this kind of thing and live like the Devil?  Of course, there are!  But does that mean we should hold back from proclaiming the applications of the gospel because some people may pervert them?  God forbid!

When the person of Christ and His doing and dying are preached, faith is created, and the believer is reduced to nothing.  It is the preaching and application of the gospel which produces true humility in that it brings us to an end of ourselves.  Faith will cause us to continually hold truth like this,
 
“Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to Thy cross I cling,
Naked come to Thee for dress
Helpless look to Thee for Grace,
Foul I to the fountain fly,
Wash me Saviour or I die”.
 
Because gospel faith will cause us to see our bankruptcy and destitution, the gospel and its applications, when properly expounded to the church, will cause us to take up our cross and follow Christ.  A truly destitute man has nowhere else to go but to Christ and nowhere else to look but up. He sees his spiritual poverty and it humbles him.  He must now turn in reliance and trust to Christ Jesus who alone can do for him that which he cannot do for himself. 
 
And that’s the Gospel Truth!


http://milesmckee.com/

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