The Wednesday Word ~ 29 January, 2025 A.D.
The Gospel and Faith, Part II
“Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God...” -Romans 5:1 [KJV]
What a wonderful gift of God faith really is! It enables us to take hold of the ‘so great salvation’ that has been accomplished in and by Christ Jesus. When we are given faith, it agrees with God’s verdict that our human righteousness is no cleaner than a filthy rag (see Isaiah 64:6). In the light of this, 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, however, the more we will realize that it is not because we have been born again or been filled with the Spirit or have had this or that new blessing that we are fully accepted. Faith sees clearly that we are not made more accepted in heaven because of experiences.
Faith’s vision is not foggy!
Faith does not rest on our experiences no matter how intense they have been. Faith sees that our full acceptance 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 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.
You might say, “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 that we should, therefore, hold back from proclaiming the Gospel and its applications because some people may pervert them?When the person of Christ and His doing and dying is preached, faith is generated, 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 sentiments like these,
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 Savior or I die.
Because gospel faith will cause us to see our bankruptcy and destitution, the gospel, when properly expounded to the church, will cause us to follow Christ. A truly destitute person has nowhere else to go but to Christ and nowhere else to look but up. That person sees their spiritual poverty and it humbles them. They must now turn in reliance and trust to Christ Jesus Who alone can do for them that which they cannot do for themselves.
Jesus taught that true discipleship was to deny self, take up our cross and follow Him. This is exactly what happens when we receive salvation by faith alone. Faith fully agrees with and embraces God’s verdict that we, in ourselves, are nothing and that we stand in total need of the Savior. In that way we are broken; self is denied; the cross is taken up and we follow Christ. Faith sees that the true believer is already crucified with Christ and that He, Jesus Christ alone, is their life.
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
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