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| ~.^.Saba Gracile.^.~... |
 Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:14 am |
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What is the faith of Christianity all about? Hear what the Bible says about
it:
Now the just shall live by faith .. We are not of them who draw back unto
perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Hebrews
10:38-39
The Christian faith is just that - a faith that is nothing more and nothing
less than a very real trust in Jesus Christ alone for a very real personal
salvation. That is what it means to "believe to the saving of the soul." It
is a faith focused entirely upon Jesus Christ that our inner man, the
essence of who we are which the Bible calls the soul, may be redeemed by His
marvelous power. That is why Jesus has been called our Savior - He came to
live, die and rise again from the dead to provide this salvation for any and
all who would "believe on" Him. And the Bible makes clear that this
indescribable transformation is available for all to receive, but only
through faith in this same Jesus:
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house.
Acts 16:31
This is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus
Christ, and love one another, as he gave commandment. 1 John 3:23
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of
God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent. John 6:28-29
And it is Jesus Christ whom was sent by God the Father to be believed upon.
He is at the heart of true Christian faith. Religious trust directed
anywhere but to Him alone isn't true faith. For to "believe on" Christ is to
give oneself to a complete and radical trust in His power to change and
restore, to cleanse and to forgive, to heal and make new the life one gives
over to Him. It's not just believing in Christ, not just affirming that He
existed or even that He can do these mighty redemptive acts .. but believing
on Christ to the point that a real perspective enters your life that is
indeed life-changing - and what is that perspective?
We are all people still in need of a Savior and we need to be saved.
So what is it that we need to be saved from? Jesus came to save us from an
inescapable spiritual bondage all mankind has labored under for
generations - from our own sinfulness and the sins that we all commit. They
range from the white lie to the murder of the innocent. The Bible is clear
that such acts aren't just "errors" but moral outrages to the holy nature of
God Himself and separate us from Him, making us spiritual rebels in danger
of eternal punishment who can do nothing to save ourselves from our
sinfulness:
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. .. By one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned. .. For the good that I would I do not: but the
evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no
more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. ..
O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. .. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 3:23, 5:12, 7:19-20, 24-25, 6:23
Despite the depraved and evil nature of fallen humanity, however, God the
Father so passionately loved us all so intently that He sent Christ into the
world to save us from ourselves at such a precious cost. The often quoted
John 3:16 summarizes this well, as well as the not so often quoted John
3:17:
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent
not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through
him might be saved.
Such a salvation is precious indeed - it cost the life of a Baby born 2000
years ago who would grow up to die as a Sacrifice that would turn aside the
righteous wrath of the holiness of his Father. The Baby celebrated at
Christmas came to die as a hated Man in a violent execution 33 years later
upon a cross to bring eternal life to "whosoever" would believe upon Him ..
with a total trust and faith in His ability to bring it to them.
This is what so many who would be Christians (and not a few professing
"Christians") stumble over. It's also what those bound in false religion and
cults cannot abide. Their definition and application of what they think they
are saved from makes all the difference in the world and all of their
sectarian good intent and self-discipline cannot save. It cannot redeem. It
cannot justify them before God, although it may make life on the earth
better. Only trust in Jesus saves.
Such a thought offends the sophisticated tastes of those who would
stubbornly insist on placing their misguided trust in their own chosen
philosophy or tailor-made spirituality or tradition or preoccupation. There
is nothing more humbling then to admit that your good works, your morality
and even your own belief system have in fact had less to do with faith in
Jesus than faith in yourself. It brings confusion, fear and a soul-searching
revelation of finding ourselves in the deepest spiritual need. Pride and
indignation arises .. and indeed, it even angers many to hear such shocking,
seemingly intolerant truth claims that explode the false foundation of their
misguided lives.
But the Christian faith cannot be reconciled to these well-intentioned dead
ends. It is faith in Christ alone that brings one a very real and personal
deliverance from the spiritual toxicity of their sins. This precious faith
is based on only one foundation - the blood of that Child who was none other
than Jesus Christ Himself, born of the virgin Mary and whose prophetically
foretold death upon a Roman cross in ancient Israel now opened a way back to
God for all who would turn to Him and Him alone:
Jesus saith .. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father but by me. (John 14:6)
This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; for there
is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
(Acts 4:11-12)
... we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all .. this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,
sat down on the right hand of God; .. by one offering he hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:10, 12, 14)
This Christ Jesus rose from the dead three days after His death to establish
forever that the restoration of fellowship with the One True God who loved
us so much that He sent Him to die for us. This wonderful reality is indeed
the greatest blessing one could ever have this side of heaven - full peace
with God, with one's past and with all others, bestowed upon us by the grace
of God through faith in Jesus Christ!
If God would not spare even His own Son to take upon Himself on the Cross
the punishment for the sins we've done, then how can we doubt His promises?
Yes, there are many issues about Christianity one can raise intellectually,
and they are worthy of discussion, but the choice to believe and trust is
still one we all must make.
In the end, that is what the Christian faith is about - trust in the
promises of God revealed by Christ and empowered today by His Spirit. It is
not belief alone that He can do what He said He would. Mental affirmation of
truth is not faith. It is an active faith of total commitment to becoming a
follower of Christ that Jesus calls us to: one who will deny self, take up
his personal cross of death to self by confession and repentance from
personal sin and by calling on His Name to become their personal Savior.
Then Jesus said unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save
his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall
find it. Matthew 16:24-25
If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and
we will come unto him and make our abode with him. John 14:23
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans
10:12
~~
Will you come to know this Jesus whose Gospel we preach and defend? Don't
delay any longer - come to Him who loved you enough to die for your sins,
who ever lives to meet your needs and serve His Kingdom! Jesus Christ does
indeed know and love you and will meet you just where you are. Trust His
promises found in the Word of God! You won't be disappointed. Give him your
all today! Here's how: http://www.spiritwatch.org/trustjesus.htm
~ |
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