Day 209

Of Saving Faith.

Chapter 14, Paragraph 2.

“…and also acteth differently, upon that which each particular, passage thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God, for this life, and that which is to come: But the principal acts of Saving Faith, have immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, and resting upon him alone, for Justification, Sanctification, and Eternal Life, by virtue of the Covenant of Grace.”

Scripture Lookup

John 15:14

Isaiah 66:2

Hebrews 11:13

John 1:12

Acts 16:31

Galatians 2:20

Acts 15:11

Reflection

By faith Christians are enabled to act upon what we read in Scripture. No longer can we blithely gloss over what is written there, but instead are prompted to action. What a privilege we are given! Think of what we are able to do:

• obey His commands. What was once impossible is now possible through His making us alive with Christ.
• tremble at the threatenings. No longer can we blithely ignore the warnings given, for we now see that the consequences threatened are real.
• embrace the promises of God for this life… We can face what today brings because we rest in Him.
• …and that which is to come. Our future is assured through Christ.

Application of God’s word is attainable through faith. This faith is made possible by the mediatorial work of Christ, who persuades us to believe and obey, and who governs our hearts by His word and Spirit.

Saving faith is an amazing grace. But faith is only amazing in that it directs our gaze to Christ. We accept how beautiful our Lord is, we receive Him as our Savior, and we rest assured in who He is and what He has done for us. This faith is all that is required to receive eternal Life, and He grants it to those that are His. Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Questions to Consider

• What are the benefits of saving faith?

Day 208

Of Saving Faith.

Chapter 14, Paragraph 2.

“By this Faith, a Christian believeth to be true, whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the Authority of God himself; and also apprehendeth an excellency therein, above all other Writings; and all things in the world: as it bears forth the Glory of God in his Attributes, the excellency of Christ in his Nature and Offices; and the Power and Fullness of the Holy Spirit in his Workings, and Operations; and so is enabled to cast his soul upon the truth thus believed;…”

Scripture Lookup

Acts 24:14
Psalm 19:7-10; 119:72
2 Timothy 1:12

Reflection

The beauty of the Bible is revealed to the beholder who is granted saving faith. She sees Scripture for what it is, the Word of God. She recognizes the excellencies of its words, for they tell of the triune God. By faith she trusts what His word says.

The Christian will believe that the Bible is God’s word. How can she not, for faith shows the Lord’s ownership of that book throughout all its pages? As the Holy Spirit guides her into all truth, He does so through the authoritative Scriptures. As it is God’s word, it must not be dismissed.

Through faith the Christian sees not only the authority of Scripture, but the excellencies of it as well. Not because of the form of its words, but because of the One of whom it speaks. Scripture does not mention God in passing, but displays His glory from beginning to end. It speaks of who Christ is, what He has done for sinners, and what He continues to do on behalf of His people. It reveals to us the work of the Spirit, demonstrating His power throughout history, testifying of His involvement in the lives of the elect. It calls us to gaze upon Him, and by faith we see how how beautiful He is.

Saving faith enables the Christian to believe these truths revealed in Scripture. Furthermore, she is not only enabled to understand and acknowledge these truths, but is able to trust them, or as the Confession puts it “cast his soul upon the truth”. It is one thing to believe a truth; it is another thing to trust in that which we know to be true. Because of faith, we can say that the Lord will provide and trust Him to actually do it. What a wonderful grace saving faith is! May we pray that the Lord would increase our faith, that we may trust Him more.

Questions to Consider

• Does an increase in faith mean an increased appreciation and reliance upon the Scriptures?

Day 207

Of Saving Faith.

Chapter 14, Paragraph 1.

“The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word; by which also, and by the administration of baptism and the Lord’s supper, prayer, and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened.”

Scripture Lookup

2 Corinthians 4:13

Ephesians 2:8

Romans 10:14,17

Luke 17:5

1 Peter 2:2

Acts 20:32

Reflection

Faith is a grace.

It is not drummed up from deep within ourselves by our own effort. It is not living your life according to a set of beliefs. It is not taking that first step and coming to Jesus.

Faith is a grace because it is a gift, given by God, that we do not deserve.

Notice what the Confession says about saving faith: the grace of faith is “wrought by the Spirit of Christ in their hearts”. While the Christian does come to believe and trust in Jesus for her salvation through her own will, she is enabled to do so only because she was granted that faith. In order for you to have faith, the Spirit has to have already indwelt you and wrought a change in your heart.The Lord provides for all our needs, and salvation is no exception.

This saving faith is ordinarily obtained through the “ministry of the Word.” Do we receive this ember of faith, and then keep it burning on our own? Of course not. God once again provides. The Word is used to continue to fortify our faith, and it is joined by baptism, the Lord’s supper, prayer, and other such God-given means of grace to strengthen and increase our faith.

This is why being part of a church that extols the preaching of the word and the other means of grace is vital. Your faith is not increased in skits about moral teachings; it is not strengthened by dazzling lights and sound. God has given us all that is necessary for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience in His word. Why neglect His good gifts for anything else?

Questions to Consider

• Is there anything the Lord does not graciously provide in salvation?