(Article for
publication week of 7-10- AD 2014)
"Looking
unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith," (Hebrews 12:2a). It would
do the reader good to go back and read the preceding chapter and the last two
verses of Hebrews chapter 10 to get the full impact of our text today, and see
the context. Hebrews chapter 11 tells us of justified men and women under the
Old Dispensation who lived by faith, believing to the saving of their souls.
And so we are exhorted to live the life of faith with this cloud of witnesses
as our example. Thus we are urged to look to Jesus, Who is the Author and
Finisher of our faith. Here we have another principle act of faith, looking
unto Jesus.
First of all, we
will make it clear that looking unto Jesus is a spiritual act, not a physical
act. A man who is naturally blind may look unto Christ and be saved. However,
the vast majority of people are blind spiritually and cannot look to Christ
(see Romans 11:7; II Corinthians 4:4, e.g.). What you need dear reader is for
the Holy Spirit to quicken you into spiritual life, and give you spiritual
sight so you can look to Christ and be saved. Looking unto Christ is a
spiritual act, for faith is to the soul what the eye is to the body. I pray for
many of you by name each day that the Lord will heal your spiritual blindness
and that you will look unto Christ and be saved.
Secondly,
looking unto Christ means to look unto him Alone. True saving faith looks
spiritually away from everything and everybody, including one's self, and looks
to Christ Alone for salvation. We are not to look to other saints, like the
Great Cloud of witnesses. Other believers may be an example and encouragement
to us, but we are not to look to them for any help. Nor, are we to look to
ourselves, nor within ourselves. We have no goodness nor merit in ourselves. We
cannot contribute anything to our salvation, nor assist the Lord in saving us.
We are not to be looking to our feelings or frames, but we are to be looking to
Christ Alone. We are not to be looking to the Church and her ordinances. All
that is well and good in its proper place, but salvation is in Christ, not in
the Church , nor her ordinances, nor in any rites or ceremonies. Saving faith
is looking away from everything and looking to the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the
only Saviour of Sinners.
Thirdly, we see
from our text today that salvation is not in our faith, but in the Object of saving
Faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is a place we must be clear and careful, for
it is a place where multitudes make shipwreck of their souls. Looking unto
Christ means that we look to Him Alone and nothing else, including our faith.
faith is the proper and exclusive instrument of justification, but it is
Christ, the Object of faith that actually and vitally justifies us. There are
multitudes of church goers that if you ask them what reason they have to
believe they are saved, who will reply, "because I believe." That is
all well and good, but Christ is the only reason that any sinner has to believe
he is saved.
Fourthly, I want
you to see that our text does not say that you have to have a clear or perfect
sight of Christ to be saved, it just calls upon us to look to Him. Trembling
child of God, be encouraged by our text. Though your spiritual vision may be
dim, and you may not have a feeling sense of Christ, keep looking unto Him. All
those who are looking to Christ Alone are saved, even if they do not have a
full assurance of it. Dear readers, I urge all of you to look to Christ Alone
for your whole and sole righteousness.
No comments:
Post a Comment