The Faith of God's Elect

(Article for  publication week of 1-16- AD 2014)
 

"Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;" (Titus 1:1).

There is a faith which is peculiar to the elect of God. The devils have a sort of faith (James 2:19), but they are not saved, nor can they ever be saved. There are temporary believers who have a sort of faith (Luke 8:13), but they are not saved. There are many who have a natural or historical faith but neither are they saved. We read of such an one as Simon Magus in Acts 8:13 who "believed," but was not saved. Dear reader, please understand that having a natural faith will not save you. Just saying that you believe in God, or even to say that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is not necessarily saving faith.

First of all, the faith of God's elect is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). God has chosen whom He will save from all eternity and He sovereignly and graciously bestows the gift of faith upon all those that He chose for salvation before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). No one has saving faith by nature, and no man may just decide by his "free" will that he will exercise saving faith. A sinner must be given the gift of faith by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Thus the scriptures speak of the faith of God's elect as being the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). So Ephesians 1:19 tells us that elect sinners believe to the saving of their souls by the working of God's mighty power in them.

Secondly, the faith of God's elect is in the saving work of Christ, and in His glorious Person. True saving faith renounces all human merit and trusts in Christ Alone for righteousness. The believer who is saved by grace alone has seen his lost and ruined state and flees to Christ for his whole and sole righteousness. Faith boasts not of itself, but boasts only in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ who worked out a perfect righteousness for His people by His life and by His death and resurrection. Note well, true saving faith, that is the faith of God's elect, is not a sinner's contribution to his salvation. Here is where so many miss salvation. They have been told that Christ has done His part, and now they must do their part by believing in Christ. Poor sinner, you have no part as far as having a righteous standing before God. Your best righteousness is only filthy rags before a Thrice Holy God. I tell you, you must renounce not only your sins, but also your pretended self righteousness if you will ever be saved. I beseech you neighbours, do not trust in anything in yourself for salvation. Don't even trust in your faith. Trust in Christ Alone.

The third thing I will notice about the faith of God's elect (which is the only faith that will connect you with Christ) is that it is always accompanied by all other spiritual graces. Thus James warns us that faith alone is dead (James 2:17). God's elect are justified by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone. Saving faith is always accompanied by repentance, humility, a broken and contrite spirit, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, mourning for sin, and all other graces.

My dear readers, I urge you to examine yourselves if you have the faith of God's elect, and if you are believing to the saving of your souls.

Persevering Faith

(Article for publication week of 1-9- AD 2014)

"But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Hebrews 10:39). Our text tells us something of what saving faith is, and of what it is not.

The first thing I will have you to notice in our text is that there is no salvation apart from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is the only channel that God has provided to bring salvation to us (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our text plainly says that, and it is the truth of the whole Bible. Our Lord has promised in Mark 16:16, he that believeth and is baptised shall be saved", and then  He solemnly warned, "he that believeth not shall be damned." He who refuses to believe in Christ for his whole and sole righteousness must be damned by God forever.

Secondly, our text solemnly warns us that all who profess to have believed, or who think they have believed, are not necessarily saved. True salvation is not "believing" at some time in your life, and then going on and living as you please, but saving faith is persevering, that is the sinner saved by grace keeps on believing. Saving faith is not "going forward" , or "walking the aisle", or "raising your hand", or "repeating a prayer." Multitudes have done these things and perhaps more, and remain unsaved. For example, statistics show that the overwhelming majority of people who have "gone forward" in Billy Graham Crusades cannot be found in anybody's church a month later. And we personally know many who made professions of faith at one time, who no longer walk with the Lord. My personal experience is that most churches have multitudes on their church rolls whom they claim as members, but they seldom if ever attend Divine Service. Many are living in open and unrepentant sin, and there are many that no one even knows where they are. Such are not saved; they have as our text says, drawn "back unto perdition."

The scriptures give us notable examples of such temporary believers. In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:5-15) our Lord illustrated temporary believers by the "rocky ground hearers." They believed for awhile, but in time of temptation, fell away. We have known multitudes like this in our sixty years of living. They walked the aisle, made a profession of faith, got baptised, joined the church, but they did not last. They have gone back to the world. The advocates of the "carnal Christian" heresy say such are still saved, they are just 'backslidden", but the scriptures will not support such. Pelagians say such lost their salvation, but the truth is they never were saved. Dear reader, if you are truly saved, you can never again be unsaved, but the question for you and me is, "are we really saved?" Now you let that sink in.

Those who are truly saved do not just believe at some time in their life, but they keep on believing. Those who are genuinely saved will persevere in their faith. They keep looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of their faith, They keep coming to Christ. They continue to trust in Him Alone for their whole and sole righteousness. Dear reader I ask you, "are you now believing in Christ?"