Are You Of The Faith?

Over the last few weeks, I have looked at my life in light of the question "Why Did I Come to Jesus Christ in Faith?" I have really struggled with the thought that I had, in someway, initiated salvation by my own will. That idea hung like a dark cloud over my life. It was a cloud that continued to grow darker. The more I considered the verses about the unsaved person's spiritual deadness the more concern I had with the idea that I could have initiated faith. I wanted assurance that the door that was unlocked actually led to salvation and not to some imagined version. The words "I never knew you" kept haunting me. It was only when I came to understand that it was God who initiated everything in my life leading up to and including my act of faith and repentance that I found meaning and peace in what happened in my life that summer of 1946. I have found no other door through which I could enter and find peace other than the door that was unlocked by the sovereign act of God.

Up until recently most of my effort toward understanding was like a search and destroy mission. Finally it became a search and discovery mission. I have been both aided and challenged in this effort by something Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5. "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" There is a lot in that verse that I would like to explore - and one day I hope I can. At this point, I just want to "examine" and "test" so that I can more fully realize this about myself - that Jesus Christ is in me and not only realize it but come to the point of consistently living in the reality of that great truth. Life is full of tests and much to my regret, I have not always met those tests. The test called for in this passage is one that I must not only pursue but actually meet. It is not that I haven't tried to test and examine my life over the years concerning my salvation, it is the fact that this effort has been more of a hit or miss endeavor - mostly miss. It was always from a wrong premise or framework. In the last few months, I decided to give it another go. I was concerned that I was just about to give up. I really don't think it was my decision other than to take the step God placed before me. Even then, I won't claim the credit. I know God was working in my life. He was doing that in a number of ways. One was through the prayers and encouragement of my wife. She knew how I was struggling. I also owe a great deal to those whom I have encountered at The Village Church. God has used their ministry and messages to help me escape from the murky waters that had engulfed my life. I believe that He is still using that ministry in ways that I have not fully realized.

The first stage of this examination dealt with the all important question of why I came to Jesus Christ in faith. I can't began to express what it has meant to be able to finally look at my salvation in the correct light of God's sovereignty and not through the lens of free will - that God had left some degree of will within me that, with proper stimulus, would enable me to receive His gift and that He chose me on the basis of knowing how I would respond. I believe in the important role of free will but, until recently, never fully understood that it first required God's work of regeneration. Until then, I was spiritually dead and could act only in keeping with that deadness.

When I found this long sought relief I almost stopped examining and testing - that is until I decided to look a little closer at Paul's statement in 2 Corinthians 13:5. It was then that realized I needed to go farther. I needed to take a specific course of action that involved several things. You not only have to look at how the journey started, you have to consider how the journey has progressed. For me that will involve digging through a lot of rubble. When I walked through the magnificent doorway of salvation into newness of life at age nine, I immediately became immersed in a sea of religion - of doing church - of trying to meet certain moral standards. I grew up in an environment that considered moral conformity and busyness "at church" as the essence of salvation. Going to church, being active in church and trying "to measure up" fairly well summed up my life for a long, long time. As a result I don't think that I have ever fully realized the awesome truth expressed by Paul - "Jesus Christ is in you." I don't think I will this side of heaven; but I know there is room for more understanding right now.

Regrettably my life became one of self effort. Only by God's grace am I here and able to write about this or even want to have more in my life when it comes to Christ. For many years, I knew very little about the role of the Holy Spirit or the critical importance of prayer. I just extended the idea that many have about how you get saved to how you live your life once that happens. That thinking became the basis for living the Christian life. It was all about me and my efforts - not Christ, what He had done and why He had done it. It was also all about repeatedly failing to measure up. The gospel became just an entry point rather than my life. I focused more on the life than the Giver of that life. I think I lived in an environment that got caught up in something described by John Piper in his book "God is the Gospel." He said "From the first sin in the Garden of Eden to the final judgment of the great white throne, human beings will continue to embrace the love of God as the gift of everything but himself." He points out that there are ten thousand gifts that flow from the love of God and then he says, "but none of these gifts will lead to final joy if they have not first led to God." Because of that, I know that part of the process of which Paul speaks will be not only be to examine and test but also to assure continued realization of the truth - "Jesus Christ is in you." That means my focus must be Christ-centered and not man-centered. That means I must pursue Christ and that I must live and breathe the gospel.

What I want in all of this is something Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians 1:8. "Who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." The word "sustain" in some translations read "confirm." It seems like a two edged sword. It speaks of a confirmed destiny and being sustained to reach the destiny of standing guiltless before Him. I want to live each day in light of an absolute, rock solid, sovereign guarantee of my future. I want to experience His sustaining power. What hope do I have that this will be true? There are basically two reasons. The first is "Christ in me." The second is expressed in 1 Corinthians 1:9. "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." And why do I want to test, examine and realize? It is because of the thought expressed by Paul at the end of 2 Corinthians 13:5 - "...unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" But here is the beauty of the process called for by Paul. Even though that result is possible, you undertake this process not from the standpoint of failing; but with fearless assurance of proving you are in the faith.

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

How Amazing is Grace

I have written quite a lot about faith; but without grace there would not be faith. It is well to remember words like these written by Charles Spurgeon. "Be careful that you don't fall into error by fixing your mind so much upon faith - which is the channel of salvation - that you forget God's grace, which is the fountain and source of even faith itself. Remember that. Faith is the work of God's grace within us...We are saved 'through faith' but salvation is 'by grace.' Grace is the fountain and the stream...Never make an idol of your faith...New life is found by looking to Jesus, not in looking to your faith." Grace kept us for salvation. It brought us to salvation. It brought us salvation. It envelopes our life, sustains our life, carries us forward and in the words of John Newton in the great hymn, "Amazing Grace," grace will lead us home. But grace is not just past, present and future. It is eternal. In Ephesians 2:6-7 Paul says "God...raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." By grace we are strengthened. Hebrews 13:9, "Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them." 2 Timothy 2:1, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus." It is all sufficient and all powerful. 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." It flows from the God of all grace. 1 Peter 5:10, "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." It is beyond description and comprehension. It is truly amazing. This is captured in the video that I want to share. It is one more song for the "Amen Journey."





“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Songs for the Journey

Some months ago I added a music player to the blog. A friend told me about it and some how I managed to overcome technical deficiencies and was to add the player. It took several attempts to get the version I wanted. At first, I think I was just intrigued with it as a gadget. As I began to look for songs to include in the play list, my thoughts starting changing about why I wanted to include the music player and music. That eventually led to a change in the title for the music player. I think it went from "Music Player" to "Songs for the Journey." I wanted to add the dimension of music and singing to what I was trying to say in words. I came across the words of a poem that my college choir director often quoted. It was one of his favorites and it reflected his love for music - especially choral music. It explains, in a way, why I wanted to add the music.

For the common things of every day, God gave us speech in the common way; For the higher things we think and feel, God gave the poets words to reveal; But for heights no tongue or pen can reach, God gave us music—the soul's own speech.

I know that words alone can not express all that I want to say. So along the way of this "Amen Journey" I will include, in addition to the play list selections, other thoughts in song that may help reach a little deeper into our souls. I have tried to do that in the selection of songs; although this is a work in progress.

I have been writing about the matter of my salvation. There are a number of songs that express my "soul's own speech" when it comes to salvation and the greatness of that gift. I have chosen "A Sinner Saved By Grace" by the Gaither Vocal Band. This song is a type of benediction to the series of posts about why I came to Jesus Christ in faith. From my stand point and those who have experienced God's gift of salvation, it really comes down to that one word - GRACE. In this song the writer affirms an awesome truth. "I am a sinner saved by grace. Loved and forgiven; back with the living; all because He (Jesus) took my place." That was true of me in the summer of 1946. It is still true - all because of that place - the cross of Calvary.