the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Grace for Today
Colossians 1:4
‘Faith in Christ’
Read Psalms 116:1-19
True faith is something more than learning doctrine. Doctrine is important. It is essential. No man call be well-grounded without sound doctrine. It is not possible for a man to receive Christ and reject his doctrine. But many rejoice in the doctrine of Christ who do not have faith in Christ. True faith is much more than personal morality. The Pharisee was rigidly moral in his outward conduct (Luke 18:11-12), but he did not have the faith of God’s elect. True faith will make a man honest. It will produce a heart that seeks after holiness and true godliness. But many who are personally moral have no faith in Christ. True faith is something far beyond mere lip service to Christ. It is one thing to profess Christ, and another thing to possess Christ. It is one thing to talk about faith and another thing to live by faith. It is one thing to call Jesus ‘Lord’ with your lips and something else altogether to submit to Lord Jesus Christ in your heart (Matthew 15:8-9). True faith is something more than all the endless activities, ceremonies, rituals and programs of religion.
The opinion of modern religion is that faith produces a life of health, wealth, happiness and prosperity. But the faith of God’s elect, that faith which brings salvation, is a faith that brings about a living union with the living Redeemer! Faith does more than walk down an aisle and accept Jesus as a Savior from hell. Saving faith does more than give God one day in seven in which to act pious and religious. Saving faith does more than set aside ten per cent of my income for the work of the Lord. Faith does more than quit a few outward habits, while breeding inward contempt, rebellion and malice. True saving faith, the faith of God’s elect, is the complete trust and confidence of the heart upon Christ for acceptance with God. It involves total submission and unreserved commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This faith is a gift of God. It is not mentally accepting a creed, or believing certain facts about the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an inward disposition and active principle of the heart created in us by the sovereign power and irresistible grace of God the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 2:12; John 1:12-13).
