Your Faith

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

We tend to think of faith as a rather mysterious and elusive abstract concept. In reality, however, we all rely on considerable acts of faith throughout every day of our lives without ever giving it conscious thought. For instance, when we take a seat, we don’t think to ourselves, “I sure hope this chair holds me.” Nor do we anxiously hope that our vehicle starts. And we fully expect a light to illuminate when we flick the switch. Our daily living is, in fact, an intricate chain of moment-by-moment, interconnected, faith-filled actions. We are surprisingly accustomed to living lives of faith, especially in the performance of our own creations and systems.

Resting in complete faith in Christ crucified as our Savior—apart from works—adds a whole new dimension to faith: a spiritual one that goes against everything that this dark world has taught us. The engine of human behavior here is typically the fear of punishment and the hope of earned reward, and God’s favor is perceived to be earned by merit—avoiding sin. It’s no surprise, then, that unbelievers think “the message of the cross is foolishness...” (1 Corinthians 11:18). And it is pretty obvious that many Christians also wrestle with the message of the cross, stuck with one foot at the base of the cross and the other still on the Law (works), a rather perilous and stressful balancing act.

It is crucial, then, to consider the words of Jesus regarding His mission. He explained to Nicodemus, a scholar of Scripture and proponent of the Law: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:14-17).

This is the Gospel in its entirety—believe and live, just as the children of Israel in the wilderness looked upon the serpent on the pole and lived. But while the children of Israel were only healed to live out a natural life, those who look upon Jesus on the cross live forever. This is why Jesus also later said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Free from what, we might wonder? From the guilt, shame, and feelings of rejection and separation from God resulting from our inability to be sinless, of course.

It’s time, then, to take that one foot off the Law (works) and place it firmly beside your other foot in front of the cross. Paul explained that we are now, through faith in Jesus Christ, released from the Law. It no longer has any power over us. Recall Jesus’ explanation that this New Covenant, the Gospel, is so radical that it cannot be contained in an old wineskin (the Old Covenant). The Gospel will burst that old, rigid wineskin. There can therefore be no blending of the Gospel with the Law; they are polar opposites: one demands a wage we can never pay, while the other offers a gift we did not and never could earn. There is nothing more beautiful or important in life in the Kingdom of God than being set completely free to confidently live and love without any condemnation, to the glory of God the Father, His Son and our Savior Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

What about our sinful nature then? Paul clarified to the Romans, “So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good. (Romans 6:1-3) Our previous life is the past and is not even worth looking back at.

No, our new engine of human behavior is uncontainable gratitude. We just do our best to “love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart and with all [our] soul and with all [our] mind and with all [our] strength… and… love [our] neighbor as [ourself]” (Mark 12:30-31). We really are set free to “soar like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31) and share God’s love with everyone that we can. This gradual, never-ending transformation results in a faith that should become as subconscious as sitting in that chair or starting your vehicle. Complete faith in the Gospel of Jesus is beautiful and contagious—something that intrigues others.

Lord, help me to trade the heavy burden of the Law for the restful gift of Your grace. May my life be powered not by the fear of failure, but by a heart of uncontainable gratitude. Teach me to walk—and soar—in the freedom You have already won for me. Amen. 

mgb