Lenten Devotional – Day 32

Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.

“But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.” (Heb. 10:39)

Faith comes not from intellectual conviction, but from an open, trusting "yes" to God’s invitation to loving unity. Of course, without intellectual conviction, the mind will not instruct the will to say yes. Even so, faith opens one to realms that the mind cannot know. - Nuggets from the Stream of Life from "Caring for the Self, Caring for the Soul," by Philip St. Romain.

  Practice is the best evidence of faith. Because Abraham had faith in God, he left his own country. Because Moses had faith in God, he refused to stay in the luxury of Pharaoh's palace, choosing instead to suffer with God's people (Hebrews 11:25-26). Because others had faith in God, they were stoned, sawn in two, executed by the sword, mocked and tortured, thrown in prison, and forced to wander about in animal skins, poverty and torment (Hebrews 11:32-38). — Gerald R. McDermott, Seeing God: Twelve Reliable Signs of True Spirituality (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 221.

  A businessman was asked to tell what his personal faith meant to him. He reached back to his boyhood experience. He recalled walking with his father one day, having to reach up to hold on to his hand. After a while he said, "I can't hold on any longer, and you'll have to hold on to me for a while." And he remembered the moment when he felt his father's hand take over. That, he said, was the way it felt to him to have faith in God. And that was precisely an act of grace.

  It is important that Christians not let grace become a universal principle or ideology. It is the grace of God of which the Bible speaks. Not the grace of some abstract principle of justice or love or acceptance. As God's grace, and not some principle of grace, God is the one who determines what it will be and where it will go. "God ... called us with a holy calling, not according to our work, but according to his own purpose and grace" (2 Tim. 1:9 NRSV). "But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift" (Eph.4:7 NRSV).

The Passion of Amazing Grace

"But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture — “I believed, and so I spoke” — we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 4:13-15, NRSV)

 

  If you want to build a ship, don't summon people to buy wood, prepare tools, distribute jobs, and organize the work, rather teach people the yearning for the wide, boundless ocean.   Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Evangelism is good news, it is the amazing grace of God revealed to God's people. The good news is not about introducing a program, gaining more members, changing worship style, attracting young people or increasing budgets. Evangelism is the good news of God’s healing and saving love in Jesus Christ. Evangelism is about sharing the Amazing Grace of Jesus Christ with our family, friends and neighbors. For the church to pursue its full redemptive potential, a passion for the life and work of Jesus Christ must be reclaimed. We must rediscover for ourselves the amazing passion of sharing God's amazing grace. When we witness others experiencing the life of grace as a “new creation” in Christ, then we as a church, as disciples are transformed.

We believe that God created a good and beautiful world. However, this beautiful creation is broken because the first humans decided that they would be better off being God than serving God. Humanity continues to choose this path of destruction. The good news is that God is not content to leave us in our brokenness. God takes on human flesh and blood to rescue us and show us the way into life’s purpose and meaning.

We often sing that old favorite hymn, “Amazing Grace” during worship. It is one of the most favorite hymns within the church regardless of denomination.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
   That saved a wretch like me!
   I once was lost, but now am found,
   Was blind, but now I see.

Is this hymn merely a nice hymn we sing occasionally or is it for us a witness to the glorious grace we see witnessed in those transformed by Christ's grace. God has given me the honor of witnessing this amazing grace in the lives of others as they experienced this grace and became new creations through Christ's grace. As a witness to this wonderful miracle of God my life, faith, hope and love was renewed and refreshed each time.

Today, I want to share a video simply called, “Amazing Grace.” It visually illustrates the power and significance of this grace and the powerful witness it gives the world and the church. I hope this might help to spark the passion for sharing the good news. “... so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 4:15, NRSV)

 

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