Justified by Faith
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The Meaning of Faith
Paul writes: “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on
this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that
is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the
deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith
it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is,
the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation” (
Romans 10:6-10
).
The faith that is unto salvation is not a casual faith, it is not the
mere consent of the intellect, it is belief rooted in the heart, that em-
braces Christ as a personal Saviour, assured that He can save unto the
uttermost all that come unto God by Him. To believe that He will save
others, but will not save you is not genuine faith; but when the soul
lays hold upon Christ as the only hope of salvation, then genuine faith
is manifested. This faith leads its possessor to place all the affections
of the soul upon Christ; his understanding is under the control of the
Holy Spirit, and his character is molded after the divine likeness. His
faith is not a dead faith, but a faith that works by love, and leads him
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to behold the beauty of Christ, and to become assimilated to the divine
character. [
Deuteronomy 30:11-14
quoted.] “And the Lord thy God
will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord
thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest
live” (
Deuteronomy 30:6
).
It is God that circumcises the heart. The whole work is the Lord’s
from the beginning to the end. The perishing sinner may say: “I am a
lost sinner; but Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost. He
says, ‘I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’ (
Mark
2:17
). I am a sinner, and He died upon Calvary’s cross to save me. I
need not remain a moment longer unsaved. He died and rose again for
my justification, and He will save me now. I accept the forgiveness He
has promised.”