October 2004 Meditation
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36)
We will now focus on the crucial question, “How do I know that my faith in Christ is genuine?” For me to ask this question implies that I believe that there is such a thing as counterfeit faith—faith that appears to be the faith that saves a man's soul and yet in final analysis proves to be a fateful delusion.
Jesus Himself made it very clear during His ministry on earth that there is such a thing as true faith and counterfeit faith. He used a number of parables to make that point. He told, among others, the stories of the wise and foolish builder (Mat. 7:24-27); of seed that was sown into the soil, three-quarters of which never bore fruit (Mat. 13:1-8; 19-23); of a man who entered the wedding feast (symbolic of heaven) without a wedding garment (Mat. 22:1-13); and of the wise and foolish virgins (Mat. 25:1-3). All of these parables have this in common that they speak of people who appear to belong to the people of God and whose religion yet proves to be a of a counterfeit nature. Christ teaches plainly in Matthew 7:21-23 that there will be many in the Day of Judgment who will genuinely be surprised that they will not be admitted into heaven.
What then constitutes that faith which truly saves—faith by which I gain my precious soul? True, saving faith has the Lord Jesus Christ as its object. That means that a person who truly believes puts his trust in the Lord Jesus for the salvation of his soul. What is it, however, that prompts him to do so? It is a deep consciousness, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, that he is a sinner who has transgressed all God's commandments, who knows himself to be guilty before God, and understands that by his own efforts he cannot make things right with God. It is that experiential awareness that causes a true believer to be irresistibly attracted to the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice for sin he has made on Calvary's cross. For such a person the wonderful message of the gospel that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners is good news indeed! It is exactly such a Savior he needs, and it is in such a Savior that he puts his trust.
It is upon that simple act of faith that God will freely pardon all the sins of a guilty sinner, for God is a God ready to forgive (Psa. 86:5) all who put their trust in His Son and the work He has accomplished on the cross. However, the wonder of experiencing divine forgiveness will foster an earnest desire to live a life which honors and pleases the God who has so graciously pardoned him for Christ's sake—not as an effort to secure God's favor, but as an expression of gratitude for the manifestation of His favor. In other words, true saving faith transforms a sinner into a doer of God's will.
Are you such a person who as a guilty sinner has put his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and who, out of love to Him, desires to live in obedience to Him? Only when we have such a faith will we not lose our soul!
Pastor B. Elshout
