Please Help With Perseverance of the Saints

[jinc1019]

There are different kinds of faith and different objects of faith. Most religious folk have faith in their faith. They think they are saved because they made a profession and experienced a little something at some time. They most often look back to an event or an experience that gives them assurance that they are saved. But if you have to look at something in yourself your faith is in yourself not in Christ.

Others have the faith of the multitudes who threw palm branches on the road in His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It lasts only as long as it takes to be put under some sort of trial or trouble. Others have faith in their own experiences and works to give them assurance of salvation. But that kind of faith always results in one of two things: it makes you self-righteous or it robs you of any peace at all because you can never do enough.

Religious faith is always about things. It constantly wonders if this thing is sin or that thing. It is about how much I give or how I act or how I live my life. It is focused on the things of religion and it is a false faith.

True saving faith that makes a sinner persevere and be preserved by the Savior looks to nothing but Christ alone. It drops all pretense of works and feelings. It sheds self-righteous religion and worthiness. It abhors anything spotted by the flesh and rests solely and completely in the finished work of Christ. He is to them all their righteousness, all their holiness, all their acceptance with God and they see in Him all they need and all that God requires of them. Looking to Christ being united to Him by faith they recognize and live on the simple fact that He is enough for God to accept and bless me and He is enough for me to rest wholly in. I need nothing but Christ to have all the promises of God in Him. I need nothing but Christ for God to say to me well done thou good and faithful servant.

Resting in Christ is to do nothing that you hope will be accepted of God because you are already accepted in Christ. It frees you to actually do the good works that God has ordained for you because you hope to gain nothing by them. You do them out of love and gratitude for the mercy and grace of God that provided a complete Savior.


But yes God does use the false professor and the religious zealot to bring about good to His elect. He uses the damned to bless His people just as He used Satan to bless Job with twice as much as he had before. He used the evil of Egypt to bring Joseph to rule and bless the house of Israel. They went out of the land with the entire riches of Egypt. He used the evil of Moab to bring Ruth to Bethlehem to be wed to Boaz to bring Christ into the world.

They are not of the elect but many do have a kind of faith that is never lasting and looks to something other than Christ.


Religious faith points you to yourself or your church. Saving, persevering, preserving faith always points you to Christ.

Really great commentary. I am very thankful.

-Justin

 

[JM]

Doesn't Galatians 5:4 clearly say that you can fall away from grace?

The passage is saying those who seek to be justified by faith AND later added works of the Law, have fallen away from the faith they claim to have. They have fallen from the grace proclaimed in the Gospel, which they professed to believe, by adding works. This is not the Gospel. They never could have understood the Gospel if this was their thinking.

As twin explained you must be saved by Christ alone through faith, trusting Christ alone and not works, vows, etc. ("these playthings of the devil" to quote Luther).

Yours in the Lord,

jm

 

[JLR1300]

There are different kinds of faith and different objects of faith. Most religious folk have faith in their faith. They think they are saved because they made a profession and experienced a little something at some time. They most often look back to an event or an experience that gives them assurance that they are saved. But if you have to look at something in yourself your faith is in yourself not in Christ.

Others have the faith of the multitudes who threw palm branches on the road in His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It lasts only as long as it takes to be put under some sort of trial or trouble. Others have faith in their own experiences and works to give them assurance of salvation. But that kind of faith always results in one of two things: it makes you self-righteous or it robs you of any peace at all because you can never do enough.

Religious faith is always about things. It constantly wonders if this thing is sin or that thing. It is about how much I give or how I act or how I live my life. It is focused on the things of religion and it is a false faith.

True saving faith that makes a sinner persevere and be preserved by the Savior looks to nothing but Christ alone. It drops all pretense of works and feelings. It sheds self-righteous religion and worthiness. It abhors anything spotted by the flesh and rests solely and completely in the finished work of Christ. He is to them all their righteousness, all their holiness, all their acceptance with God and they see in Him all they need and all that God requires of them. Looking to Christ being united to Him by faith they recognize and live on the simple fact that He is enough for God to accept and bless me and He is enough for me to rest wholly in. I need nothing but Christ to have all the promises of God in Him. I need nothing but Christ for God to say to me well done thou good and faithful servant.

Resting in Christ is to do nothing that you hope will be accepted of God because you are already accepted in Christ. It frees you to actually do the good works that God has ordained for you because you hope to gain nothing by them. You do them out of love and gratitude for the mercy and grace of God that provided a complete Savior.


But yes God does use the false professor and the religious zealot to bring about good to His elect. He uses the damned to bless His people just as He used Satan to bless Job with twice as much as he had before. He used the evil of Egypt to bring Joseph to rule and bless the house of Israel. They went out of the land with the entire riches of Egypt. He used the evil of Moab to bring Ruth to Bethlehem to be wed to Boaz to bring Christ into the world.

They are not of the elect but many do have a kind of faith that is never lasting and looks to something other than Christ.


Religious faith points you to yourself or your church. Saving, persevering, preserving faith always points you to Christ.

Twin1954

I sure do like the points you make here.... that will preach!