My Days with Christ Jesus

Day 217

August 5
"On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." -Matthew 7:22-24

The Saving Faith

Before i go with the saving faith... Let's be clear of something, we cannot say that one faith can save unless there exist one that doesn't able to save, right?

(Verse 22) We are talking about Christians here, or that's what they call themselves:

One. They called Jesus- 'Lord'... That's not something an unbeliever would do.

Two. They have done extraordinary things in the name of Jesus.

But what's striking here is that in verse 23 Jesus said, 'I never knew you: depart from me...'

Why is that? What just happened?

They were professing Christian and they were doing many great things in the name of Jesus... But why were they not saved. Why were they condemned?

Previous verse in 21 mentioned;

"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven..."

What do you think was wrong?

Clearly there was something wrong, a deep problem, that is why God won't say 'Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.'

I thought that's what He was going to say, instead He said, 'I never knew you...'

They thought they were saved but in reality they weren't.

Many so-called Christian in today's generation thought they are saved and secure... that the faith they have is enough to bring them to heaven. But in the truest sense, they are not saved, they have believed a lie. That's exactly what Satan wants. He is set to deceive people to kill them eventually. He is after all a murderer and a liar. By killing, i don't mean death in the physical sense (though that is given)... rather what i mean by death is for those people to go to hell... because we all going to die, death in the physical sense is inevitable and that would be our transition to eternity but the difference is that to those who have a saving faith goes to heaven while the rest goes to hell for their 2nd death.

And so the big question is, what then is the 'saving faith'?

What makes a faith, saving?

What fascinates me before i go on with the 'saving faith is that... Please do read Matthew 17-22.

...are prophesying, casting out demons, and doing wonderful works in the name of Jesus not good fruits?

Christian are to bear fruits, good fruits and those 3 mentioned can be considered as one of those fruits... don't you think?

Then God made me realise regarding Verse 17-22, that He is not after the good fruits in the good tree, He is after the heart of the good tree.

God is not after the works of the Christians, He is after the heart of the Christians.

No matter how many great works you do in this life, if you don't love God it would be worth... nothing.

Do you know what the problem was with regards to those Christians in Matt. 7:22?

John Piper wrote as, "Professing Christians of Matthew 7:22, they loved power, and they loved it that God gave them power. But they did not love God."

So what do you think makes a faith, saving?

Knowing God is essential, your faith starts there... many of us knows about God but not too many loves God.

What makes you different from the world or worse, from Satan? The devil knows that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, he knows it but he doesn't love that truth... rather he hates it. We can know someone and not love them, you know?

Do you love God?

A saving faith is about knowing, trusting and loving God for who He is and for what He has done and for what He is going to do.

You can know and trust someone without even loving them base on their credentials or what other people say about them, base on their testimonies... right?

Knowing is on the surface, trusting is on another level and loving is beyond the heart.

Let me take you to 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 the reason why those professing Christians in Matthew 7:22 were condemned.

"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing."

Love was missing, God was missing. We all know that God is love, and so...

'If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not GOD, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not GOD, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not GOD, I gain nothing.'

Do you know why Jesus had to die on the cross to defeat all evil? When He could just snap it all and be done with it with Words, He could've end us all or Satan by it or get rid of evil with just a snap, because He is all powerful and a mighty God. Showing off all His power and glory to the world. Do you know why? because He doesn't want you to serve Him or do thinks for Him out of fear of Him. He wants it to be out of love. He wants your love. He wants your heart. And who are we? What is man that He is mindful of Him? That is the big question i often ask Him,

'I have asked God, when i was reminded of what He did on the cross... 'How did You endure it, Lord?' 'How my Lord did you bear it all unto death?' Jesus' answer was short and simple, ' Because I love you.'

That is how i became a Christian. How did you became a Christian?

He has shown His love on the cross, what do you think He wants from you?

LOVE.

"Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." -John 14:23

Though good works are the manifestation that we are saved but it doesn't guarantee salvation, relationship does. He is our Father and we are His children. The secret to a lasting relationship is love.

The works you do in this life as a Christian should always be out of love... for God. Your love should spring from your heart as it overflows and the manifestation of it is directed for the world to see, not for them to see you but the God you are serving. Thus glorifying God in the process.

A saving faith is about knowing, trusting and loving God for who He is and for what He has done and for what He is going to do with our life today and for eternity.

Also just a note, us loving God is not something we would do... remember we are saved by grace thru faith and not by works, the act we do, which is in this case 'loving God' ... is not something we are able to do rather it is what God will enable us to do, for love itself is a fruit of the Spirit. We are so in dire need of God's grace upon our lives for us to do the things He wants us to do.

To God be the glory!