Faith That Saves

by F. McCormick | Category: General | Jul 1950

(Continued from page 89).

The infinite sacrifice of Calvary reveals the mighty cost of our redemption, and this involves the recipients of such love in an indebtedness which is beyond our highest powers to repay.

"Love that transcends our highest powers, Demands our heart, our life, our all"

Far from giving to the utmost limits of our capabilities, it is often true that those things which are demanded of us are often spent in the gratification of the self-life. Time, talents, money, may be expended in worldly pleasure, while the Lord's service is neglected because of lack of these very things.

The Lord's own words are definite in demanding unreserved discipleship. In Matthew 10.88, 39, He speaks of the obligations of discipleship relative to earthly relationships. The words are searching. Discipleship demands loyalty to the Lord above all family claims, and this involves the disciple in taking up his cross to follow his Lord. Again in Mark 8.81 He began to teach them that "the Son of man must suffer . . . . be rejected . . . . and be killed." Then he says,

"If any man would come after Me, let him deny himeelf, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever' would save his life (soul, R. v.M.) shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. For what doth it profit a man, to gain the whole wrld, and forfeit his life (or soul)?" (verses 34-80).

From this passage it is clear that to be possessed of the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit one's life, is to incur a grievous loss. Believers may here get a right sense of values. To grasp the present, or save your life now, in the sense of using this world to the full, getting out of it all you can, and putting into it all you can, means that you forfeit your life, in God's reckoning, with nothing to your account at the judgement seat of Christ, which means eternal loss. On the contrary, those who are prepared to sacrifice the present for the future, who confess that "we have not here an abiding city," who "go forth unto Him without the camp," and are prepared to take up their cross daily, and die daily to self and earthly things, for His sake and the gospel's, these, who lose their lives here, will find them in that day (see Hebrews 10.84). The disciple's cross is not imposed upon him. It is not the weight of trouble and sorrow he may meet in life in common with all men. It is something he must take up of his own voluntary choice, the instrument by which he is put to death to everything contrary to his Master's will.

This requires the exercise of faith, for this course is altogether contrary to the inclinations of human nature. It requires the disciple to count "the things that are not, as though they were." By faith giving substance to the things hoped for; counting Him faithful who has promised, the disciple has to go forward to things not seen as yet, with nothing more than God's word of promise. "Abraham, when he was called, obeyed . . . . he went out not knowing whither he went" ; it was sufficient that God had spoken.

The measure in which we are prepared to take up our cross, and lose our lives, is the measure in which we truly gain our lives for God. We need to remind ourselves that what we weave in time we wear in eternity. The saving of the soul is a matter of great importance to the believer, and in order to do this believers are exhorted to

receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your ~ouls" (James 1.18-22). By so doing, it is possible to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2.12). Again, "as sojourners and pilgrims," we are to " abstain from fleshly lusts, which war agai~st the so~l" (1 Peter 2.11). The inworking of the flesh in the ),eliever, exciting and prompting to fleshly lusts, will, if allowed, destroy the believer's life. " But if by the Spirit ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Romans 8.18). Another danger to the heavenly pilgrims is to become discouraged and weary because of the way, and hence the exhortation,

"Consider Him . . . . that ye was not weary, fainting in your souls" (Hebrews 12.8).

He endured, despising shame, and has entered into glory. Our Captain, perfected through sufferings, has left us an example of patient endurance. True, the disciple pathway may be as the poet has said,

"Gain'st storm, and wind, and tide."

In this world there is neither sustenance, nor abiding place for true pilgrims.

"Marvel not, brethren, if the world hateth you" (1 John 3.18).

A servant is not above his Master. If we pursue the path of faith in separation to God, the world will give us the outside place as it gave to Him.

Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shalt suffer persecution" (2 'lihiothy 3.12)

If such be the position, what then are our resources? We who are heirs of the promise," who "shall inherit salvation," have all our resources in Him who has gone into God's presence for us as the Forerunner, within the veil. He is our "gone in" Hope. Abraham received God's promise which was confirmed by an oath; that is, he received the seed, Isaac, in whom all the promises of God were bound up, and upon his obedience of faith also received him back in a parable from the dead. And God hath sworn,

"In blessing I will bless thee . . . . I will multiply thy seed .

thy seed shall possess the gates of his enemiss . . . . in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice" (Genesis 22. 16-18; Hebrews 8. 18-16).

The promise is confirmed by oath and is final; all the promises concerning the future were in connexion with the promised seed.

Likewise, God has been minded to show unto us the immutability of His counsel in regard to His promises which are bound up in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has interposed with an oath, for He has not only "witnessed of Him," but has also sworn concerning Him"The Lord sware and will not repent Himself, Thou art a Priest

for ever" (Hebrews 7.21).

He lives in the power of an endless life, beyond the reach of any power to annul dne single promise made in Him. He has entered into that which is within the veil. In Him we have the certainty and pledge of the fuffilment of every promise. To faith, this fact is as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast; here the believer can find all his resources as he patiently pursues the path of obedience here below. In view of those two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, His promise and oath, we have a strong encouragement to lay hold of this hope. The eternal, unseen things become positive realities to faith, and the succour, help, strength and grace for every need are supplied from this unseen source of the believer's light and life. The dangers of the pilgrim path may be great, the storms may blow upon our frail barques as we cross the sea of time, but so long as our faith, which is like the line or chain attached to the anchor within the veil, holds, we shall not drift, or make shipwreck.

It is clear then, that while our eternal security rests entirely upon the finished work of Christ, being justified by faith, saved by grace

through faith, our day-by-day lives can only be saved for God if we continue to exercise faith and obedience unto the end.

On God's part, every provision has been made for the journey, a throne of grace, and a Great High Priest to minister to all our necessities, yet, all these gracious provisions will not avail, unless, on our part, those "things that were heard" are mixed with faith, and we avail ourselves of those resources which will enable us to continue unto the end in the fulfilment of true discipleship.

It is ours patiently to endure throughout this little while " as seeing Him who is invisible," content to take our place with Him "outside the camp, bearing His reproach." Thus, and only thus, can we save our lives, and be numbered with the overcomers (Revelation 3.21).

"Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4.19). Then the words will be true of us,

"We are not of them that shrink back unto perdition; (or utter loss, or waste of life); but of them that~have faith unto the saving of the soul" (Hebrews jO. 89).

<Author:F. McCormick>

F. McCormick | Jul 1950
General