What Saith the Scripture?
http://www.WhatSaithTheScripture.com/
Faith Is Looking to Jesus
by Tom Stewart
12-16-2001
The central focus of True Religion is Jesus Christ. "Looking
unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of Our Faith" (Hebrews
12:2). Faith is confidence in Jesus, Whose "Name
is called The Word of God" (Revelation
19:13). Unlike the blind leap of faith described by
the world, True "Faith is substance" (Hebrews
11:1) and "evidence" (11:1) of the trustworthiness of Jesus.
Until or unless we place our confidence in Jesus Christ, we will not and cannot exercise
True Faith. "Now faith is the substance [Greek, hupostasis, which literally
means confidence] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (11:1). All that we know about
Jesus, that we can trust with absolute certainty, has been revealed to us in the
Scriptures. "Thy Word is Truth" (John
17:17). When we confide and rely upon the revelation
of the person and character of Jesus Christ that has been revealed to us in Scripture,
then we are Truly Believing. "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God" (Romans 10:17).
Some have supposed that Jesus was merely a very significant man to come upon the
human scene over 2,000 years ago; but, He was and is all that, and much more. "And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and Truth" (John 1:14). If we have truly
understood Jesus, then we have come to the conclusion that Jesus is the Living God--
the same Creator that generated the world ex nihilo (out of nothing). "16 For by Him [Jesus, i.e.,
the Father's 'Dear Son' (v. 13)] were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: 17 and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist"
(Colossians 1:16-17).
The world's inability to accept Jesus as anything more than another entry into their
pantheon of gods, does not diminish the Truth that Jesus is the One that all men
must trust for Time and Eternity. "Neither is there Salvation in any other:
for there is none other Name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12). In
fact, the Saints have the serene confidence that the entire world will ultimately
confess-- willingly or unwillingly-- that Jesus is Almighty God. "That at the
Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and
things under the Earth" (Philippians 2:10).
Confidence in Jesus Christ to redeem us from the misery of our past sinful life is
the beginning of Salvation, if we have yet to be thoroughly persuaded by the Holy
Spirit that any attempt to live life without Jesus is worse than useless, but actually
sinful. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away" (Isaiah 64:6). If we have concluded with the Apostle Paul that "I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians
4:13), then we must have realized the meaning of the
words of Jesus Christ, speaking as a man, that "I can of mine own self do nothing"
(John 5:30). In
other words, we must look to Jesus to begin the Christian life, which is Salvation;
and, we must continue to look to Him to sustain us in our Christian walk, which is
Sanctification. "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back,
My Soul shall have no pleasure in him" (Hebrews
10:38). And, from what should we not "draw back"?
We must never cease to trust Jesus to guide, comfort, deliver, and provide for every
urgent requirement of life by a Spirit-directed manifestation of the character of
the "Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus
2:13), as can be found by diligent search of the Scriptures.
"Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life: and they
are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).
Spiritual Life begins in us by the simple Look of Faith to Jesus. "14 And as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: 15 that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have Eternal Life" (John
3:14-15). For what do we trust Him? As the One Who suffered
in our place for violating the Unchangeable Law of Perfect Love Toward God and Man.
"For He [the Father] hath made Him [the Son] to be sin for us, Who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him [Jesus]" (2Corinthians 5:21). The Law
of Love is honored and enforced by the Almighty from Eternity to Eternity; so then,
how can New Testament Saints beg themselves free of it, in the name of avoiding the
Quagmire of Legalism? "5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and Earth pass, one jot or
one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. 22:37 Jesus said unto him,
Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. 38
This is the First and Great Commandment. 39 And the Second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself" (Matthew 5:18; 22:37-39). After all, the Look of Faith to Jesus will always result
in the Works of Faith, when given the opportunity. "Even so faith [i.e., only
an intellectual apprehension of the Truth], if it hath not works, is dead, being
alone" (James 2:17).
[See our articles, "How to Trust God" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/How.To.Trust.God.html --, "Is Faith the Only Condition for Eternal Salvation?" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/Is.Faith.the.Only.Conditio.html --, and "The Excellence of Love" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/Edit_Excellence.of.Love.html --, for Scriptural discussions on faith and love.]
It is asked, If looking in faith to Jesus saves us, then what is so important that
we need to keep looking? In answer, why would we want to withdraw our confidence
in the One Who Demonstrated the Greatest Love to Us? "Greater love hath no man
than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Beside this, abiding in
the holiness of a "faith which worketh by love" (Galatians
5:6) is absolutely essential as an ongoing rule of life
for anyone who professes Christ, i.e., "Let every one that nameth the Name of
Christ depart from iniquity" (2Timothy
2:19). "Follow peace with all men, and holiness,
without which no man shall see the LORD" (Hebrews
12:14). It is only the Deceptiveness of Sin that we
would ever argue for the right to continue in any sin, while retaining our Hope of
Heaven. "15
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the Law, but under Grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye
obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:15-16). Our continuing
Assurance of Salvation is not a faded memory of a juvenile profession of faith in
Christ, but it is the continuing renewal of the Holy Spirit expressing tokens of
our sonship to us, as we walk in joyful obedience. "And being made perfect,
He [Jesus, the Son of Man] became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that
obey [Greek, hupakouousin, present tense, i.e., are obeying] Him" (Hebrews 5:9). We trust not
our fallible intellect or the records of man for a testimony of our Saving Faith
in Christ, but the Infallible Word of the Spirit that we are His. "3 And hereby we do know that
we know Him, if we keep His Commandments. 4 He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His Commandments, is
a liar, and the Truth is not in him" (1John
2:3-4). [See our
articles, "He That Endureth to the End Shall Be Saved"
-- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/He.That.Endureth.to.the.En.html -- and "That Ye May Know That Ye Have Eternal Life"
-- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/That.Ye.May.Know.That.Ye.html --, for a discussion of the necessity of persevering in
faith and holiness, as well as, an exposition of how we are to know that we are going
to Heaven.]
Looking to Jesus is more than Salvation and the Assurance of Salvation, but it is
the only acceptable thing that we can do to please God in Earth or Heaven. "But
without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6). If God is pleased
with us, then He will reward us with a fuller revelation of His most excellent character
to us. "He that hath My Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21). To the chagrin of the Devil, his demons, and all wicked men, a
clear and ongoing revelation of the person and character of the LORD Jesus Christ
is sufficient to establish the weakest Saint in the greatest extreme of life. "I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13). For example, the
sufficiency of Christ to grant us a way of escape, is established by faith in His
Promise, i.e., "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of Man" (Luke 21:36),
and in confidence in His character, i.e., "3 According as His Divine Power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the Knowledge of Him that hath called us
to glory and virtue: 4
whereby are given unto us Exceeding Great and Precious Promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust" (2Peter 1:3-4). [See our articles, "The Character of God Is Revealed in the Rapture" -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Timeline/Character.of.God.in.Raptur.html -- and "Exceeding Great and Precious Promises"
-- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Promises/Exceeding.Promises.html --, for more on the character and Promises of Christ. Also,
"The Relations of Christ to the Believer"
-- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Voice/Relations.Christ.Believer.html -- by Charles G. Finney -- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/Charles.G.Finney.html --, is an in-depth approach to the Entire Sanctification
found through Christ Jesus.]
May the world realize the Saving Benefit of looking to Jesus; but just as important,
may every True Saint be reminded of the vastness of our "riches in glory by
Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19) through continuing that simple look of faith.
Maranatha!
.
Related Topics:
Topical Links on Sound Doctrine
-- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Fellowship/Topical.Links.On.Doctrine.html --
Topical Links on Salvation
-- http://WhatSaithTheScripture.com/Jehovah/Topical.Links.Salvation.html --
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