RRayford Strange II
First, I will begin by saying that a non saving faith is a faith not grounded in love: Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not “charity” (love in motion), I am nothing (1 Cor. 13:2). Indeed, such a faith is in reality no faith at all. Where love is not, faith is not, for it is love that believeth (see ver. 7). In Luke 7, beginning with the 36th verse, the Lord Jesus said to a very sinful woman, “Thy faith hath saved thee; but He had previously said, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; FOR SHE LOVED MUCH (Luke 7:47). The faith of a person who loves God, and goodness, saves; but where love is lacking; there is no salvation. The Lord did not say in general terms, Faith hath saved thee; but, THY faith hath saved thee. When the Lord was appealed to by the blind men to heal them, He asked, What WILL ye that I should do unto you? Then, when He describes the reason of the destruction of the impenitent, He does so in the pathetic and impressive words O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee: how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Those who were healed WILLED to be healed. Those who were unsaved WOULD not be saved. It is the state of the WILL which determines mans final lot. The whole man becomes in the end what the WILL really is. The ruling passion becomes strong in death, and stronger in eternity.
A faith NOT saving is a faith which does not subdue sin, and produce a righteous life. Such a faith is a dead faith, as the apostle James says; and a dead faith certainly cannot produce a living Christian, But this is no salvation from sin, it is a salvation from fancy. Hence when the excitement of instant salvation is over, and the so-called saved ones exhibit tempers as evil, selfishness as grasping, and sometimes grosser weaknesses as great as before their supposed salvation, they are told that these sins inhere in their flesh, and they will be troubled with them until they put off the body; but they are saved nevertheless.
One highly esteemed preacher addressed his audience by telling them they are not to work for salvation, nor work from salvation, for their salvation is kept safe for them in heaven; they cannot lose it nor destroy it. Persons led by such deluded and deluding dreamers are often full of the passion of self-conceit, often not more correct in their dealings than the merest worldling, and most bitter towards those who think differently from themselves. Oh! for words of thunder to echo among such vain deluders the divine lessons of our Lord and His apostles, God is love (1 John 4:16); He is the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning (James 1:17). Condemnation is not from Him, but from sin, and selfishness is the very soul of it.
You say you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and so you are saved, for salvation is by believing only. But have you indeed believed in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that selfishness must be renounced to follow Him? If any man will come after Me, let him DENY HIMSELF, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matt. 26:24). Do you believe Him, when He says, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments?
Do you believe Him, when He Says, the great commandment of the law is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets? Do you believe Him, when He says, He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me? (John 14:21.) Do you believe Him, when He says, Ye are My friends, if ye DO whatsoever I command you? (John 14). Do you believe Him, when He says, If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love?
Can you believe the Lord Jesus, whose gospel is full of these assurances, and yet believe that keeping the commandments, and working, and doing, have nothing to do with salvation? Your faith is not in Him, but in fancies of your own.
You say that keeping the commandments is a heavy burden which you cannot bear. Alas! it is NOT KEEPING them that makes all the burdens in the world. The Lord Jesus says truly, My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Matt. 11:30). John assures us that His commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3). And whoever felt them so when he was in earnest to be saved?
Depend upon it, my beloved Facebook friends, unless we actually repent, forsake and abhor sin, unless we actually labor against our sins, and actually obey His laws FROM LOVE TO HIM, our supposed faith is vain, for us He has died in vain; in which case, we are yet in our sins. He died to give us power to die to sin, and live to righteousness. Are we dead to sin? Are we dying daily as the apostle did?
Incidentally, the word SAVED is a misnomer since none of us are presently saved to eternity because none of us have yet faced our final judgment. We WERE saved (delivered) when we truly repented to turn away from sin. We are PRESENTLY being saved as Divine love continues to work in us so as to allow the work of regeneration continue its perfect work in us. It is not an instant work at some crisis moment, but rather, it’s the work of God in us that must continue in us until the last day. Thus, we SHALL be saved in the end, the last day.
Finally, let us love the Lord and pray for power to keep his commandments. It is the love of God or the lack of it that will dictate our course of action in this life.
All promises are given to the overcomers. I pray that in the end, you and I will be counted faithful to enter in.
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