Going beyond the first step of faith, i.e., being saved, to living by faith in the realm of the impossible is an essential element to following Christ. Further, believing God for the present and future is more important than believing Him for the past. The life of the believer is to be centered in what God is doing through our lives now, not what He did through our lives in the distant past. Just shut-up and drive!
Abraham believed God; he trusted God – at least he said he did. Yet, did Abraham really believe God? Did Abraham genuinely trust God? He said that he had faith, but was it saving faith? We say that we believe God; that we trust God – at least we say we do. Yet, do we really believe God? Do we genuinely trust God? We say we have faith, but is it saving faith? Find out now.
James asked the question: What use is it . . . if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? He continued with a second question: Can that faith save him? Let’s make the sense of it a little more clear: Can “that kind of faith” save him? Allow me to offer an even more accurate translation: That kind of faith can’t save him, can it? Perhaps, it’s a good idea to determine the kind of faith we have.
Could you summarize Christianity in one simple sentence, 15 words or less? Here’s my simple sentence: The heart and life of Christianity is confessing Jesus as Lord. Romans 10:9a is usually discussed in an evangelistic context due to the second part of the verse. However, Romans 10:9a impacts, not just the moment of conversion, but all of life. Confessing Jesus as Lord is a daily exercise for the believer, an exercise that keeps us perennially connected to the presence and power of God.