The commercial on the television which offered a free religious
book, had a celebrity saying this concerning her life and success: "It took faith
in myself but it was my faith in God that made the difference." Think about what she
said. There is really no difference between the two things she contrasted. The
difference in both things was herself! It was not God but "my faith in God."
Like most, she believes that God is the same to all, offers the same to all and
is available to all. The difference is "my faith." It is what man does with what
is available that distinguishes. In our day most who say they believe in
"justification by faith" are saying that they are justified by the "act" of their
faith. All such persons rely upon their faith and not God. Their faith has to
allow, initiate and enable God to do. This is just another subtle form of
salvation by works. No one is justified before God apart from faith. Yet,
justifying faith is the gift of God. "Abraham believed God and it was counted
to him for righteousness." Why did Abraham believe and most of those around him
not believe? God sovereignly and graciously gave him faith! God-given faith never looks to self in any way. True
faith never looks to faith but to One outside of self, the Lord Jesus Christ. It
is not "my faith" that justifies but the blood and righteousness of Christ who
is revealed in the Gospel. Faith is like the pipe that water runs through. It is
the water that meets my need, not the pipe! The man of faith believes what God
has said concerning what He has done for the sinner through the doing and dying
of the Lord Jesus Christ. The warrant of faith is simply because God said it,
the enablement to believe is from God who gives it as He wills and the object of
faith is Christ our Righteousness. Are we, like this woman, relying upon what we
did, "our faith," or are we relying upon what God said and what Christ has done?
The difference is heaven or hell!