Faith (Part 2)

''For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer''. Where is salvation for us? Where will we find saving faith? The answer is: From God.

The psalm continues, ''I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide. I said, 'I will confess my sin, my transgressins to the Lord'; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.''

God's forgiveness cannot be earned. It can never be deserved. Sins from the past cannot be made up for by doing ''good'' works. Salvation, God's gracious offer of forgiveness for all our sins, is a gift from Him. That's what the Bible says in Colossians 2:13 and 14.

''When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven all transgresions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us: and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.



''What love, what grace that bore my sin and nailed it to the tree! No words can say nor tears express this joy He's given me.''

One of the Pastors I heard preaching said that, by the end of his junior year in high school his list of sin was so long. It was piled so high; the stink was so incredibly putrid. He did not think he stood a chance before the holy God. But of course he did not apart from Christ. But by God's grace He took those lists that all of us have and He nailed them onto the cross. Jesus bore them and took them upon Himself so that we might be forgiven. That is where saving faith starts: not by trying to make up or remove sin in our lives. When people wo do not work - come to God by faith - are declared righteous because of their faith. You trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ and you receive eternal life as a free gift. The just shall live by faith.''

At low point in this pastor's life, he remembers wanting to be like his Christian friend Mark who seemed to have it all together. He began to wonder what it meant to be Christian. One day, he found a New Testament lying on the street. He decided to keep it as good as 'lucky charm'. By God's grace, after some time he began to read it. He began to learn about Jesus.

His friend Mark then invited him to play volleyball at a center with a Christian youth group. There, another pastor shared the Gospel - the first time this pastor heard it. ''Jesus died for you, he paid for your sins on the cross.''

Then he prayed, ''Lord, will you forgive me? Will you save me? Will you accept me? Will you open your arms and let me draw near?'' And God did those by His grace.

From then on, he was never the same again. ''I got home and that night I went to sleep having a peace and a joy I never had before. I woke up and the peace was still there.'' I'll praise Him 'til I breathe my last on this my present home. And then I'll wake beside His throne and find He hasn't gone.