Perspectives

Act upon salvation and simple faith

By Miles McNair
Posted 4/28/22

We recently celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and what a blessing it is to be able to gather with the saints and proclaim that Christ is risen. 

This resurrection was and …

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Perspectives

Act upon salvation and simple faith

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We recently celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and what a blessing it is to be able to gather with the saints and proclaim that Christ is risen. 

This resurrection was and is the establishment of the Christian faith. As Paul declares “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” 

I for one am glad that our faith is not futile, but rather we serve the living God, the one who has overcome hell and the grave and is now seated at the right hand of the father. The fact of the resurrection proves the salvation that we have in Christ. 

However, what happens often is we fail to act upon that salvation. And a salvation such as this demands action. What kind of action? Well, I’m glad you asked.

This question is answered simply, as Christianity is a simple faith — albeit a simple faith with unfathomable depths. 

Christ said, “If you love me keep my commandments.” 

See? Simple. Well, what are those commandments that he speaks of? We will limit it to two, because if you get these two right the others will fall into place. Again, from the mouth of Christ: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” 

Like I said, the Christian faith is simple. Oh, but how strenuous it is! 

A faith that is living through the resurrection of the God-man Christ Jesus deserves for us to strive for a love of the savior that infects every part of our being — a faith that does not stop at the end of our arm but stretches to our neighbors. Sometimes this is at great cost to ourselves, as it cost the savior death, even the death of the cross. With such a payment, how can we refrain from loving and serving with all compassion? 

Like declared before, Christianity is simple; simple yet hard, as we love ourselves, our comforts, our desires more than we love Christ and more than we love our neighbors. 

Discouraging? It sure can be, but guess what. Christ went away that he might send the comforter. We are not in this alone, as we are indwelled with that Holy Spirit of God. The more we yield to him, the more we — through God — succeed in keeping these two commandments. 

So take heart, those who are the faithful in Christ Jesus. We have been given his spirit and his word that we might be equipped to follow these commandments and thus show forth his glories till he comes. 

(Miles McNair is the connection pastor at New Life Church.)   

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