Which is easier to do: trust in Jesus for
salvation, or trust in Jesus for tomorrow’s crisis?
There are many reasons why we might say it’s easier to trust in Jesus for our salvation. For one, many of us think about salvation as a one-time deal, getting a ticket into heaven, which we hope is still way out in the future and about which we have only vague notions and occasional thoughts. In the day to day flow of life it can easily become obscured.
Tomorrow’s crisis, however, is a different story. Whether we’re facing a troubled relationship, unjust treatment at work, a serious medical procedure, a massive financial loss, or some other struggle or traumatic experience, such challenges can seem much more urgent and life impacting than the question of salvation. It can be hard to trust in the unseen to help us deal with visible, present troubles.
Then, too, there is a tendency to think of salvation as strictly a spiritual matter that has been taken care of by a past act of faith and is not particularly relevant to the real challenges of our present daily living in the physical world. Like a life insurance policy, once obtained, it is held in a secure place until we die. We may believe that God is out there to help us with problems here and now, but it’s mostly up to us to work through them.
I’ve come to the conclusion that regarding this faith question, as in most other cases, human wisdom gets it turned upside down. Try thinking of it from God’s point of view. Which is easier for Him: to intervene in our daily lives to remove or resolve crises and trials, or to save us from our sins? How difficult is it for God to change circumstances affecting our lives? In contrast, what price did Jesus have to pay to secure our salvation?
Then, consider this: If we have difficulty trusting the Lord with a simpler need today than a far greater and more important one sometime in the future, what does that tell us about our faith? Perhaps the real truth is that our faith for the greater need (salvation), being untested, may prove to be exceedingly weak when we are actually facing the possibility of death. How can we even be sure our salvation is real if we haven’t learned to trust Him for the present?
This is a vital question. How can we get a clear answer? My counsel is always, “Let’s see what the Scriptures say.” In Romans, the book of the Bible with the most comprehensive explanation of salvation by faith, we read in Chapter1:17b, “…the righteous shall live by faith,“ which is also a quote from the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. So how does this apply?
I used to think that this verse was a commandment, “The righteous person is required to live by faith.” But that is not what it is saying at all. Who is a righteous person, anyway? According to Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, not even one.” But we are given the example of Abraham as a righteous person, not because of any good works that he did, but because “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3b NASB) In other words, the righteousness Abraham had was not his own but credited to him because of his faith.
God sees us all as spiritually dead and hopelessly lost on our own. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” (Ephesians 2:4, 5 NASB)
Then follows what is perhaps the clearest expression in the Scriptures of salvation by grace through faith alone: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works; so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NASB) Now this is speaking of a past (yet continuing) reality of our trusting in Christ’s completed work of redemption on the cross and resurrection from the dead to secure our salvation.
How does all this tie together with the statement that the righteous shall live by faith and offer assurance that our faith in Jesus for salvation is real? There’s one more clue that helped me solve the riddle.
There are many reasons why we might say it’s easier to trust in Jesus for our salvation. For one, many of us think about salvation as a one-time deal, getting a ticket into heaven, which we hope is still way out in the future and about which we have only vague notions and occasional thoughts. In the day to day flow of life it can easily become obscured.
Tomorrow’s crisis, however, is a different story. Whether we’re facing a troubled relationship, unjust treatment at work, a serious medical procedure, a massive financial loss, or some other struggle or traumatic experience, such challenges can seem much more urgent and life impacting than the question of salvation. It can be hard to trust in the unseen to help us deal with visible, present troubles.
Then, too, there is a tendency to think of salvation as strictly a spiritual matter that has been taken care of by a past act of faith and is not particularly relevant to the real challenges of our present daily living in the physical world. Like a life insurance policy, once obtained, it is held in a secure place until we die. We may believe that God is out there to help us with problems here and now, but it’s mostly up to us to work through them.
I’ve come to the conclusion that regarding this faith question, as in most other cases, human wisdom gets it turned upside down. Try thinking of it from God’s point of view. Which is easier for Him: to intervene in our daily lives to remove or resolve crises and trials, or to save us from our sins? How difficult is it for God to change circumstances affecting our lives? In contrast, what price did Jesus have to pay to secure our salvation?
Then, consider this: If we have difficulty trusting the Lord with a simpler need today than a far greater and more important one sometime in the future, what does that tell us about our faith? Perhaps the real truth is that our faith for the greater need (salvation), being untested, may prove to be exceedingly weak when we are actually facing the possibility of death. How can we even be sure our salvation is real if we haven’t learned to trust Him for the present?
This is a vital question. How can we get a clear answer? My counsel is always, “Let’s see what the Scriptures say.” In Romans, the book of the Bible with the most comprehensive explanation of salvation by faith, we read in Chapter1:17b, “…the righteous shall live by faith,“ which is also a quote from the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. So how does this apply?
I used to think that this verse was a commandment, “The righteous person is required to live by faith.” But that is not what it is saying at all. Who is a righteous person, anyway? According to Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, not even one.” But we are given the example of Abraham as a righteous person, not because of any good works that he did, but because “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3b NASB) In other words, the righteousness Abraham had was not his own but credited to him because of his faith.
God sees us all as spiritually dead and hopelessly lost on our own. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” (Ephesians 2:4, 5 NASB)
Then follows what is perhaps the clearest expression in the Scriptures of salvation by grace through faith alone: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works; so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NASB) Now this is speaking of a past (yet continuing) reality of our trusting in Christ’s completed work of redemption on the cross and resurrection from the dead to secure our salvation.
How does all this tie together with the statement that the righteous shall live by faith and offer assurance that our faith in Jesus for salvation is real? There’s one more clue that helped me solve the riddle.
One day as I was meditating on a passage in my personal Bible reading time, I came across this verse, “Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Colossians 2:6) Suddenly, it hit me. Such a simple but profound truth! I had received Him by faith, but that was only the beginning, now I was to learn to take every step in life by the same exact exercise of faith, trusting Him to be Lord over every circumstance as well as my salvation.
Yes, the righteous shall live (be made alive and keep on living) by faith. By faith you come to trust Christ as Lord and Savior. But that’s only the beginning, the starting point, a moment of birth. Your position in Christ is secure, but now you are to be growing in His grace “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NASB)
If you struggle with assurance, the problem may be that you are still trying to control your life rather than giving the control over to the Lord. (After all, isn’t that what being lord means, being in control?)
If you can by faith yield control over your current difficult situation to the Lord now, you will receive His peace that passes all understanding and gain assurance of your salvation, as well.
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