What is Faith? Faith is believing the promises of God, taking God at His word, and then acting upon that belief by trusting in Jesus' precious blood alone. This is Faith - first receiving the truth of Christ, and then Christ Himself. First, knowing the Gospel of the Grace of God to be true, and then acting upon that belief by renouncing your own righteousness, and simply trusting to Jesus' Blood and Righteousness. Genuine faith in Jesus Christ makes a man henceforth hate his sins.
Genuine Faith has three parts:
1) Self-renunciation - a man confesses that he cannot trust in himself and forsakes self and all confidence in his own righteousness and good works.
2) Reliance - a man believes the promise of God, trusts and depends upon God, and leaves his guilty soul in the Savior's hands.
3) Appropriation - a man receives Christ into himself, he accepts the Christ presented in the Gospel, he appropriates Christ as his own Sin-Bearer, he feeds upon God's words, and enjoys the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Self-renunciation, reliance, and appropriation are the three parts to genuine saving faith. Lay hold upon Christ at once by faith in His blood.
Faith is the bucket by which the thirsty soul draws water out of Christ's well of Everlasting Life. Faith is the empty cup we hold under the flowing fountain of Christ's grace. Faith is both God's gift and man's act. Nothing else but faith in Jesus' blood will ever end the awful hunger of the soul of men. The Son of God removes guilt and guile. Trust your eternal destiny to Jesus Christ now. Jesus has died for sinners, He is willing to save, act upon your belief that He is able to save your soul, trust yourself to Him now, at once, this moment. Exercise a personal, voluntary, intentional act of Faith in the Son of God. Faith is a living act of trust in Jesus Himself.
Commit your soul to Jesus by an act of Faith. To flee away from self to the provided Refuge is the main act of faith. Appropriating Faith is needed. Human nature desperately tries to solve its sin problem without Jesus Christ, but it can't. Resign your soul into the hands of Christ. Give up your hold on everything but Christ, and simply fall upon Christ. As a little child runs to its mother with a cut finger. Leave it all to Jesus, voluntarily resign all to His will. Whosoever will, let him come. Now, to come to Christ means simply for a soul to draw near to Him by trusting His Blood and Righteousness. You are not asked to prepare or work for Christ. A simple reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the one essential for obtaining eternal life. Always mix faith with Bible reading, Bible study, Bible meditation, Bible memorization, Bible preaching. Come at once and believe in Jesus Christ alone for Everlasting Life. Christ Jesus Himself is all any sinner needs.
The essence of genuine faith is trust in Christ, childlike dependence, simple reliance upon Jesus Himself. It is a heart belief that Jesus is the Savior of the world, that He is the Atonement for human sin. Jesus Himself took our sins upon Himself by His sinless substitution. Faith is a trusting in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ to save you. Oh, poor lost soul, you are in a sad state indeed. If you desire Christ, you may have Him now. What is the price? Nothing at all. Receive Christ freely. Believe on Jesus Christ, trust yourself with Him. Then love Him for His free salvation. You cannot trust your self, and trust Christ too. Trust your soul with Christ now.
Here is the gist of the whole matter - Sin is the root of all your problems. God took all of human sin and placed it on His innocent Son. God laid your sins upon Christ. God can now freely forgive you, and yet not injure His divine justice. Trust your soul's eternal interests with Jesus Christ. Turn your soul's eye to the Cross, trust yourself wholly with Christ. You can only come to Christ by trusting Him and His Finished Work. Trust yourself with Him and He will save you. O God, have mercy upon me for Jesus' sake. Search the Scriptures, by reading cometh knowledge, by knowledge cometh faith, by faith cometh salvation.
Never trust yourself a single hour. Fix all your hope on Jesus. Put your immortal in His care and safekeeping. Leave all your cares and concerns in HIs hands. Simply look to God's bleeding, dying, risen, living Son. Your main business is to trust your soul on the fact that Christ died for sinners, that means you. Faith is trusting Christ, and having done with self. If you can point to any good thing in yourself that you can trust to, you are a lost man, there's no heaven for you. Never rely on anything you have done, or will do. Genuine faith in the atoning blood. Trust in the person of the Redeemer. The Cross is the short term in the New Testament Scriptures for the substitutionary suffering and Blood Atonement of God manifest in the flesh, Jesus Christ the Lord. Heartily trust to Jesus, the only Savior of sinners.
