The Hearing of Faith

The HEARING OF FAITH saves sinners, not your works at all. *Galatians 3:2-5; Romans 10:17* The heart of man is deluded by sin, and his ways are so perverse. Man is no good, and he knows it, but he make vain attempts to put on a religious show to deceive himself into thinking everything is all right.   He does not love the law of God, or the God of the Law, and his mind is fiercely opposed to it. The spirituality and severity of the law becomes a burden to him. The Gospel of God's Grace bids him simply to receive Christ by an act of faith. But the deceitful heart of man resorts to any pretense to impress others and oppose the way of true salvation, which God Himself has appointed.  Now understand - Religion can cover up sin from man's eyes, be it cannot take away sin from the sight of God.

Stubborn, self-righteous man always opposes God’s way of gratis salvation – free grace. Unregenerate man is in constant enmity and dead set against the way of salvation by simple faith in Christ; and to oppose it they set up the sham of religion and self-righteousness and must trust in their own works in some way or fashion. God's salvation is provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment from a sinner. Christ's free pardon of sin is given without consideration of any return or reward from man. The forgiveness of sins through Christ's most-precious blood is absolutely free. The Gospel artillery of free grace explodes all religious systems, works, merits, and superstitions.

God's grace forgives sin, and God's peace quiets the conscience. Sin and conscience torment us, but only Christ's blood can overcome them now and forever. Only Christians possess this peace given from above. Grace involves the forgiveness of sins, peace, and a happy conscience. Sin is not canceled by lawful living and good works, for no person is able to live up to the Law. The Law reveals guilt, fills the conscience with terror, and drives men to despair. Much less is sin taken away by man-invented endeavors. The fact is, the more a person seeks credit for himself by his own efforts, the deeper he goes into debt. Nothing can take away sin except the grace of God. It is impossible to gain peace of conscience by the methods and means of the world and its religions.

Our sins as great, so great, in fact, that the whole world's good works in the entire history of mankind could not make amends for ONE SINGLE SIN against an INFINITE GOD. The greatness Christ's ransom shows this. So vicious is sin that only the sacrifice of Christ could atone for sin. When we reflect that the one little word "sin" embraces the whole kingdom of Satan, and that it includes everything that is horrible, we have reason to tremble. But we are careless. We make light of sin. We think that by some little work or merit we can dismiss our sin.

Faith in Christ is the easiest thing in the world, but the self-righteous are ever struggling against the simple way of faith from God. They refuse to cling to the promises of God and to His free mercy in Christ Jesus. One would think that the moment salvation by faith is preached, that every sinner would leap up and receive it. It is so simple, so easy, that surely every sinner would wish to be forgiven and justified this way. But all the carnal reasonings, all the cunning of unregenerate human nature is stirred up to fight against God’s way of deliverance by faith in Christ Jesus. They say, “It’s too good to be true, if this is preached, it will lead people to think very little of human goodness.” Proud sinners always try to dictate to their Creator, and desire to be forgiven on their terms. They think that God does not know the best way of saving sinners. Self-righteous sinners are so wise in their own conceits, that they try to change God’s method of free salvation. This is pure blasphemy and a hideous farce.

Man in his sins is not only poor, but he is proud; not only guilty, but conceited; so that he will not humble himself to be saved upon terms of divine charity. He refuses to take a hand-out at the Door of God's Mercy. He will not consent to believe God; he prefers to believe in the falsehoods of his own heart, which delude him into the flattering hope that he may merit eternal life through his own works somehow. The natural man always questions, quibbles, and cavils at the free mercy and dying love of Christ. They resist their only hope. Papists, monks, nuns, priests, Muslims, and all others religious sects who trust in their own merits in any way, are wicked and destructive sects that rob God and Christ of the honor that belongs to them alone.

A man that trusts in his works to help save him in any fashion will never know if he has ever done enough to secure his salvation. Neither will he have any true rest in God, for his works are never finished until he dies, and therefore he cannot rest. They are toiling so hard to save themselves the best way they know how. Salvation can only be received by faith, and never by merit at all. The sinner must trust finally and fully in the Sinner’s Substitute.  Jesus is the Greatest of All.

You can only be forgiven by the free grace of God. Trust Him with your real sin and unworthiness. Believe Him for complete salvation. Remember - everlasting life will never come to an end, and eternal life can never expire. Put your future sins where you put your past sins, at the foot of the Cross of Calvary by faith. Simply step onboard the ship of free grace, it will never go down, because Jesus Christ is the Captain. Depend and rest in Jesus by simple faith.

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, was given not for the righteous, but for sinners. If you had no sin, you would not need Christ. Don't let Satan delude you into thinking you are holy. The truth is, you are all sin. Your sins are not imaginary transgressions, but sins against the God Himself, that is, unbelief, doubt, despair, contempt, hatred, ignorance of God, ingratitude towards Him, misuse of His name, neglect of His Word, etc.; and sins against the your neighbor, dishonor of parents, disobedience of government, coveting of another's possessions, etc. You may not have not committed murder, adultery, theft, and similar sins in deed, nevertheless you have committed them in the heart, and therefore you are the transgressor of all the commandments of God.

Your transgressions are multiplied daily and your own efforts at self-justification are more of a hindrance than a furtherance. Christ the Son of God gave Himself into death for your sins. To believe this is to have eternal life. Fly for safety to Christ who gave Himself for your sins. God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

If you have not found rest and are not yet saved, and you are tired of being tired, simply look to Christ now, forsake your self-salvation. Your own honesty, generosity, and self-righteousness can never help justify you. Your church-going, Bible reading, baptism, repentings, sacraments, forms of prayer, and the like, come to absolutely nothing, and does not impress the Almighty at all. Work-trusters go to Hell and burn, and they never enjoy the rest of Christ. Jesus-trusters rest in Him and go to Heaven when they die. Your works will never prepare you to die. Are you willing to die at once? Probably not. If you are trusting in your works AT ALL, your state is one of unrest, fear, and dread. Do not play the fool with your immortal soul.

You must listen to the word of God for yourself – a personal hearing. Stop listening to what religion tells you. You must hear the Gospel Message with your heart, not just with your ears. You cannot be born by just hearing some man talk about religion. You must hear the Gospel Message attentively.

Just like if you were waiting to board a plane, you would listen closely for the call to board the plane. You ignore all other chatter and noise, you stay awake, and do not wander far from gate, you ear is focused on the announcements from the airlines. If they call for your flight, you catch the sound, and make use of the news, you move out, and board the plane, you simply obey what you HEAR. Likewise, the Gospel Message must be listened to closely and attentively, you must react promptly to its call, you must board the only plane to Heaven and trust the only Pilot that can get you there safely. This is the kind of hearing the Gospel requires. The Gospel is the power and righteousness of God, that will save you from the wrath and judgment of God.

If you have the hearing of faith, you will greatly concerned with the subject of the Gospel of the Grace of God; you will be anxious to know more about it, and you will give your mind wholly to its consideration: this is the sort of hearing by which saving faith comes. Do not lend your ears to other fables and damnable doctrines, but hear for yourself the Good News of a Dying Savior. Hear it with both of your ears, drink it in just like a cold glass of water.

You must believe that the Gospel comes from God Himself. You must accept it as God’s words, worthy of your reverent attention. The Gospel is the voice of God, and it comes by the Spirit of God. You must believe the Bible to be inspired by God: that the whale really swallowed Jonah, that Joshua stayed the sun, that God created the heaven and the earth, that Noah sailed in the ark, and that Christ Jesus died for you personally and rose from the dead the third day to save your sinful soul.

This is God’s Gospel: God has sent forth His Son Jesus Christ to be the Savior of all men. God has sent Him, the offended God has appointed a mediator. You can trust Jesus, since He is God and He is able to save you, and willing to save you. Your faith must hang all its weight on the obedience and sufferings of Christ. Jesus being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He suffered untold torment on the cruel Cross, bleeding out His life for unworthy sinners like you, that they might live through Him. He was buried and rose again the third day from the dead.

You may be saved freely in one single moment of time by simply believing in Jesus' sinless obedience, suffering and dying, and resurrection alone; that every sin you’ve ever committed or ever will commit however black, is washed away with a single tick of the clock. Jesus died for your sins - your sins made Jesus bleed. This Gospel is true, and you must hang your soul upon the truth of it, or you will perish in your sins and selfishness. This bridge that Christ built is strong enough to carry you over the dark river of death, trust the bridge of Christ, not your own. This is real faith – In life, in death, in eternity, Christ Jesus Himself will be ENOUGH for me.

Faith is the hand which receives God’s gift to us – it is a simple child-like thing. When a child is offered a candy bar, the child may know nothing about how the candy bar was manufactured, and or how his arm and hand actually work, but he simply takes the candy car to himself and enjoys it. Faith does the soul good when it takes what God gives freely. Faith is the main thing. When God holds out to you free salvation by Christ Jesus, you need not ask anything further about it, but just take it to yourself and be at once saved, for by faith Christ is received. Simply believe God’s word, do not try to be anything, or to do anything; but just TRUST in what Jesus did FOR YOU, and you shall be heaven bound.

Hang ALL your hope on Christ’s risen power. He is in glory now at the right hand of God, making intercession for transgressors. He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. You may have been trying to believe in the past, but now just believe without trying and be set free. You cannot try to believe, just believe the Gospel to be true and be born again. Be convinced of the eternal fact of Christ’s resurrection and ascension, and that He is able to save you now. Trust in HIM and He will save you – that is a FACT from God’s word.

Free forgiveness, full redemption, irreversible salvation, infinite love, boundless grace, and unchangeable justification is only freely received by lost and hopeless sinners at the foot of the Cross. Simply look to JESUS and there and then you will find eternal life. Free grace and dying love are worthy of faith, and they win faith. Give up all you are trying to feel, and trying to work and do, and trying to be, and just come and put your TRUST in Jesus alone. Then you shall be saved, and tehn you may work, and feel, and do as much as you like to glorify the Savior that died for you and saved your unworthy soul.