Too Good to Be True (1)

Human nature commonly thinks that free salvation through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ is too good to be true. But every sinner is born a natural rebel with his face turned away from his Maker. He is a criminal; he has broken the law of God and is guilty. He stands stubbornly with his back to the Light, and is going down a dark road, the road which leads to destruction. Man must be converted, that is, he needs to be turned around. He must make an 'about face' towards God (be converted) and look to Christ alone for salvation from SIN. Unless the Spirit of God and the word of God awaken the lost man, he will continue on in his darkness and perish in his sins forever. A man is only justified (freely pardoned and made righteous in the sight of God) by the power of God through faith in the shed blood and righteousness (sinless perfection) of Jesus Christ. God so loved you that He gave His Precious Son to die in your place.

There are millions and millions of sinners, in this world, going the wrong way, and do not know it, and some even believe they are doing God service, when they are actually opposing God and His Son. Some men think they all right in the sight of God; they pray, attend a place of worship, and try to do what's right towards their fellow man. They say, "Well, if I'm not right and going to heaven, I wonder who is; and if I've gone wrong, where must my friends and neighbors be going?" As long as he is still in his sin's blindness, he will see no fault in himself, BUT when the Spirit of God comes to him, and reveals to him the Law of God, then he perceives that he has broken all of the Ten Commandments in the spirit, if not in the letter of them. Even the most moral men tremble when they remember Christ's words in Matt 5:28, "But I say unto you, whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

When you come to understand that the Commandments of God not only forbid wrong actions, but also idle words, selfish intents, lustful desires, filthy imaginations, and evil thoughts of the heart. You can commit murder by just hating someone in your heart, or commit adultery by simply lusting after a woman in your imaginations, and you can rob your neighbors by not loving them as you should, or blaspheme God without ever speaking a wicked word. You can break all of the Commandments before you put your clothes on in the morning, for the Bible says in James 2:10, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in ONE POINT, he is guilty of all." The Lord Jesus also said, "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."

Only the Spirit of God, through the word of God, can bring home to the sinner's heart these truths and make a man see that he is in error and in danger; and the Holy Spirit's power alone will cause the man to see there is a terrible precipice right before him called Death and Hell, over which he will fall if he goes on in his stubborn pride, trespasses, and sins. When he finally realizes his sinful condition and senses his peril, he stops, and considers his latter end.

The Word of God tells a sinner that, by the works of the law, he cannot be justified; it tells him that his heart is defiled, that he himself is condemned already, that he is shut up under condemnation for having broken God's law, and says to him that, whatever he may do, or however much he may struggle, if he does not seek salvation in God's way, he will only make his bad condition worse, and be like a drowning man, who sinks the faster the more he struggles.

Christ died for the ungodly, not for good people. Your sin deserves punishment. God has laid that punishment upon His only-begotten Son; and, therefore, He is ready to forgive you freely for Christ's sake, not because of anything good in you, or anything you ever can do, but ENTIRELY of God's free mercy. God bids you trust yourself in the hands of Jesus that He may save you. Come, then, and rely upon what Christ has done, and is still doing for you, and believe in the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, and not in yourself at all.

The Word of the Lord with the power of the Holy Spirit helps the sinner to believe. The self-righteous man is quite startled at the idea of free salvation - instantaneous pardon - the full blotting out of sin - ALL FOR NOTHING - a pardon for the worst and vilest freely given, and given now this moment. But Mr. Do-Gooder says, "Surely, this is too good to be true!" He thinks he must add his works. He is filled with amazement, for God's thoughts are as high above him, as the heavens are above the earth. The word of God says to him, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.

The simple story of the Lamb of God dying on the cross for his sins and rising again from the dead melts his heart and persuades his stubborn will. The Spirit of God applies the precious promises and gracious invitations to his soul, and the sinner responds, "I can and I do believe in Jesus. Lord, I do gladly accept your pardoning mercy. I look unto Christ who was nailed to the cross, and I find in Him the cure for the serpent-bites of sin. I do and I will trust in Jesus and commit my soul's eternal safety unto Him. Then, the word of God converts his soul through the power of the Holy Spirit, and helps the man to repent of his dead works and believe implicitly in Christ Jesus' shed blood and righteousness. God be merciful to me a sinner, please wash my sins away in the precious blood of the living Christ, right now.

Remember the Lord

The Lord Jesus Christ is the source of all goodness and truth. He is the only God, the living and true God that died for sinners. Jesus is our Creator (John 1:3), Preserver (Col 1:17), and Savior (II Tim 1:10). Jesus is the good, and the best Friend a sinner ever had (Matt 11:19). We are reminded of Him every day by His innumerable tokens of goodness all around us (Psa 23:6). His forget-Me-nots are round about us always (Psa 103:2). Our Best Friend is always present with us, we can never depart from His presence, He sees all our ways. He is everywhere present, He manifests His presence in deeds of mercy every hour. We owe Christ the very breath in our nostrils, the clothes on our back, the roof over our head, and the bread on our table. We would be in the grave and even in hell right now, if it were not for His tender mercy.

We have a wicked forgetfulness that causes our memory to stray from Him. Forget everything else, but never forget the Savior. Jesus redeemed us by the matchless price of His own life. His eternal blood has washed us white as snow. He has absolutely wiped out all our sins forever. Jesus has remitted all our sins - that means He has forgiven and forgotten our iniquities forever. May our soul soon come back to Calvary as the needle of a compass returns to its pole. If your turn the compass needle with your finger, you may move it east, west, or south, but if you take your finger away, back comes the needle to its pole. May it be so with our hearts to the Savior. May we be like the birds which at sundown seek their nests, may we always return to our only true resting-place in Jesus Himself.

We often forget God by worldliness like Demas, and our souls become starved to a skeleton. We easily become less attentive to divine things, we turn aside from prayer and the truth of God. We sometime forget God by self-seeking, we make self a god, and seek anything and everything except the glory of God and the love of souls. Remember - Always forget self and glorify God. Many times we forget God by not trusting Him in our troubles, we fret and worry. God has promised to help us. God will provide, God is our helper. Draw near to God by prayer - read His words, seek His face and strength.

Just as you sharpen your hoe before going to the garden, pray before starting your day in this world. Wait upon the Lord in the morning, quietly cry to Him during the day, lift your heart to Him in the moments of trouble, consult Him in difficulty, rejoice in Him throughout the day. God delights to forgive us. Don't let the stones of unforgiven sin accumulate until there is a wall which blocks your way to God. Cast away the stones of sin away one by one as they appear. Keep your life watered with daily repentance. Forgetting God leads to all sorts of mischief, we lose our joy and comfort and communion in Him. Remember, David forgot God, lost His presence, was hardened, and then he fell.

The Long and Short of It

* Now, there is nothing freer than a gift, and truly, there is nothing freer than the free gift of God, that is, eternal life by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus' shed blood alone. God the Father GAVE His Son for poor sinners like you. The eternal God, who made all things, was not willing that any sinner should perish; therefore, He gave His Son to ransom you from sin.

* God Himself provided a Sinless Blood Sacrifice to take away your guilt, and, to do this, He gave His Son to live and die here on this earth. God gave us Himself by becoming a man and then dying for our sins. Repent of your sinfulness and renounce your self-righteousness, place all your trust in the person of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, confide only in His blood that was shed for ungodly sinners.

* There is a God and He is holy; man is sinful and blinded by Satan, Christ Jesus alone lived a sinless life, and then He became Sin for you, that is, He bore your sins in His own body on the Tree, He died for sinners and suffered the wrath of God for us all. Jesus died the awful death for sin that we deserved. Jesus was buried and raised again from the dead and was victorious over sin, death, hell, and the grave. Jesus is now ascended into heaven, and is able to save to the uttermost all souls that come unto God by Him. He is coming again soon to judge the quick and the dead.

* God now commands all men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel of Christ. Submit to Christ's righteousness now, fix all your confidence on His precious blood Atonement. You're a sinful wretch in need of a Savior. Trust Christ, not yourself. After Jesus saves your soul, love and follow Him in loving gratitude. The Gospel is life changing, God honoring, and Christ centered. The broad way leads to eternal destruction in hell; and the narrow way, the way of the Cross, leads to eternal life in Heaven. See Acts 4:12; John 14:6; I Timothy 2:5-6; Ephesians 2:1-9; Romans 3:10-25.

* Receive Christ Jesus, believe in your heart that God Himself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth died for your sins and rose from the dead for you, receive the Spirit of God into your body and be saved. The externals of religion and human morality are all useless. Moral and excellent people go to hell, just like muslims and atheists. Your inward nature is all darkness and God-hating. You have lived careless and thoughtless; you have lived in sin here on earth, and without Christ you will soon live forever in torment in the lake of fire for all Eternity. Human merit and virtue cannot help save your soul at all. You have secretly indulged in sin and loved it. You are a lost, ruined and condemned sinner in the bonds of iniquity and the gall of bitterness. Ye must be born again by the Spirit of God. You have nothing of your own to trust to. The Gospel is wrapped in just three words - Trust, Expect, Rest. Trust God's word and promise to save sinners who call upon Jesus' name in truth, Expect God's mercy to save you, and Rest completely in Christ's finished work alone, and you are a saved man. Renounce your works and sinful ways, flee right now by faith to the bleeding Lamb of God who died upon the Cross for you, find Shelter under Christ's blood from the coming wrath of God.

Grace

A sinner's greatest need is the free favor, the love, the grace of Jesus Christ. The love of God demonstrated through Christ Jesus is Grace. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's love in its active and visible form, love descending from Heaven to Earth, love putting on human flesh, love paying the great ransom price for human sin, love raising from the dead and then ascending into heaven up to the Throne of God, love sitting and waiting and pleading at God's right hand, love soon to come again with power and glory. The grace of God is in the divine person of Jesus Christ Himself - His grace is rich, boundless, unsearchable, immutable, divine, and eternal. By grace ye are saved. Jesus Christ is God and man in one person - He bled out His very life to rescue you from the wrath of God your sins richly deserve. Christ is the Redeemer - He redeems from the guilt, power, bondage, love, and slavery of sin. He saves poor undeserving sinners with an everlasting salvation.

Believe in Christ's grace, trust His grace, by faith in His Blood close with Jesus now, trust yourself entirely to Him, commit your soul to His keeping, He loved you and gave Himself for you, rely upon Christ's free grace to save your immortal soul. Then live by Him, in Him, and to Him. Make Jesus all your trust and confidence. There is a life eternal, and that life is the Man Christ Jesus. The grace of Christ will forgive all your sins freely, give you a peaceful conscience, a cleansed walk, access to God, gratitude, self-denial, consecration, and intense and fervent love for Christ Himself.

When you're in trouble at sea, you send out a distress signal (mayday, mayday, mayday), and any boat or ship in the area should respond to your need and provide you a rescue. But here in everyday life, when you are in distress, you only have to send out a distress call (Romans 10:13) to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and He will respond to your need in due time. Sooner or later, you will need God's Help. It's good to know how to send out the right distress calls to the Good Captain on High.
Here are some distress calls found in the Holy Bible:

* Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me. *Psalm 30:10*
* Lord, save me. *Matthew 14:30*
* Lord, help me. *Matthew 15:25*
* Lord, remember me. *Luke 23:42*
* God be merciful to me a sinner. *Luke 18:13*
* Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble. *Psalm 33:19*

In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me. For whosoever shall *call* upon the name of The Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. In my distress I called upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my *cry* came before Him, even into His ears. Then they *cried* unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place. The Lord is a strength to the *needy* in his distress.

Remember Calvary

I have sinned and deserve only hell, but Christ Jesus came and took all my sin and hell; I have now put all my trust on Christ's blood; Christ took my place, and I have taken His. Now all that is left for me is Heaven's glory. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Calvary's Cross is the only hope of a sinner - the great transaction, the great substitution, the lifting of sin from off the sinner to the sinner's Substitute. The punishment of Christ instead of the sinner. The pouring out of God's wrath due to the transgressor upon the head of the Sin-Bearer. This is the grandest transaction which ever took place on earth - Jesus Christ, made sin for us, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in Him. The sinless Savior stood and died in the place of guilty sinners. God laid upon the spotless Lamb of God the sin of His enemies, so that He becomes Sin personified and dies for sin. And then God takes off from the innocent Savior His Righteousness, and puts that to the account of the guilty bankrupt sinner, so that the sinner becomes actual Righteousness - the real divine Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Substitution is the key word. Christ suffering in the place of the sinner, and numbered with the transgressors because of their transgressions, not His own. Christ paying all our sin-debts in full, and discharging all our vile liabilities. We then take Christ's place as He takes ours, so that we are accepted in the Beloved, and made sons and heirs of God. There is a divine and all-sufficient Substitute for the sinner, and all sinners that will put their trust on Him shall be eternally saved (John 3:36).

Now, be honest, you know you're a sinner, come clean with God, plead guilty. You must take Christ, or die in your sins and lose your soul in the lake of fire. The right way to take medicine is to just swallow it down at once, quickly without delay. It doesn't take you long to get to the emergency room or the pharmacy if you're really sick or in pain. The one medicine for a dying sinner is the Blood of God's Son, Jesus Christ. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanseth us from all sin. Christ Himself is the divine remedy for human sin. You have a burden of sin, and only the Holy Ghost can cause you to sense your danger, your soul will never cease to exist, the day of Judgment is drawing nigh, your conscience warns you of a coming judgment, you will give account of yourself to your Creator, your soul is often alarmed at the thought of dying and facing an angry God, prepare to meet your Maker. O be wise - Be a hearer, a reader, a searcher of the Scriptures, and then be a pray-er, a seeker, a repenter, a truster in the Savior, and then be a know-er, a lover of God, and a reacher of souls.

Believe only on the Lord Jesus Christ - trust Him quietly, humbly, simply, and immediately. Trust Him to make you a saved man, and a good man. Only Christ Jesus can deliver you from the love of sin, the power of the devil - He will do it. Jesus is Truth itself, and He never breaks His word - He saves sinners to the uttermost. Only trust HIM, trust Him to overcome the evil you are fighting with. Jesus can conquer your sinful habits, not you. Trust in the wounded, bleeding, dying, risen, living, and coming Savior. He will fight your battles with sin, and you shall have His victory. Trust Christ completely, and nothing you can do. Weakness, meekness, humility, and lowliness under the mighty hand of the Savior is the key to victory. Your most urgent need is the help of the Holy Ghost, and simple faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Ask God to change your vile nature with the power of the Blood of Christ. The only remedy for your sin is Christ in your heart. You're very welcome to come to the Christ Jesus at the Cross now. Always remember Calvary, and renounce self daily (Luke 9:23). Blessed be the name of the Lord!

What is Faith Anyway? (2)

Soul-saving faith, first of all, rests upon Jesus Himself, as God Incarnate. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in Bethlehem's manger; God was made flesh and dwelt among us. Faith believes in the great mystery of godliness - God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus framed the heavens, all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. The eternal Word came down from heaven to live in a Jewish virgin's womb. Faith heartily receives Christ as the living God. Faith next, rests upon Christ's sinless life, He was perfect in obedience, He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Faith delights in Jesus' complete obedience to the Law of God. Christ's Righteousness is mine, Christ has kept the Law for me. But chiefly, faith looks to Christ as offering up Himself upon the the Cross. Jesus was the Bleeding Substitute for guilty man. Faith stands at the foot of the Cross, and views God made flesh, the spotless Lamb of God, bleeding, dying, the Son of God suffering with pangs, blood, agonies, thorns, and unutterable death throes, obedient unto the death for his mocking enemies.

Faith is trusting, expecting, and resting. Trust the word of God, the Son of God, the Gospel of God, the Blood of God, and the Spirit of God; Expect God to keep His word, and rest in His Son's finished work on Calvary's Cross to save your immortal soul from the hell you richly deserve. Faith is trusting God to do something you cannot do. You cannot save your own soul, and rid yourself of your sins. But Jesus can. Faith hears the cry of the dying Sin-Bearer, "It is finished!" There is ENOUGH power in Jesus' blood and wounds to wash away all my sins, and to propitiate the wrath of an angry God. There is ENOUGH merit in Christ's Righteousness to cover my naked soul from head to foot, and win the smile God's infinite justice. The holy eye of God can see neither spot or blemish in me. Only faith in Christ's Righteousness can bring a soul into a condition of acceptance before the Judge of all the earth. Faith builds everything on the chief cornerstone of Christ's finished work. Faith beholds Jesus buried, and then on the third day, Jesus lives forevermore - God is completely satisfied with His Son substitutionary work. God accepted Christ's work, His resurrection from the dead proves it. We trust in Christ and stand accepted in the Beloved Son because He is risen. Faith trusts also in Christ's intercession at the right hand of God. True living faith rests in Christ living in the flesh, Christ dying in the flesh, Christ rising from the dead, and Christ pleading in glory. Faith's chief cornerstone is Christ Himself and all that He has done and doing. Faith looks altogether away from self and out of self to Christ Jesus alone. The divine work of the divine Savior is the only object of faith's confidence. Precious faith trusts in precious promises, precious blood, in the precious Person of the Perfect Savior, Jesus Christ. Precious faith supplies our greatest want, delivers us from the greatest danger, and gives us access to the greatest glory. Faith is hearing and trusting in the Christ of the Gospel Message (Romans 1:16).

Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. If you have not first put all your faith in Jesus' finished on Calvary, all your works are sin. If you are trying to help Jesus save you, all you are doing is sinning, and you are still in your sins on your way to the Lake of Fire. Unbelief disables every man from performing any good work. Your morality, honesty, work ethic, and sobriety are all commendable things in the eyes of man, but as long as you are relying on your self-goodness at all to help save you, you are doomed and in the utmost danger of Hell Fire. None of your feelings or efforts can help save your soul in any measure whatsoever. It is either salvation by Christ or salvation by self. Faith is the way to Jesus, baptism is not. Faith is the root, prayer comes next. Faith is looking away from self to Calvary's Lamb. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Real Faith is simple trust, confidence, and reliance upon Christ Jesus the Mediator. Faith is the oil that greases the gears of our soul. Faith is the hand which holds the Savior, and won't let Him go. Faith is the foot that takes our soul to the Cross. Faith is the act of man, but the work of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to control you more and more. Faith is the Gift of God and the work of the Holy Spirit - you will find faith in Christ's veins - God only gives faith to sinners in need of a Savior. Faith is receiving the truth of Christ. The all-important thing is faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Faith is trusting alone in Christ's Blood. Let Jesus command you in all things - Be His friend. For ye are all the children of God by FAITH in Christ Jesus. Trust in the Lord and do good. Faith is believing on Christ, not on yourself. Lord, increase our faith. Faith is the hand that holds the empty vessel under the fountain of living water.

Faith is the simplest thing in the world, but it is the hardest thing for a self-righteous man to grasp. The one object of all our hope, belief, and confidence is Christ Jesus Himself. Faith is cheerfully trusting in the word of Christ. Faith can have nothing and still be content. Faith is the life-look, not works, feelings, or ceremonies. Faith is the hand which receives what God offers to us. Faith is main thing you need - Faith is the vital matter - ask the Holy Ghost for more faith. Faith is the soul's mouth that feeds on the bread of life - and the hunger of the heart is removed. Faith in Christ is the root, and love for Christ is the golden apple of salvation. Trust HIM - Believe on Christ and live forever. Faith is free - ask God for it. Whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely.

God in human flesh (Jesus Christ) bled and died and rose again to pay the full ransom price of your awful sin debt. Faith is realizing you're a sinner in danger, and that God really exists, and then trusting in His mercy through Jesus Christ's Precious Blood. Faith is knowledge, belief, and trust in Christ alone. Without faith, we cannot grasp eternal things. Jesus came to seek and save sinners, trust Jesus to save you now this moment. Faith is hiding in God and staying upon God. Saving faith is trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, trusting Him truly, wholly, trusting only Him now. Faith is coming to Jesus for everything. Lay hold of Christ Himself at once. Faith is the reception of Christ into your soul. Faith is the bucket that draws water out of Christ - the Well of Salvation. The Righteousness which is of God is by faith. Faith is the backbone of the Christian's power to do good. Faith is the giving up of self-righteousness and human merit and resting your soul completely on the finished work of the Lamb of God. You want to go to Heaven, trust Christ's blood; you want to go to Hell, trust something else. Faith is well-pleasing to the Most High God. Faith is the hand that grips the Cross with a death-grip. Faith is when we trust and obey God under the worst possible conditions.

Faith is the desire to make God smile in your worst conditions and in your best conditions. Faith is the simple act of trusting in Christ's blood and merits. The Holy Spirit works faith in us, but we must personally believe in Christ. Faith is trusting in the blood of Jesus, and humbly relying upon the Savior's finished work. Unbelief is the sinner's death-warrant and doom. Now the just shall live by faith. "Thus saith the Lord" and "It is written" is the warrant of faith. Faith is leaning the whole weight of your soul's eternal safety on Christ's finished work. God Himself said it and faith believes it. Faith is the Gift of God, but the Holy Ghost has never believed for anyone - the sinner must do his own believing on Christ. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Have faith in God. We have no one else to lean upon but God. Faith stakes everything on the Scriptures. For we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith is resting on nothing but God. Faith is to trust in Jesus now. Constantly trusting in Jesus Himself is real faith. If you feel yourself to be lost, and know yourself to be a ruined sinner, you may come to Christ, just as you are - guilty, ungodly, poor, hell-bound - Christ will take you, if you take Him.

Leave off your doing - leave your doubting, despair, and darkness - Come to Jesus at once. Faith lives upon God's naked promise. Simply and completely trust in Jesus Christ, and you are saved at once, you are freely and fully forgiven forever. True faith is fixed on Jesus Christ. Helpless Dependence on Christ is Bible faith. Faith is believing Christ died for my sins. Simple reliance on Jesus Himself is what pleases God. Jesus is my Beloved Savior, in Whom I am well pleased. Lord, please increase my faith in You. Faith is Samson's hair, cut faith off and you can do nothing. Remember - Keep trusting in GOD, don't forget Him. Saving faith is in a living Person, faith in the living, loving Savior, who loved you, and gave Himself for you. Give not sleep to your eyes until you know that Christ loves you, and that you are His. Only a personal faith in Christ Jesus will save your soul.

What is Faith Anyway? (1)

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is the root and saving grace we need from God. Genuine faith focuses on the finished work of Jesus Christ, not on human merit at all. Faith is the accepting of what God gives freely. Faith is believing what Gods says. Faith is the trusting to what Jesus has done. Faith is believing the promise of God, taking God at His word, and acting upon His words by believing and obeying Him. Faith is the gift of God, it cannot be earned by your works. Faith is the hand that takes everything from God. Faith thanks God for everything. The act of simple faith, looking out of self, and looking alone to Christ and His finished work for all your salvation, is the genesis of eternal life. Your faith must be fixed wholly on what Jesus did for you, not on what you can do. Place all your confidence in the Crucified God that pardons sin through His precious blood. Never depend on your own graces and self-attainment. Faith is the hand that grasps eternal things.

The natural man must have a righteousness of one kind or another, and if he doesn't take God's Righteousness (Jesus Christ Himself), the natural lost man seeks to have one of his own making. As a spider spins her web out of our her own body, so sinful self-righteous men try to manufacture an acceptable righteousness out of that which is within them, but this they can never do. The ONLY righteousness which will stand the test of the White Throne Judgment is the Righteousness which God freely gives to believers in His Son Jesus Christ. You must be willing to reject and renounce your own self-righteousness and submit completely to the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Christ makes every sinner who trusts in Him completely Righteous. The simple act of faith in Christ Jesus accomplishes what all your good works can never accomplish. Man's religion says, "Do and live." But the message of the Cross is "Live, and then do." Man's religion says, "Work to obtain eternal life." The Gospel says, "You have life freely given to you in Christ Jesus, and then you work because you live in Him, and want to glorify Him." God's divine plan of salvation is simple - Trust only in the all-sufficient living Savior.

According to your faith be it unto you. Your sins, which are many, are forgiven freely by faith in Jesus' precious blood shed for you. Bible Faith denies self and relies only on Christ. The object of real faith is the naked promise of God. Place your faith solely in the infinite merit of Christ's Atonement for sinners. Faith is the only passport into the Better Country. Being christened, confirmed, or baptized can never 'help' take away your sins. You can work your fingers to the bone, and you will never work out a righteousness that shall cover your naked soul before Almighty God. Your only hope is to come directly to Christ and trust your immortal soul to what He has already done, depending wholly upon His agonies, sufferings, bleeding, death, and resurrection. Christ is your only escape from the wrath of God, not your works. Faith in God's Blood is the only remedy for your sinfulness. Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh, He gave His life willfully and sacrificially to save you from the Hell you rightfully deserve. Don't keep putting off coming to Christ and receiving the free gift of eternal salvation. Jesus gave His sinless life in your place to purchase a free pardon for your soul. You can change your eternal destiny right now by trusting only in Jesus Christ did for you.

Faith is the simplest thing - Merely to depend upon the Blood and Righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is to be nothing, and to let Jesus be everything - to be still, and to let Jesus work for me. We must cast away all our own righteousnesses and every human confidence and carnal dependence, and rest entirely upon the Person, the Righteousness, the Name, the Blood, the Resurrection, the Intercession, and the infinite merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Your feelings are as fickle as the wind and weather. Have faith in God's promises and blood. Faith is the opposite of doubt. Jesus is God and man; He came down to earth on purpose to save ungodly sinners - Jesus is willing to save you. Jesus lived on earth a life of labor, grief, and sorrow; He died on the Cross to make Atonement for your sins. The source of faith is sincerely meditating, studying thoughtfully, looking with continued attention, considering thoroughly, beholding heartily the suffering, agonizing, bleeding, and risen God - Jesus Christ Himself. Trust what Jesus is, what He has done, and what He is doing for sinners now. Take Jesus to be your own Savior now.

The just lives by faith in his study, closet, home, market, shop, work-bench, church. The just cannot live by doings, feelings, or past experiences. Faith is the heart's obedience to Jesus. Faith lays hold on the Scriptures and the Person of Christ. Faith brings down life from Christ who is our life. Faith is the connecting link between our souls and the living Christ. Trust God in the dark. Faith is trusting in Christ alone to save my soul from the Hell I deserve. Faith in Jesus' blood is the surest of sin-killers. Faith is the telescope through which we see Christ clearly. Faith is learning the doctrines of Christ, believing whatsoever the Bible teaches about Christ, leaning and relying upon Christ for salvation, following in His footsteps, obeying His commandments, drinking in His Spirit, and serving His cause. Faith is the free ticket we use to get our souls out of pawn. The Holy Scriptures is the birthplace of saving faith. Faith is the empty hand of the soul that lays hold at once upon the finished work of Christ. Faith is the opposite of sight. Faith is the gauze that holds the ointment of Christ's blood atonement to the sores of our sins.

Childlike faith is the royal road to Christ, no works are demanded from you at all. Faith is when we look to Jesus dying and bleeding as our Substitute. Rest your soul humbly, simply, and confidently upon the promise of God. If any of your confidence lies in what you have done or will do, you are making a fatal mistake, and your soul is in imminent peril. The crutches of your self-righteousness and religious effort will soon give way, and you will be damned eternally. Cast your poor soul upon the power, merits, grace, and promise of Christ. Christ's promise to save sinners still stands good. Believe only in Jesus Christ Himself. Faith takes Christ to be his All-in-All, and takes the Cross to be the only thing to which he hides. Believe the promise of God, because it is His promise. Trust the Savior, because He is God and mighty to save. Your evil nature is all sinfulness and rottenness through and through. Ye must be born again. Hang all your soul's hope on the Cross of Christ, depend on Jesus wholly. Faith says, "Christ is all my salvation, I depend alone on Him. I throw all my good works and bad works overboard, and rely upon Christ Jesus alone." Faith is the root and foundation of all true fear of God. Learn to do well - trust only in Christ's blood and merits. Faith is the cup, Christ is the fountain of life. Faith is the hand that touches the hem of the Savior's garment. Faith is the grasping, appropriating, and receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ into one's soul. Faith is the only channel by which we can draw grace and life from Jesus. Faith saves, but it only boasts in the Savior, never in self-effort.

Faith is the only way to receive anything from God. Faith is the only way to obtain God's blessing. Faith is the empty hand knocking at the gate of mercy. Faith is trust and belief in Christ's sin-atoning Sacrifice. Faith believes Christ will do what He has promised. Faith is the only way to come to Jesus, faith gives speedy relief to the weary soul, and honors the Lord. Blood-soaked faith saves the soul. God's blessing is what we need most. Faith is the eye of the soul with which the sin-bitten sinner looks to Serpent of Calvary. Have done with trusting your works, and depending upon your merits. Take Christ's works, His merits, rest alone upon Him. Faith is the mainspring of the soul. Jesus is the real sinner's only hope. If you are under sin's duress, put your faith in Christ's bloody death. Trust in the Lord, and lean not unto thine own understanding. Faith is pleasing God, thinking about God, and caring about what God thinks. Faith is trusting in Christ, and not in yourself at all. Faith is the heaving of the spiritual lung and the beating of the spiritual heart.

Your good works are useless without faith in Christ first. Jesus loved me, and gave Himself for me. Faith is confidence in God, not human ability. Faith is the soil where the fruit of the Spirit grows. Faith is the eye of the soul looking to Jesus always. Faith is the hidden strength which sustains the Christian under trials, difficulties, sufferings, and labors. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is coming to Christ, simply believing in His blood atonement for ungodly self-condemned sinners. Have done once and for all with all your reliance upon your own feelings and doings, and simply trust in Jesus Christ and in what He did for your salvation. Real faith makes the believer hate, depart from, and avoid sin; the sincere saint cannot love the things that made His Savior bleed.