Believers believe. They do not hold to faith they had sometime in the past. Rather, by their daily thoughts and words and actions, especially their prayers, they exercise a present, active dependence upon Christ. This dependence comes from looking upon Him. It comes from handling Him in consideration of His saving mercy to me and His saving work for me personally. This dependence is looking to Him. It is taking and handling Him in our hearts by faith, turning Him over in our mind, holding Him in our conscience against every accusation and in hope of eternal life (1 Tim. 1:1; Gal. 5:5). The believer’s mind is shaped and corrected and guided away from all that is false to Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Our sinful attitudes are thus checked and confessed as wrong. We call on God to conform us to Christ’s image and teach us and change our minds and turn us to Christ again and again (Psa. 80; Jer. 31:18-19; Hosea 14:1-4). We eat and drink of Christ and Him crucified (John 6:35-56). We are conscious of our need of Him moment by moment. He is our life. This looking, taking, handling, eating and drinking for instruction and in admiration and dependence on Christ and Him crucified is our daily walk. But it did not and does not arise from ourselves (Eph. 2:8-9). It is the operation of the Spirit of Christ in us (Gal. 2:20; 3:14; 4:6; Col. 1:27; 2:6, 12). It is the work of His grace (Php. 2:12-13). It is the believer’s walk of faith in Christ (Rom. 8:1-4).
Now, this seeing and eating and drinking and taking and handling -- this walk of faith -- is enabled by a continuous intake of the Gospel. Faith comes to us in one way only: from God, by grace, through hearing His word concerning Christ and Him crucified (Rom. 10:16-17). The hearing of faith is not merely hearing the words of scripture as words. Nor is it only an intellectual understanding of the truth of scripture. But it is hearing the message of Christ’s person and work as the truth of my salvation (Eph. 1:13). It is the revelation of God’s own glorious person to me in the truth of the Gospel of Christ crucified (Heb. 9:12-15). It is therefore essential that we hear the Gospel of Christ continuously. In this way, we live upon Christ. Because we live upon Him, because He is our life, we want those we love and know to also hear of Christ: to live by Him and to live upon Him. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing comes by hearing the Gospel of Christ preached. The Gospel is the “report” from heaven. It is the good news from God, the teaching of Christ’s sin-atoning death and everlasting righteousness, that righteousness which He established for His people. All who are born of God believe in Christ and are persuaded they must hear of Him all the time (Isa. 53:1; Rom. 10:16-17).
I must believe and I must be believing. I must therefore hear and I must be hearing. I live in Christ and by Christ only if I live upon Christ by faith. I must therefore be eating and drinking by faith of His flesh and blood as I hear and muse upon the Gospel in my heart, turning it over and over again as a precious gem, as savory meat, as cool water to a thirsty soul. As a continuously needy sinner, I must go in my heart as a sinner to God by the blood of Jesus Christ. I must freely take the water of life from Him. I must handle Him and look upon Him and taste and eat and drink of Him with the hands and mouth and ears and eyes of God-given faith. Oh Lord, increase our faith (Luke 17:5)!
Now, this seeing and eating and drinking and taking and handling -- this walk of faith -- is enabled by a continuous intake of the Gospel. Faith comes to us in one way only: from God, by grace, through hearing His word concerning Christ and Him crucified (Rom. 10:16-17). The hearing of faith is not merely hearing the words of scripture as words. Nor is it only an intellectual understanding of the truth of scripture. But it is hearing the message of Christ’s person and work as the truth of my salvation (Eph. 1:13). It is the revelation of God’s own glorious person to me in the truth of the Gospel of Christ crucified (Heb. 9:12-15). It is therefore essential that we hear the Gospel of Christ continuously. In this way, we live upon Christ. Because we live upon Him, because He is our life, we want those we love and know to also hear of Christ: to live by Him and to live upon Him. Faith comes by hearing. Hearing comes by hearing the Gospel of Christ preached. The Gospel is the “report” from heaven. It is the good news from God, the teaching of Christ’s sin-atoning death and everlasting righteousness, that righteousness which He established for His people. All who are born of God believe in Christ and are persuaded they must hear of Him all the time (Isa. 53:1; Rom. 10:16-17).
I must believe and I must be believing. I must therefore hear and I must be hearing. I live in Christ and by Christ only if I live upon Christ by faith. I must therefore be eating and drinking by faith of His flesh and blood as I hear and muse upon the Gospel in my heart, turning it over and over again as a precious gem, as savory meat, as cool water to a thirsty soul. As a continuously needy sinner, I must go in my heart as a sinner to God by the blood of Jesus Christ. I must freely take the water of life from Him. I must handle Him and look upon Him and taste and eat and drink of Him with the hands and mouth and ears and eyes of God-given faith. Oh Lord, increase our faith (Luke 17:5)!
Rick Warta
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