© 20 Colin Melbourne
What God Wants of Us
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 Jn. 5:13 KJV
Father is eager to prove to believers that He is living in their hearts, ready to fulfil His word through us. This requires a degree of confident trust, ie. faith that His word is fact, and Father wants His children to rely on Him, on His written word: Not feelings, emotions, impressions, but on Him in us.
For example; a believer may say, “I believe God is in me because I went forward at a meeting, and received Jesus into my heart.”
And that will be true if he really believed wholeheartedly on Christ. But that is a very weak testimony, and such believers are doomed to fail when confronted with temptation and devils.
Instead he ought to declare; “The Spirit of God lives in me now because I have believed on Christ, and God’s word declares; That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Jn. 3:15. So I know I have eternal life.”
Notice the difference?
He’s believing what is written, so he knows he has what is written.
His feelings, emotions, and events have nothing to do with the facts of the matter.
He’s done what the word says, so he’s resting on what is written.
That is solid ground
He may indeed also, sense God’s Spirit bearing witness with his spirit in His heart, that is perfectly scriptural, Rom. 8:16 KJV;
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
But… he may not, especially if he’s backslidden, and not going on with God, he may have become hard-hearted instead of remaining tender-hearted, but he can rely on what is written, and God always endorses that kind of faith.
You are saved, not because of some religious ceremony in your past, not because you feel saved, not even because some sign or miracle was wrought by God for you.
You are saved because you have believed God’s word, and His written word is fact. That is what we are to rely upon to the very end.
All else is ephemeral and transient
It is wonderful to sense His Spirit’s inner-witness, but God has saved me because His word declares,
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Rom. 10:13 KJV
I call on His Name every moment of my life, so I know I’m saved because it is written that I am saved.
Since I received The LORD Jesus Christ as my LORD, my God and Saviour, I depend upon His finished Sacrifice for me constantly, I know He’s faithful to His written word, and so I know He’s saving me all the time.
My salvation does not depend on my feelings, or what I do, except trust in what God has done.
I am saved because of what He has done, and what He is doing for me, as it is written, Heb. 7:25 KJV;
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
That is where my confidence and peace reside: On what He has written.
These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 Jn. 5:13 KJV
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Ps. 119:160 KJV
VAU. Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy word. So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word. And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgments.
Ps. 119:41-43 KJV
Rest in the verity of His written word, confess it and obey it, and you will be forever immovable.
That is how to believe God
AMEN
© 20 Colin Melbourne
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