Devotional Doctrine

It is often supposed that 'devotion' and 'doctrine' do not belong together. Doctrine is thought of as objective, academic and theoretical while

devotion is subjective, experiential and practical. As if never the twain shall meet. But it is intended that this page will include articles that teach doctrine (what we should believe) that engenders devotion in us who believe.

(This page will be in constant development: new articles will be signalled on the home page)

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As may be seen from articles on the Doctrine for Everyone page, being declared right before God depends on faith. To be exact, the ground of (or the sufficient reason for) our justification is the perfect life and atoning death of Christ, which satisfied all God's righteous demands. Faith is the means by which the gift of credited righteousness and justification is received by us. But while faith is only the means, it is the only means. In Rom.1:17 Paul tells us that the righteousness that is revealed in the gospel is 'by faith from first to last'. Faith is essential.

But we must be clear that in no sense does our faith in Christ earn or merit God's gift of righteousness. Although we have faith ourselves and we exercise it, faith is the result of the gracious work of the God's Holy Spirit in our hearts. Nowhere in Scripture is our acceptance by God earned by anything we do - not even by having faith - and not even by living for Him. Salvation is solely on the basis of God's free grace.

To entertain the idea that faith somehow wins us acceptance, is to be right

back in the clutches of salvation by works. Faith is an act but it is certainly not a work. If someone offers us a huge gift of money and we hold out our hand to take it, we would be crazy to suppose that by simply doing that we have earned it! Faith is our empty hand held out to receive God's wonderful gift.

So if faith is not a qualifying work, what is it exactly and what does it mean? What do we do when we put our faith in Christ? How does someone have the right kind of faith?

One way to look at it, is that the hand (faith) that reaches out for justification cannot hold on to any other supposed way of salvation. That has to be abandoned.

If beforehand we were serious about the problem of satisfying God, then no matter how we were trying to do it, we must now have given that way up. Maybe we were relying on the (wrong) idea that God would accept us into heaven, sins and all. Or perhaps we were making a serious attempt at living a really good live in the hope that it would qualify us for heaven. Whatever it was, we must not rely on it any more - not even in the slightest fraction. Actually this is an enormous relief, isn't it? To be able to rely on what God has done rather than on what we struggle to achieve is totally liberating. That is why Jesus could say

'Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' John 8:32

'So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.' John 8:36

Consider how important 'abandonment is. Suppose I had a serious illness, one that is going to kill me unless I can be cured. I am undergoing a treatment whose outcome is uncertain, I do not know whether it will cure me or not. Then my doctor tells me of a new advance that cures my illness, but it will mean giving up the first treatment that I have been on for a long time. I must put my trust in the new treatment and commit myself to it - to put all my hope in it, to yield myself to it - to put all my eggs in the one basket, as we say. We would be right to say that I had put my faith in it. So faith means trust, commitment, abandonment, hope, and yielding.

To be able to abandon what I am trying to do to make myself acceptable to God, and instead to depend only on what He has done, is very liberating

Since salvation is literally a matter of life and death, in faith we cast ourselves unreservedly on the mercy of God. Faith is our acknowledgement that we need saving, that we cannot ourselves and that what Christ did for us is the the only way. Do you remember Jesus' story of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:10-14? The Pharisee was full of his own achievements - I do this and that (all good things) - but the tax collector 'would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said "God be merciful to me, a sinner.". And what did Jesus remark? 'I tell you this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God'. The tax collector showed the true essence of faith.

Some influential theological writers have treated faith as a matter of inner psychology, so that faith is an abstract thing, possible without reference to what is believed. But we must not fall for that sort of thinking. We see its influence when unbelievers talk of others 'having faith' as if that were the sum total of it, without asking 'faith in what?

Faith, as described in the New Testament has a definite, exclusive object - Jesus Christ. True Christian faith is not subjective. It does not look inwards at all, but outward and upward to Him. Paul, in Col:3:1-4, tells us to

'set your minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.'

'Setting our hearts and minds' is surely an aspect of our faith, or what our faith requires us to do. The writer to the Hebrews, in 12:2, says the same sort of thing:

Faith is like the eye, its business is not to look at itself but outwards to its object.

Unfortunately in our Christian minds there is often a tendency to think subjectively about faith. For instance, at conversion, we are most likely to speak of 'committing ourselves to Christ' (which is true, we do, but how about God's committing Himself to us?) or 'accepting Christ as Saviour' (shouldn't we be submitting to Christ?) or 'inviting Jesus into our hearts' (surely it was God who did the inviting). All these, in effect, put the emphasis on us exercising our faith, rather than on God 's work for us. It would be far healthier to speak of 'God saved me' or 'God accepted me' or 'God made me a Christian'. You may feel this is splitting hairs but how we describe things moulds and confirms the way we think and little by little it adds up to a way of understanding.

If I keep my eyes on the triumphant Jesus I will spend less time looking at the burdens in my own life

Even in the Christian life we must not be pre-occupied with our faith, but with its object - Jesus Christ and God's work through Him. Our faith is not an end in itself. Sometimes we may be encouraged to consider what our faith can accomplish if only we have enough of it. The way Jesus himself spoke sometimes might suggest this. He told people that their faith had healed them. But we know it was He who healed them. He was emphasising a very important teaching that he had come to tell us. Contrary to the Pharisees' teaching about works and regulations He told us it was faith that God looked for. He certainly emphasised the need for faith when we pray: but in Matt.17:20 he told us that even if our faith were as small as a mustard seed we could move mountains. However, we know it wouldn't be us who did the moving, but God.

We do not strengthen our faith by frequently pulling it up by the roots to examine it; not by looking for new ways to boost it, only by keeping our eyes fixed on ...

'Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith ..... Consider him, who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.' Heb.12:2,3

Faith looks upward to God, not sideways to anything else, no matter how good it is: not to our conversion, nor our experience, nor our church nor our performance as Christians, nor even to good preachers. Bible faith is focussed on God.

Turning to the Book of Hebrews again, let's look at another important passage, this time in Chapter 11 which is often called the 'faith chapter'. It begins with an important statement

'Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see'

'without faith is is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him'

In this marvellous chapter we read of one Old Testament saint after another who 'received divine approval' (v.2 RSV) because they served God faithfully throughout heir lives. We are told they

But the writer makes a particular point of emphasising that many of them lived by faith, not because they were surrounded by evidence but by holding on to God's promises. In other words they lived by faith not by sight ... 'being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.'

'They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance' (13b)

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised' (v.39)

In 2 Cor.5:1-6 Paul expresses his longing to be in heaven, to be rid of the burdens of this world and to be with the Lord. Then with the same turn of mind as the Old Testament servants of God in Heb.11, he says

'We live by faith not by sight (v.7) .. so making it our goal to please him.' (v.9)

A very important Old Testament verse for Paul was Habakkuk 2:4 - he quotes it in Rom.1:17 and Gal.3:11

In Old Testament times God reveals to the prophet Habukkuk that He is going to use the Chaldeans (the Babylonians) to bring judgement on his people for their wickedness and neglect of His covenant. Habakkuk is scandalised that God should use such wicked heathen as His instrument to discipline his own people, and says so.

But God answers him, ' Behold, he whose soul in not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith'. (RSV) First we should know that 'the righteous' in the Old Testament are not those who primarily live a good (righteous) life, but those who are in a faith-relationship with God - who live by trusting in God - and are therefore 'upright'. God appears to be saying two things:

1. that by his faith the righteous has laid hold of life (this is how Paul develops it), and

2. that he is to go on living by faith - ie by trusting in God - who knows best.

This verse is also picked up in Heb.10:38 ( in its form in the LXX - the Greek OT) to encourage Christians to persevere.

You may have noticed the footnote to Hab.2:4 in the NIV. It says that 'faith' here in this verse can mean 'faithfulness'. We must not be led astray by this observation. With the benefit of NT teaching we know that this does not mean by faithfulness in keeping the Mosaic law. 'Faithfulness' is best thought of as faith which is "active". Not just faith that led us to becoming a Christian, but faith that continues in the live of a believer.

In some parts of the NT, in John's gospel particularly, the Greek word pisteuo 'to believe' has associated with it the preposition eis which means 'on' or 'into'. The point about this is that having faith in Christ certainly means more that just giving mental assent to a set of facts or ideas.

Faith in Christ takes a believer into a personal relationship with Him which has both objective (new status) and subjective (new life) consequences. So we believe into Christ. This is the believers 'faith-union' with Christ, so that the believer is frequently referred to in the NT as 'in Christ'. Jesus is referring to this in John 15:4 when He speaks of 'abiding' or 'remaining' in Him. See John 15:4,5,6,7 and 10.

This faith-union of the believer with Christ is again the result of what God reckons to be true. Although we were not there at the time, God reckons us to have been crucified with Christ

'I have been crucified with Christ.' Gal.2:20

that is, as far as God is concerned, my old person is dead and buried, but not only that ...

'For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ.' Col.3:3

'And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.' Eph.2:6

But perhaps the Gal.2:20 verse, in full, is the most telling expression of this faith union.

'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.'

This verse is not a call for greater commitment (I will crucify myself more) but a vivid expression of the faith-union with Christ of every justified believer. We are in Christ who was our representative and our substitute.

So we are seeing that putting our faith in Christ's work on our behalf and receiving the gift of justification, properly leads to a life of faith-fullness. And faithfulness to God must mean righteousness of life. This observation takes us straight to the epistle of James. He makes statements which at first sight appear to contradict Paul. In 2:24 James says ' You see that a person is justified by what he does ('by works' RSV) and not by faith alone.'

In view of what is at stake it is very important to work out exactly what James is talking about. In an earlier verse (2:19) he challenges someone 'You believe that there is a God. Good! Even the demons believe - and shudder.' This must mean that James is getting at those who say they believe but in whom it makes no difference to their lives. He is right. If we believe something as tremendous as that it ought to make a difference to our attitudes and actions. James is questioning the genuineness of faith by the deeds that result from it. He is saying that if he sees no actions which should result from faith, then he can reasonably question whether the faith is genuine.

It also appears that the works that Paul speaks of are not the same as what James means. For Paul, 'works' means mean obedience to the law as a method of earning salvation. But as one commentator has pointed out, the actions which James seeks look very much like the fruits of the Spirit in Gal.5:22,23. James is right that the faith that takes hold of justification must lead to a life which reflects the new relationship with Christ. We might make the rather fuller observation that saving faith is not just faith expressed once at conversion but a faith that goes on believing.

Paul refers to this ongoing 'life of faith' in Rom.12:2 where he says 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will'.

We can be in no doubt that God's will is righteousness of life. We have a credited righteousness to our account in heaven, for sure, but we are not excused His requirement for righteous living now. This lived righteousness will not contribute one iota to our justification, but will be the out-working of our faith-union with Christ.

Luther, the great 16th century reformer, who risked everything for the teaching justification by faith alone, said on this subject

'Faith alone justifies yet faith is never alone. It is never without love; if love is lacking, neither is there faith, but mere hypocrisy.'

'The soul released from anxiety about itself, is free to exercise concern about others. The heart is at leisure from itself to set forward the salvation of those around.'

'...we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.'

Faith that takes hold of credited righteousness works out in a faith-inspired life of service, obedience and perseverance.

'Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.'

As the word of Christ is preached from the word of God, the Holy Spirit of God engenders faith in our stony hearts.

'We live by faith, not by sight.'

'So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.'

I trust that it has become very clear by now that faith is not just intellectual assent (although it is that too) but is a matter of moral - heart and will - commitment. The moral character of faith becomes even more distinct when we realise that it cannot be separated from repentance.

'Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come" he said, "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news". ' Mark 1:14,15. Jesus here cements together faith and repentance.

In Luke 24:46,47 Jesus is instructing his disciples just before leaving them to return to heaven. He told them 'This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness will be preached in his name to all nations.'

Peter took up this theme in his famous sermon on on the Day of Pentecost 'Repent and be baptised, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins my be be forgiven.' (Acts 2:28)

So we find repentance, faith and forgiveness all tied together. Repentance ensures that faith is not a cold calculating step to acquire a place in heaven. For repentance means sorrow for sin: for the sinful thoughts that have occupied our minds, for the sinful things we have done, and - encompassing all these - for our rebellious nature which has been the seed bed for all this rotten harvest. Repentance means a change of mind about sin. Once we thought sin was 'natural' (as indeed it was) but just normal and did not matter. Now we see it as an affront to God, a regrettable and hateful thing that has separated us from Him. (This is the problem with modern western man - he has no concept that his behaviour is an offence to God).

Repentance recognises our own inability to deal with sin; that there is no way we can make up for it. This is where it ties in so strongly with faith. Faith looks to Christ deal with it on our behalf. Incidentally, nowhere in the Bible does repentance mean that we can pay for sin NOW by undergoing some form of (self-inflicted?) punishment NOW. The record of our un-forgiven sin is stored up for Judgement Day: only Christ can remove that threat.

Repentance is that painful awareness that we have no righteousness of our own. Repentance drives us to seek it in and from someone else, Christ the perfect Son of God. So faith and repentance approach the cross hand-in-hand.

Faith and repentance approach the Cross of Christ hand-in-hand

Just as throughout the Christian life we go-on putting our faith in Christ, so also must we go-on being 'repent-full'. Fed by God's Word, the Bible, our minds must be constantly turned towards God and away from sin. The repentance-spirit rebukes our failings and strengthens us to fight the battle with temptation. If you have read any books about great Christians you will have noticed how conscious they are of their failings. They may have undertaken great exploits for God, spent years on the mission field, or laboured in ministry in ways that may astonish us, but they still feel an intense unworthiness. That is their repentant spirit.

Just as faith in Christ's atoning sacrifice leads to a life of faithfulness, so repentance means a change of direction for our lives - a turning from sin to serve God. 'Repent then and turn to God' said Peter in Acts 3:19. Then Paul in Acts 26:20 'I preached that they should repent and turn to God.' Again in Acts 11:21 Luke tells us ' ..a great number of people believed [they had faith] and turned [they repented] to the Lord.'

Paul said that the Thessalonian Christians were an example ('model Christians' - quite a recommendation!) 'you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.' (1 Thess.1:9)

Finally: in Acts 20:21 Paul reported 'I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith on our Lord Jesus Christ.' Could the connection between faith and repentance be plainer?