Lord’s Day, Vol. 4 No. 31

Posted on Posted in Weekly Newsletter, Weekly 2016 Tagged with , ,

(1) What is Saving Faith? (Part 2)

The Westminster Confession of Faith states:

  1. By this faith, a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God himself speaking therein; [e] and acteth differently upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the commands, [f] trembling at the threatenings, [g] and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that which is to come. [h] But the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace. [i]

[e] John 4:42 “And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

1 John 5:10 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.”

Acts 24:14 “But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.”

[f] Romans 16:26 “But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”

[g] Isaiah 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

[h] Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

[i] John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Acts 15:11 “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”

In statement 2, we focus on the efficacy of the Word of God in increasing and strengthening the believer’s faith. Saving faith causes the believer to embrace the Holy Scriptures as the very written word of God. When we read the Bible, God speaks to us! This is clearly stated in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.”

The word of God is to be reverently “received” with thanksgiving for it is the truth that has the power to transform lives.

Dean Burgon wrote this most beautiful statement of faith on the undisputable authority of Holy Scriptures as the very breath of God when he said, “The Bible is none other than the voice of Him that sitteth upon the Throne! Every Book of it, every chapter of it, every verse of it, every word of it, every syllable of it, every letter of it, is the direct utterance of the Most High! The Bible is none other than the Word of God: not some part of it more, some part of it less; but all alike, the utterance of Him who sitteth upon the Throne; faultless, unerring, supreme!”

Hence, the Westminster Divines wanted to highlight the following aspects of God’s Word:

  • The Authority of God speaking in every passage of Scripture.
  • The commands are to be obeyed.
  • The warnings of God’s judgments are to be received with fear and trembling. It seeks to instill the fear of God in the hearts of the believer, thereby, leading to obedience and God’s blessings.
  • The promises of God in the Bible provide for us every balm for the aching soul on this earth. Promises of God’s protection, provision and special providence (the God that has created all things is indeed very much alive sustaining all things henceforth).
  • The prophesies of God in the Bible provide for us fullness of the hope for the future especially giving victory over the sting of death and eternal life with God in heaven. It gives the believer present joy in the midst of trials and difficulties.

 

(2) Webcast & Audio Ministry Update 

There were 1,108 webcast listeners in June 2016 covering 33 countries and 43 states of the USA. 538 listeners were from US, 152 listeners from UK, 125 from Singapore, 120 from Canada, and others. The total MP3 audio and video downloads in June 2016 are 1,011 and 296 respectively. Viewers can tune in via the “Live” tab of the church website www.blessedhope.sg  or Church Mobile App. Alternatively, using www.sermonaudio/blessedhope . May the Word of God be sounded forth to the uttermost parts of the earth! Amen.

 

Yours lovingly,

Pastor Lek Aik Wee