As people of faith, it's important that our faith be in the one whom God has appointed and sent into the world to be the savior of sinners. Many religious people strive to be right with God by their own works and think that by church attendance, prayers, works of charity and religious service God will accept and bless them.
While doing these things are consistent with the faith that God calls us to have, we must not put our trust in anything that we do. We must remember the Gospel - the good news - that God wants us to hear.
In Romans 1:16, the Apostle Paul explains: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."
You see, the Gospel is not about what we must do, but about what God has done in Jesus Christ to save sinners. Paul goes on to explain the problem we all have as sinners: We have fallen short of the glory of God. And he tells us the primary reason the law of God was given is so that we might see our sin before a holy God and give up on our futile attempts to save ourselves.
Paul writes, "Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:19-20)
Once we give up all hope of saving ourselves and are ready to stand before God, "silenced" with no excuse for our sin, we are ready to hear the good news that God proclaims to sinners. So Paul says in the very next verse of Romans 3:21-25:
"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith."
God put Jesus forward as a propitiation, not a word we hear much today, but it's an important biblical word. It describes a sacrifice that turns away the wrath of God against sin.
Jesus paid the penalty of sin and provides the righteousness we need to stand before God and be acceptable to him. And the amazing thing is that the very God who is offended at sin is the God who himself has provided that sacrifice for sin. God did that because he loved the world. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
God commands us to receive this good news by faith and put our trust in Jesus. In John 6:28-29, when the Jews came seeking Jesus, they asked, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
Now when we trust in Christ alone for our salvation, we are ready to live the Christian life. Believing this gospel will not cause people to be lax about living a life that is pleasing to God. On the contrary, it is the only way to live it.
In the end of Romans 3, Paul says "Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." (Romans 3:31) As we embrace Jesus Christ by faith alone and believe this gospel, we are enabled by him to live in gratitude for what he has done for us.
People of faith, let's make sure that our faith is set on the one whom God has sent. This is where we find life and peace. He is the only foundation on which to build our life. May God grant us all the faith to trust in Jesus Christ alone.
Calvin Keller is pastor at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church.