The Lord sees our faith - 18 December 2009 |
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Over the years I’ve noticed that it always seems to be the wrong kind of people who struggle with assurance. It’s the earnest, thoughtful, in-pursuit-of-godliness Christians who often seem to doubt whether they’re really born again. ‘How could a genuine believer in Christ have a heart as sinful as mine?’ And so on.
The first thing to remember in this situation is that the very fact that we are concerned about our ungodliness is a good thing. In a perverse way, it’s a kind of encouragement to hear that a Christian say that he or she is struggling with sin. For since sin is inevitable, it’s better to struggle with it than not to struggle with it. I’ve yet to meet an unbeliever who ’struggles’ in this way with ungodliness. The very fact that there’s a battle on is itself proof of the Spirit’s presence, fighting the wickedness within us.
Another thing worth remembering is God’s verdict in Hebrews 11 on Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah (v. 32). A quick glance through the book of Judges quickly reveals that these characters were, to put it mildly, somewhat mixed in their commitment to the Lord. True, they accomplished great things, but there are some sizeable blots on their copybooks.
And yet these men are remembered as men of faith. Not men of doubt (Gideon), weakness (Barak), foolishness in marriage (Samson) or hastiness of speech (Jephthah?), but faith.
All the Lord’s people are flawed; the Lord sees our faith.
Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Minister's Blog