Evening Reading for February 4

These verses show us the way in which the benefits of Christ's death are made our own. That way is simply to put faith and trust in Christ. Faith is the same thing as believing. Three times our Lord repeats this glorious truth to Nicodemus. Twice he proclaims that `Whosoever believeth shall not perish.' Once he says, `He that believeth on the Son of God is not condemned.'

Faith in the Lord Jesus is the very key of salvation. He that has it has life and he that has it not has not life. Nothing whatever beside this faith is necessary to our complete justification; but nothing whatever except this faith will give us an interest in Christ. We may fast and mourn for sin and do many things that are right and use religious ordinances and give all our goods to feed the poor and yet remain unpardoned and lose our souls. But if we will only come to Christ as guilty sinners and believe on him, our sins shall at once be forgiven and our iniquities shall be entirely put away. Without faith there is no salvation, but through faith in Jesus the vilest sinner may be saved.

If we would have a peaceful conscience in our religion, let us see that our views of saving faith are distinct and clear. Let us beware of supposing that justifying faith is anything more than a sinner's simple trust in a Saviour, the grasp of a drowning man on the hand held out for his relief. Let us beware of mingling anything else with faith in the matter of justification. Here we must always remember faith stands entirely alone. A justified man, no doubt, will always be a holy man. True believing will always be accompanied by godly living. But that which gives a man an interest in Christ is not his living, but his faith.

For meditation: Salvation is through Christ alone, by God's grace alone, received by faith alone.