Believing on Christ by Editor

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Nov 17, 1904

Believing on Christ

By Editor

Editorial

Believing on Christ

There is a kind of professed faith in Christ which is little better than sentimentalism. There are many who have no personal acquaintance with Christ as a real being, and who know nothing of his actual ministry in their behalf as their Advocate with the Father, and to whom the more common phrases of the Christian faith are merely formulas learned from others, and not a means of expressing their own experience. This form and appearance of Christianity rises little, if any, above the plane of heathenism pure and simple. The exercise of saving faith in Christ includes more than mental assent to a ready-made creed, or the acceptance of the current traditional views of an apostate or semi-apostate church. The faith which brings actual salvation from sin must lay hold of Christ in his work of saving from sin. The faith through which one is made righteous must actually receive “the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.” The faith which will prepare one for heaven must deal with the realities of heaven here below, and will be revealed in the heavenly life on earth. Such a faith as this must find its sure foundation in the revealed Word of God; Jesus himself must be its author and finisher; and it will involve an intelligent acceptance of Christ as the sacrifice, the substitute, the surety, and his priestly work in behalf of sinners. Genuine faith recognizes Christ as Son of man and Son of God, the man Christ Jesus who has opened the way to heaven for humanity, and who is the personal representative of every believer before the Father.

Saving faith in this generation will accept Christ as the coming Saviour, and will be revealed in loyal obedience to all the commandments of God. This is the faith which the Son of man when he comes will find in those who are waiting for the kingdom of God. “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved,” but be sure that you believe on the Lord Jesus, and not on a mere verbal shadow of him. The time of testing is now upon us. “Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith.”

A Thrilling Thought

When we take time to consider the full meaning of the message which we bear to the world, we shall surely be deeply stirred by the thought that we may witness the closing scenes in the long controversy between Christ and Satan. That which prophets and wise men have longed for, we may behold. The crowning day of all the ages is almost within sight. These are the days of the voice of the seventh angel, in which the mystery of God will be finished, the reign of sin will be brought to an end, and the heavenly glory will be revealed. There is danger of becoming so absorbed with the daily routine of life that these wonderful truths should lose their vividness to us. It is possible to allow even the work of the Lord to degenerate into mechanical formalism in which the life and joy of true service are entirely lacking. We must not only talk the message but we must be the message. We do not need to live in a state of unnatural tension, but the thought of the approaching end of all things and the coming of our Saviour with power and great glory ought to thrill our hearts, and to arouse every one of us to faithful service. And in our service we may rejoice, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh.

“Keep the eye single, the head upward lifted; Watch for the glory of earth’s coming King; Lo! o’er the mountain tops light is now breaking; Heirs of the kingdom, rejoice ye and sing.”