the beginning of faith

Before we can receive from Christ's fulness to live the Christian life, we must receive from him the salvation and righteousness that he alone provides. This we cannot attain or produce; we must receive it as a gift, for Christ alone can fulfill the Father's law for righteousness. This will become the basis of our walk of faith, Romaine says. The text below comes from his first chapter of The Life of Faith, abridged and modernized.  

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"For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.'" (Romans 3:9-11 ESV)

"So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24 ESV)

The persons, for whom this work is written, are convinced of their own sin and of God's righteousness. Through the Holy Spirit the word of God has become real to them, teaching them the nature of God's law. After comparing their hearts and their lives with it, they have realized their guilt. They found themselves to be fallen creatures and felt the sad consequences of the fall. 

When they were convinced of those truths in their own judgments, and their awakened conscience sought for ease and deliverance, then they found they were helpless and without strength. They could take no step, nor do anything, which could in the least save them from their sins. Whatever method they tried, it failed and left their conscience more uneasy than before. Did they purpose to repent? They found that repentance which pleases God is itself the gift of Christ. He was exalted to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance. 

Suppose they thought of reforming their lives, yet what is to become of their old sins? Will present obedience, if it could be perfectly paid, make any atonement for past disobedience?  Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (Jas 2:10). And let him be ever so careful in doing what the law requires, or in avoiding what the law forbids, let him fast and pray and give alms, hear and read the word, be early and late at ordinances, yet the enlightened conscience cannot be satisfied with this, because by these duties he cannot undo the sin previously committed, and he will still find so many failings in his efforts that will continue adding to his guilt and misery. 

The more he strives to make himself better, the worse he finds himself. He sees the pollution of sin greater; he discovers more of its guilt; he finds in himself a deficit of all good, and an inclination to all evil. He is now convinced that the law is holy, just and good (Rom 7:12). When he would keep it, evil is still present within him. This makes him deeply aware of his guilty helpless state, and shows him, that by the works of the law he cannot be saved. His heart, like a fountain, is continually sending forth evil thoughts. After all his efforts, he cannot quiet his conscience, nor obtain peace with God.

The law has done its role as a schoolmaster by convincing him of these truths (Gal 3:24). It stops his mouth, so that he has not a word to say, why judgment should not be passed upon him (Rom 3:19). There it leaves him, guilty and helpless. The law can do nothing more for him, other than show him that he is a child of wrath, and that he deserves to have the wrath of God abiding upon him forever, for 'by the law comes the knowledge of sin' (Rom 3:20). 

The gospel finds him in this condition, like the good Samaritan found the wounded traveler (Lu 10:33) and brings him good news. It reveals to him the way of salvation planned in the covenant of grace, and manifests to him what the ever-blessed Trinity had purposed, and what in the fulness of time was accomplished. That all the perfections of the Godhead might be infinitely and eternally glorified, the Father covenanted to gain honor and dignity to his law and justice, to his faithfulness and holiness, by insisting upon man's appearing before him in the perfect righteousness of the law. 

But man, having no such righteousness of his own, all having sinned, and there being none righteous, no, not one, then how can he be saved? The Lord Christ, a person in the Godhead co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, undertook to be man's Savior. He covenanted to stand as the head and surety of his people, in their nature and in their place, to obey for them, so that by his infinitely precious obedience many would be made righteous. He would suffer for them, that by his eternally meritorious wounds they might be healed (Isa 53:5). Accordingly, in the fulness of time Christ came into the world, and was made flesh, and God and man being truly united in one person, who lived, suffered, and died as the representative of his people.

Image credit: "The Good Samaritan", sculpture above by Daniel Borup.