rom 10v09 Heart Faith
HEART
FAITH Romans 10:9
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus; and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." This is the one thing that is essential: you must "believe in thine heart." Beloved friends, this I urge upon you, "examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith." I would do nothing to rob any true believer of the joy of confident assurance. But I must warn all men to guard against religious presumption. It is Satan's cheap counterfeit.
FALSE FAITH CAN BE VERY
DECEPTIVE. False faith produces good works. And it excites the emotions. It
reforms the outward life. It performs deeds of religion. It causes sorrow for
sin. It speaks well of Christ. It does works of charity. It trembles under the
preaching of the gospel. False faith gains high offices in the church. It
secures peace of mind. It walks in the company of great preachers. False faith
even holds out to the day of judgment (Matt.7:22-23).
My friends, BEWARE OF FALSE FAITH!
Remember
TRUE FAITH IS THE HEART KNOWLEDGE, TRUST, AND SUBMISSION TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. God has revealed Christ to us in the gospel, by which we know our desperate need and his saving power and fulness. Trusting Christ alone as our all-sufficient Savior, we commit ourselves, body and soul to him. And where there is true faith, there is the submission of heart to Christ as our sovereign Lord and King. This faith comes not by heredity, nor by the logic and persuasiveness of the preacher. It is the gift of God. Christ is revealed in the heart by the gospel.
THIS HEART FAITH CAN BE KNOWN BY THOSE WHO POSSESS
IT. Have we believed? If so, we have firmly, cordially, and voluntarily
received Christ in all his offices. To them that believe, Christ is precious.
Heart faith purifies the heart and weans it from the world. Heart faith works
by love, lives in hope, and rests in Christ. This is true faith. This is heart
faith. F-orsaking A-11 I T-ake H-im.