Be Bold in Your Faith

God wants you to be bold in your faith toward him. Boldness is certainly not arrogance nor pride. It is confidence, assurance, and certainty. A bold faith has no doubt. With such faith God is pleased.

Bold faith walks with God. It prays confidently. Bold faith ministers to others with assurance. It's a faith that simply will not be denied. Genuine faith in God and His Son Jesus is bold. "Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:11-12).

Bold faith is not based upon what you do, but what Jesus has done for you at the cross. It's based upon the shed blood of Jesus. Bold faith is not self-confidence. To the contrary, it's confidence in Christ alone. Have bold faith through Christ. "Therefore, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way" (Hebrews 10:19). Bold faith in God is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bold faith in God begins at the cross of Jesus. The price has been paid for you to have bold faith. It was paid in His blood. Three days later, the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. Bold faith is based upon the power of His resurrection. The same Spirit of God gives you bold faith."God has dealt to each one a measure of faith"(Romans 12:3).

The Curse of Sin

Martin Luther taught that Christ died for the curse of our sin. "He voluntarily fulfilled all righteousness, living under the law without spot or blemish, bore our sins, became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ."

The word curse means to be cut off, that is cut off from the blessing of God and marked for destruction. God's covenant of law promised blessings to those who obey and curses to those who disobey (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). The curse of sin cuts us off from the blessings of God.

Mankind living in sin is controlled by a spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). He is under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. His only hope of salvation is in the sacrifice of Christ alone.  As Luther said, Christ "became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world."

The curse of sin is removed by faith in Christ as our sacrifice! Luther taught that Christ in the atonement "became a curse for us" at the cross (Gal. 3:13). He wrote, "This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ." That means by grace through faith in the atonement of Christ, we are free from the curse! 

The Gospel In Power

John Owen wrote, "Take away the Spirit from the gospel, and you render it a 'dead letter' of no more use to Christians than the Old Testament is to the Jews." He understood that the gospel is effective through the Holy Spirit. And, without the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel changes no one.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is our salvation. The apostle Paul defined the gospel in these words, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). That is the gospel of Christ for everyone to hear, but saving only those who believe. They experience the power of God through the gospel changing their lives.

Christians are to spread the gospel for all to hear. The preacher proclaims the gospel to one and all without exception. That's our responsibility to the command of Christ (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). Having obeyed the command of Christ, we leave the results to God. The gospel is the power of God, through the Holy Spirit convicting and drawing people to Christ (John 16:8-11). 

It is not our methods nor our schemes that makes the gospel effective. Without the power of the Holy Spirit effectively drawing people to Christ, all is vain. That is no excuse to disobey the command to spread the gospel. It is however to make us constantly aware that only God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). The Spirit of God makes the gospel effective!