Whom God Will Save

God will save sinners."For all have sinned"(Romans 3:23). As we look to God's mercy at the cross of Jesus, we find mercy to take away all our sins."The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin"(1 John 1:7). God's mercy saves every believer in God's Son. Jesus was raised from the dead to prove every believer's justification from all sin. 

God will save sinners at the cross. Jesus suffered and died for sinners like you and me. Justice demands eternal judgment for all who have sinned. Justice was served at the cross, when Jesus paid the full price for our sins. 

God will save sinners who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Justice was served for sinners in Christ crucified,"according to His mercy He saved us"(Titus 3:5). Justice says,"Because you are guilty of breaking God's law, you deserve eternal judgment." Mercy says,"You are guilty, but Jesus took your judgment at the cross." Justice was served on our behalf, that we may receive mercy. 

God will save sinners in Christ alone,"who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised for our justification"(Romans 4:25). Those who reject God's mercy in Christ receive justice, which is just condemnation. However, there is no condemnation for those who receive God's mercy in Christ (John 3:17; Romans 8:1).

God's Will Revealed

Charles Spurgeon said, "When your will is God's will, you will have your will." Spurgeon understood that our will should submit to God's will. Prayer says to God,"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

God's will is revealed in the Bible. Holy Scripture is God's revealed will."Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him"(1 John 5:14-15).

God's will is revealed as good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:2). Trying to manipulate God in prayer to have it our way is a blasphemous thought. Seeking a formula in prayer to always get what we want becomes sin. It misses the mark concerning God's good will. 

Effective prayer is not about our will. It's about God's revealed will. As Spurgeon said,"When your will is God's will, you will have your will."True prayer submits to God's good, acceptable, and perfect will. That's the key to effective prayer.

God's revealed will is God's glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). He does all things to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). When our will becomes God's will, we desire the glory of God above all else (John 11:40). Pray to God's glory in all things. 

What Is Living Faith?

Living faith is active and not passive. Living faith works. It does God's will and obeys God's word in the Bible. Living faith is God working through us. God can do anything that He chooses to do without us. However, God has chosen to work through us. Living by faith does more than talk. "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26).

Don't think that faith does nothing, and depends upon God to do everything. The Bible teaches that we are laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). It is God's will for faith to work through us. You may put a glove on your hand to do the work before you. The glove does not do the work alone, neither can it. The hand works through the glove. So, living faith is God working through us.

Dead faith says, "There is nothing that we can do. What will be, will be. Nothing we can do will make any difference." Living faith says otherwise, "I will do the word of God. He has put it in my heart. He is working through me to the praise of his glory. I am a doer of the word." The Bible says, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).

Maybe you are in a place where you are asking God to do something about it. To the contrary, you could pray this way. "God, what would you have me to do?" Faith does the word of God. It rises up to do something about it. Living faith is God working in you to do his will (Philippians 2:12-13).