My last article addressed the indestructible compulsion of faith, now I would like to discuss the effect of faith upon the confidence of the believer. Our faith should imbue us with the confidence of the truth, knowing we are right, knowing the Lord will always prevail and we will be with Him for eternity through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
The world finds the message of the cross foolish, and feels the same about those who proclaim it. But it is that very message that should give us the confidence to face the world and be willing to be called foolish. You have been drawn to Him, the very God of creation, by His gracious will. Are you really going to worry about what others think of you, knowing what He now thinks of you? Knowing if you serve in faithfulness what He will one day say to you? (Hint: It begins with a “Well done.”)
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
I know it is a real struggle not to be fearful of one’s own earthly death, even for those of us who know we will spend eternity in the Divine Presence. It is human nature and as we all struggle with our own sinful natures, doubt or fear may creep in and much more often than we would care to admit. But we have the confidence or at least the basis and ability to be supremely confident in the sovereign promise of an indestructible soul and body through Christ our Savior.
How can we not be confident of the final victory we have in Jesus? How can we not be confident knowing in the end He wins, therefore we cannot lose?
“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
Our confidence should grow as we think about how we came to a saving faith in Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and that it is only through the agency of the Holy Spirit that we can proclaim the gospel message. Knowing who is by our side, knowing which side we are on and who our leader is, how can we not possess confidence in abundance, filled up and brimming over?
None of us hit the mark of fulfilling our Lord’s commands all the time, none of us will ever pitch that perfect game. For none who walked the earth ever embodied perfection except for Jesus Christ. We have the confidence of knowing He has laid out our tasks, that He is a gracious taskmaster. We have been forgiven for all our sins, past, present and future. In fact, His death on the cross secured our salvation by the remission of our sins long before we were ever born, and our salvation was ordained in surety before the foundations of the world were laid down.
This may all be foolishness to a world blind and senseless to the grace and love of God but we know and feel it in our hearts. And we have the Holy Scriptures to confirm our faith. We have the peace and calm of knowing the Truth and the Way to draw upon should we ever feel that confidence wavering as we struggle against a sinful and fallen world.
Jesus is coming soon! Every knee will bow before Him. Of this there is no doubt. All will stand in His Presence one day, but we will do so in inexpressible, inconceivable joy. I sincerely believe we cannot even begin to imagine what it will be like to be in the everlasting Presence of the eternal Divinity.
But one day we will know and from that simple fact should flow a river of confidence the world will never understand without knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. How foolish of them not to seek Him out.
Andy Coticchio
Rafter Cross Ministries