June 25 - Acts 15:8 - speaks TO us

God ... testified to them

by giving them the Holy Spirit

Acts 15:8

 

I've often asked people if they know the mathematical formula for salvation. (Did you know you can boil salvation down to mathematics?!).

 

I base this formula on Romans 3 -- "We are justified by God's grace ... effective through our faith ... apart from the works of the law." Do you see the formula?

 

J + G + F + W = S

• (J)ustification + (G)race + (F)aith + (W)orks = (S)alvation, right?
• Now, (W)orks = Zero, because Paul tells us that it's God's (G)race "apart from our (W)orks that save us.
• Thus it's really, J + G + F = S
• Now, who does (J), the justification? God! Therefore, (J)ustification is a given.
• And who does (G)race? God! Therefore, (G)race is a given.
• Therefore, I like to ask, what then is the only variable in this formula of salvation? (F)aith, right?
• And who is (F)aith up to? Us, right? And that's true. We do need to say, "yes." 
• But we must not forget that God is constantly working to weave (f)aith into our hearts.

To weave faith into our hearts, God woo's us and wow's us. He's ahead of us on our journey, beckoning us down paths of faith. He intervenes in our circumstances and whispers our name. And as today's lesson clearly says, God speaks to us -- "he testifies by giving [us] the Holy Spirit." 

 

Yes, we may have to eventually say, "Yes." But God is also speaking faith and hope and possibility into our hearts. And that's all before we ever know him.

 

Then once we believe, he speaks courage, blessing, challenge, peace, and so much more.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who always needs to remember

to keep tuning in