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The sermon presents Christ alone as the object of saving faith and rejects reliance on human works, spiritual feelings, repentance as a qualification, or knowledge of election as the basis for coming to Him. Faith arises through God’s gracious work, particularly the Spirit’s conviction of sin, but the warrant for faith is Christ’s command and Gospel promise. Christ receives sinners as sinners and, through His substitutionary death, bears their condemnation while granting them His righteousness. Therefore, believers possess present and permanent justification and should serve Christ gratefully while resting entirely in grace.
Theological center: Justification is received through faith in Christ alone, whose substitutionary atonement removes sin and whose righteousness is imputed to the believer by grace.
Applications: Trust Christ alone · Come as a sinner · Believe on Christ · Do not refuse mercy
Primary texts: John 3:18 · John 6:37 · Romans 10:17
“He that believeth on him is not condemned.” John 3:18 THE way of salvation is stated in Scripture in the very plainest terms, and yet, perhaps, there is no truth about which more errors have been uttered than concerning the faith which saves the soul. Well has it been proved by experience that all doctrines of Christ are mysteries—mysteries not so much in themselves, but because they are hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world has blinded their eyes. So plain is Scripture that one would have said, “He that runs may read,” but so dim is man’s eye, and so marred is his understanding, that the very simplest truth of Scripture he distorts and misrepresents. And indeed, my brethren, even those who know what faith is personally and experientially do not always find it easy to give a good definition of it. They think they have hit the mark, and then afterwards they lament that they have failed. Straining themselves to describe some one part of faith, they find they have forgotten another, and in the excess of their earnestness to clear the poor sinner out of one mistake, they often lead him into a worse error. So that I think I may say that, while faith is the simplest thing in all the world, yet it is one of the most difficult upon which to preach, because from its very importance, our soul begins to tremble while speaking of it, and then we are not able to describe it so clearly as we would. I intend this morning, by God’s help, to put together sundry thoughts upon faith, each of which I may have uttered in your hearing at different times, but which have not been collected into one sermon before, and which, I have no doubt, have been misunderstood from the want of their having been put together in their proper consecutive order. I shall speak a little on each of these points, first, the object of faith, to what it looks. Next, the reason of faith, whence it comes. Thirdly, the ground of faith, or what it wears when it comes. Fourthly, the warrant of faith, or why it dares to come to Christ. And fifthly, the result of faith, or how it speeds when it does come to Christ. I. First, then, THE OBJECT OF FAITH, or to what faith looks. I am told in the Word of God to believe—What am I to believe? I am bidden to look—to what am I to look? What is to be the object of my hope, belief, and confidence? The reply is simple. The object of faith to a sinner is Christ Jesus. How many make a mistake about this and think that they are to believe on God the Father! Now belief in God is an after-result of faith in Jesus. We come to believe in the eternal love…