Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us, looking
to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right
hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2, ESV).
It is a simple fact that our Christian faith begins with
Christ as the Author of our faith by and through his death and resurrection. There
is no other basis for believing in Christ as our Savior … if He did not die for
our sins and rise from the dead to give us power, abundant and victorious life,
now and for eternity. Yet, He came and desires to be the perfecter and finisher
of our faith as well. Thus our life of faith begins with Christ and continues
as engages, teaches and perfects every detail as He completes the book that
becomes our life on earth that we will then carry with us as we come perfected
by His grace into His presence and rest for eternity. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our
faith having perfectly completed each page and each chapter of the book that be
written as our life.
It is so sad that many people who might profess Christ as
the Author of their salvation, will at
the same time fail to allow Him to have access or control … much less even touch the pen to write and perfect their
emotions, their temperament, their self-centeredness and selfishness much less
the will to sin against His ways. Thus Jesus Christ as the Author of all things
cannot bring the Holy Spirit to many of the descriptive pages of those that
profess Him in their lives. Without access to the pen of our lives, Christ
cannot release His love and our lives do not reflect much of the “Fruit of the
Spirit” or the guiding and redeeming touch of His creative, restoring or wonderful
workmanship.
Our Savior never envisioned or purposed that His followers
would simply believe in the salvation He offers as the Author of their faith,
not also let Him be the one that would complete, perfect and finish all matters
and events in their life of faith. Faith as a believer and follower of Christ is
not a onetime emotional or mental decision, acknowledgment or event. Our faith in Christ must be in all that He was
and is and will forever be. The fact that Christ is not dead means He is alive
to be with us, help us and most of all to perfect what we cannot do as we let God’s
complete His workmanship in us (Ephesians 2:10).
We will not have dynamic and powerful faith, unless we trust
Christ in all things and at all times, as we simply obey Him in all things and
at all times by listening to His Spirit as we let God have His way with us
through Christ as He remakes us into His masterpiece. We must release the pen of
our lives into the hand of Christ, so that He may be, the Author of our faith as well as the
Perfecter and Finisher of all things and all times until we come into His
presence for eternity. Only when we let
Christ as the author, finish and perfect our moments, our pages and the chapters
of the book that will become our life … will we find the days of our lives filled with
the hope, love and joy that only Christ can bring.
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