We have a duty to defend, keep and guard the true saving faith that has been entrusted to us. We have a holy responsibility to carry the Good News close to home, as well as far and wide and to hand it, safe and sound, to the next generation and to all the peoples of the earth.
Often we call ourselves children of Abraham. Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and when we are in Christ, we too received all the grace promises God made to Abraham, Israel and the Church of Christ.
Galatians 3: 16 and 29:
16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds”, meaning many people, but “and to your seed”, meaning one person, who is Christ. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3 is but one passage that confirms God’s firm grace promises to be our God, our Redeemer, our Saviour, our Protector and our Lord. It is the promise that through the death, resurrection, ascension and return of Christ, we are redeemed and we received the promise of salvation as the children of God.
In Acts 2 it is emphasized that the promise to receive the Holy Spirit who grants us faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour is not only for a first generation of believers, but also for their children, and those who are for far off, across the globe, for generations still to come:
Acts 2: 38 and 39: 38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
We own the precious faith of the martyrs, who during the first centuries died for the sake of the Lord’s work. It is the faith of the fathers and mothers of the Reformation during the 16th century, till now, and it is the faith of our church fathers that kept, preserved and carried the true faith until today. On Sunday 30 October 2022 we give thanks for and celebrate the true faith of this Reformation.
It is, by God’s grace, our birthright and our inheritance to know that although I am in need of salvation, I am redeemed in and through Jesus, my Lord. It is the faith that says Jesus alone, by grace alone, can redeem me and save me. It is through this faith alone that I know the proper response to God's grace in Christ is to lead a life of sanctification, commitment, gratefulness and obedience, to the glory of God alone.
We have a duty to defend, keep and spread this faith that has been entrusted to us. We have a holy responsibility to carry the Good News far and wide and to hand it, safe and sound, to the next generation.
It is our duty, our privilege and our calling to keep the true faith for the sake of our God and his Kingdom. We keep and spread the true faith for the sake of the true church of our times and of the future, for the sake of those who will carry the light of God as the next generation of the followers of Christ Jesus.
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