Living an Eternal Life Now Part 5: The Only One Worthy of Your Allegiance

As you come to him to offer spiritual sacrifices . . .

                I remember hearing that becoming a Christian is not achieved through an intellectual consent but through a moral response. This statement needs to be qualified by understanding it in the context of distinguishing between the intellectual reception of truth and the intellectual perception of truth. There is nothing objectionable in this statement when framed in that context. All men believe something yet not all men have saving faith. Peter assumes the readers of his letter possess saving faith. Those who have tasted that the Lord is good will come to worship and praise him.  Such is the natural response after perceiving God’s mercy. Understanding what God has done for you as an individual through Jesus Christ should result in genuine saving faith. A sincere person needs to ask what exactly genuine saving faith is. There are so many religions and denominations in the world today. How do you decide which one is the right one? We must turn to the same principle the early Christians were encouraged to apply in the midst of their own personal crisis. God has been merciful in giving believers salvation through Jesus Christ. He has also been merciful in giving us genuine evidence for saving faith through Jesus Christ.

Behold I am laying in Zion a chosen and precious cornerstone.

                Faith is only as valuable as its object. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the understanding that your hope is guaranteed to be fulfilled based on the evidence presented. What evidence have we been given as Christians that our faith is effective for salvation? We have been given the person of Jesus Christ. He stands alone being described as one whose nature is completely divine and completely human simultaneously. He alone is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit yet distinct in his person. These are two examples of truths that are taught in the Scriptures and yet must be spiritually discerned and valued for the hope they offer to those who believe. Denying any one of these truths along with other doctrines such as the virgin birth of Christ and the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture disqualifies a person from being Christian. These are some of what are called the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith. These doctrines define what Christianity is in light of what God has revealed about himself. They, however, are of little value aside from the person of Jesus Christ. He is the one that Christians love. Never the less, there is no value in saying you believe in him without accepting what he has communicated about himself. It is as unreasonable as saying you know a perfect stranger intimately. Jesus Christ has been given to mankind as the object of our faith. He is the one that we must hope in with understanding. He is the one we must be convinced is genuine based on the evidence presented. He must be the most precious person in your life. He is our example and the standard by which God will judge us. Your life will demonstrate your allegiance to God if Jesus Christ is the object of your faith. Your obedience will be evident by the way you follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. This truth is what the imagery of a cornerstone communicates in this passage. Christ is our reference point for everything we do in life. Let him direct the ways in which you live.