Our Religion, or the Christian Faith. (Pasche)
"In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgive ness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Eph. 1,7.
There are many false religions. One is that of the heathen, who pray to their idols; another is that of the Jews, who reject Jesus as their Savior; still another is that of the monks and hypocrites. All these are false religions because they seek forgive ness of sins by works of their own righteousness, rejecting the meritorious work of Christ, the only Mediator between God and man. This was the religion of the Pharisees, “which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others.” This religion is false: “For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased.”
The only true religion is that of the publican, who said, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” This religion, the Christian religion, teaches that we receive forgiveness of sins and are justified before God, not by our works, but by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith.
Christ has procured forgiveness of sins for all men. This for giveness is offered in the Gospel to all mankind. All men should therefore hear the Gospel. And all those who accept the forgive ness offered in the Gospel actually become partakers of such for giveness and are truly Christians. Who, then, is a Christian?
A Christian is he who sincerely believes in the Savior of man kind, Jesus Christ, who bled and died on the cross for his sins. Faith, laying hold of the grace of God, grasps Jesus and His merit. The forgiveness gained by Christ and offered in the Gospel is accepted and appropriated by faith. While darkness covers all false religions, in the Christian religion, in Holy Scripture, is risen the glorious light of the Gospel: “By grace are ye saved, through faith.” Eph. 2 ,8. We are justified by faith because the only way to appropriate the promise of the Gospel is to lay hold of it. Con sidering this, are you, then, a Christian ? Do you sincerely believe in the Savior? Can you say with St. Paul: “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” ? Is your life a life in the faith of the Son of God?
Prayer.
We pray Thee, Lord, our Redeemer, to enter the house of our heart, to enlighten us by the Holy Ghost, to cleanse our hearts and to grant us grace to walk worthy of the Gospel and to continue to the end of our days in the truth once known and confessed. O Lord Jesus, let our souls obtain Thy salvation, so that, being saved through Thee, we may forever behold Thee in Thy kingdom and Thy great glory. Amen.
