The Prayer of Faith – S.Ferguson

This, then, is the prayer of faith: to ask God to accomplish what He has promised in His Word. That promise is the only ground of our confidence in asking. Such confidence is not ‘worked up’ from within our emotional life; rather, it is given and supported by what God has said in Scripture.

Truly ‘righteous’ men and women of faith know the value of their heavenly Father’s promises. They go to Him, as children do to a loving human father. They know that if they can say to an earthly father, ‘But, father, you promised…,’ they can both persist in asking and be confident that he will keep his word. How much more our heavenly Father, who has given His Son for our salvation! We have no other grounds of confidence that He hears our prayers. We need none.

Such appeal to God’s promises constitutes what John Calvin, following Tertullian, calls ‘legitimate prayer.’

Some Christians find this disappointing. It seems to remove the mystique from the prayer of faith. Are we not tying down our faith to ask only for what God already has promised? But such disappointment reveals a spiritual malaise: would we rather devise our own spirituality (preferably spectacular) than God’s (frequently modest)?

Taken from chap.31, “The Prayer of Faith” (in connection with James 5:15), in In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson (Kindle version).

December “Tabletalk”: Who Do You Say That I Am?

Which Christ? by Burk Parsons | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org.

With the outset of a new month comes a new issue of Tabletalk, Ligonier Ministries’ fine devotional magazine. The December issue – appropriately for the church season we are in – revolves around the theme “Who Do You Say That I Am? The Person and Work of Christ.”

As is the custom, editor Burk Parsons introduces this issue with an editorial under the title “Which Christ?” And he explains well why the church today must be sure she believes, understands, and defends the truth concerning her Savior, as that truth is summed in the ancient creeds of the church.

As we commemorate Christ’s birth in this time of year, it is timely that we consider carefully Who Christ is. Which Christ will we embrace and worship in faith?

Here are two paragraphs from Parson’s introductory article; find the rest at the Ligonier link above.

Creeds are concise doctrinal summaries of the doctrines of Scripture, and creeds are subordinate to Scripture as our only infallible rule for faith and life. Although we do not by any means believe creeds are infallible, we do believe that creeds are authoritative insofar as they accurately summarize the teachings of Scripture. While we may not know all the creeds by heart, if we are Christians, we will wholeheartedly affirm them, confess them, and teach them to our children. For if we were to reject the church’s ancient creeds, we would be rejecting Christianity; and if we were to deny an essential creedal formulation about the person and work of Christ, we would be denying Christ.

On occasion, however, I have heard people passionately reply, “I don’t need the ancient creeds of the church—my only creed is Christ.” But as soon as I ask the question, “Which Christ?” they are quick to provide me with their personal creed about the person and work of Christ. Their personal creed is often heretical, unbiblical, and out of accord with the church’s ancient creeds. I will then patiently try to explain to them that if they do not believe in the Christ of Scripture but believe in a christ of their own making, they will find themselves among those to whom Christ will say, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.” For if it is the Christ of the Bible who saves us, we must affirm the one, true Christ of the Bible in order to truly possess the salvation of the God of the Bible.

I also encourage you to read the first featured article on this month’s theme. That is penned by Dr.Sinclair B. Ferguson and titled “Does Christology Really Matter?” Here’s a few lines from his article to whet your appetite:

Does it really matter if those views are wrong, indeed heretical, so long as we know that Jesus saves and we witness to others about Him? After all, the important thing is that we preach the gospel.

But that is precisely the point—Jesus Christ Himself is the gospel. Like loose threads in a tapestry—pull on any of these views, and the entire gospel will unravel. If the Christ we trust and preach is not qualified to save us, we have a false Christ.