June 23

For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” — Rom 1:17 BSB

A life of faith in Christ is just as essential to our present salvation as His death on the cross was to our past salvation. If you are alive to your condition as a fallen sinner, you see yourself surrounded by enemies, temptations, sins, and snares, and you feel utterly defenseless, as weak as water, with no strength to stand. Pressed down by unbelief, you see a mountain of difficulty before you, sometimes in providence, sometimes in grace. You also find that your heart is full of uncleanness, and that nothing good dwells in you; neither the will nor the power exists in you to fight or flee.

How, then, will this mountain be made a plain? How will you escape the snares and temptations in your path? How will you overcome all your enemies—external, internal, and spiritual—and reach heaven at last? If you say, “By the salvation already accomplished,” are you sure that salvation belongs to you? Where is the evidence of it if you have no present faith in Christ? How can past salvation help you in present troubles unless it is applied to your soul? It is this application of salvation that saves you by His life (Rom. 5:10).

See how this works and how suitable it is. You are all weakness, but He has all strength, and He makes His strength perfect in your weakness. You are helpless against sin and temptation, but help is laid upon Christ, who is mighty. He sends you help from His sanctuary and strengthens you out of Zion (Psalm 20:2) so that your sins and enemies will not overcome you.