Unlimited: The Object of Our Belief
Aug 4, 2022 1433
…for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead (Romans 4:24b.)
Having said that God will credit righteousness to us who belief, Paul now describes specifically what the object of our belief must be. Saving belief is faith in God, and in a specific sense, in Jesus. The key issue here is that the object of our belief as Christians isn’t principally in a church, a creed, or any set of beliefs, but instead it is in a person.
At the tomb, Jesus asked Mary Magdalene:
Who are you looking for? (John 20:15, NLT.)
Humanity thinks that it is looking for something, when all the time we are looking for someone. Like Mary Magdalene, we are ultimately all looking for the one who conquered death.
The object of our belief is ultimately “Jesus Christ and him crucified”
Any reference to the resurrection of Christ in the New Testament always includes his death, as these two events always go together. In fact the term “the Cross” encompasses both the priceless sacrifice and ultimate victory of Jesus through his death and resurrection.
Paul defines the object of our belief in the context of the resurrection. Paul is reminding us that the object of our belief is ultimately “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2, NIV.) The Father’s resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the assurance that our trust (belief) in him is justified.
Spiritual Application
Think carefully about what is the actual object of your own belief. Is it a doctrinal system? Is it an idea of God as defined by a particular church? Or is it Christ himself?
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