As in all of life, certainty and security go hand in hand in the Christian life. When secure, we act upon those things we are certain of, while assigning the rest to a lower priority. It’s healthy as believers to identify those things in the faith which convince us of spiritual realities beyond doubt. Those biblical truths which pervade our lives to such a degree that they become non-negotiable.
Doctor Luke wrote of life’s transforming encounter with Jesus Christ so that others, such as “Theophilus, …may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4). Luke was not content that people think of the Christian faith as philosophical or mystical. No, faith in Christ grows from the absolute truth as taught in God’s written Word. Christ is knowable, He’s understandable, He’s believable, and He’s dependable. All this goes to the certainty of faith found in Christ and His resulting security.
The apostle Peter confidently proclaimed; “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ…” (Acts 2:36). They knew who Jesus was, and they knew the life changing power of the resurrected Christ (1Jn 1:1-10). They presented a clear and understandable message which enabled their hearers to know who they were being called to believe in. There were no questionable or weak ideas from biblical apostles.
They boldly declared truth “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19 ). Surely, this should be the desire of every Christian. To know Christ so profoundly that His identity becomes your identity.
In Thessalonica, Paul, accompanied by Silas, cut to the chase with the local Jews, “and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2). They engaged the Jews through exposition on their religious ground, in their synagogue, and on their Sabbath days. They engaged them both spiritually and intellectually by reasoning from God’s Word. I imagine there would have been some passionate discussion from both sides of the synagogue on those days.
In fact, Paul and Silas engaged everyone present through the Scriptures, from both Jewish and Greek cultures. Consequently; some of the Jews “were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women” (Acts 17:4).
Epaphras laboured in his prayer life, always struggling on behalf of the believers at Colossae. He didn’t waste time with fluffy duck prayers; no, he was precise in his requests to God on the believer’s behalf. You see, Epaphras knew that they, like us today, needed to “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12). Precision prayer motivates precise living to assist God in working out His perfect will in the lives of wayward Christians; which is all of us.
I encourage you to recognise and surrender to God’s will for your life. Invite the Lord to carry out the work of growing and maturing you. Give the Holy Spirit free reign of your whole heart and mind. Saturate your beliefs and thoughts with the absolute truths of God’s Word. Find at least one other person to take with you on your growing walk with Christ. They, like you, will be blessed and Christ will be glorified.
