In the past I have often heard sermons about the letters to the different churches in Revelation 1-3. Without exception these have been sermons which close by urging people to commit their lives to more active obedience to the Lord under threat of Christ's coming judgment. They have consistently mistaken Law for Gospel. As we read these letters to the churches, then, what is our attitude to be? We see that the Lord knows all about his people. He knows what they are doing and what they are thinking. He knows what they need. And he knows how what they need differs from what they would have on their own. In his mercy and grace our Lord and Savior points out to each of these churches their failure in terms of what they have done and haven't done. He uses God's Law to convict the believers, showing them that their best efforts will always fall short of God's glory. What does the Lord consistently affirm? He points to their faith and their belief in him. After all, he is the Lord of the church. They would not be a church rightly considered if not for the Lord at work in them. What is the exhortation? Continue in belief. Continue in faith. That faith, granted, will be visible through our actions. But the actions without the faith will serve to condemn us. Let us simply believe. The rest will fall into place.
What liberty we have in Christ!
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