The last devotion I shared with you was the first in a series of meditations on Luke 7:1-10.

Luke 7:1-10   1 When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.  He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.

It is important to understand what faith is. It is even more important to understand what saving faith is. Saving faith trusts in what Jesus did for you in His death and resurrection. Believing that Jesus died to pay for your sin and rose again so that you could live forever is saving faith. All Christians have saving faith. That is what makes you a Christian. Without that faith, you are not a Christian, even though some people may claim to be or pretend to be. Only those who have put their confidence in Jesus Christ to save them from sin and death are true believers, those who have saving faith.

Once you have that faith, you are saved. But you are not to remain in that state, static and unchanging. Scripture speaks in terms of growing in your faith (2 Corinthians 10:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:3). This has to do with your ability to rely on God’s promises more and more in your day-to-day living. This is the aspect of faith I want to examine with you today: after you have been brought to saving faith in Jesus, becoming more faithful in your day to day lives.

When I taught confirmation classes I told them that there are three parts to faith. The first part of faith is KNOWLEDGE. The Centurion was not a Jew, but he knew about Jesus. Jesus was popular with the people, and no doubt word about him was spreading. Perhaps some of those who had heard Jesus speak shared what they heard with the Centurion. However it happened, somehow this Roman soldier had knowledge of who Jesus was. You and I also have that knowledge. You may have received it from your parents or grandparents or friends. It has come to you through Sunday School, Bible Class, Worship, by reading the Bible for yourself, and other places. It is important that we pass that knowledge along to others. This knowledge is too good to keep to yourselves. We need to spread it beyond the walls of our church, beyond the walls of our homes, to those all around us who are living in spiritual darkness. It all starts by sharing the knowledge of Jesus with those who don’t know Him or who have a misunderstanding of who He is. Faith starts with KNOWLEDGE.

The second part of faith is ACCEPTANCE. This is also described as agreement. It is a mental acknowledgment of the facts. The Centurion accepted what he had heard about Jesus. We cannot say for certain that He understood that Jesus was the promised Messiah, but we know that the Word was having an effect on him. The Spirit was working through that Word to lead him to faith. You and I have had the Spirit work in our heart and lives. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you and I have professed our agreement with God’s Word. You say you ACCEPT the KNOWLEDGE as true.

After KNOWLEDGE and ACCEPTANCE comes the third aspect of faith: TRUST. To explain these three parts of faith, I often use the example of me walking up to a footbridge that has a sign that says “weight limit 225 pounds.” The first step, knowledge, is knowing that I weigh just under 225 pounds and that the sign says the bridge will hold that much weight. The second step, acceptance, takes place when I look at the bridge and decide that it looks sturdy enough to do what it says. The third part of faith, TRUST, is when I actually walk out on to that bridge.

The Centurion trusted what he had heard about Jesus. He accepted the knowledge and was willing to act upon it. In his desperate situation, he sent for Jesus, believing He could help. Recognizing his own unworthiness, he said, “Just say the word and my servant will be healed.” This is the faith that amazed Jesus.

Lord, give us such a faith as this;
And then, whate’er may come,
We’ll taste e’en now the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home. (TLH396, v.6)