Essential Elements

The point: Exercise saving faith because you desperately need what only Christ can provide, God commands it, and without it, you remain under aggravated judgment.

Martin uses the term 'Trinity' as an example of a helpful theological term not explicitly found in the Bible, justifying the use of 'saving faith' to distinguish it from other kinds of faith.

For example, if I am to teach what God is like, that He is one, and yet within His oneness there are three personalities, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, it is helpful to describe that reality by the term the Trinity, though the term the Trinity is not found in the Scriptures. And since the Bible speaks of faith and belief, believe and believing, in various ways which fall short of bringing the one who believes into the possession of salvation, we must speak of that faith which is saving faith. In other words, that faith which always issues in the one who exercises that faith being s...

5:46 - 7:14 Read in full sermon

The point: Exercise saving faith because you desperately need what only Christ can provide, God commands it, and without it, you remain under aggravated judgment.

Christ comes in the 'chariot of the truths about Him.' One can believe in the components (axle, wheels) of the chariot (the truths) without embracing the Savior Himself, illustrating that intellectual assent to facts about Christ is not saving faith.

Christ in the perfection of His saving work. And I concluded by using the analogy that Christ in the Gospel comes in the chariot of the truths about Him. There is no Christ who saves but the Christ who comes riding in Gospel grace into our lives in terms of the truths about who He is and what He has done. And we cannot be saved if we disbelieve who He is and disbelieve what He has done.

9:32 - 10:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Ask yourself: 'Have I received Him? Can I say that by the grace of God, I have yielded allegiance to Him, trusted completely in Him, acknowledged His claims, and confessed my attachment to Him?'

Martin tells a story of bringing gifts to a destitute family. He insists on personally entering their home to present the gifts, illustrating that Christ offers Himself and His gifts together; one cannot receive the gifts without receiving Him personally.

no no I must receive him I must embrace his claims about himself claims validated by the record of his works claims validated by his mighty resurrection I must embrace him receive him in terms of his mission he came to seek and to save that which is lost thou shalt call his name Jesus he shall save his people from their sins what is it to believe upon Christ it is to receive him what is it to receive him it is to embrace him as is revealed in the gospel in the glory of his person and in the perfection of his work that's what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ it is to receive him let...

23:57 - 25:26 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Lord Jesus I take you to be mine I eat your flesh I drink your blood he that believeth on me and I drink another I take you to him me that believeth on him you shall not be frozen in the Scripture I am youram I take you …

Martin physically eats a piece of bread to demonstrate that knowledge and conviction about bread's nourishing qualities are insufficient; one must actually 'eat' and 'assimilate' it for it to become part of them. This illustrates that saving faith is a personal, internal assimilation of Christ.

and I live because of the father so he that eats of me he shall live of me this is the bread which came down out of heaven not as your fathers ate and died he that eats this bread shall live forever eating and drinking of Christ is a beautiful crass earthy description of the actings of saving faith I'm going to do something I've never done in 44 years in this book I'm going to eat I got a piece of bread seven grain whole wheat good stuff that's bread my mind tells me that's bread I looked at the label the ingredients I have knowledge that's bread I'm persuaded that that's good bread and that c...

44:23 - 45:52 Read in full sermon