Belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ brings salvation to a lost and dying world.
True faith is not based on observational evidence (which the cynic demands) ... but trust in God's divine assurance. And it is much more than just understanding the precepts of scripture and then mentally acquiescing. A death to 'self' must take place.
Spurgeon - It will not save me to know that Christ is 'a' Savior, but it will save me to trust Him to be 'my' Savior. I shall not be delivered from the wrath to come by believing that his atonement is sufficient; but I shall be saved by making that atonement my trust, my refuge, and my all.
Saving faith is forever intertwined with repentance, surrender, and the Spirit-endued longing to obey.
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. 1 Peter 2:7-8
The redeemed 'cherish' the Lord. Jesus Christ becomes their precious treasure and continual delight.
The 'disobedient' are those who willfully disbelieve and refuse to be persuaded. They consciously resist authority and develop an obstinate rejection of the truth found in Christ. We all fall from time to time, but that is not what Peter is referring to here. He is describing those with an unregenerate heart who habitually disobey God as a lifestyle.
We cannot just ignore Jesus Christ. He will not be ignored.
We either embrace Him and receive all of His benefits, or we neglect Him and stumble into ruin. We either make Him the 'head of the corner', or He becomes our 'stone of stumbling and a rock of offense'.
There is no third option.
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