I’ve often argued that faith is simply trusting God to have our best interest foremost in mind regardless of our circumstances. If we are saved by “faith alone” as Martin Luther argued, then salvation is channeled through our attitude towards God. One of the most prominent themes in the Bible is God’s love for mankind. This is true in both Testaments. Jeremiah is a profound testimony of that. In Jeremiah 31:3, God explains His disposition towards us. He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Faith is trusting this to be true. The New Testament attests to this attitude of God toward man often. One of those key verses is Romans 5:8: “God demonstrates His love for us in this; while we were yet sinners Jesus died for us.”
When we neglect this truth about God and fail to trust Him in all the affairs of life, we end up trusting ourselves and our own devices. This will always end in disaster because man is not equipped to manage the world. He cannot choreograph the affairs of the universe because the things that really matter are out of anyone’s personal control. Through Jeremiah, God says, “Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people, the fruit of their devices, because they have not paid attention to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.” God’s words are always words of love. When we fail to trust that truth, God allows the consequences of our own devices to take effect in our lives.
Notice that last phrase, “as for my law, they have rejected it.” He does not say they have “broken” it, but rejected it. Those are two different things. To reject God’s law is to argue against it. It’s to fail to acknowledge its righteousness and to argue for a different standard to live by. When we do that, the purpose of the law lies useless at our feet to be trodden on. But when we accept God’s law as the righteous standard for life, we cannot but acknowledge our sinfulness before a perfect God. We cannot but see our need for a Savior. We’ve “all sinned and have fallen short” of God’s standard. We’ve all lied, stolen, and have been impure, even if only in our thoughts. Jesus commanded us in Matthew 5:48 to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Earlier in Matthew 5:17 Jesus made it clear that He did not come to abolish the law or reject it, but to fulfill it on our behalf. Our only hope for perfection is in Christ. Salvation comes by trusting God’s Love as expressed on Calvary’s cross.