John 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Yesterday I placed saving faith in first gear as a requirement of engagement. Please understand that we, the church are engaged to the bridegroom. In this we have entered into a covenant relationship with the God of the universe. If you have not committed yourself by saving faith to this covenant contract, it is in your best interest to understand the terms and conditions of the contract.

God takes this contract with the utmost seriousness. Christ died on the cross to obtain His bride. It is expected of you who enter into this contract to take it as seriously as your covenant partner, the bridegroom, Jesus Christ. You should understand what is expected of you.

Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

His first contract demand is that He will have all of you. You will love him will all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and with all your strength. You will not be allowed to deny Him any part of yourself.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

“Saving faith is to the soul what health is to the body: it is a mighty principle of operation, full of life, ever working, bringing forth fruit after its own kind.” A.W. Pink from Practical Christianity

It is unusual for me to start off a devotional with a quote which is not a bible passage. I do so today for an illustration of inspiration. Many quotes are inspired and can speak to people of God in many profound ways. This quote alone, without being in place with the main subject matter leaves an impression that will not cover all that it means.

The subject is saving faith and while the quote is inspiring, the words will not convey the truer deeper meaning of saving faith. Understanding saving faith had already been detailed by first identifying faith that does not save. This quote implies an image which we can draw meaning and inspiration while still not understanding the subject matter.

Let us take the principle of operation as a prime example. Saving faith is first gear in the principle operation of your vehicle for life. We of an older generation learned to drive on a standard transmission. First gear was the gear we started out with. If you started out in another gear the engine would stall out. We learned by experience where first gear was located.

Did finding first gear tell me how it came to be where it was located? Did it say anything about that gears relationship to the rest of the gears in the smooth operation of the vehicle? Was the gear more important than the linkage and clutch we used to engage first gear?

We didn’t want to know all this about first gear. We just wanted to drive. In this same manner it is the real danger of trying to live a life in Christ without knowing how to be engaged in Christ. Without saving faith in Christ you cannot be engaged.

So maybe it is more important than a quick quote or a glib remark.