This lesson was originally published here at the Biblical Recorder online.

Imagine that you decided to take a fishing trip on the ocean. Suddenly a terrible storm came up and capsized your vessel leaving you stranded and clinging desperately to the ship’s driftwood. Finally, after several hours holding onto the driftwood, the Coast Guard arrives and casts you a life preserver. What you do is obvious. You take hold of the life preserver and receive the rescue you’ve been offered. You would be ludicrous to cling to your driftwood in rejection of life preserver that represents safety. Saving faith parallels this story. In your past and mine, we held on desperately to some form of self-righteousness or blatantly sinful driftwood. But when we realized that permanent rescue from our sin was only available through Jesus, we received offer of salvation. We put our faith in the cross as our rescue from death to life. Saving faith is victorious not because it is great faith, but because the object of saving faith (Jesus) is never failing. The book of Hebrews details the uniqueness of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and the substitute/redeemer of mankind. Jesus is victorious. Our part in experiencing the victory of Jesus is faith. Like we did when we trusted in Jesus as our Savior, we need to continue in faith. Initial saving faith is permanent and eternal. Losing faith or walking in fear and doubt do not mean we lose our salvation. However, many of us fail to experience daily the victory Jesus has already won because we don’t walk in faith. Are you experiencing victory in your Christian life today? If not, examine whether or not you are holding on to some form of self-righteousness or sin (like the driftwood) that is taking the place of expressing continual faith in Jesus. Victorious living is possible if we will only trust in the victorious Christ.