“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.