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Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

 turn your eyes upon Jesus, the author and maturer of your faith... (Hebrews 12:2)

Fix your eyes, fix your gaze, turn your eyes upon these are all translations of this Greek word, ἀφοράω (aphoraō; from apó, "away from" and horáō, "see") This simple word and act is the basis of how we have faith. It is the part we must do. Call it what you like trusting, putting confidence in, we can only turn our eyes upon Jesus, he is the author and maturer of our faith.

just as it is written how timely are the feet of the one preaching the good news (Romans 10:15)

At the right time, some one preached the gospel, and believing in our hearts we were made righteous (Romans 10:10). There was a righteousness from the Law that Moses declared, "the person doing these live in them" (Roman 10:5). Obey the Law and live but the righteousness from faith declares sometime different, not what you do but that something is done to you, "the word in near you, in your mouth and in your heart, this exists the word of faith" (Romans 10:8). This word of faith made you alive in Christ, you ate living bread, and it changed your heart as God gave you a new heart and put his Spirit within you. The words of Jesus are Spirit and truth and at the right time the words of faith were preached to you and you believed. 

as a result faith from hearing, now, that heard through the words of Christ (Romans 10:17)

As a result of hearing, faith was instilled in my heart and I believed. By grace through faith was I saved, a gift of God lest I boast. I was given grace and the gift of righteousness, Paul writes I received it (Romans 5:17). Salvation is a gift from God and so is righteousness and grace and new birth of the Holy Spirit. There is an element of the heart being receptive of receiving a gift but God is greater than our hearts and knows all things (1 John 3:20). Something supernatural happens when we hear and believe, it is the power of the gospel, God gives us a new heart and puts his Spirit within us.

just as choosing us in him, before creation of the world, to be holy, and blameless in his presence, in love (Ephesians 1:4)

Did my salvation rest upon what I did or upon what God did? To some election might seem like a cruel thing, how can choose some and not others? Or an unlikely thing in that it interferes with free will. And how can it be according to grace, before they did anything good or bad, God chose Jacob over Esau? (Romans 9:11). He did so that his purpose according to election might stand, not from works, but from the calling (Romans 9:11-12). Blessed are those he calls...

so that to make known the riches of his glory upon the objects of his mercy whom he prepared beforehand to the extent of glory, also us who he called... (Romans 9:22-27)

He chose us in Christ and predestined us as his own (Ephesians 1:4-5). To those he predestined he calls and justifies and glorifies. I was going to write about how I met Jesus when I was younger but my heart was in the world, and explain how our hearts need to be ready and receiving. And say that I had, kind of like the prodigal son, had to go and find out the world only offers pig slop before my heart was ready to receive. But God reminds me he chose me. God is greater than my heart. 

all that the father gives me will come to me and I will turn not one away (John 6:37)

My belief in election doesn't undermine the preaching of the gospel, but empowers it. "All who call upon Jesus will be saved" (Romans 10:14). Thus, timely are feet of those who preach the gospel! Salvation comes through believing which comes through hearing the words from faith, so how can one believe if they do not hear and how can they hear if some are not sent? (Romans 10:14-17). The gospel is God's power unto salvation, to all who believe. I am humbled at the gravity of those words, it is God's power unto salvation, lest i boast. 

for this is the will of the Father that all the ones who gaze upon the Son and believe in him has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day (John 6:40)

Gazing or turning our eyes upon Jesus is all we can do, to the extent of God bringing about salvation. The act of believing is the work of God (John 6:29). No one can come to Jesus unless the Father gives, the Spirit must draw them to him. We gaze upon or set our eyes on Jesus as he is the author of faith. We can come to him, look upon him, consider his words by hearing the gospel and if believing then it is God's power to the extent of our salvation. 

turn your eyes upon Jesus, the author and maturer of your faith... (Hebrews 12:2)

Jesus authors faith in us, I believe this is why Paul writes, in Romans 12:3, that to each is assigned a measure of faith. When we grasp this we are not haughty and prideful but humble and modestly minded toward others. Those with greater faith are called to serve those with lesser, so that they also are built up in Jesus and established in faith. Turn your eyes to Jesus the author of faith and salvation. And continue to look to Jesus, the maturer of our faith. When the waves of the circumstances of this life come crashes around you, don't look for help elsewhere but turn your eyes upon Jesus. It is the essence of faith when we turn our eyes upon Jesus, the things of earth will grow strangely dim...

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.

      Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.

    Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conqu’rors we are!

    His Word shall not fail you, He promised;
Believe Him and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!*

 

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