Excerpt from "Our Lord Prays for His Own"

In this excerpt the author is discussing John 17:20 where Jesus prays, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."

[Notice] the Object on whom they were to believe. "I pray for them . . .which shall believe on me"; He does not say, which shall believe in God, but "on me"; He does not say, which believe the Word of God, but "on me";
He does not say, who believe in their salvation, but "on me."

Here we learn the faith that justifies is faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who is there, except a few professed infidels, who do not tell you they believe in God? -- who, tin this country, but a few professed infidels, do not say they believe in the Word of God? We may quite satisfy ourselves that we believe in God, and in the Word of God; and in our own ultimate salvation; and yet we may not be included in our Lord's prayer, because He does not say, "I pray for them which shall believe" -- in God or in the Word of God, or in their own salvation, but --"on me."

Not that to believe in God, or in the Word of God, and in the fact of our own salvation, is not our privilege and duty. Oh, no! But when we believe in Him, we believe in God in a different sense; we believe in the Word of God as a different thing, and for a different object. We believe in God as loving us when we were sinners, and giving His Son to die; we believe in the Word of God as the truth revealing this fact; we believe in our salvation as the end of our faith; but we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour who took our place, died in our stead, was wounded for our transgressions, whose blood cleanseth from all sin, and who, in resurrection glory, now stands before the throne as our Representative, Himself the object of alljustifying faith. Alas! how may talk of believing in God, and in His Word, who have never believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and have never taken refuge in Him for their salvation.

From Our Lord Prays for His Own, by Marcus Rainsford, Moody Press, 1950, Pages 364-365