“To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
Many a sincere soul is perplexed by the question, whether his faith is of the right kind or not. Granting, as we must, that there is a dead faith and a living faith that “faith, if it have not works, is dead, being alone,” and that even the devils may believe, after a certain sort, without it being any sign or evidence of good in them, the natural thought is therefore to look in upon oneself, and find out whether our faith is such as saves or not. Even apparent Scripture may be quoted, and often is, for self-examination upon this point, as for instance, “Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith, prove your own selves;” a text upon which many a sermon has been preached with most false application, inviting Christians to continual doubt under the specious pretext of making sure of their Christianity.
For it is plain, that if the apostle, writing to those already accepted as Christians, invites them yet to examine and see if such they really were, he supposes them to be in doubt upon the point, or else that they on to doubt; and if this be a right thing to urge upon all Christians, as he urged it upon those at Corinth, then they ought never to be beyond doubting. And thus the plain inconsistency of such a recommendation is seen, and that what is called making sure of salvation would be really making all unsure.
The fact is, that those who make self-examination the way of assurance, are compelled in most cases to own that upon that very ground none can be quite sure. For is not the heart “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked?” And if people object that that is only true of those who have not a new heart, even allowing that, we may well ask: Is it not in the case before us just the question to be answered, whether we have the, new heart? We have no right to take for granted the very thing to be proved. If our hearts are new, there is of course no question as to our being “in the faith.” If, there is doubt about that, there is very grave doubt as to whether we shall get a proper answer to any question upon that point we can put to them. Scripture asserts, as a broad, general truth as to this, that “he that trusteth his own heart is a fool.”
But then, what about the apostle’s exhortation? Just this — which may be said of many another thing apparently brought from Scripture, it is misquoted, because only half-quoted. Reproving the Corinthians for the doubts they had begun to entertain as to whether Christ had indeed spoken by him, he puts it to them that then they must question their own Christianity. They owed their own conversion to his preaching, and if Christ had not spoken by him, then He had never spoken to them. The beginning of the sentence, obscured to a careless reader, by some intervening words, which I omit, is in 2 Cor. 13:3,3Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. (2 Corinthians 13:3) and the whole argument, for such it is, reads thus: “Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me... examine yourselves, whether ye he in the faith, prove your own selves.” And then, instead of taking for granted that they would seriously do that, he asks them, whether they needed to examine: “Know ye not, your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you — except ye be reprobates?” If they took that latter ground, the proof of Christ speaking in him was indeed gone.
He appeals then, to the certainty of their knowledge about themselves to reprove their uncertainty about himself; and tells them, if they are going to set about proving in the one case, they had better set about prong in the other. And this is what people take tip as an exhortation to all Christians seriously to examine themselves to see if their Christianity be not all a mistake!
But the question remains, If only they that believe are justified, and moreover there is a false and dead faith, as well as a real living one, how am I to know whether I have the right kind of faith except by self-examination?
Now the text at the head of this paper, if weighed in the soul, will give us, I surely believe, the means of answering this. Christ died for the ungodly. Yea, “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” This is most evidently how the apostle can say in the text that God “justifieth the ungodly,” and also “to him that worketh not.” If my condition is one of real impotence; of one without strength, then righteousness must be “to him that worketh not” in my case, or for me not at all. That is simple, — at least, if justification is the beginning of a Christian course. That it is so is just as simple, too, because it is “the ungodly” whom He justifies: the sinner and not the saint. I have not then to work myself out from sinnership into saintship before I am justified: as a sinner, I begin with that.
Faith, therefore, in One who justifies the ungodly, works necessarily this as a main thing, that I cease from working for justification. The two things necessarily go together here: “to him that worketh not, but believeth.” He justifies the ungodly. I am that. I have not therefore to get to be something else, but simply to own my condition in the presence of His grace, and I am righteous this faith is counted unto me for righteousness.
There can thus he no doubt as to my having justifying faith. The faith that, seeing God stoop down to take up sinners, makes me give up self-righteousness, to take my place as a sinner before Him, is true and justifying.
But notice, then, this faith is occupied, not with itself, but with the grace of God in Christ. I have got, in a certain sense, a step lower even than “he that believeth on Him hath everlasting life.” That is, it is not even the sense of my believing, that comforts and settles my soul, but the sense of love which has come down to me as a sinner. I see my sin, not my faith. My sin is easy to be seen, my faith much less easy. And, wonderful to say, it is my sin which gives me title to my Saviour. I give up all pretension to be anything; I take my place before God, not as a worker, but as a sinner; the grace which justifies the sinner is what enables me to take a place before Him just as that; and doing so, I am justified; and have the true and saving faith.
This settles also another question. People ask how you can say that you have the direct testimony of the Word of God for your salvation, so as to make it sin to doubt that. Plainly, it is sin to doubt God’s word. But, they contend, while you have God’s word that all believers will be saved, you have not that same word that you are a believer: that must be an argument at best, and you may be mistaken.
I admit at once that it is an argument that such and such an one is a believer. But it does not follow that the Word of God does not give me direct and positive testimony to what I am. For as we have seen, that testimony is, that Christ died for the ungodly, and that God justifies the ungodly. Dropping all effort, then, — all pretension to do anything, or to be anything but “ungodly,” I see a Saviour for me, as that, whose love, whose power, whose all-sufficiency, it would be “sin to doubt.” There is my assurance. I have title to, trust HIM, if not myself. Can I trust Hint too much?