A MAN may have strong faith in an unreliable object, and the stronger his faith the more disastrous the consequences. For instance, some years ago many investors had strong faith in the Liberator Building Society, but their strong faith did not prevent the society from becoming bankrupt, and the savings of the investors being swept away.
Again, the Mahomedan or the Brahmin has strong faith in his religion, but how worse than worthless, nay, how soul-destroying, his faith is.
A man may have weak faith in a reliable object, but the weakness of his faith does not lessen the reliability of the object on which he has placed it.
For instance, the distracted father, who brought his devil-possessed son to Jesus, cried out with tears, “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.” His was an unbelieving belief, a doubting trust, but his weak faith was placed on the right Person, and he was not disappointed.
THE CRYING NEED OF THE WORLD IS FAITH.
But as we have just shown, it is not necessarily a blessing to have strong faith, nay, it may be a curse, but it is a blessing beyond words to have faith in a right object. So our facts must be divine and of God, and as we ponder and receive them, and we trust the One of whom they testify, our faith will grow exceedingly, and we shall be filled with “all joy and peace in believing.”
It is a singular trait of faith, that the more we examine it the less likely we are to keep it; but the more we are occupied with the facts on which our faith rests the more will our faith grow to the glory of God and our comfort.
For instance, when a lad is first learning to swim, how small is his faith that the water will support him. But after he has learned and tested the buoyancy of the water, how boldly he plunges in. Occupation with his faith would not strengthen it, but increasing knowledge of the buoyancy of the water strengthens his faith without his thinking about it.
Again, suppose at the approach to London Bridge a gentleman taps a policeman on the shoulder. “Do you think the bridge will bear my weight?” he asks. If the policeman does not turn on his heel and mutter “lunatic,” but takes the trouble to answer the foolish fellow, he would not talk about the man’s faith or lack of it, but the strength and reliability of London Bridge. He might tell him the bridge had stood since 1831, that it had cost £506,000, that every day about 200,000 persons pass over it, and thousands of heavily laden vehicles crossed it in safety. With such facts before him, if he have any sense at all, his faith in the bridge would embolden him to cross it.
Sufficient has been said to show how deeply important it is that we should be sure of the right facts, and putting our confidence in them, inquiry will only increase our faith, and we shall be ashamed of lingering doubts and fears. “O fools, and slow of heart to believe,” said the Lord to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
What, then, are the divine facts we would consider?
Who sent the Son?
The Father.
Whom did the Father send?
The Son.
What did He send Him for?
To be the Saviour of the world.
Then you may be saved.
Yes.
Why, then, is all the world not saved?
Because all do not believe.
Suppose a ship foundering with twenty hands oil board. The lifeboat is sent to save the crew. There is room for all; there is welcome for all; there is an invitation for all. Suppose five out of the twenty refuse to enter the lifeboat, why are all not saved? The answer is obvious.
But to return, you may be saved. Why not? Jesus was sent to be the Saviour of the world, and you are part of the world. Do you reply, “It seems to me it is too easy a way to only believe and be saved. A great work must be done before I can he saved”?
Yes, you are quite right; a work too great for you to do, or to help to do. It were easier for you to create a world than to wash away your sins.
A great work must be done before it is possible that you could be saved. That brings us to our second fact.
The work that is necessary has been done. Atonement is completed. We stand in presence of a finished work.
“IT IS FINISHED; yes, indeed,
Finished every jot.
Sinner, this is all you need,
Tell me, is it not?”
Now nothing remains but to put our trust in the One who has done the work. “There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)).
You may be saved. Jesus came to be the Saviour of all.
You may be saved. He has actually finished the work of atonement on the cross.
The proof of this lies in our third fact.
(3) “God raised him from the dead” (Acts 13:3030But God raised him from the dead: (Acts 13:30)). This is the proof that God is satisfied with the work that His Son has done. It is a most important fact for our faith. To illustrate: a young sailor, anxious to be saved, remained behind at the close of a gospel meeting. The preacher placed the simple gospel before him as clearly as possible. The young man answered again and again, “I’m not satisfied.” At last the preacher wisely answered, “It does not matter that you should be satisfied. The great point to learn is that God is satisfied.” He then showed the young man that the Lord Jesus had died for him, that He had finished the work of atonement on the cross, that God had shown His satisfaction by raising Jesus from the dead, crowning Him with glory and honor at His right hand. When the young man saw that God was satisfied, he no longer said, “I’m not satisfied.” How could he fail to be satisfied when he learned that God was satisfied?
The reader may say, I agree to all this. (1) “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.”
That means He came to save me. (2) He said on the cross, “It is finished.” I know the work has been accomplished. (3) “God raised him from the dead.” God has accepted the work done by Christ on the behalf of sinners. My question is, How am I personally to receive salvation?
Your Question reader brines me to my fourth fact.
(4) “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). It is a fact that all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved. To believe is to trust—to receive Him as your own personal Saviour. Get hold of this fact. All who believe in Christ are saved. Do you believe on Him? do you trust Him as your Saviour? If you can say, yes, then you are saved. I say it without fear of successful contradiction, because God says it. If God says it, you can well say it. To be doubtful as to your salvation is to doubt God. What a dishonor to Him! You do not intend to do it, but “he that believeth not God hath made him a liar” (1 John 5:1010He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (1 John 5:10)). To believe on Christ and doubt your salvation is to say that God’s word is not sufficiently clear or trustworthy, and that Christ’s work is not sufficient or not complete. Surely you are not prepared to take that ground.
Other verses are just as clear. Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31) is quite sufficient, just as one good title-deed to an estate is enough. But let me give you one or two more without comment.
The reader may say, Now you have spoken about facts, will you tell us about faith and feeling?
In answer I would reply: The less said about faith the better. The more we talk about facts the more are you likely to have faith. The more you look at an outside object of faith―the Lord Jesus Christ―the more will your faith grow. The more you examine your faith, the more will it diminish, just as the sensitive plant shrinks from human touch. And as to feelings, the less said about them the better. They are utterly unreliable as a ground of assurance. Often they vary with health, the weather, and our surroundings. But we insist on faith as the link of blessing between the soul and God in contradistinction to works or merit.
Let me give you a final illustration to show the relation between fact, faith, and feeling.
Suppose you owed £100― to some man who presses you for the immediate discharge of the debt, and that you were quite unable to pay. You have plenty of feeling, which you would father be without― unhappy feelings, miserable feelings.
Suppose, further, a relative, knowing your distress of mind, discharges your debt. He brings you the receipt.
Now what does the receipt testify to?
Two things―both facts. (1) The debt discharged. (2) The creditor satisfied.
Further, what does the receipt effect in your mind? Nothing but doubt and perplexity unless you have faith as to the two facts to which it testifies.
But believing the receipt, in other words having faith that (1) the debt had been paid by another; (2) that the creditor is satisfied, what is the result?
Your faith in the fact leads to relieved and thankful feelings. But faith is founded on a fact, and feelings flow from faith. Mark the order. And the more undoubted the facts the more is faith strengthened, and the more fully happy feelings flow.
So you see feelings do not give assurance, but flow from assurance.
In conclusion, let me beseech the anxious reader to weigh over the facts put before him. He may indeed put his full unhesitating faith in them, or rather in Him the Lord Jesus Christ around whom these facts center, and then may he be filled “with all joy and peace in believing”―happy divine feelings wrought by God’s Holy Spirit, and flowing from faith in the Lord Jesus and His finished work, and confidence in the testimony of Scripture.
“Of all the gifts Thy love bestows,
Thou Giver of all good!
Not heaven itself a richer knows
Than the Redeemer’s blood.
Faith, too, that trusts the blood through grace,
From that same love we gain;
Else, sweetly as it suits our case,
The gift had been in vain.
We praise Thee, and would praise Thee more,
To Thee our all we owe;
The precious Saviour, and the power
That makes Him precious too.”
A. J. P.