The Right Kind of Faith.

SOME people are in great fear lest their faith should not be of the right kind. It causes them a good deal of anxious thought. They look within, they listen to their feelings, and examine the state of their own heart, but nothing they can do suffices to make them quite sure that their faith is genuine. Hence they have no settled peace. Ease and comfort they sometimes have, but only to be followed by seasons of profound disquietude. A sorry state indeed!
Now there is a right sort of faith and a wrong, but what makes it either one or the other is not exactly the faith itself, but the object on which it rests. I may have a faith that cannot be shaken — firm as mountains and strong as chains of steel, but if the individual in whom my faith is placed is not worthy of it, then it is a worthless faith. Suppose a man deposits all his fortune in a bank with unbounded confidence in its solvency and stability―his faith in it is like a rock which nothing can disturb―but if on the morrow it shuts its doors and suspends payment, then his faith, though strong, is worth nothing. It cannot save him from utter ruin. On the other hand, if our faith is founded on something that will never give way, then it is a right faith, and no disappointment is in store for us. Therefore, our serious inquiry should be―not whether our faith is of the right kind, but whether it is built on a sure and right foundation.
On what, then, does the faith of a Christian rest? First of all on the Gospel of God; those glad tidings which declare unto us the forgiveness of sins through the Saviour’s name (Acts 13:38, 3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39)). Now this is no doubtful testimony. There are no elements of uncertainty in it. It says not one thing today and another tomorrow. It is the Gospel of God, invested with His authority and bearing, so to speak, His signature and seal. A firmer foundation no one can have. The word of a fellow-creature may perish and pass away like the flower of the field, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto us (1 Peter 1:2525But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:25)). We believe this Gospel, we know it is true, and are sure that we shall never be confounded.
In the forefront of the Gospel stands the glorious fact that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:3, 43For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3‑4)). The death and resurrection of Christ are set before our eyes. He died for our sins and thus has put them forever away (Heb. 9:2626For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)). This is no mere matter of feeling. It is what the Gospel testifies, and our soul receives this testimony. It comes from God. We believe Him and dare not doubt His Word. Of all persons to be disbelieved, God is the last. Who would care or dare to make 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)).
And this is faith — the simple soul-belief of His Gospel. There is nothing mysterious about faith, nothing hard to understand, nothing to make us take down the dictionary to find out the meaning of it. It is nothing more than the soul hearkening to God and believing what He says. Does He say that whosoever believeth in Jesus shall receive remission of sins? (Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)). Then it must be so. Does He declare that by Him all that believe are justified from all things? (Acts 13:3939And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)). Then so it is.
It may require some effort to implicitly believe the word of one about whom we know nothing, and we may be excused if sometimes we have misgivings as to what has been said, especially if it be about important matters. But the God whom we believe is not a stranger to us. He has revealed Himself in the person of the Lord Jesus. We have listened to His words, for the words of the Son are the words of the Father who sent Him (John 3:3434For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. (John 3:34)). From His lips we have heard the story of the love of God―the God who so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). This is the One whom we believe — whose word we trust. And in doing so we exercise faith, for faith is believing, and believing is faith. Now faith is the hand and eye of the soul. We do not think of our hand when we stretch it forth to receive the gift, nor do we think of our eyes as we look on the hills and valleys that lie at our feet. Without our eyes we could not see them at all, but our eyes are never thought of as we point out to others the beauties of the landscape on which we gaze with admiration and delight. But if faith is the eye of the soul, the eye is not formed to look at itself, but at objects other than itself. So faith looks away to Jesus, once dead but now alive and in glory; faith looks at the testimony of God, believes it, and in believing is filled with joy and peace (Rom. 15:1313Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13)). Here has been your mistake. You have been looking to see whether you have the right kind of faith. You might as well look to see whether you have the right kind of eyes. You use your eyes all the day long without thinking of them, so let it be with your faith. Look off unto Him who is the Object of faith, and in doing so you will have abiding happiness and peace.
W. B.
[Is this quite clear? If not please write to the Editor, whose address is on the cover, and he will try to make it so.]