FAITH,
WHAT IS IT?
By C.H.
Spurgeon
http://www.sounddoctrine.net/
WHAT IS THIS FAITH concerning
which it is said, “By grace are ye saved, through faith?”
What is faith? It is made up of three
things — knowledge, belief, and trust. Knowledge comes first.
“How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” I
want to be informed of a fact before I can possibly believe it. “Faith cometh
by hearing”; we must first hear, in order that we may know what is to be believed.
“They that know thy name shall put their trust in thee.” A measure of knowledge
is essential to faith; hence the importance of getting knowledge. “Incline your
ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live.” Such was the word of
the ancient prophet, and it is the word of the gospel still. Search the
Scriptures and learn what the Holy Spirit teacheth concerning Christ and His
salvation. Seek to know God: “For he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.” May the Holy Spirit give you the spirit of
knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord! Know the gospel: know what the good
news is, how it talks of free forgiveness, and of change of heart, of adoption
into the family of God, and of countless other blessings. Know especially
Christ Jesus the Son of God, the Savior of men, united to us by His human
nature, and yet one with God; and thus able to act as Mediator between God and
man, able to lay His hand upon both, and to be the connecting link between the
sinner and the Judge of all the earth. Endeavor to know more and more of Christ
Jesus. Endeavor especially to know the doctrine of the sacrifice of Christ; for
the point upon which saving faith mainly fixes itself is this — “God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them.” Know that Jesus was “made a curse for us, as it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangeth on a tree.” Drink deep of the doctrine of the
substitutionary work of Christ; for therein lies the sweetest possible comfort
to the guilty sons of men, since the Lord “made him to be sin for us, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Faith begins with knowledge.
The mind goes on to believe
that these things are true. The soul believes that God is, and that He
hears the cries of sincere hearts; that the gospel is from God; that
justification by faith is the grand truth which God hath revealed in these last
days by His Spirit more clearly than before. Then the heart believes that Jesus
is verily and in truth our God and Savior, the Redeemer of men, the Prophet,
Priest, and King of His people. All this is accepted as sure truth, not to be
called in question. I pray that you may at once come to this. Get firmly to believe
that “the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, cleanseth us from all sin”;
that His sacrifice is complete and fully accepted of God on man’s behalf, so
that he that believeth on Jesus is not condemned. Believe these truths as you
believe any other statements; for the difference between common faith and
saving faith lies mainly in the subjects upon which it is exercised. Believe
the witness of God just as you believe the testimony of your own father or
friend. “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater.” So
far you have made an advance toward faith.
Only one more ingredient is needed to complete it, which is trust.
Commit yourself to the merciful God; rest your hope on the gracious gospel;
trust your soul on the dying and living Savior; wash away your sins in the
atoning blood; accept His perfect righteousness, and all is well. Trust is the
lifeblood of faith; there is no saving faith without it. The Puritans were
accustomed to explain faith by the word “recumbency.” It meant leaning upon a
thing. Lean with all your weight upon Christ. It would be a better illustration
still if I said, fall at full length, and lie on the Rock of Ages. Cast
yourself upon Jesus; rest in Him; commit yourself to Him. That done, you have
exercised saving faith. Faith is not a blind thing; for faith begins with
knowledge. It is not a speculative thing; for faith believes facts of which it
is sure. It is not an unpractical, dreamy thing; for faith trusts, and stakes
its destiny upon the truth of revelation. That is one way of describing what
faith is.
Let me try again. Faith is believing that Christ is what He is
said to be, and that He will do what He has promised to do, and then to expect
this of Him. The Scriptures
speak of Jesus Christ as being God, God is human flesh; as being perfect in His
character; as being made of a sin-offering on our behalf; as bearing our sins
in His own body on the tree. The Scripture speaks of Him as having finished
transgression, made an end of sin, and brought in everlasting righteousness.
The sacred records further tell us that He “rose again from the dead,” that He
“ever liveth to make intercession for us,” that He has gone up into the glory,
and has taken possession of Heaven on the behalf of His people, and that He
will shortly come again “to judge the world in righteousness, and his people
with equity.” We are most firmly to believe that it is even so; for this is the
testimony of God the Father when He said, “This is my beloved Son; hear ye
him.” This also is testified by God the Holy Spirit; for the Spirit has borne
witness to Christ, both in the inspired Word and by divers miracles, and by His
working in the hearts of men. We are to believe this testimony to be true.
Faith also believes that Christ will do what
He has promised; that since He has promised to cast out none that come to Him,
it is certain that He will not cast us out if we come to Him. Faith
believes that since Jesus said, “The water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life, it must be true; and if
we get this living Water from Christ it will abide in us, and
will well up within us in streams of holy life. Whatever Christ has
promised to do He will do, and we must believe this, so as to look for pardon,
justification, preservation, and eternal glory from His hands, according as He
has promised them to believers in Him.
Then comes the next necessary step. Jesus
is what He is said to be, Jesus will do what He says He will do; therefore we must
each one trust Him, saying, “He will be to me what He says He is, and He
will do to me what He has promised to do; I leave myself in the hands of Him
who is appointed to save, that He may save me. I rest upon His promise that He
will do even as He has said.” This is a saving faith, and he that hath it hath
everlasting life. Whatever his dangers and difficulties, whatever his darkness
and depression, whatever his infirmities and sins, he that believeth thus on
Christ Jesus is not condemned, and shall never come into condemnation.
May that explanation be of some service! I
trust it may be used by the Spirit of God to direct my reader into immediate
peace. “Be not afraid; only believe.” Trust, and be at rest. My fear is lest
the reader should rest content with understanding what is to be done, and yet
never do it. Better the poorest real faith actually at work, than the best
ideal of it left in the region of speculation. The great matter is to believe
on the Lord Jesus at once. Never mind distinctions and definitions. A
hungry man eats though he does not understand the composition of his food, the
anatomy of his mouth, or the process of digestion: he lives because he eats.
Another far more clever person understands thoroughly the science of nutrition;
but if he does not eat he will die, with all his knowledge. There are, no
doubt, many at this hour in Hell who understood the doctrine of faith, but did
not believe. On the other hand, not one who has trusted in the Lord Jesus has
ever been cast out, though he may never have been able intelligently to define
his faith. Oh dear reader, receive the Lord Jesus into your soul, and you shall
live forever!
“HE THAT BELIEVETH IN HIM HATH EVERLASTING LIFE.”