Faith
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Faith claims God’s promises and brings forth fruit in obedience.
Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to
excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust
the love of God and to obey His commands. Presumption led them
to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them
from the consequences of their sin. It is not faith that claims the favor
of Heaven without complying with the conditions on which mercy is
to be granted. Genuine faith has its foundation in the promises and
provisions of the Scriptures.
To talk of religion in a casual way, to pray without soul-hunger and
living faith, avails nothing. A nominal faith in Christ, which accepts
Him merely as the Saviour of the world, can never bring healing to the
soul. The faith that is unto salvation is not a mere intellectual assent to
the truth. He who waits for entire knowledge before he will exercise
faith, cannot receive blessing from God.
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It is not enough to believe about Christ; we must believe in Him.
The only faith that will benefit us is that which embraces Him as a
personal Saviour; which appropriates His merits to ourselves. Many
hold faith as an opinion. But saving faith is a transaction, by which
those who receive Christ join themselves in covenant relation with
God. Genuine faith is life. A living faith means an increase of vigor, a
confiding trust, by which the soul becomes a conquering power.
Unbelief and Doubt
Faith takes God at His word, not asking to understand the meaning
of the trying experiences that come. But there are many who have little
faith. They are always fearing and borrowing trouble. Every day they
are surrounded by the tokens of God’s love, every day they enjoy the
bounties of His providence; but they overlook these blessings. And the
difficulties they encounter, instead of driving them to God, separate
them from Him, by arousing unrest and repining.
Do they well to be thus unbelieving? Jesus is their friend. All
heaven is interested in their welfare, and their fear and repining grieve
the Holy Spirit. Not because we see or feel that God hears us are we
to believe. We are to trust His promises. When we come to Him in
faith, we should believe that every petition enters into the heart of
Christ. When we have asked for His blessing, we should believe that