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H. M. KELLEY

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 14, 1915

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 92, No. 3.

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H. M. KELLEY

By H. M. KELLEY

The Faith of Jesus—No. 5

H. M. KELLEY

WHEN EVE “cast away truth” she surrendered herself to Satan. As it was then, so is it now; faith is the test of discipleship. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:14, 15, 18. Infinite love was first revealed to fallen man when a promise of the Saviour was given, and faith to believe that promise was restored to him. Faith that accepts Christ as the Saviour of the world is the greatest gift ever given to man.
The Lord, in speaking to the serpent, the representative of Satan, said, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. 3:14, 15. The Seed is to bruise the serpent’s head. This is the first promise of a Saviour. The precious blood of the Son of God was promised to atone for the sins of the race. Faith in the efficacy of his blood will result in the cleansing of the heart from sin. “For by grace are ye saved through faith.” But before his blood can be applied, we must show our willingness to accept the atonement. This we do by believing on his name. But we cannot believe until unbelief is destroyed. So Jesus said, “Every plant, which my Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.” Unbelief is a foreign seed that was sown the day when Eve yielded to Satan, but faith was given to retard its growth, and will finally expel it from the heart if the individual is fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit.
“When Satan heard the declaration that enmity should exist between himself and the woman, and between his seed and her seed, he knew that his efforts to deprave human nature would be interrupted; that by some means man was to be enabled to resist his power.”—“The Great Controversy,” pages 505, 506.
John said, “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” The first thing Adam and Eve surrendered to Satan was their faith, and they lost everything as a result. The first thing restored to man in the plan of salvation is faith, and it will enable us to overcome the world, and all the blessings of heaven will follow in its train. A careful study of the life and works of Jesus when he was on earth shows that in all he did he encouraged faith. Those whose faith was the strongest received the greatest blessings and did the most for him. Study the lives of the men of God in all ages, and you will find that the secret of their success was their faith in God. Study the history of the third angel’s message, and you will find that it was started by men of faith; it is being carried to the world today by men and women whose faith is strong, and it will be closed up by those who “have the faith of Jesus.”
Herrin, Ill.