FAITH

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jan 16, 1901

Faith is nothing more or less in its practical results than complete submission to, and implicit confidence in, God’s word. If that word says wait, the faithful yield to wait. If the word says do, the faithful yield all their powers to do. And this yielding is not perforce, but willingly. They choose thus to do because of their faith and confidence in God.

God never gives of His Spirit to any person independent of himself. He does not divide His Spirit into many independent spirits. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.” Eph. 4:4. Just the same as the one life permeates every part and member of the human body, just so it is the one Life, the one Spirit, in every member of Christ’s spiritual body, the church. Separate from Him we die.

Man is not saved by the works of the law. “Man is not justified by the works of the law. His life after justification is not approved because of the works of the law. His works of the law do not make part payment in the least of the daily obligation which he owes to God. But man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Rom. 3:28, R.V. Faith submits to God, and God takes His righteousness in Christ (to which the law bears witness, for it is also the righteousness in the law, Rom. 3:21), and puts it upon the sinner (Rom. 3:22), reckons it to him simply and solely on account of his faith (Rom. 4:3, 11, 16). And all the works which follow the justification of the Christian are works of faith, or “obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26), in other words, are the fruits of that righteousness which God by His Spirit has placed within us (Gal. 5:22, 23). We are therefore complete in Christ, in whom all the fulness of the Godhead dwells (Col. 2:9, 10), of which fulness we furnish nothing but a willing, submissive heart, while God does the work (Phil. 2:13). It is all of Christ, and Christ is all, and in all. Col. 3:11. Does this mean that he who is Christ’s will not keep the law? He can not do otherwise than keep it. The same Spirit which wrought the righteousness of the law in Christ, will bear the same fruit in us. Eph. 5:9.