Faith and Works by J. Hare

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 11, 1871

Faith and Works.

By J. Hare

FAITH is the motive power; works the result. Works are the fruit, faith the tree. Faith and works are inseparably joined together; the one is as necessary to the other as the fountain is to the stream, or the heart to the physical life. As it is a principle in philosophy that like causes produce like effects, so it is an infallible rule that a man's works declare the nature or quality of his faith. James recognizes this principle when he says, Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. And again, Know this, O vain man, that faith without works is dead, being alone.

We might as well expect a dead man to produce works, as a dead faith. They are both alike impotent.

Paul and James both speak of different kinds of faith. James tells us that the devils believe and tremble; yet the devils do not believe they will be saved, hence their faith is dead in this respect. Paul speaks of a faith which, though it might produce many works, yet if it be destitute of a certain principle, viz., charity, it would be unavailing so far as salvation is concerned. Now it is evident that both these lack the genuine stamp. The great mission of Jesus to this fallen world was one of love; hence all that are united to Christ as the living vine, are moved by this same spirit, love to God and to mankind; or charity, as Paul has it; hence love becomes the great distinguishing feature between the children of God and the children of the wicked one.

Paul gives us a definition of faith. Heb. 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It will be noticed that the words substance and evidence in this verse or definition of Paul's, have a deep significance, and will hardly be comprehended, except it be by the thoughtful Bible student; and not then, except he has such an experience as that which saves a man from the family of Satan, and adopts him into the family of God. All such may realize to some extent the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This whole chapter may be studied as one of much interest on this subject; and it may be that some in reading over the prominent list of worthies which Paul has brought to view, may feel that such faith is hardly to be enjoyed by the children of God at present. But why not? Why should not the children of God hold just as sweet and heavenly communion with their Heavenly Father at the present time as at any previous period in the world's history? God is said to be no respecter of persons; but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. Acts 10:35. The commandments of God which require holiness upon our part, still remain. We read also in 1 Peter 1:15, 16, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Now if we go to Paul's definition of faith, we are driven to the conclusion that the child of God does enjoy all his faith lays hold of, and no more. We hear Christ upbraiding his disciples because of their lack of faith. As he stretches forth his hand to save a sinking Peter, he says, Why didst thou doubt? “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matt. 17:19, 20.

We have already shown that a correct faith will always produce corresponding works. Cleanse the fountain, and the stream will be pure. Make the tree good, and the fruit will be good. It may be there are those who are laboring under a different opinion on this subject; and although they feel that they are great sinners before God, yet they feel that by some good works, which they are going to perform, God will be brought under a kind of obligation to bless and save them; but they feel that just at the present time they are too wicked for God to accept. Let me say to all such that this is a deception of Satan. No man can ever work himself better. We have all violated the law of God, and have incurred its penalty, which is death; and if we could, from the present moment, keep the law perfect in every part (which is impossible), yet all our past sins would remain against us, and the penalty would still hang over us. All such efforts are like trying to make a clear stream below a muddy fountain, or good fruit grow on a bad tree. If it were possible that our works should be meritorious, then it would have been unnecessary that Christ should die for us. But seeing we are wholly dependent on Christ for salvation, we conclude with Paul that it is by grace, and not works. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8, 9. “Therefore it is by faith that it might be by grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.” Rom. 4:16. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Rom. 3:20–28.

We give a further reason why works cannot be meritorious. No man can produce good works till after conversion. After Christ and the Father take up their abode in his heart, his good works are the result of God's Spirit in the heart; hence we read, It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure; hence we are beholden to God for strength to keep the moral law, or perform works acceptable to him.

Then let us not stay away from Christ because we feel unworthy, but come just as we are, all bruised and mangled by sin, and cast ourselves unreservedly upon Christ, believe with our hearts unto righteousness, make confession with the mouth unto salvation, and be assured that all things are possible to them that believe. Mark 9:23. The broken and contrite heart that believes and confides in Christ, never can be disappointed.

But beware of doubts and unbelief. The children of Israel fell in the wilderness because of unbelief. Afterward the people were rejected because of their unbelief, and broken off that the Gentiles might be grafted in. “And he did not many mighty works because of their unbelief.” Matt. 13:58. And he could there do no mighty works save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:5, 6.

Doubts and unbelief may be troubling some even among Sabbath-keepers with regard to the last work of God under the third message of Rev. 14, and the responsible position the people of God occupy. It can scarcely be otherwise but that unbelief at this point must prove fatal unless it is put away speedily and we betake ourselves to work in earnest, seeking from God the help that we so much need, that our faith may be strong in God, and that we may obtain a complete victory over the world, the flesh, and Satan, as well as over unbelief, and stand entire at last. J. HARE.

Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.