Faith and Belief | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 2, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 22.

Faith and Belief.

Faith is one thing; belief is another. Belief may be faith, but generally it is not. Faith includes belief and much more. Faith is a living, working principle, while simple belief is the mere assent that the thing is so. Yet in common acceptation of the word belief, and the Bible idea of saving faith, there is a wide difference, in the very nature of the case.

Belief and Its Basis.

Belief is founded on our inner consciousness of the credibility of what is told us, or what we have been taught. The story may be false, but we may believe it to be true. The story is told us; we assent to its seeming truth. The Scriptures are said to be the word of God; belief says yes. That word declares that God by his word created the heavens and the earth by his Son; that his Son came to earth, took upon himself our nature, died and rose again to redeem and save us; that he is coming again with great power and glory. To all this, belief responds that it is so. The man believes it because it is in harmony with his own mind, it appeals to his reason, it has been taught him by those in whom he has confidence. And generally no other grounds of belief are given than those noticed above.

Faith and Its Basis.

Saving faith is founded on the word of God. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom. 10:17. It is that living motive power, given by God to every man, which every man may exercise for himself. It is not dependent on conscious conviction or knowledge; it is not dependent on reason; it is wholly based on the word of God. It may be exercised in direct opposition to conscious conviction or knowledge, and exercised in power. God declares the fact, faith says it is so; and to the exerciser of the faith, the word of God becomes fact.

Its Manifestation.

Faith is manifested in submission to the word of God without question. It may question to know what God says; it will consider what God says in order to know what he means; but it will not question as to whether God meant what he said, or said what he did not mean. If the one text upon a certain subject is not understood, the voice of our divine Master comes to us, "It is written again." If Satan would use the one text to seek to pervert wisdom, the second text, or the third, or still others, will give to him who desires to know, additional light. God's word is one; the same divine Master has attuned all parts to the same harmony. Does God command? Faith submits to do the command. Does God promise? Faith appropriates the promise and makes its power its own.

The Power of Faith.

The power of faith does not rest in the abstract principle, in the mere assent to fact, in the mere matter of believing God. All the power is of God; and God's power is exercised to his people through his word and Spirit. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made." God "spake and it was." God "commanded, and it stood fast." "The words that I speak unto you," says Jesus, "they are spirit and they are life." The power of faith is the power of God's word. If that word is a command, and faith submits to do what is commanded, it has all the power of God that is in that commandment. It has so allied itself with that word, it is so brought into harmony with that word, that it has the working power of the word which God placed in that command. If the word of God is a promise of what shall be on certain conditions, faith yields to the conditions, appropriates the promises, and thereby obtains all the power which God has stored in those promises. If it is the forgiveness of sins, faith grasps the promise by yielding to God's will, and the sins are forgiven. If it is freedom from the sorest hour of temptation, faith grasps Christ's victory stored in the assurance. The power of faith is therefore the power of the word of God, the power of Christ Jesus, the Creator.

Helpful Witnesses.

We do not mean to convey the idea that God gives no evidences which appeal to our consciousness or reason; for he gives many; but living faith always leads us out beyond these evidences. The purity, the unity, the adaptability of God's word to the needs of man, the fulfillment of prophecy, and many other things, are all designed of God to help us to exercise what everyone has the privilege of exercising,—living faith in his word.

Illustrations.

Centuries ago the children of Israel were in Egypt, a nation of slaves, ignorant, weak, and to some extent degraded, and yet holding to a few rays of the light of the knowledge of God. God sent to them and to Egypt his word by his prophet Moses. Mighty miracles were wrought, which led the children of Israel to believe in the power of God. But when the last night in Egypt came, God demanded of them exercise of faith. They were to kill the paschal lamb, and sprinkle the blood on the side posts and lintel of the door, that the destroying angel might pass over them unharmed. It was impossible for them to conclude from reason or their inner consciousness, or from precedent, that such a thing would be so, or that the blood stains would preserve them. They must yield to God on the naked authority of his word. A few hours later they stood on the shore of the Red Sea. "Go forward," is God's command. Precedent is against it; for they had none. Inner consciousness was against it, apart from faith. Reason was against it; for they would but walk to a watery grave. But there was God's word, "Go forward." All the power necessary for Israel to fulfill that word was in the word. Israel yielded to the word, the Red Sea opened, and the people of God soon sang their triumph on the other shore. Faith's fruit is certain triumph, for God's word cannot fail.

On God's Word Alone.

Men may speak God's word, but if received because spoken by men, faith is not the receiver. We may suppose that God has spoken a certain thing which he has not spoken, and receive it as from him; but faith does not receive it, and our belief will not save us from the consequences. The man of God must not only speak God's word in order that it may be effectual, but it must be received as from God, not from man. The word of God alone is of power, of infinite power. Man's word is as weak as the man who uttered it. However we may believe it, it will not save us. "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm." "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." See Jer. 17:5-8. God's word alone, and the Incarnate Word, Christ Jesus, must be our guide, our stay, our anchor, our shield, our stronghold, our all in all. By whomever preached, test the message with the word of God. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." If the message is not the word of God, reject

it. If taught, then receive it as from the Lord and not from its bearer. Honor the messenger because of his message, and not the message because of the messenger.