Not a Book of Definitions

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 8, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 40.

Not a Book of Definitions

Not a Book of Definitions.—The Bible is not a book of precise definitions; life can not be limited by mere words of men. For instance: Heb. 11 : 1—"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen"—is frequently quoted as a definition of faith; but at the most it is but a definition of faith in its future aspect, its forward look. The context of Heb. 11:1 refers to disappointed ones (Heb. 10; 32-39), and the exhortation is to hope, to let faith bring the future here. But faith is more than this; it is absolute submission to God in the constantly unfolding present; it is receiving and accepting all the wondrous gifts of grace through Jesus Christ now; it is taking God's word for just what the word says; it is appropriating the power of his word to all present needs. Faith is all this and more. It must be exercised to be known.