Not a Book of Definitions

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 1, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 22.

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.