Our Faith. What is it? by M. E. DARLING

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 23, 1864

Our Faith. What is it?

By M. E. DARLING

Different from the world's faith is our faith. It is not of the world, not inspired by the love of the world. Our faith is in the word of God. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Says the Saviour, "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done for you." We are a people separate from the world; our hope is the hope of overcoming the world, the flesh, and the evil One. For, he that overcometh shall inherit all things. Our faith, then, consists in this: When we find any word of the Saviour, or any desirable thing or attainment pointed out in the word of truth, we believe it is for us, for us of this day, for us individually. All the promises and invitations are for us, "even for as many as the Lord our God shall call."

But does our faith stop here? Oh no! If it did it were nothing but a dead faith. There is plenty of dead faith in the world—dead faith, grown putrid—faith without works, which "is dead, being alone." Such a faith might perhaps go so far as to take the Bible down once a week, go to church, and if customary, to the prayer-meeting. It may say, the promises are all for me, the invitations to me, and though I am unworthy, yet I expect to be saved through the merits of Christ. It may say all this, and count the blood of Christ an unholy thing. This is the inevitable result of faith without works. It heaps contumely upon the cross of Christ. To say that man may be saved without works, without renouncing the world, without righteousness, (right doing), in short, without doing all that he can do, is to make Christ the minister of sin, to count his blood an unholy thing.

Our faith sees precious promises, yes, and it sees commands, it sees also threatenings, it reaches to the words of the Saviour where he says, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, but shall not be able." It will take all to buy the field. "He that is faithful in that least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." What is it to be faithful? It is to be watchful, to be attentive, always to stand at the post of duty.

"The first approach of sin to see, And bid the tempter fly."

Says the Saviour in Matt. v, commencing at verse 17, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." A jot is said to be the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. A tittle, a fine mark or part of a letter. Whosoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.

One of these least commandments. Well, what is a commandment? If we keep a commandment we do something, unless it be that we are commanded to do nothing. Then it is of vast importance to know what the commandments are, what the Lord requires. What are the commandments? I ask again. No doubt our Saviour is here speaking of the ten. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets." The law here spoken of is doubtless the ten commandments, the summing up of our whole duty to God and man.

One point here calls our attention, and that is the fact that the ten commandments do embrace the whole duty of man. In proof of this, we need simply to ask, If man had never broken the law would he have needed a Saviour? It was said of Jesus, For he shall save his people from their sins. The apostle John in the third chapter of his first epistle, gives us the definition of sin. Verse 4. "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law." Verse 5. "And ye know that he (that is Christ) was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin." Rebellion is death. Our first parents rebelled, became subject to death. They fell, and were held down by the cords of their sins. Prov. v, 22. Obedience is life. Christ came and died, that he might loose the pains of death, and bring again the captives where they might, if they would, keep the commandments of God and be reconciled to him through his (Christ's) blood. He that rejects Christ cannot keep the commandments of God. Nay, more, he is treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath, multiplying transgression and rebellion. If he makes mention of the name of the Lord it is in vain, while he is setting up idols in his heart and worshiping Mammon, the god of this world.

Thus, it appears clearly that we cannot keep the commandments of God unless we keep them in his appointed way. "It is not for man that walketh to direct his steps." We cannot receive Christ as a Saviour unless we acknowledge him to be what he is, a Saviour from sin. So that whoever receives him in this way, comes, virtually saying, Lord, here I come according to thy word, to be cleansed from the least and last remains of sin. "I consent unto the law that it is good, but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. vii, 16, 18. I come to thee as a Saviour. Such and such only have the promise of free and full salvation. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The Bible is the book which teaches us the will of God. The Bible and the Bible alone is our only rule of faith, practice and discipline. We adopt the plain literal interpretation, taking God at his word, believing he means what he says and says what he means.

The Bible is a book of authority. Yes, the great Lawgiver's precepts are all divine commands. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Tim. iii, 16, 17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable. The word of the Lord is one, and so completely woven and linked together are the commands of God, that the apostle James tells us that whosoever shall keep the whole law and offend in one point, he is guilty of all. That is, he is guilty of breaking the law.

The commandments of the Lord are exceeding broad. Covetousness is idolatry. He that hateth his brother is a murderer. He that looketh with an evil eye is an adulterer. He that biddeth God-speed to the man that teacheth another doctrine than that of Jesus Christ, is partaker with him in his evil deeds. And, "As a mad man that casteth firebrands, arrows and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, Am not I in sport?" Prov. xxvi, 18, 19. Says the Saviour, "For every idle word that man shall speak he shall

give an account in the day of judgment."

'The little foxes spoil the vines.' How many thousands of professors there are in good standing in the so-called evangelical churches of the day, who deem it unnecessary to bridle their tongues or curb their inclinations any farther than to appear well in the eyes of the world. But, brethren, we have not so learned Christ. We know that the world will love its own, but Jesus has said of his followers, 'I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.' John xvii, 14.

Our faith is in the promises of God, that what he has promised he is able also to perform. The Saviour has promised to come again to this earth to receive his saints, and has commanded us to watch. He has given signs which should foretoken his coming, and by which we may know when he is near, even at the doors. We see the signs fulfilled, we know he is near. Jesus Christ led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. Eph. iv, 7, 8. And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. How long? We turn again to the apostle's words. 'And he gave some apostles and some prophets, &c.' See verses 11 and 12. Verse 13. 'Till we all come into the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive.'

Yes, we endeavor to keep the commandments, even every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. For blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city. Rev. xxii, 14.

M. E. DARLING.

Preston, Fillmore Co., Minn.