Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
The just live by continuing to trust God and His Word with patient endurance while awaiting the promised coming and reward, even when His purpose cannot be understood and the way ahead cannot be seen. Drawing back is casting away that confidence, renouncing received light and turning back through impatience, in which God has no pleasure and which leads toward perdition, while believing to hold fast leads to the saving of the soul. With special force this belonged to believers disappointed after expecting Christ in the autumn of 1844, who having walked as by sight in fulfilled prophecy and the midnight cry must now stand by faith and hold fast without wavering until further light came through the sanctuary and Revelation 14. Genuine saving faith so lived is active and abiding, cooperating with God, working by love, purifying the soul and shown by works, resting on Christ's merits and strength for obedience rather than on self. Continuance in this faith is required and salvation is conditional, with no standing still and no final assurance apart from advancing from light to greater light, enduring as seeing Him who is invisible and not casting away confidence which has great recompense of reward.
Words and Historical Setting
The just live by faith by continuing to trust God and His Word with patient endurance while awaiting the promised coming and reward. When His purpose cannot be understood and the way ahead cannot be seen, faith means holding fast confidence rather than turning back, believing so as to be saved rather than drawing back to destruction. God takes no pleasure in one who draws back, and those who believe sustain patience as they wait for Christ to come in a little while and not tarry.
The verse belonged with special force to believers disappointed after expecting Christ in the autumn of 1844. Having come up to expectation in the blazing light of unsealed prophecy and rapidly fulfilling signs that His coming was at the doors, with the midnight cry they had walked as by sight. With disappointed hopes and stricken hearts they could now stand only by faith in the sure word, and the trial revealed whether faith and profession had reached the heart. Those who truly loved His appearing remained faithful, while others turned back and ridiculed them.
For those believers living by faith meant holding fast confidence that God had led and directed the movement in which they had done His will. It meant keeping confidence in what was accomplished on the tenth day of the seventh month, refusing to cast it away for lack of faith and patience. It meant continuing to search Scripture and to wait, watch, and hold position without wavering until the disappointment was explained by further light through the sanctuary and the three messages of Revelation 14. Without that encouragement to wait patiently and hold fast confidence in God's word, faith would have been lost when fulfillment appeared delayed. United holding fast would have enabled proclaiming the third angel's message with greater power.
Drawing back is casting away that confidence, growing impatient and turning back. It is renouncing the light already received and denying the Spirit's work in the Advent message, giving it up as the work of man or of Satan. God has no pleasure in such drawing back, and it leads toward perdition, while believing to hold fast leads to the saving of the soul. The safe course is to hold fast to the promises already received, keep searching Scripture, and wait patiently for the Lord's coming despite its seeming delay.
The same pattern appears elsewhere. The words turned Luther from trusting a religious act intended to gain an indulgence to resting on the merits of Christ rather than on human works for salvation. They sustained persecuted believers who kept faith in Christ despite losing every earthly comfort rather than drawing back, and trials brought them nearer to their rest and reward.
Nature of Saving Faith
As first received, so continued and grown in, the life in Christ is by faith, giving self wholly to God for obedience and receiving Christ as strength and righteousness and help to obey, with growth depending on continuing trust rather than self-reliance. Maintaining this earnest life of faith is a hard fight, and victory over the enemy comes by relying wholly on Christ and cleaving only to Him.
Living by faith means doing the will of God and then waiting with patience to receive the promise, because He that shall come will come in a little while and will not tarry. It endures as seeing Him who is invisible and does not cast away confidence, which has great recompense of reward. It holds fast rather than turning back, trusts wholly instead of being faithless, esteems fellow laborers very highly for their works' sake, is at peace among brethren, and refuses suspicion, mistrust, depression of soul, brooding over supposed wrongs, interpreting words and actions in an incorrect and aggravated light, imagining concealed underhanded work and betrayal, shutting within self, withdrawing from those who know best, and bemoaning things that do not exist. Drawing back in which there is no pleasure is giving way to such shaken confidence as acceptance of Satan's devices, and it leads unto perdition, while believing to hold faith leads to the saving of the soul.
Genuine saving faith is active, continues and grows, cooperates with God in salvation, works by love, purifies the soul, and is shown by works. Faith that is merely superficial and empty, merely prayed for and pronounced saved, is not saving faith. Every soul is tested and proved, and anyone who draws back in that proving fails to meet God's standard and gives no pleasure.
It is living, active, and abiding, believing every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, with no standing still and no drawing back unto perdition. The command is to go forward from light to greater light, and the only safety is to advance, to increase in knowledge of the truth, and to be sanctified by it. Those who believe sins forgiven but then stop make no further advancement in faith and experience because they do not receive the light of truth constantly unfolding to those who follow the Light of the world. While the blood of Christ cleanses from all unrighteousness, just as soon as a soul ceases to walk by faith it becomes enshrouded in darkness.
Faith rests on the merits of Christ, not on trusting in human works for salvation, as shown when the words turned Luther from confidence in a religious act intended to gain an indulgence. This faithfulness belongs with entering God's rest by ceasing from own works, laboring to avoid unbelief, and standing open before the searching word of God. Continuance in faith is required, for salvation is conditional and no living person's final salvation is assured. The verse lays down the conditions of salvation and states the Bible election, leaving it wholly with each person whether to comply, specifying who shall be crowned in the city of God and who shall have no part with the just, since drawing back leads unto perdition while believing leads to the saving of the soul.
Faith is strengthened through exercise, for standing firm in obedience to God even amid unbelief, doubts, and opposition brings strength from above. Compromising with opponents or allowing their unbelief to take hold leads to darkness, doubt, and loss of strength in the truth. Living by faith means relying on God for strength and provision while doing the work of spreading truth even amid poverty, illness, and hardship, with strength to labor received from the Lord and not treated as one's own.
Living by faith is a daily, living experience in the benefits that come through obedience, working together with God in Christ's lines, submitting to His training, resisting temptation, drawing strength from God, and partaking of the divine nature having escaped the corruption in the world through lust. Living this way is a privilege to be encouraged, and when done, Christ's laying aside His kingly honors to come to this world to suffer and die is not in vain, for He will look upon the purchase of His blood and be satisfied. In that day the redeemed as overcomers and partakers of the divine nature will cast their glittering crowns at the feet of their Saviour and all heaven will ring with songs of praise.
Perseverance Without Drawing Back
The just live by faith in work for God in the cities by going forward in faith and doing their very best. As they watch and work and pray, God hears and answers their petitions. That answered prayer gives an experience invaluable for later work.
Drawing back is failing to act after the Holy Spirit has awakened a sense of duty, and the one so awakened must act at once because the prompting is from the Lord. God has no pleasure in whoever draws back afterward. In giving this means following through on the conviction to give willingly and cheerfully and continuing in liberality.
Once the Sabbath and truth are accepted, the just must live by faith and hold to conviction rather than cast off the Lord under pressure to give up truth for family, work, and position. Christ speaks with compassion to the soul under such great pressure, warning and appealing to continue, endure, and hold fast rather than yield to opposition. To draw back under that pressure brings God's displeasure.
Living by faith with patience after doing the will of God so as to receive the promise means trusting wholly, believing rather than being faithless, esteeming fellow laborers very highly for their works' sake, and being at peace among brethren. It refuses suspicion, mistrust, depression of soul, and brooding over supposed wrongs. Drawing back in which God has no pleasure is shaken confidence that interprets words and actions in an incorrect and aggravated light, imagines concealed underhanded work and betrayal, shuts within self, withdraws from those who know best, and bemoans things that do not exist. Such a course accepts Satan's devices and leads unto perdition, while believing leads to the saving of the soul, for He that shall come will come and will not tarry, and confidence cast away would have lost great recompense of reward.
Becoming discouraged and giving up the effort to overcome is drawing back from the life of faith and means losing eternal life and the crown of glory. Perseverance in overcoming is necessary, with strength and grace given to those who sincerely seek help from Christ. Gaining eternal life requires earnest effort, perfect obedience, constant striving to overcome, and spiritual vigilance, for faith does not make overcoming effortless. Looking back brings spiritual instability and letting go leads to ruin, while relaxing diligence fosters selfishness and self-indulgence.
The just live by faith and must not draw back amid national apostasy when society rejects God's law and legalizes sin, but must remain publicly faithful. The same refusal to draw back in a crisis of heavy indebtedness and constant calls for money means continuing to lay up treasure in heaven by investing means in building meetinghouses and starting enterprises. It means giving thousands of dollars of book royalties to help the work in Europe and to translate books and train young men for missionary work even while borrowing money at interest to pay helpers. It means refusing to take any move that might appear unfair toward publishing houses in order to gain relief from debt.
Living by faith is being ready to move by faith when the Lord says go forward, walking in the light and moving straight on in God's work. When ministers of Christ are surrounded by selfish, unconsecrated relatives or friends whose influence is not sanctified, they do not always walk in the light and are not ready so to move. Such hindering causes bring influences to bear to hinder the work of God at every step.
Holding position without wavering and obeying received light rather than drawing back in division avoids hindering God's work. For Advent believers before 1844, united holding fast would have enabled proclaiming the third angel's message with greater power.
The just live by continuing to trust God and His Word with patient endurance while awaiting the promised coming and reward, even when His purpose cannot be understood and the way ahead cannot be seen. Drawing back is casting away that confidence, renouncing received light and turning back through impatience, in which God has no pleasure and which leads toward perdition, while believing to hold fast leads to the saving of the soul. With special force this belonged to believers disappointed after expecting Christ in the autumn of 1844, who having walked as by sight in fulfilled prophecy and the midnight cry must now stand by faith and hold fast without wavering until further light came through the sanctuary and Revelation 14. Genuine saving faith so lived is active and abiding, cooperating with God, working by love, purifying the soul and shown by works, resting on Christ's merits and strength for obedience rather than on self. Continuance in this faith is required and salvation is conditional, with no standing still and no final assurance apart from advancing from light to greater light, enduring as seeing Him who is invisible and not casting away confidence which has great recompense of reward.
Words and Historical Setting
The just live by faith by continuing to trust God and His Word with patient endurance while awaiting the promised coming and reward. When His purpose cannot be understood and the way ahead cannot be seen, faith means holding fast confidence rather than turning back, believing so as to be saved rather than drawing back to destruction. God takes no pleasure in one who draws back, and those who believe sustain patience as they wait for Christ to come in a little while and not tarry.
The verse belonged with special force to believers disappointed after expecting Christ in the autumn of 1844. Having come up to expectation in the blazing light of unsealed prophecy and rapidly fulfilling signs that His coming was at the doors, with the midnight cry they had walked as by sight. With disappointed hopes and stricken hearts they could now stand only by faith in the sure word, and the trial revealed whether faith and profession had reached the heart. Those who truly loved His appearing remained faithful, while others turned back and ridiculed them.
For those believers living by faith meant holding fast confidence that God had led and directed the movement in which they had done His will. It meant keeping confidence in what was accomplished on the tenth day of the seventh month, refusing to cast it away for lack of faith and patience. It meant continuing to search Scripture and to wait, watch, and hold position without wavering until the disappointment was explained by further light through the sanctuary and the three messages of Revelation 14. Without that encouragement to wait patiently and hold fast confidence in God's word, faith would have been lost when fulfillment appeared delayed. United holding fast would have enabled proclaiming the third angel's message with greater power.
Drawing back is casting away that confidence, growing impatient and turning back. It is renouncing the light already received and denying the Spirit's work in the Advent message, giving it up as the work of man or of Satan. God has no pleasure in such drawing back, and it leads toward perdition, while believing to hold fast leads to the saving of the soul. The safe course is to hold fast to the promises already received, keep searching Scripture, and wait patiently for the Lord's coming despite its seeming delay.
The same pattern appears elsewhere. The words turned Luther from trusting a religious act intended to gain an indulgence to resting on the merits of Christ rather than on human works for salvation. They sustained persecuted believers who kept faith in Christ despite losing every earthly comfort rather than drawing back, and trials brought them nearer to their rest and reward.
Nature of Saving Faith
As first received, so continued and grown in, the life in Christ is by faith, giving self wholly to God for obedience and receiving Christ as strength and righteousness and help to obey, with growth depending on continuing trust rather than self-reliance. Maintaining this earnest life of faith is a hard fight, and victory over the enemy comes by relying wholly on Christ and cleaving only to Him.
Living by faith means doing the will of God and then waiting with patience to receive the promise, because He that shall come will come in a little while and will not tarry. It endures as seeing Him who is invisible and does not cast away confidence, which has great recompense of reward. It holds fast rather than turning back, trusts wholly instead of being faithless, esteems fellow laborers very highly for their works' sake, is at peace among brethren, and refuses suspicion, mistrust, depression of soul, brooding over supposed wrongs, interpreting words and actions in an incorrect and aggravated light, imagining concealed underhanded work and betrayal, shutting within self, withdrawing from those who know best, and bemoaning things that do not exist. Drawing back in which there is no pleasure is giving way to such shaken confidence as acceptance of Satan's devices, and it leads unto perdition, while believing to hold faith leads to the saving of the soul.
Genuine saving faith is active, continues and grows, cooperates with God in salvation, works by love, purifies the soul, and is shown by works. Faith that is merely superficial and empty, merely prayed for and pronounced saved, is not saving faith. Every soul is tested and proved, and anyone who draws back in that proving fails to meet God's standard and gives no pleasure.
It is living, active, and abiding, believing every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, with no standing still and no drawing back unto perdition. The command is to go forward from light to greater light, and the only safety is to advance, to increase in knowledge of the truth, and to be sanctified by it. Those who believe sins forgiven but then stop make no further advancement in faith and experience because they do not receive the light of truth constantly unfolding to those who follow the Light of the world. While the blood of Christ cleanses from all unrighteousness, just as soon as a soul ceases to walk by faith it becomes enshrouded in darkness.
Faith rests on the merits of Christ, not on trusting in human works for salvation, as shown when the words turned Luther from confidence in a religious act intended to gain an indulgence. This faithfulness belongs with entering God's rest by ceasing from own works, laboring to avoid unbelief, and standing open before the searching word of God. Continuance in faith is required, for salvation is conditional and no living person's final salvation is assured. The verse lays down the conditions of salvation and states the Bible election, leaving it wholly with each person whether to comply, specifying who shall be crowned in the city of God and who shall have no part with the just, since drawing back leads unto perdition while believing leads to the saving of the soul.
Faith is strengthened through exercise, for standing firm in obedience to God even amid unbelief, doubts, and opposition brings strength from above. Compromising with opponents or allowing their unbelief to take hold leads to darkness, doubt, and loss of strength in the truth. Living by faith means relying on God for strength and provision while doing the work of spreading truth even amid poverty, illness, and hardship, with strength to labor received from the Lord and not treated as one's own.
Living by faith is a daily, living experience in the benefits that come through obedience, working together with God in Christ's lines, submitting to His training, resisting temptation, drawing strength from God, and partaking of the divine nature having escaped the corruption in the world through lust. Living this way is a privilege to be encouraged, and when done, Christ's laying aside His kingly honors to come to this world to suffer and die is not in vain, for He will look upon the purchase of His blood and be satisfied. In that day the redeemed as overcomers and partakers of the divine nature will cast their glittering crowns at the feet of their Saviour and all heaven will ring with songs of praise.
Perseverance Without Drawing Back
The just live by faith in work for God in the cities by going forward in faith and doing their very best. As they watch and work and pray, God hears and answers their petitions. That answered prayer gives an experience invaluable for later work.
Drawing back is failing to act after the Holy Spirit has awakened a sense of duty, and the one so awakened must act at once because the prompting is from the Lord. God has no pleasure in whoever draws back afterward. In giving this means following through on the conviction to give willingly and cheerfully and continuing in liberality.
Once the Sabbath and truth are accepted, the just must live by faith and hold to conviction rather than cast off the Lord under pressure to give up truth for family, work, and position. Christ speaks with compassion to the soul under such great pressure, warning and appealing to continue, endure, and hold fast rather than yield to opposition. To draw back under that pressure brings God's displeasure.
Living by faith with patience after doing the will of God so as to receive the promise means trusting wholly, believing rather than being faithless, esteeming fellow laborers very highly for their works' sake, and being at peace among brethren. It refuses suspicion, mistrust, depression of soul, and brooding over supposed wrongs. Drawing back in which God has no pleasure is shaken confidence that interprets words and actions in an incorrect and aggravated light, imagines concealed underhanded work and betrayal, shuts within self, withdraws from those who know best, and bemoans things that do not exist. Such a course accepts Satan's devices and leads unto perdition, while believing leads to the saving of the soul, for He that shall come will come and will not tarry, and confidence cast away would have lost great recompense of reward.
Becoming discouraged and giving up the effort to overcome is drawing back from the life of faith and means losing eternal life and the crown of glory. Perseverance in overcoming is necessary, with strength and grace given to those who sincerely seek help from Christ. Gaining eternal life requires earnest effort, perfect obedience, constant striving to overcome, and spiritual vigilance, for faith does not make overcoming effortless. Looking back brings spiritual instability and letting go leads to ruin, while relaxing diligence fosters selfishness and self-indulgence.
The just live by faith and must not draw back amid national apostasy when society rejects God's law and legalizes sin, but must remain publicly faithful. The same refusal to draw back in a crisis of heavy indebtedness and constant calls for money means continuing to lay up treasure in heaven by investing means in building meetinghouses and starting enterprises. It means giving thousands of dollars of book royalties to help the work in Europe and to translate books and train young men for missionary work even while borrowing money at interest to pay helpers. It means refusing to take any move that might appear unfair toward publishing houses in order to gain relief from debt.
Living by faith is being ready to move by faith when the Lord says go forward, walking in the light and moving straight on in God's work. When ministers of Christ are surrounded by selfish, unconsecrated relatives or friends whose influence is not sanctified, they do not always walk in the light and are not ready so to move. Such hindering causes bring influences to bear to hinder the work of God at every step.
Holding position without wavering and obeying received light rather than drawing back in division avoids hindering God's work. For Advent believers before 1844, united holding fast would have enabled proclaiming the third angel's message with greater power.