Faith and a desire for more faith frequently go hand in hand. The reason is that through faith we lay hold upon God, and in grasping the infinite object, the utter inadequacy of each single act of appropriation immediately reveals itself in the very act. It is the same in the Gospel: ‘Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief’ (Mark 9:24)
- Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology; Banner of Truth edition, page 83
Category Archives: Faith
The Reason For Desperate Plunges
I recently listened to a sermon in which Spurgeon was quoted, stating that parents should teach their children to trust Christ before they teach them to love Him. Because the concept of love, to the mind of man is too distorted and most often, meant only with association to affection, as that is an aspect, but not the sole characteristic of love. But trust implies dependence, and that is what God has designed our faith for, else it is not faith in and from God.
Richard Sibbes talks on how and why God exercises our faith…
“God often times defers to help his children until they be in extremity, till they be at their wits’ end, because he will have them live by faith and not by sight; as good Jehoshaphat, ‘We know not what to do, but our eyes are towards thee,’ 2 Chron. xx. 12. So St Paul received the sentence of death in himself, that he might trust in the living God, 2 Cor. i. 9. This is the cause of divine desertions, why God leaves his children in desperate plunges, seeming to be an enemy to them, because he will have us live by faith; and when we live by it, then he rewards us.”
- Richard Sibbes, from his Divine Meditations and Holy Contemplations; of Works, volume 7, page 213
Vos’s “Tree” Analogy
This has to be the best analogy I have ever read or heard of concerning the continuity of the covenant of grace based on the promise of God. Vos explains that the religion of the Old Testament and the religion of the New Testament are different parts of the same tree starting with the patriarchs (before the law), through the Mosaic economy (after the law is given), and then into the New Testament period (now that Christ has come).
“Paul has a profound insight into…patriarchal religion. His main contention with the Judaizers was that they insisted upon interpreting the patriarchal period on the basis of the Mosaic period. The reasoning [Gal. 3:15ff] is in substance as follows: through the diatheke with Abraham the relation between God and Israel was put on a foundation of promise and grace; this could not be subsequently changed, because the older arrangement remains regulative for later institutions [vs 15], and the law was by no less than 430 years later than the Abrahamic berith.
The revealed religion of the Old Testament resembles a tree whose root system and whose crown spread out widely, while the trunk of the tree confines the sap for a certain distance within a narrow channel. The patriarchal period corresponds to the root growth; the freely expanding crown to the revelation of the New Testament; and the relatively constricted form of the trunk to the period from Moses to Christ.”
-Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology, page 79
What Is It To Live By Faith?
Just read this today. This is from a sermon entitled Of Living By Faith by the Puritan David Clarkson. The text he uses, as you may have guessed already, is Hebrews 10:38, ‘Now the just shall live by faith.’ The emphasis is mine and as a substitute for the Old Testament Hebrew vocabulary Clarkson cites, we have used this: [...] This is an excellent and insightful treatment of this text. Clarkson was truly a gifted preacher of the Word of God.
One more thing. As you read this, let me encourage you to keep in mind the contrast between the Law and faith. If we live by faith, then we die apart from it. And that if we are not holding fast to faith, then we are exposed to the Law, which condemns us to death. Though Clarkson does not specifically mention the Law here, his exposition on living by faith has helped me to understand the way we are to consider and respect the Law, but not to find our hope in it. We should fear and tremble at what the Law teaches us about God, that He is holy and righteous and just. But our hope is not in the Law, but in faith in Jesus Christ, which is, and who is life.
What is it to live by faith?
Ans. This living by faith is not a single and transient act, but something habitual and permanent.
And we may thus describe it: living by faith is constant dependence on God, as one without whom we cannot live.
Three things concur to its constitution.
(1.) A sense and acknowledgment that we cannot live without God. This is presupposed. Our life depends on him; and it is our life to depend, life in its latitude; life and all that pertains to it; life and livelihood; life of body and soul; in its being and well-being; in its being and actings, and all that maintain it in both. God is that to the soul, which the soul is to the body, enlivens it and acts it; so Christ quickens and acts the soul. The body cannot live, or move, or act, or grow, it cannot hear, or see, or smell, or touch, without the soul. No more the soul without Christ. Christ is the life of the soul, and faith is the bond, the copula which unites the soul to Christ. And so by means of faith we live, faith uniting us with the principle of life. Both these are remarkably holden forth, Gal. ii. 20, ‘I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life that I live is by faith in the Son of God.’ Even as we may say, the body lives; yet not the body, but the soul lives in it; and the life that it lives, is by means of its union with the soul. So in a spiritual sense, the soul lives; yet not the soul, but Christ lives in it; and the life that it lives, is by faith in Christ uniting Christ to it.
(2.) There is a relying on God for all these, for continuance of what we have, and supply of what we want; rolling ourselves, and the burden of our affairs, on God. This is the formal act of faith. And because it is above us, and few are acquainted with it, I will draw it down to your capacities, and offer it to your senses in a simile or two, which the words, whereby the Hebrews express it, afford us. The first is,[...], to lean, to stay upon, to rely. It is used 2 Sam. i. 6, where it is said of Saul, ‘he leaned upon his spear,’ [...], the same word: Pov. iii. 5, ‘Lean not to thine own understanding,’ i.e., as some render it, ‘trust not.’ For these are used as synonyms: Isa. 1., ‘Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God;’ [... and ...] are of the same force. For to trust God, is to stay ourselves on him. Even as one standing upon a high precipice, and perceiving himself ready to fall, takes hold of some bough, and stays himself by it, and hangs there, he is said to live by staying himself there, because it saves him from death, so we live by faith, because by this we stay ourselves on God, and so escape falling into hell, sin, and eternal death, though we stand continually on a precipice. We live by faith, because, were it not for faith, we should die ; but for this stay, Satan would push us into hell, and our hearts into a gulf of sin, wherein we might sink and perish ; but that faith, laying hold on Christ, leaning upon him, is held above water, and so lives by faith, as a drowning man lives by means of that which stays him from sinking. …
(3.) Constancy, frequency. It is a continued thing; a life of faith, not one act of believing; a whole life of acts. Since we always stand upon the brink of sin and death, and have no security from falling, but God s maintaining, and our apprehending of him, we should continually depend and hang upon God, never let go our hold; for then we fall without recovery. If we live by faith, when we neglect faith, we die. Our whole life should be a continued act of dependence on God when we eat, or drink, or sleep, or work, or pray, &c.; apply ourselves as often to God by faith,…. We should exercise faith more frequently than we use bread; for we live more by it than by bread. ‘Man lives not by bread, but by every word,’ &c. If we believe, God can command other things to nourish in the want of bread.
The Works of David Clarkson; volume 1, pages 175-176; Banner of Truth edition, 1988
Faith, From The Beginning To The End
Below are a few excerpts from John Owen’s commentary about faith, from Hebrews 11:1-2 which says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” (Heb 11:1-2 KJV)
“Faith is that gracious power of the mind whereby it firmly assents unto divine revelation upon the sole authority of God, the revealer, as the first essential truth, and fountain of all truth. It is unto faith that the revelation of these invisible things is made; which it mixeth and incorporates itself withal, whereby it gives an evidence unto them.
It is faith alone that takes believers out of this world whilst they are in it, that exalts them above it whilst they are under its rage; that enables them to live upon things future and invisible….
The faith of true believers from the beginning of the world was fixed on things future, hoped for, and invisible; that is, eternal life and glory in an especial manner. That was the faith whereby they ‘obtained a good report,’ as the apostle here testifies. So vain is the imagination of them who affirm that the promises under the old testament respected only things temporal; so making the whole church to have been Sadducees*. The contrary is here expressly affirmed by the apostle.
That faith whereby men please God acts itself in a fixed contemplation on things future and invisible, from whence it derives encouragement and strength to endure and abide firm in profession against all oppositions and persecutions.”
-John Owen, volume 7, Hebrews commentary
*The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. Without the resurrection, we have no hope of eternal life. This is what our faith is pointing us to, eternal life in and through Jesus Christ.
Such a Measure of Faith
As Thomas Goodwin, the great Puritan divine, lay dying with a fever, his son recounts the way he died. I relay this testimony because this is the way a man of God dies. The only way we know the metal or valor of a man’s faith and his devotion to Christ, is in the way he meets his death. This is a common thread that seems to run pretty consistently through all the Puritans. Another reason I love to read them. They simply had an all-consuming passion for Christ.
“In all the violence of [his fever], he discoursed with that strength of faith and assurance of Christ’s love, with that holy admiration of free grace, with that joy in believing, and such thanksgivings and praises, as he extremely moved and affected all that heard him…. He rejoiced in the thoughts that he was dying, and going to have a full and uninterrupted communion with God. ‘I am going,’ said he, ‘to the three Persons, with whom I have had communion: they have taken me; I did not take them…. I could not have imagined I should ever have had such a measure of faith in this hour…. Christ cannot love me better than he doth; I think I cannot love Christ better than I do; I am swallowed up in God….’ With this assurance of faith, and fullness of joy, his soul left this world” (Works, 2:lxxiv-lxxv)
(Quote taken from Meet The Puritans, page 273)
Goodwin’s own words, “I could not have imagined I should ever have had such a measure of faith in this hour.” This encourages me to not be concerned about death. For when it comes, I will be just as sustained by Christ as ever I have always been. Praise God that he keeps us!
Supplications in Walking With God
Owen saw that there were only two things worthy of our supplications toward God in being His enabling us to walk with Him. He is God and we are to follow Him. His sovereignty dictates our circumstance. Anything we need to walk with Him will fall into two categories. “God give me strength to follow You and the peace in You to suffer well in trials.” Any other requests made to change circumstances devoid of seeking God’s will and His glory will only beget disappointment and discontent.
Were any of us asked seriously, what it is that troubles us, we must refer it to one of these heads: —either we want strength or power, vigour and life, in our obedience, in our walking with God; or we want peace, comfort, and consolation therein. Whatever it is that may befall a believer that doth not belong to one of these two heads, doth not deserve to be mentioned in the days of our complaints.
- John Owen, from the Mortification of Sin in Believers, chapter 4
Christ, The Life of Faith
We cannnot act spiritually till we begin to live spiritually: Therefore the spirit of life must first join himself to us, in his quickening work,…. which being done, we begin to act spiritually, by taking hold upon, or receiving Jesus Christ……..The soul is the life of the body, faith is the life of the soul, and Christ is the life of faith.
-John Flavel, Volume 2, The Works of John Flavel, Banner of Truth Trust
Miscellaneous Quotes
Faith
“Faith is the fountain of prayer, and prayer should be nothing else but faith exercised…. The efficacy of faith in the use of means is not from its own merits, but from God’s power and grace….. Faith is but the instrument; it is a grace that hath no merit in itself…”
-Thomas Manton
Falling
“There is no saint recorded in the word of God, but his failings and errors are recorded. In the visible church there may be errors; none doubteth but God’s children, the elect, may be sometimes led aside, not totally, not finally, and very hardly, into gross errors : Mat. xxiv. 24, ‘Insomuch as, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect;’ it is not possible totally, because of the infallible predestination and efficacious protection of God. It is true, they may die in a lesser error, such as is consistent with faith and salvation, but otherwise they are under the conduct of God’s Holy Spirit, that fundamentally they cannot err, or finally. Well, then, the best had need be cautious. …. God’s own children may err, and dangerously for a while.”
-Thomas Manton
Sin
“When sin lets us alone we may let sin alone; but as sin is never less quiet than when it seems to be most quiet, and its waters are for the most part deep when they are still, so ought our contrivances against it to be vigorous at all times and in all conditions, even where there is least suspicion.”
-John Owen
For Each Other
Members must be careful one of another; this is the communion between saints…. As no man is born for himself, so no man is born anew for himself. We often converse together as men, but not as Christians.
-Thomas Manton
Owen on Believing
Why must we believe God? Why should we take Him at His word? John Owen shows us here that the only reason we need to believe God is because, if He says it, it just simply is. His word is the only qualifier and to reject it, we are essentially calling Him a liar.
He doth not reveal himself by his word unto the principles of natural light, nor unto reason in its exercise; but yet these principles, and reason itself, with all the faculties of our ininds, are consequentially affected with that revelation, and are drawn forth in to their proper exercise by it. But in the gospel the ” righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith,” Rom. i. 17,—not to natural light, sense, or reason, in the first place; and it is faith that is “the evidence of things not seen,” as revealed in the word, Heb. xi. 1. Unto this kind of revelation, ” Thus saith the Lord ” is the only ground and reason of our assent; and that assent is the assent, of faith, because it is resolved into testimony alone. – John Owen ( The Works of John Owen; Volume 4, page 85)
To read volume 4, click here.
