Chapter 4
For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Because God is gracious, sinful people are forgiven, converted, purified, and saved. It is not because of anything in them or that ever can be in them that they are saved, but it is only because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God.
Pause a moment at the place where the spring begins. Behold the pure river of water of life as it proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1). How limitless is the grace of God! Who can comprehend it? Like all the rest of the divine attributes, it is infinite. God is full of love, for God is love (1 John 4:8). God is full of goodness, and the very name God is short for good.
Unlimited goodness and love enter into the very essence of the Godhead. It is because His mercy endures for ever (Psalm 136:1) that people are not destroyed. It is because His compassion never fails (Lamentations 3:22) that sinners are brought to Him and forgiven. Remember this, or you may fall into error by focusing your minds so much on the faith that is the channel of salvation that you forget the grace that is the fountain and source of faith itself.
Faith is the work of God’s grace in us. No one can say that Jesus is the Christ except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). No one can come to me unless the Father who has sent me draws him (John 6:44); so faith, which is coming to Christ, is the result of God drawing us to Him. Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation, and faith, as important as it is, is only an important part of the method that grace uses. We are saved through faith, but it is by grace. Proclaim those words as with the archangel’s trumpet: By grace are ye saved.
Faith is the channel through which the water flows, but grace is the fountain and the stream. Faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men. It is a great pity when the aqueduct is broken. It is a sad sight to see!
How can we obtain and increase our faith? This is a very serious question to many. They say they want to believe, but cannot. A great deal of nonsense is spoken about this subject. Let’s be practical now as we deal with it.
“What do I need to do in order to believe?”
The shortest way is simply to believe, and if the Holy Spirit has made you honest and truthful, you will believe as soon as the truth is set before you. The gospel command is clear: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved (Acts 16:31).
If you have difficulty with this, take it before God in prayer. Tell the great Father exactly what it is that puzzles you, and ask Him by His Holy Spirit to help you. If I cannot understand a statement in a book, I am happy to inquire of the author what he meant. If he is a truthful man, his explanation will satisfy me. Even more will the divine explanation satisfy the heart of the true seeker. The Lord is willing to make Himself known. Go to Him and see that this is true.
Furthermore, if faith seems difficult, it is possible that God the Holy Spirit will enable you to believe if you hear frequently and earnestly that which you are commanded to believe. We believe many things simply because we have heard them so often. Don’t you find it to be true in your life, that if you hear something fifty times a day, you often end up believing it?
Some people have come to believe things that are false by this same process. I shouldn’t be surprised that God often blesses this method in working out faith concerning that which is true, for it is written, Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17). If I earnestly and attentively hear the gospel, it may be that one of these days I will find myself believing that which I hear through the work of the Spirit upon my mind.
The Samaritans believed because of what the woman told them concerning Jesus. Many of our beliefs arise out of the testimony of others. For example, I believe that there is such a country as Japan. I’ve never seen it, but I believe there is such a place, because others have been there. I believe I will die. I have never died, but many have done so whom I once knew. I also have a conviction that I will die. The testimony of many convinces me of this fact.
Listen, then, to those who tell you how they were saved, how they were pardoned, and how they have been changed in character. If you will just listen, you will find that somebody just like yourself has been saved. If you have been a thief, you will find that a thief washed away his sin in the fountain of Christ’s blood. You who have been impure in life will find that people who have fallen that way have been cleansed and changed. If you are in despair, you only have to get among God’s people and inquire a little, and some who have been equally in despair will tell you how God saved them. As you listen to one after another of those who have tried the Word of God and proved it, the divine Spirit will lead you to believe.
Haven’t you heard of the African who was told by the missionary that water sometimes became so hard that a person could walk on it? He declared that he believed a great many things the missionary had told him, but he would never believe that. When he came to England, one frosty day he saw the river frozen, but he would not venture out on it. He knew that it was a river, and he was certain that he would be drowned if he ventured upon it. He could not be convinced to walk on the ice until his friend went on it. Then he was persuaded, and he trusted himself where others had gone ahead of him. So perhaps when you see others believe and notice their joy and peace, you will be gently led to believe. It is one of God’s ways of helping us to faith.
An even better plan is to note the authority upon which you are commanded to believe, and this will greatly help you. The authority is not mine, or you might well reject it. It is not even the Pope’s, or you might rightly reject that. You are commanded to believe on the authority of God Himself. He asks you to believe in Jesus Christ, and you must not refuse to obey your Maker.
The foreman of a certain factory in the north had often heard the gospel, but he was troubled with the fear that he might not be able to come to Christ. His good employer one day sent a card to him at work. It said, “Come to my house immediately after work.”
The foreman arrived at his employer’s door, and the employer came out and said somewhat roughly, “What do you want, John, troubling me at this hour? Work is done. What right do you have to be here?”
“Sir,” he said, “I got a card from you saying that I was to come here after work.”
“Do you mean to say that just because you had a card from me, you would come to my house and call me out after business hours?”
“Well, sir,” replied the foreman, “I don’t understand you, but it seems to me that since you sent for me, I had a right to come.”
“Come in, John,” said his employer. “I have another message that I want to read to you.” He sat down and read these words: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). “Do you think after such a message from Christ that you can be wrong in going to Him?”
The poor man understood at once and believed, because he saw that he had good authority for believing. So do you, dear soul. You have good authority for coming to Christ, because the Lord Himself asks you to trust Him.
If that doesn’t convince you to trust in Jesus, then consider what it is that you have to believe. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered in our place and is able to save all who trust Him. This is the most blessed fact that we were ever told to believe. This is the most suitable, the most comforting, the most divine truth that was ever set before us. I advise you to think much upon it and search out the grace and love which it contains. Study the four evangelists. Study Paul’s epistles. Then see if the message is not so credible that you are forced to believe it.
If that still doesn’t do it for you, then think upon the person of Jesus Christ. Think of who He is, what He did, where He is now, and what He is now. Think upon Him often and deeply. When He – the Lord and Savior Himself – instructs you to trust Him, then surely your heart will be convinced. How can you doubt Him?
If none of these things cause you to turn to Christ Jesus, then there is something wrong about you altogether. Submit yourself to God! May the Spirit of God take away your opposition and make you yield. You are a rebel, a proud rebel, and that is why you do not believe your God. Give up your rebellion, throw down your weapons, be wise, and surrender to your King.
I believe no one ever threw up his hands in self-despair and cried, “Lord, I yield,” when faith did not become easy to such a person before long. If you cannot believe, it is because you still have a quarrel with God and intend to have your own will and your own way. Christ asked, How can ye believe, who take glory one from another, and seek not the glory that comes only from God? (John 5:44). A proud self creates unbelief. Yield to your God, and then you will wonderfully believe in your Savior.