6 Minutes
Faith is not what we cling to when we do not know truth, faith is the knowledge of truth nourished by good acts. It is strengthened by witnesses capable of penetrating our very souls and culminates in the palpable fruits of sure and certain experience. Reason with this very important passage - faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is not only evidence, it’s the real thing. We don’t just hope that unseen substances are real. Faith is substance, it is evidence; the evidence God gives us by many witnesses; the evidence we give to each other; and what we evidence in our own lives. Faith is the substance of an anchor to our souls that we might always abound in good works. The anchor of faith is itself anchored in the embodied God whose existence is not established by proposition but whose literal existence itself grounds our knowledge of Him. He only is the God who is spirit who became flesh. Arise and come forth and witness this by faith! Faith in Him is in every sense truth. It is true that in this life we must live by faith. We are consigned to live by faith in the presence of our God. The purpose of life is to be proven even as we prove God’s promises. The test of life is to do the will of our God. Faith is not the part of the test designed to make it difficult to return to Him; it is what our God has given us to make it possible to return to Him. The trial of faith is not to see what we will do without Him but to see what we can do with Him.
We are asked to live by faith not so much to pass the test of being on our own but because we need to learn things of eternal and enduring import. We must learn to know how to respond as witnesses. We must learn to know in the very important way that faith makes it possible to know; something that might not develop otherwise in God’s presence. We must live by faith. For this we are to be most grateful, because to live by faith is to live in Christ with God. We must be clear in our vision as we pursue and proclaim truth. Let it be the word of God and the truth of the word alone that protects us from crisis in our faith occasioned by the precepts of men. Let us ascend to divine revelation, credible evidence of truth, approach to faith by the authority of God, persevere in the function of the will. Wonderfully revealed truth harmonizes with the intimacy of our faith. It is far in excess of what we have right to expect. In this, as in all else, God has been more than just, He has been generously bountiful to His creatures. This is why faith is an act of virtue of free obedience to God; this, finally, is the reason of its sovereign certitude. Although faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Faith pleases God. Reasoning with God whitens the darkness of sin. In our ceasing to sin, is God’s pleasure of creation. And for this same reason since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, and God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. Faith, it is clear, must embrace at least implicitly every truth that God has revealed, for the motive of faith, the authority of God, applies equally to them all.
So, why we must faith the truth...the buildings established for worship today are filled with people who hold to a faith that does not save. Theirs is a dead faith, a mere empty profession. Lack of knowledge, of understanding to test or examine themselves to see if they were truly in the faith is rejected. They know not how to put their faith to the test of truth to make sure they have not been deceived. But how can they determine truth from empty faith? There are some people who just seem to do good. They can be religious, moral, honest, and forthright in their dealings with others. They may seem to be grateful, loving, kind and tenderhearted toward others. They have visible virtues and an external morality. But do they have a sincere love for God? Do the things they do involve God? There are people who possess an intellectual understanding and knowledge of the truth. They know who Jesus is and that he is coming again. They’ve seen the Holy Spirit at work. They tread underfoot the blood of Christ by not believing what they know to be true. These are waiting for Christ to come. Yet, that which is most necessary, they lack...faith in the truth as revealed by the Holy Spirit. The truth does not change. The revelation of truth has always been available to those who want to believe. The truth is Jesus and Jesus is the key to open all truth.
Getting insight and understanding from the Spirit of truth is vital to handling the word of truth correctly. There are few, very very few who know how to rightly divide the word of truth. Many are not a shame of the truth, they are a shame because they know not how to keep a straight course in the word to come to the truth. The biggest misconception is that opinion counts. Truth is objectively knowable, not subjective, and no, the scriptures can't be interpreted any way we want. They prefer to reject deeper study by reason. Our studies should be diligent, not only to defend our faith in truth, but also to determine what is worth defending, and what is just a distraction. Willing ignorance, we must leave alone. The bible is to be understood in its entirety, in its context. Every passage has a relationship. The bible provides a basis for making decisions. That’s why people are reluctant to reason the truth of the bible. Once it’s searched, and brought to conclusion there is no picking which parts of it influence you.
Our assurance rests upon a ground more secure than all human science, upon the infallible authority of God. Had God so willed, He might have communicated His testimony directly to each member of the human race as soon as we were capable of receiving it. But last of all in these days hath spoken to us by His Son. And we in turn, are to deliver it to God's chosen people. God's message must be authenticated, His messenger must present his credentials. God knows them that are His. We keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
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