Faith, a word used in everyday life, at home amongst friends and in the workplace, and understood so clearly except when it come to the subject of religion. Whole forests have been sacrificed in an attempt to define "faith". The bible is clear as to the primacy of "faith" , as John 3:36 explains it,
"He that Believeth on the Son hath everlasting life"
So the bible tells me that to gain eternal life all i need to do is to believe. Sounds so simple does'nt it? Well not if you listen to the debates raging; particularly between the "Lordship Salvation" people such as John Macarthur who load up the word faith with extra baggage so it becomes faith-plus; or those in the free grace movement (like anybody it seems from Dallas Texas) who i believe are closer to the biblical understanding of "faith/trust/believe" than those in the "Lordship" camp. Are these debates healthy? Do they edify or build up the saints? Well yes and no! The questions that these discussions raise are many and varied; such as "have i really believed?", "Is my faith real?", "Does the sin in my life negate my faith?" or " am i fooling myself, am i really saved?". The main problem that these questions illustrate is that of trying to take the focus of the object of our faith, that is Christ, and instead looking inwardly and self examining our faith. Is this healthy? I say no!
Lets take a look at a real person with real faith. Abraham was the father of faith, he is our example of what faith looks like in real life.
8By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
Romans 4:3 tells us that Abraham trusted in God and that trust was credited to his account as righteousness. Abraham was 75 years old when God promised that he would become the father of a great nation Gen 12:2, yet he waited 25 years before his wife Sarah bore him a son. Abrahams faith was such that he was fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep his word and do what he promised sarah. Abraham and Sarah did not focus on there shortcomings but instead focused and trusted in Gods faithfulness. That is faith! Rom 4:20 says,
"No belief or distrust made him waiver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave glory to God. Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep his word and to do what he promised"( Amp. bible).
Charles C Bing in his book "Simply By Grace" defines faith as believing or being "convinced or persuaded that it is true.......When it comes to salvation, we must believe that Gods promise is true, that if we simply and only believe in his Son and what he has done for us (died for our sins and rose from the dead), He will give us eternal life." Ahmen to that!
I will now use Spurgeons "All Of Grace" chapters 8-12 as a background text and as we look further into the subject of faith. Keep in mind the description of faith as it related to Abraham above in Romans,
"By grace are ye saved by faith" Eph 2:8
Spurgeon believed that faith was "the simplest of all things; perhaps it is the more difficult to explain because of its simplicity". Faith, to Spurgeon, was made up of three things : knowledge, belief and trust (in that order).
Romans 10:14 tells us that we need to hear first before we can believe. Thats where knowledge comes in. So what is the content of the saving message which we need to know? "Know the gospel" says Spurgeon. He then sets out three basic area's a person needs to know. Know about the sacrifice of Christ. 2 Cor5:19 tells us that,
" God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting peoples sins against them.(as Paul says) This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others"
Galations 3:13 tells us that Jesus was made a curse for us. Know also that Jesus was our substitute he was,
"the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ" 2 Cor 5:21,
This was Spurgeons gospel message to the unsaved, explain there sickness and introduce them to the doctor. Before we swallow the medicine we need to know we are sick, it is hard to convince a healthy man that he needs a doctor, yet a sick man who is convinced of his illness will readilly accept the medicine.
"The mind (then) goes on to believe that these things are true. Like Abraham who was,
Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep his word and to do what he promised
Firmly believe that "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin "( 1 JN 1:7). so that he who believes in Jesus is not condemned (JN 3:17-18)". As Spurgeon goes on to write "the difference between ordinary faith and saving faith lies mainly in the subjects in which it is placed."
When describing faith the Puritans used the word "recumbency", which meant to lean upon something with your whole weight. You could just as easily use the terms "cast yourself" or "rest in him", the image invokes trust; trusting in the one who you leaning upon.
Do we need to understand every doctrine of the bible to be saved? Not according to Spurgeon who claimed that,
"The poorest real faith actually at work is better than the best ideal of it left behind in the region of speculation...A hungry man eats even though he does not understand the composition of food, the anatomy of his mouth, or the process of his digestion. He knows that he lives because he eats......There are no doubt many in hell at this hour who understood the doctrine of faith but did not believe it."
Spurgeon goes on to describe a simple faith which he calls a "Clinging Faith", which is itself a word picture of that faith which Spurgeon likens to a limpet which clings to rock as a sinner clings to Christ. The "clinging faith" would "know enough to cling to Jesus with all there heart and soul, and this suffices for present peace and eternal safety".
About two thousand years ago a jailor asked the apostle Paul "What must i do to be saved?", Pauls answer "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Simply Grace!
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