Search
Scripture Reading: Gal. 4:4-5; Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:6; Gal. 4:6; John 14:26; 16:13
Deep within me I feel the need to give a message on the significance of faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him." The most important thing in the entire life of a Christian is to please God. If a Christian does not have faith, he cannot be well pleasing to God. Why is faith so important? I recently looked into a Bible concordance regarding the word faith and found that almost everything was through faith; this is by faith and that is by faith. All of the grace that God has prepared for man is received through man's faith. Faith is so important. God does not grant grace with respect of persons. Many people are obedient and well-behaved, yet God does not grant them much grace. Why is this? We need to see that there are four steps involved in God's way of redemption.
First, there is the work of Christ. God caused Christ to accomplish redemption for us. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, God accomplished redemption for us.
Second, God proclaims what He has done through His Word. The Word of God proclaims Christ's accomplished facts.
Third, man believes in God's Word. We first believe in the Word of God, not the work of Christ. Christ's work satisfied God's heart. Christ fulfilled God's desire. We rely on the work of Christ and believe in the Word of God. Without the Word of God, we cannot believe the work of Christ. Without the Word of God, we cannot understand the work of Christ. Therefore, believing in the Word of God is believing in the work of Christ.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit applies the accomplishments of Christ to the believers. When the Bible mentions the Holy Spirit, it pays particular attention to His fellowship. The Holy Spirit applies to us what Christ has accomplished. The Holy Spirit is leading us into God's truth. Truth is reality, the reality of all spiritual things. In the Bible, truth indicates Christ and His accomplishments. The Lord says, "I am...the reality" (John 14:6). Truth also refers to the Word of God. The Lord says, "Your word is truth" (17:17). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit ushers us into Christ and His accomplishments. The Holy Spirit also makes the Word of God real to us.
This is God's way of redemption. If we do not have faith, we do not have anything. Although Christ has accomplished everything and God has spoken, if we do not believe, the Holy Spirit can do nothing and we cannot obtain anything.
What does Christ's work include? A few weeks ago I spoke on the riches in Christ and mentioned that sanctification, perfection, freedom from condemnation, deliverance from sins, holiness, pleasing God, etc. are all included in Christ's accomplishments. When Christ died, we died in Him; when Christ resurrected, we resurrected in Him; and when Christ ascended, we ascended in Him. A certain magazine once said, "When Christ was on the cross, not only was His physical body there, but the spiritual body was also there. The body He obtained from Mary was there, and even the mystical body was on the cross." We should not seek to die or look for death, because Christ has accomplished this for us. If we are weak, someone may tell us that we should die, that if we die, we will not sin. But the Word of God tells us that we died nineteen hundred years ago. We have no choice; God has accomplished this for us.
Sinners cannot be saved through works. Once we realize that salvation is through the work of Christ, we will be at peace. Today many Christians appear to be dead even though they are not dead. They fail today and again tomorrow; all of their efforts are in vain. Brothers and sisters, we are hearing a wrong gospel if it requires us to work. The Bible says that "in Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ" (Col. 2:11). Christ did this for us. This is the work of Christ. We should see what has been accomplished in Him.
Christ's accomplishments are for our perfection in Him. The Holy Spirit puts whatever is in Him into us. Christ not only died, but also resurrected. When Christ died, we died; when Christ resurrected, we also resurrected; and when Christ ascended, we also ascended. Our inheritance in Christ is beyond our imagination.
When we read the Bible, we ought to pay attention to one question: should we pursue the things that are in Christ, or have we already obtained them? Once I asked a brother, who was reading Romans 6, how much he needed to do and how much had already been done concerning death and resurrection. He answered, "I need to die and resurrect." I responded that my Bible did not say that; rather, Romans 6 says that we have died and resurrected. All we need to do is just consecrate.
Men in the world talk about death and resurrection, but their talk is not based on Christ's accomplishments. Therefore, they can never experience it. Thank God that Christ has died and resurrected. Even though Christ has accomplished this, without God telling us so in the Bible, how could we believe? Without God's Word, none of us would know that Christ died and resurrected. God's Word tells us the facts in Christ. Therefore, we believe in God's Word, not just the work of Christ. How can we believe if we did not see the death of Christ with our own eyes, and some of us do not even know where Israel is. The Word of God, however, has told us that Christ died and resurrected for us. God commanded His servants to write down the accomplishments of Christ so that we could believe.
It is extremely important to believe in the Word of God. The Bible says, "Every one who believes into Him may have eternal life" (John 3:15). It also says, "Believe into Me," "Believe into My name," etc. What do we believe in? Is believing in the Lord Jesus just believing in His works? Romans 10:17 says, "So faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." If we do not have the word of Christ, what can we believe? The Word of God brings what is far away near to us. If a person has not laid hold of the Word, I would say that he has not believed in Christ. Without God's Word, what is the basis for our believing? Without God's Word, we only have psychological activities.
What is the difference between faith and psychology? Psychology is thinking that something exists when nothing, in actuality, has been said. Faith is believing because something has been said. For example, if no one invites me for dinner tonight, I may still say, "I believe that someone will invite me for dinner." This is psychology. It is not faith because no one has invited me. But if someone said that he would like to invite me for dinner tonight and I believe his word, then this is faith, because someone has said it already. Brothers and sisters, we must have the Word of God before we can believe. Without God's Word, we cannot believe. We have never actually seen God putting us on the cross; this is something that God has done. We can believe only if God tells us that we have been crucified.
How do we know that God's Word is true? We know because what God has done is a fact. What God says is what He has done. If I went to the park yesterday and later said that I had gone to the park, my words would be true because I was at the park. Christ has accomplished His work. The Word of God tells us what Christ has done. As long as we believe, all these works become ours. We do not have to do anything; we only need to believe in God's Word. Without the Word of God, there is no faith.
Faith is to believe in God's Word. Believing in God's Word is harder than anything else; yet at the same time, it is easier than anything else. This seems contradictory. Yet it is true. So many times we cannot believe. But once we do, we have everything instantly. Our experience confirms this.
When Mr. Chapman came to Shanghai to preach the gospel, his work was very prevailing. Before he was saved, he was a doctor of divinity. Once after a meeting, Mr. Moody talked to him. Mr. Moody asked him, "Dr. Chapman, are you a saved Christian; are you of Christ?" He answered, "I dare not say so, but I hope that I am of Christ." Mr. Moody read John 3:16 with him. Then Mr. Moody asked him again, "Dr. Chapman, are you a saved Christian; are you of Christ?" He again replied, "I dare not say so, but I hope to be one." Mr. Moody then read John 3:16 once again. When he finished reading, he looked at Dr. Chapman, who was embarrassed by Mr Moody's stare. He said, "I really wish I could say that I am of Christ." Mr. Moody responded in a severe tone, "Dr. Chapman, whose word are you doubting here?" Right then Dr. Chapman realized that he was doubting the Word of God. For the rest of his life, he testified that whatever God's Word says is true. Dr. Chapman thought that he needed to behave before he could go to heaven. But God's Word says that those who believe have eternal life. In Christ, God has accomplished this for us. When we believe the Word, we have the accomplishments. Believing in God's Word is nothing other than believing whatever God has said.
A president of a Bible school in the United States once said that he could overcome many things. However, there were four or five sins that he committed again and again, and he repented again and again. He told others that his history was a history of repentance. One day he read Romans 6:14, which says, "For sin will not lord it over you, for you are not under the law but under grace." He said to God, "Your Word says that sin will not lord it over me, but my condition shows that sin always has dominion over me. However, today I believe in your Word. I declare that I have overcome my sin." Later, when the same temptation came, he realized that he was about to fall. But he looked to the Word of God, and said to God, "Your Word is true." In this way he overcame those sins for the rest of his life. Brothers and sisters, it is very important to lay hold of the Word of God. When you look at yourself, you are just as corrupted as you were before, and when you look at the circumstances, they are still as difficult as before. But if you believe in God's Word, you will overcome.
There was a woman whose health was very weak. Her sixteen-year-old son was very naughty and would not behave properly. One day she prayed to God and told Him that she could not bear such a burden. She asked God for a promise, and the Lord gave her the words in Philippians 4:6-7. She believed that what God had said would be accomplished. However, her son became worse year after year. One day a policeman notified her that her son was at the police station because he had been injured by a car. She went there and found her son with blood all over him. Her husband even fainted when he arrived. Some relatives came too. But in the midst of the situation, she was still able to smile. When others asked why her heart was so insensitive, she replied, "God's Word promised me the peace that passes all understanding. Today I encountered something that passes my understanding, and I received the peace that passes all understanding. This is why I can behave this way." Faith is to lay hold of a certain word of God.
Once I met a patient, and I asked him how he was doing. He said that God would heal him. I said that God would not heal him because he did not have His word. There was another nearsighted brother who needed to get corrective glasses, but someone told him that he should believe God and not get the glasses. He thought that his faith might be bigger than that of others, so he went to pray instead. Later he was asked to preach in an evangelistic meeting. He thought that his eyes would be healed after his preaching, and he asked me to pray for this. I told someone that God would not heal him. He asked me why, and I said because he did not have the Word of God. His faith was not faith, but feeling. What he had was not actually faith, but hope. Without God's Word, how can we believe?
Christ's work is real. But without the Word of God, everyone in the world will still perish. However, if we have God's Word, the whole world will not be able to overthrow our faith. Once the Lord said to His disciples, "Let us go over to the other side" (Mark 4:35). The Lord slept in the stern of the boat. Suddenly there arose a great windstorm, the waves beat into the boat, and it began to fill up. The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "We are perishing" (v. 38). The Lord arose and rebuked the wind and sea. The wind ceased and there was a great calm. What did the Lord say to the disciples? The Lord said, "Why are you cowardly in this way? How is it that you do not have faith?" (v. 40). Since the Lord gave the order to pass over to the other side, He took the responsibility, regardless of the wind and waves along the way. If the Lord has spoken and we still do not have faith, we are casting His word aside. Suppose I give you a ten dollar bill to make change. How do you know that it is ten dollars? You know because it says so on the bill. Whatever God has said is so. God says it, and it is so. If the Lord orders you to pass over to the other side, all you have to do is go. You can speak to the wind, "Blow as much as you will," and tell the waves, "Beat as much as you can." But when the Lord says to pass over to the other side, you will surely pass over to the other side. If you think that the Lord's word only seems to be true and is not quite true, you will sink to the bottom of the sea with the wind and waves.
Only the Word of God is true. Even when the environment is against you, the Word of God remains true. You may have difficulties with your family, school, business, or even your self. If you do not believe in God's Word, it is useless for you to pray, even if you pray for several hours. If you do not pray, you will not get anything; and if you pray without believing in God's Word, you still will not get anything. If you cannot believe in God's Word, you need not pray, because the prayer will be a vain effort. If you want to obtain God's grace, it is very important to lay hold of the Word of God. Take care of the believing, and God will take care of the working. If a matter is put before you, you have to pray that God will give you a word concerning this matter. Once you have His word, you can use it to confront any difficulty. The Word of God that you have acquired is the sword of the Holy Spirit. Everything mentioned regarding the armor in Ephesians 6 is defensive; only the sword of the Holy Spirit is offensive. As long as you have the Word of God, everything will be overcome. As long as you have His Word, every hardship will pass away.
One of my friends once spent all the money she had. While reading the Bible, she spoke to God, "O God, please give me a word. I do not ask that You put a thousand dollars in front of me. I only ask You to give me a word." God reminded her of a passage in Psalm 23. The word she got was, "My cup runs over!" At that moment she was far from running over; she was completely empty. Nevertheless, she had the Word of God, and she wrote a hymn in English, a few lines of which read:
With Jehovah as my Shepherd, There is always something over!Though we have much hardship,There is always something over!With God as my Treasurer,There is always something over!
She wrote this hymn and sent it to one of her friends. After a while her friend wrote her a letter in return, saying, "After reading your hymn, I realize that God has really blessed you, seeing that you have so much surplus." The friend did not realize that she was in fact penniless. Meanwhile, was God's word in vain? No. After a couple of days, God supplied her through other people. If we have the Word of God, we have many sources. The raven will supply us; the brook will supply us; a widow with only a handful of meal will supply us. Even without all of these, God can open a heavenly window to supply us from above. This is faith.
Christ's work has been accomplished, and God has said it in His Word. Once you believe, you have everything. The essence of God's word is the Holy Spirit. When you believe in His word, the Holy Spirit will take the responsibility to apply the reality of this word to you. Once you believe, the Holy Spirit will lead you into Christ and into all that He has accomplished. Christ's work is accomplished, and God has spoken. However, if you do not believe, the Holy Spirit will have no way to apply Christ's accomplishment to you.
Brothers and sisters, you are clear about what God has done in Christ, and you understand it. But why do you still not have it? It is because you do not have faith. You say you have believed and wonder why you still do not have? But I say that you have not yet believed. If you have faith, the Holy Spirit is responsible for making what you have believed a reality. Knowledge is not sufficient. You need faith in addition to knowledge. How many times have we read a whole chapter of the Bible without believing in one verse? In many things, we lack faith. Once you have faith, the Holy Spirit applies to you what you believe.
"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). Whatever He said, He accomplished. In this universe whatever He says, He will accomplish. In the beginning He spoke, and the universe obeyed Him. Today whenever God speaks, the universe still has to obey Him because no word of God is without His power. This power is the Holy Spirit. Whenever God speaks, the Holy Spirit accomplishes it immediately.
This is the way a sinner is saved. Whenever a sinner believes the Word of God, the Holy Spirit immediately will give him what Christ has accomplished. Some who were addicted to opium or alcohol experienced an immediate deliverance from these things when they believed in God's word. The only explanation for this is that the Holy Spirit has granted them the power to overcome. I had a classmate who was by nature very tactful; he manipulated the whole class under his hands. Many classmates were afraid of him. Later he was saved, and now he is even one of my co-workers. If one did not know his past, one could never imagine what kind of person he was before. He is what he is today through nothing other than resurrection. The most amazing thing in the world is for a dead person to receive the life of God. After one believes, the Holy Spirit will add what Christ has accomplished to him. Perhaps while he was listening to God's Word, he said, "I believe." Perhaps while he was sitting in the last row, he said, "I believe." Or perhaps while he was walking on the street, he said, "I believe." When he believes, the Holy Spirit adds what Christ has accomplished to him.
Brothers and sisters, my responsibility is to share this message with you. It would be wonderful if you could believe it. If you would read to God the verse that you heard last week, "In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands" (Col. 2:11), and if you would read the same verse to yourself, you would gain something. You may think that you have already overcome a few times and that you are now trustworthy. But I have to say, "No." Only the Word of God is trustworthy; your experience is not trustworthy. May God work among us, so that we can believe in what His Word says literally. The more we believe in what He says, the more we gain what He says. May the Lord bless us.
