Without faith it is impossible to please Him.
— Hebrews 11:6
Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense
in antagonism to faith is rationalism. The life of faith brings the
two into a right relation. Common sense is not faith, and faith is
not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the
spiritual; of impulse and inspiration. Nothing Jesus Christ ever said
is common sense, it is revelation sense, and it reaches the shores
where common sense fails. Faith must be tried before the reality of
faith is actual. “We know that all things work together for good,”
then no matter what happens, the alchemy of God’s providence
transfigures the ideal faith into actual reality. Faith always works
on the personal line, the whole purpose of God being to see that the
ideal faith is made real in His children.
For every detail of the common-sense life, there is a revelation fact
of God whereby we can prove in practical experience what we believe
God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle which always puts
Jesus Christ first – Lord, Thou hast said so and so (e.g., Matthew
6:33), it looks mad, but I am going to venture on Thy word. To turn
head faith into a personal possession is a fight always, not
sometimes. God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our
faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real. Until
we know Jesus, God is a mere abstraction, we can not have faith in
Him; but immediately we hear Jesus say – “He that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father,” we have something that is real, and faith is
boundless. Faith is the whole man rightly related to God by the power
of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
On this day...
- Lamentations 4 - 2023
- Lamentations 3 - 2023
- The Preaching of Christ Crucified, the Means of Salvation - 2011
- What is it to be a Christian? - Part 3 - 2011
- What is it to be a Christian? - Part 2 - 2011
- What is it to be a Christian? - 2011
- THE REASON FOR CHASTISEMENT - 2011
- The Spirit of Wisdom - 2011
- Achievement From Right Choice - 2009
- MISSIONARY MUNITIONS - 2008
Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense
in antagonism to faith is rationalism.
…no matter what happens, the alchemy of God’s providence
transfigures the ideal faith into actual reality.
For every detail of the common-sense life, there is a revelation fact of God whereby we can prove in practical experience what we believe God to be.
To turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight always, not
sometimes.
God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our
faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real.
Until we know Jesus, God is a mere abstraction…
Faith is the whole man rightly related to God by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
November 16, 2010