Why Are We Saved By Faith

Why is faith selected as the channel of salvation? No doubt this inquiry is often made. "By grace are ye saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) is assuredly the doctrine of Holy Scripture and the ordinace of God, but why is it so? Why is faith selected rather than hope or love or patience?


It becomes us to be modest in answering such a question. God's way are not always to be understood; nor are we allowed to presumptuously question them. Humbly we would reply that, as far as we can tell, faith has been selected as the channel of grace because faith is naturally adapted to be used as the receiver. Suppose that I am to give a poor man some money. I put into his hand. Why? Well, it would hardly be fitting to put it into his ear or lay it on his foot. The hand seems made on purpose to be a receiver. It is the hand of the man, and there is fitness in receiving grace by its means.


Faith is again selected because it gives all the glory to God. It is of faith that it might be by grace, and it is of grace that there might be no boasting, for God cannot endure pride. Paul says, "Not of work, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:9) Now, faith exclude all boasting. The hand which receives charity does not say, "I am to be thanked for accepting the gift."


Years ago a boat was upset above Niagra Falls. Two men were being carried down the current when persons on the shore managed to float a rope out to them. Both seized it. One of them held onto it and was safely drawn to the bank. But the other, seeing a great log come floating by, unwisely let go of the rope and clung to the log for it was bigger and apparently better to cling to. The log with the man on it went right over the vast abyss because nothing connected the log and the shore. The size of the log was of no benefit to him who grasped it, it needed connection to the shore to produce safety.


So God selects faith as the channel of salvation because it is a sure method linking man with God. When man confides in God, there is a point of Union between them, and that union guarantees blessing. Faith saves us because it makes us cling to God and therefore connects us to Him.


Certainly faith does for us what nothing else can do. It gives us joy and peace and causes us to enter into rest. A silly servant who is told to open a door, puts his shoulder against it and pushes with all his might to no avail. Another came with a key and easily unlock it. Will you not use that key? The Lord commands you to believe in His dear Son. Therefore you may do so, and in doing so you will live. Is this not the promise of the Gospel, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" ? (Mark 16:16)

How May Faith Be Illustrated

Sometimes people will come and ask to us "what is faith like?" And that indeed is a difficult question to answer for I've heard few preachers explain that. For two reasons, firstly, I've not heard enough preachers preaching, secondly, I think many of them are stupid, which is also why I didn't hear a lot of them preaching, so in short, I think they are stupid. Especially those in Malaysia. And that including myself for none of my work here is really original.


But as stupid as I can possibly be, I would try to copycat Charles Spurgeon's works and illustrate faith so that you can imagine or see it in a different perspective, perhaps a clearer one. For those who are familiar with Spurgeon's work, trust me, it is less suffering when you hear it from me then from he himself. If you like, you may also call me the 2nd Spurgeon. I like the idea of being a preaching prodigy.


Faith is like the eye that looks. The eye brings into the mind that which is far away. We can bring the sun and the far-off stars into the mind by a glance of the eye. So by trust we bring the Lord Jesus near to us. And though He is far away in heaven, He enters into our heart.


Faith is the mouth which feeds on Christ. Before food can nourish us it must be received into us. This eating and drinking is a simple matter. We willingly receive food into our mouths, and then we allow it to pass down into our body where it is taken and absorbed. Is it so hard? Paul says in Romans 10:8 "The word is nigh thee, even in they mouth."


Faith is seen when one man relies on another because of a knowledge of the superiority of the other. This is a higher faith, the faith which knows the reason for its dependence and acts on it. A blind man trust his guide because he knows that his friend can see. If the poor man is born blind, he does not know what sight is, but he knows that there is such a thing as sight and that it is possessed by his friend. Therefore, he believes him. "We walk by faith, and not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John 20:29)


God never betrays confidence. When you believe him, you put a responsibility on Him, and He will complete it. In our daily lives also we have people counting on us, people believing and entrusting us. The children believes in their father for good, friends trusting each other for help. I am not afraid that I will have no food for tomorrow, or my education will ceased its funding
because I believe and I know so what my family can provide.


If only you know so what your Father in Heaven can do and provide unto you, you wouldn't have to spend this day in your worries. Therefore it is my honour to reveal to this world and impart upon them an understanding of what our Father in heaven can do. And I do not do so in pride, I do so in humility, I do so in goodwill. I do so everyday because I too believe and have faith in the Lord of grace.


Do I struggle? Many times I do for my lack of understanding, but these struggles cannot be compared to what Jesus had done on the cross. These struggles cannot deny the history that Jesus had come, and had died, and had risen.


Every child who goes to school has to exert faith while learning. His teachers teaches him geography and instructs him as to the form of the earth and the existence of great cities and empires. The child himself does not know these things are true, except that he believes his teachers and books put into his hands. That is what you will have to do with Christ if you are to be saved. You must simply know because He tells you, believe because He assures you it is so.


Almost all that you and I know has come to us by faith. A scientific discovery has been made, and we are sure of it. On what grounds do we believe in? On the authority of certain well-known men of learning whose reputations are established. We have never made or seen their experiments, but we believe their witness. You must do the same with regard to Jesus. Because He teaches you certain truths, you are to be His disciples and believe His words. Because He has performed certain acts, you are to be His client and trust yourself with Him.


Another and a higher form of faith is that faith which grows out of love. Why does a child trust his father? The reason why the child trust his father is because he loves him. Blessed and happy are they who have a sweet faith in Jesus, intertwined with deep affection with Him, for this is a restful confidence. These lovers of Jesus are enthralled with His character and delighted with His mission. They are carried away by the loving-kindness that He has manifested. Therefore, they cannot help trusting Him beacause they so much admire, revere, and love Him.


The way of loving trust in the Saviour is illustrated by a lady who is the wife of the most emiment physician of the day. She is seized with a dangerous illness and is smitten down by its power. Yet, she is wonderfully calm and quiet because her husband has made this disease his special study and has healed thousands who were similarly afflicted. She is not in the least troubled, for she feels perfectly safe in the hands of one so dear to her and in whom skill and love are blended in the highest form. Her faith is reasonable and natural, her husband from every point of view deserves it from her.


This is the kind of faith which the happiest of believers exercise toward Christ.


Faith is the root of obedience, and this may be clearly seen in the affairs of life. When a captain trusts a pilot to steer his vessel into port, he manages the vessel according to his direction, When a gym trainer ask the trainee not to masturbate for the season when he is body building, the trainee doesn't masturbate. Because 6 packs comes with a price. Behold the wonder! He gives us directions as to the way of salvation, we follow those directions and are saved. DO NOT BE WEAK.


A notable form of faith rises out of assured knowlesge. This comes by growth in grace and is the faith which believes Christ because it knows Him and trusts Christ because it has proven Him to be infallible faithful. This matured faith does not ask for signs and tokens but bravely believes.


A mariner sails across the seas for days, weeks and months. He never sees sail or shore. Yet he sails on without fear until one morning he finds himself approaching land. How has he found his way in the trackless deep? He has trusted in his compass, his nautical almanac, his glass and the stars.


Spiritually, it is a blessed thing to altogether leave the shores of sight and feeling and to say good-bye to inward feeling, cheering providences, signs, tokens, and so forth. It is glorious to be far out on the ocean of divine love, believing in God and steering straight for heaven by the direction of the Word of God.


Therefore I am always cool. You don't see me following the ways of men. You don't see me being influenced by simpletons. I walk my way and those who have an above average mind affirm it wise to follow me. You don't see me being annoyed when others judge me, you don't see me retaliate when others speak against me. I know so I can crush and condemn every tongue that rises against me. It is tried and proven. But I don't fight. For I rest with joyous confidence in my Saviour. Not on what other people have to say about me or you. This is the illustration of faith. And I pray you will grasp it.

Notice

Chinese New Year no service, pastor is lazy, have to eat a lot of food, watch a lot of movies and court a lot of girls. Come again next week. ^^

What is Faith

There are many descriptions of faith, but almost all the definitions I have heard have made me understand it less than I did before I saw them. We may explain faith till nobody understands it and I hope I will not be guilty of that fault. Faith is the simplest of all things, and perhaps because of its simplicity it is more difficult to explain.


So what is faith? It is made up of three things, knowledge, belief and trust. Knowledge comes first. "How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?" (Romans 10:14). I want to be informed of a fact before I can possibly believe it. "Faith cometh by hearing" (Romans 10:17). We must first hear so that we know what is to be believed. A measure of knowledge is essential to faith, hence the importance of acquiring knowledge. "Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live" (Isaiah 55:3).


Therefore we must know the gospel. Know what the good news is and how it talks of free forgiveness, of change of heart, of adoption into the family of God and of countless other blessings. Know Christ Jesus especially the Son of God, the Savior of men, united to us by his human nature and yet one with God. And thus He was able to act as a Mediator between God and man.


The mind goes on to believe that these things are true. The soul believes that God is and He hear the cries of sincere hearts. The soul believes that the Gospel is from God, and that justification by faith is the grand truth which God has revealed in these last days more clearly than before. Then the heart believes that Jesus is verily and in truth our God and Saviour, the Redeemer of men. All this is accepted as sure truth, not to be questioned. I pray that you may at once come to this. Firmly believe that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7)


So far you have made an advance toward faith, only one more ingredient is needed, trust. Commit yourself to the merciful God, rest your hope on the gracious gospel. Trust your soul on the dying and living Saviour, wash away your sins in the atoning blood, accept His perfect righteousness and all will be well. Trust is the lifeblood of faith, there is no saving faith without it. You cannot say you have faith in a person yet you don't trust him. It's like saying "I am eating but I am not swallowing." Trust can be illustrated as leaning upon something, when you trust in Jesus, you lean upon Him, you rest in Him. Commit yourself to Him, that done, you have exercised faith.


Faith is not a blind thing, for faith begins with knowledge. It is not a speculative thing, for faith believe in facts of which it is sure. It is not unpractical, dreamy thing, for faith trust and stakes its destiny on the truth of revelation. That is one way of describing what faith is.


May this explanation be of some service! I trust it may be used by the Spirit of God to direct you into immediate peace. "Be not afraid, only believe" (Mark 5:36). Trust, and be at rest.


My fear is that you will rest content with understanding what is to be done and yet never do it. The poorest real faith actually at work is better than the best ideal of it left in the region of speculation. The great matter is to believe on the Lord Jesus at once. Never mind distinctions and definitions. A hungry man eats though he does not understand the composition of his food, the anatomy of his mouth or the process of his digestion. He knows that he lives because he eats. Another far more clever person understands thoroughly the science of nutrition, but if he does not eat he will die with all his knowledge.


There are no doubt, many at this hour in hell who understood the doctrine of faith but did not believe. On the other hand, not one who has trusted in the Lord Jesus has ever been cast out, though he may never have been able to intelligently define his faith. Oh, receive the Lord Jesus into your soul and you will live forever! "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36)