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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
August 1924
The Beauty and Reasonableness of Christian Faith Professor Leauder 8. Keyser, D. D., of Hamma Divinity School, Springfield, Ohio
John Newton, John Bunyan, Rowland Hill, Charles Spurgeon, Thomas Chalmers, Richard Baxter, Philip Doddridge, Jerry McAnley, Dwight L. Moody,— these are among the “heroes of faith” who conquered kingdoms and wrought wonders. “ Seeing, then, that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of wit nesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” Have you ever known such transformations to take place through doubt— I mean, doubt of Christ and the Bible? Where in human history do you read of men being “born again;” having passed from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God; having been saved from a bad life to a life of holiness,— through the writings and influence of the skeptics of the ages? Nay, nay, faith is ever constructive; doubt is ever destructive.
great book through which the Holy Spirit has transformed so many lives and saved so many people from sin and sorrow, does not emphasize trifles. It may in places name a good many details, but all of them have their place and value in the unfolding of God’s purposes. Let us see whether the Bible’s estimate of faith is not correct, A Definition of Christian Faith Perhaps a definition of Chris tian faith would help us to esti mate its value, beauty and sim plicity. The best definition I know .is found in a text-book which I use in my theological
HERE is a great faith chapter in the Bible. It is the eleventh chap ter of the letter to the
Hebrews. One of its scintillant verses says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” That is a remarkable statement, and I shall try to show further on why it is that faith is pleasing to our Heavenly Father. The first verse of this same chapter gives this description of Chris tian faith: “Now faith is the reality of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen.” Many people do not understand what the inspired writer means by that statement. He means that
seminary. “ Christian faith is personal trust in the. Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation.” Is that not just right? And how sweetly simple and clear it is! A little child knows what trust is. It knows when it trusts anyone; when it trusts its father and mother. If a stranger enters the home, the little one knows intuitively whether it trusts him or not. I have gone into homes where the little folk did not trust me at first. Before they did, they had to learn Whether I was trustworthy, or whether I might do them some harm. So we Christians surely know when we trust Christ; when we surrender fully to Him and believe in Him alone for our salvation. There is nothing mysterious— at least, nothing obscure— about faith in Christ. It is the simplest and most childlike act of the soul. It is simply trusting Him; confiding in Him. We do not need a long, winding, metaphysical definition of faith. It is simple enough for both the learned and the unlearned to understand— yes, and to exercise too. There are many people outside of the Christian church and fold who have mistaken conceptions of Christian faith. Some of them think it is blind credulity. They attribute it to ignorance and superstition. They declare that if we Christians were more intelligent and better educated, we would not believe that the Bible is God’s Word and that Christ is the Saviour of the world. They: tell us that we ought to study science and philosophy, and if we did, we would soon become too enlightened to accept the articles of the Christian religion. Sometimes skeptics compare us to callow young robins in a nest; if you touch the rim of the nest, all the little gold-lined mouths will fly open, and they will swallow whatever is put into them! The favorite epithet that unbelievers fling at Christian believers is that they are “ ignorant.” Therefore they are blindly credulous, ready to gulp down almost anything. Now, I wish to prove that our accusers are in error. In the first place, I have spoken to many audiences of Chris tian people, and I have never found them so ready to bolt down everything I have said. In every congregation I have ever served, there have been critics who always compelled me to watch my p’s and q’s. They would even tell me when I broke a rule of grammar or syntax, and I had one parish ioner who often corrected my mispronunciations; and I found him right and myself wrong almost every time. He was well versed in Webster’s dictionary!
faith in Christ converts the things we hope for into realities and the things we cannot see into concrete fact. You may hope that there is a God, but may not be sure. However, when you accept Christ by simple faith, you know by your inner experience that God is a blessed reality. Likewise you cannot see spiritual things, but when you accept Christ by faith, you have1the proof of their verity in your heart. Faith in Christ introduces you to a new world because it converts you into a new creature. The Bible is throughout a great faith book. In the Old Testament it says, “And Abraham believed God, and It was counted unto him for righteousness.” Job is commended for his brave statement, “Yea, though he slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” This he said in reply to his wife, who had lost her faith, and had advised him to “ curse God and die.”. How often in the Psalms men are exhorted to trust in God! When Jesus began His public ministry, His first text was, “Repent ye, and believe the gospel, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” He also said, “Whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” At another time He said, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God and believe in me.” And again, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” Many times He commended those who exercised faith and rebuked those who lacked it. The inspired apostles sound the same refrain. Listen to Paul, “The just shall live by faith.” “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” The same story is told by the apostle John, who says: “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” Then comes the great faith chapter in Hebrews in which the foster of the heroes of faith is called with ringing emphasis. By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain; by faith Enoch was translated; by faith Noah built the Ark; by faith Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses Gideon, Barak, Samuel, David, and the rest of them accom plished their great works and proved their heroic char acter. Now, through a good many years of experience, study and investigation, I have always found that whenever the Bible lays stress upon any quality or kind of action, it means that it is of vital and fundamental importance. This
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