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vital faith which would involve a transformation of the total field of consciousness, including volition. As Berdyaev puts it: “ God must again be the centre of our whole life, our thoughts our feelings, our only dream, our only desire, our only hope.” Man can live only by faith, either in God or in idols. But if faith is not a living, transforming vital part of his being, then it itself becomes an idol, irre spective of how its meaning is de fined. What we need more than any thing else is a powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “ If I . . . know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith . . . but have not love, I am nothing.” — St. Paul. This article is available in pamphlet fbrm for 15 cents. Write to The Editors, The King's Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, Calif.
phasis from the end to the means, from the intangible to the tangible, from the spirit to the letter, from reality to symbols of reality, from vital, transforming faith to faith as intellectual assent or pure thought, from the Bible as a pathway to God to the Bible as an object of devotion. While, in theory, heart-faith is preached, in practice the term heart- faith has often become a slogan re quiring only intellectual assent. Men who have been powerfully used by God have always realized this danger. Andrew Murray writes: “His Word, which is meant to point us a way to God, may actually intervene and hide Him from us. The mind may be occupied and interested and delighted in what it finds, but if it does not lead us to wait on God, to glorify Him, to receive His grace and power for sweetening and sanctifying our lives, it becomes a hindrance in stead of a help.” And Luther, j whose doctrine of faith has been so often misinterpreted by his followers, writes (Preface to St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans): “ Faith is not the human fancy and dream which some people mistake for faith. When such persons see that no amendment of the life and no good works follow, although they may hear and talk much about faith, they fall into error and declare that faith is not enough, but we must per form good works if we would be pious and attain salvation. In conse quence of this, when they hear the gospel, they fall to work and frame for themselves by their own powers a notion in their hearts which says, I believe. This they then consider true faith. But as it is a human in vention and notion, of which the heart in its depths find out nothing, it accomplishes also nothing and no amendment of the life follows. But faith is a divine work in us, which transforms us anew from God, which crucifies the old Adam, makes us in heart, temper, disposition, and in all our powers entirely different men, and brings with it the Holy Spirit. O, this faith is a living, busy, active, powerful thing. It is impossible that it should not be ceaselessly doing that which is good. But he who does not do such works, is a man without faith. He gropes and casts about him to find faith and good works, not know ing what either is, and yet prattles and idly multiplies words about faith and good works.” An explication of the term faith, so that it would be come meaningful to modern man, is thus of crucial importance. The basic and necessary starting point is a factual relationship be tween man and God by means of a
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