vant to fall ill (Luke 7:1,2). As a result of this illness the centurion found an opportunity to exercise faith in Christ. We can readily believe that after the servant’s healing both he and the cen turion went on from faith to faith, trusting Jesus Christ. The Result of Faith In the case of the sick man in Luke 7 there came healing through faith. The same is true today. Countless believers can testify to the healing power of faith. We are not to suppose that God will heal every believer who becomes ill but we are to know that He is able to do so, and also that He will heal if healing is a part of His purpose for His sick child.
By Chester J. Padgett, D.D. Associate Professor of Bible Bible Institute of Los Angeles
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Feb. 1, DARE TO Luke 7:
Nothing pleases God more than faith. Nothing displeases God nor hinders Him quite so much as unbelief. Our Lord con stantly called upon men to trust in God (Mark 11:22). Throughout the Gospels are recorded many instances of the way in which faith opened the door for Christ to perform His miracles. Study the fol lowing verses and their context to see the importance of faith (Matt. 8:10; 9:2; 9:22; 9:29; 15:28; 17: 20; 21:21). In the incident recorded in our text (Luke 7:1-10) we have a further illus tration of faith in action. From this in cident let us draw several applications for our own Christian life. The Reasonableness of Faith We are told by unbelievers and doubt ers that it is foolish to expect God to respond to man’s faith. Faith, however, is a reasonable action. It is reasonable, first of all, because God is. Once let a man accept the fact of God and faith becomes reasonable. If there is such an One as the God of the Bible and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (and we know there is) then we ought to love Him, believe Him and obey Him. Christ and the Bible reveal to us the God of love, of mercy, of justice,—in short, the Father of all who believe. It is reasonable to expect a Father such as this to respond to the faith of His children. Faith is reasonable, in the second place, because of the promises of God. God is not a liar (Titus 1 :2). The man who will not exercise faith in the prom ises of God is insulting the Almighty and calling Him a liar. This is a serious thing! The believer is expected to take God at His Word. It is not too much to require faith in the promises of God. Jesus Christ Himself evidences the validity of faith in God. There is no ex- J A N U A R Y , 1 9 5 3
planation for Christ apart from the fact that He was God incarnate, that is, God in human form. It is most unreasonable not to have faith in God in light of the Virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, glorious resurrection and trium phant ascension of Christ. What shall we do with the evidence of answered prayer? Millions of believ ers will testify to the many wonderful answers they have received to believing prayer. How can the skeptic and the unbeliever deny this? Answered prayer is a mighty bulwark against the flood of sinful unbelief and a great encourage ment to the believer to uphold the rea sonableness of faith. The Audacity of Faith Luke 7:7 We are struck with the genuineness of this man’s faith. He did not think it was essential that the Saviour should come to the very place where the sick man lay; he suggested that Jesus merely speak the word and it should be done! This kind of faith comes from a proper understanding of who Jesus is. The centurion recognized Christ as a man of great authority. The centurion himself held a responsible position (v.8) ; he knew how to give orders, and he expected those orders to be fulfilled. But our Lord had a higher authority, and this the centurion realized. The higher our opinion of Jesus Christ the more ad venturous will be our faith. The Development of Faith Faith, like everything else in the Christian experience grows through use (Heb. 5:14; 2 Peter 3:18). Because of this fact the Lord constantly puts the Christian in positions that demand the use of faith. So it was with the centurion. God permitted this man’s beloved ser-
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