Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-05-10
&eadiug for the Sabbath.
,si., CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[original.1
FAITH.

REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
[ongnaLl
FAITH.
If we are to judge of the Importance of a
Scripture doctrine, by the frequency that We
find it taught, none is more important than
that of faith Unless it be the existence and
attributes of a Supreme Being, no subject is
so often mentioned in the Bible as faith. This
plainly shows that what ever notions men
may entertain concerning faith, God regards
it of vital importance in the scheme of saliva.
ton.
It is not difficult to understand what is
meant by faith in the Bible; still it is exceed.
ingly easy to make a mistake with regard to
its import 1t is sometimes said that faith is
belief in testimony. 1t is true that belief in
testimony is one element Of faith; but there
may be beliefin testimony and still no saving
faith. In other words, an individual may
believe that there is one God and only one.
He may believe that there are three persons
in the God-head-the Father, Son and Holy
Ghost that these three are equal in power
and glory. He may believe that Jesus Christ
is the Saviour of sinners, and the only Saviour
He may believe that the Bible is the word of
God-that it is every word true; that its his
tory is true, its promises are true, its threat
enings are true; that all that it relates as hav-
ing taken place did take place, and that all
that it predicts will, at the appointed time,
take place. An individual may believe all
this, and more too, and still be destitute of
saving faith. He can not, however, have ga
wing faith without believing these things but
he may believe all that has been mentioned
and still have no saving faith. ..
Again. Some affirm that saving faith is
believing that we will be saved. This is not
true Such foolishness is never taught in any
shape or form in the Bible. According to
the teachings of the Scripture, our believing
that we will be saved has nothing to do with
saving faith it is no part oft An individ.
ual may believe he will be saved and never
be saved. On the other hand, an individual
may have great doubts and fears about his
salvation, aud still have saving faith and be
saved. Many who think they will be saved,
will find out, when it is too late, that they
have never believed, and will be lost forever.
There is no place in the Scripture, that we
remember, in which God commands, exhorts,
or entreatsus to believe that we will be saved
When God commands all to believe, he sure
" does not mean that all must believe that
they will be saved. Such scheme would
obviate the necessity of an atonement for sin,
and would, in reality, be commanding multi
tudes to believe what their senses teach them
is false. If believing that we will be saved is
saving faith, what need have we of Saviour
For what did Christ die? Those who are
justified by faith, have peace With God; but
the source of that peace is not believing that
they will be saved. What then, is saving
faith 1t is, we answer, the gift of God.
There are, no doubt, some who will be dispos-
ed to deny this, and say that every one is the
author of his own faith.
The individual who takes this view of the
subject will get himself into difficulty, out
of which he can not get with satisfaction. He
will have to rebut the plain declarations of
Gods word and the teachings of his own COM
mon sense. If faith is not creature of Gcd,
it is selfexstent; for the power to create be-
longs to God alone. Faith cannot be self.ex-
istent, for, so far as we know, God alone is
self.existent. If any one says that faith is
part of mans nature, this does not make it
selfexistent; for mans nature is the creature
of God.
Faith is, however, part of that creation
which takes place in accordance with the plan
of redemption by which we are said to be made
new creatures in Christ Jesus God original
ly endowed man with the capability to exer-
else faith but in the fall, man lost that ca
pablity One of the gifts or graces which
God bestowed on man when he was created,
was faith. 1t was not saving faith, for what
is not lost cannot be saved Still, whatever
may be the essence and object of saving faith,
that was the essence and object of that faith
with which man was originally endowed. The
first endowment was gift of God, and so is
and must be the last. Whatever man pos.
sessed before the fall, was a gift bestowed up.
on him by his maker and redeemer.
AS God of grace, God bestows a multi
tude of gifts. On some individuals he -bestows
mora than he does on others. There are
some gifts that are absolutely necessary in
order to salvation Hence these gifts are
called saving graces, or gifts In the Scrip
lures, we are told that Jesus Christ was raised
up to give repentance. We are thus taught
to call repentance a gift and it is saving
gift; for without it, there is no salvation.
That gift which God bestews upon US, and
which is called faith, is the power of the soul
to cease to trust in itself and to put its trust
in Jesus Christ. The end for which this strust
is reposed in Christ, is the glory of God and
the salvation of the soul. The power to be-
lieve is the gift of God; the exercising of the
power is the work of the individual upon
whom the power has been bestowed.
A number of words and phrases are used
in the Scriptures to explain or illustrate what
is meant by faith. TO believe in Christ, is to
accept him as a saviour; to confde in him as
saviour; to trust in him as saviour; to
rest on him for salvation to take him as the
portion of our souls and many other similar
and easily understood expressions.
1t should be remembered that the object of
faith, is Christ Jesus, as he is revealed to US
in the Scriptures. 1t is not trusting in God
as revealed to US in creation or providence,