How Faith Grows

THE Apostle Paul could say of the Thessalonian converts, “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly.” For there can be no doubt that depth of spiritual life, on man’s side, depends on the growth of faith. Faith is a root-grace, and love is a fruit-grace. If the root is in vigour, the fruit will be in abundance. And so the Apostle adds, “And the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.”

But let us consider how faith grows. By what means doth faith increase? By obedience. That is, by responding to

2Tliess.i. 3- I John V. 3. God’s requirements. “His commandments are not grievous.”

We may take four little words — each a divine command — and we may notice how, by responding to them, step by step, faith will grow. The first of these is

BEHOLD!

This is really God’s first requirement. Look and live — not Come and do, or bring anything. Not try to create, to improve, or make yourselves strong, or worthy, or sufficient. But “behold.” “Behold what I have provided for you. What I have bestowed upon you. What I am to you. All your need finds its supply in Me.” It was so with Hagar in the wilderness of Beersheba. There she was with the lad Ishmael perishing for want of water. The bottle she had brought with her was empty. She had come to an end of all her own resources. What could she do? Only lie down and die. She was in utter despair.

no IV FAITH GROWS.

Then came the word of the Lord, “Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Impossible! the creature of sense would say. But God’s word was true. “And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.”

Another instance. Elisha’s servant at Dothan, He saw the enemy, but he did not see God’s hosts. Seeing only one side of the truth — and that the dark side — filled him with fear and dismay. “Alas, my master! how shall we do?”

How many of God’s children are like the servant of the prophet in this respect? They have a vivid sense of the might of the enemy, of the power of evil — but they fail to recognise the all-sufficiency and nearness of the Lord of hosts.

Elisha’s conduct, in his dealings with his despairing servant, should be our pattern. “Fear not,” said the prophet, “for they that be with us are more than

Gen. xxi.
19.

2 Kings vi.
^5- It
Kings vi.
17.

they that be with them.” That was the witness of the man of faith. Then, instead of entering into controversy, Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” He now saw the other side of the truth, and all his fears vanished.

So is it now. It is by responding to this command “behold,” that we get what we may call the apprehension, or knowledge of faith. The next word of command that faith obeys is

LAY HOLD.

It is impossible for faith to respond without receiving blessing. Each blessing received is a fresh starting-point for faith — not a resting-place for indolence, or merely a refuge for fear, but the ground from which to begin afresh a course of more earnest activity and simple trust.

Gen. xiu,

“Lift up now thine eyes,” said the Lord to Abraham, “and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” This was equivalent to the command “behold.” But then came the words, “Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee.” Similar words came to Joshua nearly five hundred years afterwards — “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given you.” It was not enough that they beheld the goodly land, and heard the Divine words assuring them that it was God’s gift to them for ever. Beholding was to be followed by appropriating.

How many earnest souls see the fulness of the provision and are convinced of the reality of the gift, and yet make no

Josh.

progress?

A deed is put mto your hands, by
Heb. xi.
33-

I Tim. vi.

which you discover that you are the rightful heir to an estate. Simply be-Heving in the vaUdity of the document, that it is in every way legally executed, and that you are the heir, would not put you into possession. The act of taking possession must follow the knowledge of the fact that the inheritance is yours.

So faith not only beholds, but also obtains promises.

Here is a man who has fallen overboard. A rope is thrown out to him. He sees the effort made to save him. It fills him with hope even in the moment of his peril. The bare fact that the rope is within his reach is not without its gladdening influence — but that alone will not save him. He must lay hold.

Responding to this word of command “lay hold on eternal life” is what we may call the oppropriation of faith. The third word is

HOLD FAST.

It is one thing to lay hold — it is another

thing to hold fast. “Let us hold fast our confession.” “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering “(N.V.).” Holding fast the faithful word.” These are apostolic admonitions. For if our great spiritual enemy fails in discouraging us from taking faith’s position, he will spare no pains in endeavouring to dislodge us from it, after we have taken it. It is only as we follow the Divine direction in Eph. vi. that we are enabled to withstand these efforts of Satan. We must know what it is to be “strengthened in the Lord” — to put on the whole armour of God. *’ The good fight of faith “consists almost entirely in holding fast that which by faith we have appropriated. To hold fast is to keep our ground. It is this we are enabled to do when intrenched in Christ, “that ye may be able to withstand,” — “and having done all, to stand.” Here we have the te7iadty of faith. This brings us to the last word:

Heb.

Tit.

Phll.ii. 16.

HOLD FORTH.

If it needs faith to receive, to take in — it needs still more faith to give out, “Holding forth the word of life.” But faith is not growing exceedingly unless it advances at each stage of God’s requirement. To hinder this progress is one of Satan’s chief devices. That he should dispute every inch of the ground need not surprise us, for he knows the blessings resulting from a steady unhesitating response to the Divine command.

How often there comes the unbelieving suggestion when the privileges of the “fulness of blessing “are put before us, that, after all, these blessings are not true. Perhaps we are tempted to argue about them. Perhaps we are betrayed into controversies in such a spirit that it would seem as if we hoped they were not true: we argue as if we preferred living at a lowlevel experience. And then the word has come spoken with a power that has penetrated our inmost being. “Behold!” and we have seen — not our need merely — not the depth of our weakness and depravity only, but we have seen how infinite is the provision, how all-sufiicient is the Divine fulness to meet that need. Faith has obeyed the command, and the despondency and mist have fled. We have obeyed, and in obeying we have risen above the gloom and fog of a life that is perpetually limiting God.

But the tempter has not left us. While we have gazed on the fulness of the provision, we have heard the whisper, “Yes, there it is, boundless in its extent; but it is not for you. Such a life of triumph is only for God’s favoured ones — some few eminent saints; it is not for those who are engaged in the ordinary pursuits of daily life. No; these great and high privileges are not for you.” But God speaks to the soul, and He says, “Lay hold,” “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” “If any man thirst, let him come unto Lie and drink.” It is to such that

Rev. xxii.
17-

John vii. 37- the Lord Jesus promises not only the grace that meets our own need, but the fulness of grace that goes forth to others, johnvii, 38. “Qut of him shall flow rivers of living water.” Obedience to God’s word is the only way of meeting that suggestion.

Then when we have experienced the reality of the blessing, and know it in its actual possession, there comes again the unbelieving thought from the same evil source: — “Yes, you have a blessed experience of the goodness and sufficiency of Christ; but it won’t last What is faith’s duty at such a moment? Simply to obey the word that comes to us from God — “hold fast.” Live on Him a moment at a time. Hold fast to the faithfulness of God. Never question the immutability of His love.

Then, lastly, when the tempter has failed m each of these assaults, he will adopt another device with the object of hindering our usefulness. He will endeavour to persuade us to hide our light under a bushel — to keep our religion to ourselves — to do our utmost to prevent our neighbours from discovering the fact that the Lord has visited us with His salvation. But a Divine command appeals to faith at this step, and bids us confess with the mouth as well as to believe with the heart.

It is thus that our faith will grow exceedingly. Not by introspection — not by emotional efforts to believe — but by a simple child-like obedience to God’s biddings, at each step of the path along which He leads us.

We see faith then in all these aspects: the apprehension of faith; the appropriation of faith; the tenacity of faith; and lastly, the confession of faith.