The Operation of God's Holy Spirit upon the Heart
Now, what is
faith? That is a question of questions, for on it hangs heaven or hell.
God Himself has given us a clear definition of it, where He says, "faith
is the substance of things hoped for." In other words, faith in the
soul gives a realisation to the things in which we are brought to hope,
takes what to most men are airy shadows, mere words and names, and gives
them a substantial existence, a firm abiding place in the heart and
conscience.
The apostle calls it also "the evidence of things not seen." That is, faith, by believing the testimony of God, is to us an internal eye, whereby we see those things, which to the natural eye are invisible. Thus adopting the apostle's definition, we may call faith the eye of the soul, as we read, "By faith he endured, seeing Him who is invisible." For it is only by faith that we see either God, or the precious things of God.
It is only by faith that we feel their power.
It is only by faith that we know they have a real subsistence, or that
we ourselves have a substantial interest in them. But this faith is the
special gift of God. It is not the exercise of any intellectual faculty.
It is not the result of reasoning or argument. Nor does it spring from
any historical proof. It is a special gift of God, a grace of the Spirit
raised up by the power of God in the soul, and acting upon the truth of
God as the blessed Spirit draws it forth. Jesus is the Author; Jesus is
the Finisher of it; and we have no more, and I believe no less faith,
than He Himself, by His almighty power, is pleased to grant and to
sustain.
But, looking at faith and some of its properties, we may
branch out a little in describing how faith acts. There is an expression
of the apostle's that casts a sweet light upon the work of faith, where
he says, "Unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but
the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in
them that heard it." Here he brings forward a special operation of
faith, in that it mixes with the word of truth. And it does it thus. God
the Holy Ghost applies God's word to the conscience. He thus raises up
the grace of faith; this grace of faith embraces God's testimony, and so
intermingles itself with this testimony that it enters into it,
appropriates it, and gives it a substantial realisation and personal
indwelling.
See how this was done in the instance of Abram. God comes
to him in the night visions, and says to him, "Fear not, I am thy
shield and exceeding great reward." But Abram, in a fit of unbelief,
says, "What wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of
my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?" The Lord then takes him abroad
into the air, shews him the stars of the sky, and tells him, "So shall
thy seed be." Now here was the testimony of God in a certain promise to
Abram's conscience; upon this, faith immediately sprang up in his soul;
for we read, "Abram believed God, and it was counted unto him for
righteousness." When God spake to his soul, Abram believed it by the
operation of God's Spirit on his heart.
So it is with every child of God. He believes what God speaks to him, he inwardly, spiritually credits it, because he feels what God the Spirit, applies to his soul with power; for the same Spirit that applies God's word to his heart raises up the faith in his soul that mixes with the word applied, and thus gives the word a substantial realisation, a firm abiding place in his conscience.
-preacher J.C. Philpot (1802-1869 A.D.)
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