 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What Saith the Scripture?
http://www.WhatSaithTheScripture.com/
Faith
by Charles Grandison Finney
President of Oberlin College
from "The
Oberlin Evangelist" Publication of Oberlin College
Lecture II
January 16, 1839
Public Domain Text
Reformatted by Katie Stewart
.
Text.--John 6:28,29: "Then said they unto him, what shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
The following is the train of thought I shall pursue:
I. Notice several erroneous answers, commonly given to the question proposed in
the text, viz: What shall we do that we may work the works of God?
II. Show that Christ gave the only proper answer, under the circumstances in which
the question was asked.
III. Show that, under other circumstances, another answer might, with propriety,
be given.
I. I am to notice several erroneous answers commonly given to the question proposed
in the text.
1. Should the question be proposed to a Jew, "What shall I do that I may work the works of God?" he would answer, keep the law, both moral and ceremonial, i.e. keep the commandments.
2. To the same inquiry, an Arminian would answer, improve common grace, and you will obtain converting grace, i.e. use the means of grace, according to the best light you have, and you will obtain the grace of salvation. In this answer, it is not supposed, that the inquirer already has faith, and is using the means of grace in faith; but that he is in a state of impenitency, and is inquiring after converting grace. The answer, therefore, amounts to this: you must get converting grace by your impenitent works; you must become holy by your hypocrisy; you must work out sanctification by sin.
3. To this question, most professed Calvinists would make, in substance, the same reply. They would reject the language, while they retained the idea. Their direction would imply, either that the inquirer already has faith, or that he must perform works to obtain it, i.e. to obtain grace by works.
Neither an Arminian nor a Calvinist, would formally direct the inquirer to the
law, as the ground of justification. But nearly the whole Church would give directions
that would amount to the same thing. Their answer would be a legal, and not a gospel
answer. For whatever answer is given to this question, that does not distinctly recognize
faith, as the foundation of all virtue in sinners, is legal. Unless the inquirer
is made to understand that this is the first grand fundamental duty, without the
performance of which all virtue, all giving up of sin, all acceptable obedience,
is impossible, he is misdirected. He is led to believe, that it is possible to please
God without faith; and to obtain grace by works of law. There are but two kinds of
works--works of law, and works of faith. Now if the inquirer has not the "faith
that works by love," to set him upon any course of works to get it, is certainly
to direct him to get faith by works of law. Whatever is said to him that does not
clearly convey the truth, that both justification and sanctification are by faith,
without works of law, is law, and not gospel. Nothing before, or without faith, can
possibly be done by the unbeliever, but works of law. His first duty, therefore,
is faith; and every attempt to obtain faith by unbelieving works, is to lay works
at the foundation, and make grace a result. It is the direct opposite of gospel truth.
Take facts as they arise in every day's history, to show that what I have stated
is the experience of almost all, professors and non-professors. Whenever a sinner
begins in good earnest to agitate the question, "What shall I do to be saved?"
he resolves, as a first duty, to break off from his sins, i.e. in unbelief. Of course
his reformation is only outward, he determines to do better--to reform in this, that,
and the other thing, and thus prepare himself to be converted. He does not expect
to be saved without grace and faith, but he attempts to get grace by works of law.
The same is true of multitudes of anxious Christians, who are inquiring what they
shall do to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. They overlook the fact
that "this is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith,"
that it is with "the shield of faith" that they are "to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked." They ask, why am I overcome by sin? Why can
I not get above its power? Why am I thus the slave of my appetites and passions,
and the sport of the devil? They cast about for the cause of all this spiritual wretchedness
and death. At one time they think they have discovered it in the neglect of one duty;
and at another time, in the neglect of another. Sometimes they imagine they have
found the cause to lie in yielding to one sin, and sometimes in yielding to another.
They put forth efforts in this direction, and in that direction, and patch up their
righteousness on one side, while they make a rent in the other. Thus they spend years
in running around in a circle, and making dams of sand across the current of their
own corruptions. Instead of at once purifying their hearts by faith, they are engaged
in trying to arrest the overflowing of its bitter waters. Why do I sin? they inquire;
and casting about for the cause, they come to the sage conclusion, it is because
I neglect such a duty, i.e. because I do sin. But how shall I get rid of sin? Answer:
by doing my duty, i.e. by ceasing from sin. Now the real inquiry is, why do they
neglect their duty? Why do they commit sin at all? Where is the foundation of all
this mischief? Will it be replied, the foundation of all this wickedness is in the
corruption of our nature--in the wickedness of the heart--in the strength of our
evil propensities and habits? But all this only brings us back to the real inquiry,
again: How are this corrupt nature, this wicked[ness], and these sinful habits to
be overcome? I answer, by faith alone. No works of law have the least tendency to
overcome our sins; but rather confirm the soul in self-righteousness and unbelief.
The great and fundamental sin, which is at the foundation of all other sin, is unbelief.
The first thing, is to give up that--to believe the word of God. There is no breaking
off from one sin without this. "Whatever is not faith is sin," "Without
faith, it is impossible to please God." Thus we see that the backslider and
convicted Christian, when agonizing to overcome sin, will, almost always, betake
themselves to works of law to obtain faith. They will fast, and pray, and read, and
struggle, and outwardly reform, and thus endeavor to obtain grace. Now all this is
in vain and wrong. Do you ask, shall we not fast, and pray, and read, and struggle?
Shall we do nothing, but sit down in Antinomian security and inaction? I answer,
you must do all that God commands you to do; but begin where He tells you to begin,
and do it in the manner in which he commands you to do it, i.e. in the exercise of
that faith that works by love. Purify your hearts by faith. Believe in the Son of
God. And say not in your heart, "who shall ascend into heaven i.e. to bring
Christ down from above; or who shall descend into the deep, i.e. to bring up Christ
again from the dead. But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth,
and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith which we preach."
Now these facts show that even under the gospel almost all professors of religion,
while they reject the Jewish notion of justification by works of the law, have, after
all, adopted a ruinous substitute for it, and suppose that in some way they are to
obtain grace by their works.
II. I am to show, that Christ gave the only proper answer, under the circumstances
in which the question was asked.
In order to understand the propriety of the answer, we must understand the meaning
of the question. The context shows that the question was asked by certain unbelieving
Jews, who inquired what they could do, to work the works of God?--in other words,
to obtain the favor of God? Christ understood them as inquiring what works would
be acceptable without faith. He therefore answers: "This is the work of God,
that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." As if He had said, nothing is a work
of God which you would recognize as such. Faith is the first great work of God, without
which it is impossible to please Him. To a Jew, this answer would imply, that he
believed Him to be the Messiah foretold in the scriptures. And to all persons the
answer implies not only a general confidence in the character of God, but a trust
in his atonement and saving grace, in opposition to all works of law for justification.
To show that this is the only proper answer to be given to a person in a state of
unbelief, I will state,
1. What I DO NOT mean by the proposition; and
2. What I DO mean by it.
The first element of saving faith is a realizing sense of the truth of the Bible. But this is not alone saving faith, for Satan has this realizing sense of truth, which makes him tremble.
But a second element in saving faith is the consent of the heart or will to the truth perceived by the intellect. It is a cordial trust or resting of the mind in those truths, and a yielding up of the whole being to their influence. Now it is easy to see, that without the consent of the will, there can be nothing but an outward obedience to God. A wife, without confidence in her husband, can do nothing more than perform outwardly her duty to him. It is a contradiction to say that without confidence, she can perform her duty from the heart. The same is true of parental and all other governments. Works of law may be performed without faith; i.e. we may serve from fear or hope, or some selfish consideration; but without the confidence that works by love, obedience from the heart is naturally impossible. Nay, the very terms, obedience from the heart without love, are a contradiction.
III. I am to show, that under other circumstances another answer might, with propriety, have been given.
REMARKS.
1. You see, from this subject, how to understand Rom. 9:20-32, which I have before
quoted, "What shall we say, then," &c. The Jews sought by their own
doings to please God, without faith; but all their righteousness was as filthy rags.--While
the Gentiles, who had lived in open rebellion, when they heard the gospel, believed
it at once, instead of betaking themselves to works of law; and thus exercising faith
that works by love, they attained to the righteousness which is of God, by faith.
2. You see why the church is not sanctified.--They overlook the office and necessity
of faith, as that which alone can produce acceptable obedience to God. They are engaged
in efforts to obtain faith by works, instead of first exercising that faith which
will beget within them a clean heart. In this way they seek in vain for sanctification.
How common is it to see persons full of bustle and outward efforts and works--fasting
and praying, giving and doing, and struggling; and after all, they have not the fruits
of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance, against which there is no law. They have not, after all, crucified the
flesh with its affections and lusts. They do not live in the Spirit, and walk in
the Spirit. They do not, in their own experience, realize the truth of that saying,
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is staid[stayed] on thee: because
he trusteth in thee." Without that trust they cannot have peace; cannot be sanctified.
Others endeavor to force themselves to exercise the various Christian graces, of
love, submission, &c., without faith, overlooking the fact that it is faith that
works by love, and that repentance and submission imply faith, and are the results
of faith. They are the surrendering of our wills to the will of God. But this certainly
cannot be, without confidence in the character of God. In short, every Christian
grace implies the exercise of faith as its foundation.
3. You see why the Bible lays so much stress upon faith.
4. You see what is the difficulty with those who are constantly in a complaining
state, on the subject of religion. They seem to know they are wrong; but do not understand
wherein the foundation of their wrong consists. They sometimes think that a neglect
of this duty is the grand difficulty, and sometimes something else is that upon which
their minds fasten, as the prime difficulty in the case. They set themselves to break
off from one sin and another, and practice this self-denial, and that duty, and all
without that faith that fills the heart with love. Thus they go round and round in
a circle, and do not see that unbelief is their great, their damning sin; without
the removal of which no other sin can be repented of or forgiven. All their efforts
are entirely legal, hypocritical, and vain till they exercise faith.
5. You see the mistake of Antinomian Perfectionists, in setting aside all preceptive
religion, and understanding obedience to the commands of God as legality. They do
not make the discrimination here made. If persons without faith, in an unsanctified
state, set themselves to obey the commandments of God, their efforts must necessarily
be legal, self-righteous and ruinous. To them the precepts of the Gospel, as well
as the commandments of the law, are a horrible pit of miry clay. You cast a man into
a horrible pit of miry clay, and the more he struggles, the deeper he sinks. Now
to a man without faith, the precepts of the law and gospel are fitly compared to
miry clay. Every effort at obedience without faith is sin; and as it confirms self-righteousness,
is sinking him farther and farther from God, and rational hope. And the more vehemently
he struggles, the more desperate and alarming his case becomes. The clay surrounds
him, and cleaves to him, suffocates and kills him. Just so the commands of God to
an unbelieving heart, are a snare and a pit. They are miry and suffocating clay.
Without faith, there is ruin and damnation in them.
6. You see how to the Jews, and to all unbelievers, the commandments of God are a
stumbling block. All outward conformity to them is useless, yea, ruinous. Love without
faith is impossible. And consequently, the merciful direction and instructions contained
in the preceptive parts of the Gospel, are made the food of self-righteousness, and
the snare of death. But to those whose souls are full of faith and love, the commandments
of God are just the instruction which they need, when, in their ignorance, they earnestly
inquire, what they shall do to glorify God. Do this, and avoid that, and the like,
are just the things upon which hearts of love will seize, as the needed directions
of their heavenly Father.
7. But someone may inquire, do not men learn to exercise faith, by what you call
legal efforts, and in obedience to legal directions? No. They only learn by experience,
that all such directions are vain, and that they are totally depraved and dependent,
which they ought to have believed before. They set themselves to pray, and read,
and struggle, expecting at every meeting they attend, every prayer they make, to
obtain grace and faith. But they never do until they are completely discouraged,
and despair of obtaining help in this way. And the history of every self-righteous
sinner's conversion, and every anxious Christian's sanctification would develop this
truth--that deliverance cometh not until their self-righteous efforts were proved,
by their own experience, to be utterly vain, and abandoned as useless, and the whole
subject thrown upon the sovereign mercy of God. This submitting a subject to the
sovereign mercy of God is that very act of faith, which they should have put forth
long before, but which they would not exercise until every other means had been tried
in vain.
8. But perhaps you will say, if by this self-righteous struggle they learn their
depravity and dependence, and in this manner come to prove, by their own experience,
the truth of God, why not encourage them to make these efforts, as, at least, an
indirect way of obtaining faith? Answer: Blasphemy and drunkenness, and any of the
most shocking sins, may be, and often have been the means of working conviction,
which has resulted in conversion. Why not encourage these things, as such is sometimes
their indirect effect? The truth is, when a sinner's attention is awakened, and he
is convicted, and puts forth the inquiry, "what shall I do?" and when a
Christian, struggling with his remaining corruption, puts forth the same inquiry,
why should they be thrown into the horrible pit of which I have spoken? Why not tell
them at once, in the language of the text, "This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent"?
9. Let me say to you who would make the inquiry in the text, don't wait to fast,
read, pray or any thing else; don't expect to break off from any sin in your unbelief.
You may break off from the outward commission--you may substitute praying for swearing,
reading your Bible for reading novels, outward industry and honesty for theft and
idleness, sobriety for drunkenness, and any thing you please; and it is, after all,
only exchanging one form of sin for another. It is only varying the mode of your
warfare. But remember that in unbelief, whatever your conduct is, you are in high-handed
rebellion against God. Faith would instantly sanctify your heart, sanctify all your
doings, and render them, in Christ Jesus, acceptable to God. Unbelief is your great,
your crying, your damning sin--against which the heaviest thunderbolts of Jehovah
are hurled.
10. Don't wait for any particular view of Christ before you believe. When persons
in the state of mind of which I have been speaking hear those who live in faith describe
their views of Christ, they say, "O, if I had such views, I could believe; I
must have these before I can believe." Now you should understand that these
views are the result and effect of faith. These views of which you speak are that
which faith discovers in those passages of Scripture which describe Christ. Faith
apprehends the meaning of those passages, and sees in them these very things which
you expect to see, before you exercise faith, and which you imagine would produce
it. Take hold, then, on the simple promise of God. Take God at his word. Believe
that he means just what he says. And this will at once bring you into the state of
mind after which you inquire.
11. Let what has been said be an answer to that sister in New York, who inquired,
by letter, what she should do to obtain the blessing of sanctification. My dear child,
you inquire whether you shall obtain by reading the Bible, or by prayer, fasting,
or by all these together. Now let this sermon answer you, and know that by neither,
nor by all these, in the absence of faith, are you to grow any better, or find any
relief. You speak of being in darkness, and of being discouraged. No wonder you are
so, since you have plainly been seeking sanctification by works of law. You have
"stumbled at this stumbling stone." You are in the horrible pit and miry
clay of which I have just spoken. Immediately exercise faith upon the Son of God.
It is the first--the only thing you can do to rest your feet upon the rock, and it
will immediately put a new song into your mouth.
GLOSSARY
of easily misunderstood terms as defined by Mr. Finney himself.
Compiled by Katie Stewart
.
Homepage 
Holy Bible
.Jehovah Jesus
Timeline .Prophecy Philadelphia Fellowship Promises Stories Poetry Links
Purpose ||.What's New
|| Tribulation Topics || Download Page || Today's Entry
Topical Links:
Salvation || Catholicism || Sound Doctrine || Prayer
Privacy Policy
.