In the following days we will examine in order the various effects the Word of God produces in those who receive God’s Word with meekness and sincerity and with openness of heart and mind.
The first of these effects is faith.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17)
There are three successive stages in the spiritual process here described:
- God’s Word
- Hearing
- Faith
God’s Word does not immediately produce faith, but only hearing. Hearing may be described as an attitude of attentive interest and attention, a sincere desire to receive and to understand the message presented. Then out of hearing there develops faith.
It is important to see that the hearing of God’s Word initiates a process in the soul out of which faith develops and that this process requires a minimum period of time. This explains why there is so little faith to be found among so many professing Christians today. They never devote enough time to the hearing of God’s Word to allow it to produce in them any substantial proportion of faith. If they ever devote any time at all to private devotions and the study of God’s Word, the whole thing is conducted in such a hurried and haphazard way that it is all over before faith has had time to develop.
As we study how faith is produced, we also come to understand much more clearly how scriptural faith should be defined. In general conversation we use the word faith very freely. We speak of having faith in a doctor or faith in a medicine or faith in a newspaper or faith in a politician or political party. In scriptural terms, however, the word faith must be much more strictly defined. Since faith comes only from hearing God’s Word, faith is always directly related to God’s Word. Scriptural faith does not consist in believing anything that we ourselves may wish or please or fancy. Scriptural faith may be defined as believing that God means what He has said in His Word – that God will do what He has promised in His Word to do.
For example, David exercised this scriptural kind of faith when he said to the Lord:
“And now, O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said.” (1 Chron. 17:23)
Scriptural faith is expressed in those five short words: “do as You have said.”
Likewise, the virgin Mary exercised the same kind of scriptural faith when the angel Gabriel brought her a message of promise from God, and she replied:
“Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38)
That is the secret of scriptural faith – according to Your word. Scriptural faith is produced within the soul by the hearing of God’s Word and is expressed by the active response of claiming the fulfilment of that which God has said.
Lord, with all my heart I say the same thing as Mary said: "Let it be to me according to your word..." Thank You for the wealth of promises, but also for instructions, callings and visions that are described in Your Word, for me and for many other of your children. I will obey your voice! Amen.
