Faith - Spiritual Knowledge - Part 1

December 8, 1775

My Dear Friend,

Are you willing I should still call you so, or are you quite weary of me? Your silence makes me suspect the latter. However, it is my part to fulfil my promise, and then leave the event to God. As I have but an imperfect remembrance of what I have already written, I may be liable to some repetitions. I cannot stay to comment upon every line in your letter, but I proceed to notice such passages as seem most to affect the subject in debate. When you speak of the Scriptures maintaining one consistent sense, which, if the Word of God, it certainly must do, you say you read and understand it in this one consistent sense; nay, you cannot remember the time when you did not. It is otherwise with me and with multitudes; we remember when it was a sealed book, and we are sure it would have been so still, had not the Holy Spirit opened our understandings.

But when you add, though I pretend not to understand the whole, yet what I do understand appears perfectly consistent. I know not how far this exception may extend; for perhaps the reason why you allow you do not understand some parts, is because you cannot make them consistent with the sense you put upon other parts. You quote my words, "That when we are conscious of our depravity, reasoning stands us in no stead." Undoubtedly reason always will stand rational creatures in some stead; but my meaning is, that when we are deeply convinced of sin, all our former reasonings upon the ways of God, while we make our conceptions the standard by which we judge what is befitting Him to do, as if He were altogether such an one as ourselves- all those cobweb reasonings are swept away, and we submit to His autoV efh (authority) without reasoning, though not without reason. For we have the strongest reason imaginable to acknowledge ourselves vile and lost, without righteousness and strength, when we actually feel ourselves to be so.

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You speak of the Gospel term of justification. This term is faith, Mark xvi. I6; Acts xiii. 39. The Gospel propounds, admits no other term. But this faith, as I endeavoured to show in my former letter, is very different from rational assent. You speak likewise of the law of faith, by which if you mean what some call the remedial law, which we are to obey as well as we can, and such obedience, together with our faith, will entitle us to acceptance with God, I am persuaded the Scripture speaks of no such thing. Grace and works of any kind, in the point of acceptance with God, are mentioned by the apostle not only as opposites or contraries, but as absolutely contradictory to each other, like fire and water, light and darkness; so that the affirmation of one is the denial of the other, Rom. iv. 5, and xi. 6. God justifies freely, justifies the ungodly, and him that worketh not.

Though justifying faith be indeed an active principle, it worketh by love, yet not for acceptance. Those whom the apostle exhorts to work out their own salvation with "fear and trembling," he considers as justified already; for he considers them as believers, in whom he supposed God had already begun a good work, and if so, was confident he would accomplish it (Phil. i. 6). To them, the consideration that God (who dwells in the hearts of believers) wrought in them to will and to do, was a powerful motive and encouragement to them to work, that is, to give all diligence to His appointed means; as a right sense of the sin that dwelleth in us, and the snares and temptations around us, will teach us still to work with fear and trembling.

You suppose a difference between Christians (so called) who are devoted to God in baptism, and those who in the first ages were converted from abominable superstitions and idolatrous vices.-It is true, in Christian countries we do not worship heathen divinities eo nomine (by those names). And this is the principal difference I can find. Neither reason nor observation will allow me to think that human nature is a whit better now than it was in the apostle's time. I know no kinds or degrees of wickedness which prevailed among heathens, which are not prevalent among nominal Christians, who have perhaps been baptized in their infancy; and, therefore, as the streams in the life are equally worldly, sensual, devilish, I doubt not but the fountain of the heart is equally polluted and poisonous; and that it is as true as it was in the days of Christ and His apostles, that unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Groping in the Dark

By James Smith, 1859

It is very unpleasant to be in the dark, especially if you are in a strange place. This was my lot a few nights ago. I knew what I wanted, and I knew where I wanted to get to — but it was so dark I could not find the right road. I groped and fumbled about. For a long time I had not felt my need of a light so much, nor realized its value as I did then. It was a considerable time before I found my way, and in doing so, I got several knocks, and became very chilly. To be alone in the dark is unpleasant, and a friendly voice under such circumstances is very cheering.

After I had gained my point, I began to think of darkness as representing ignorance, cruelty, and crime. What a solemn testimony is that of the prophet, "Darkness has covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." How affecting the prayer of the Psalmist, "Have respect unto the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty." And how cheering the announcement of another, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them the light has shined." And what a lovely representation Jesus gives us of himself when ne says, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness — but shall have the light of life." I wonder not that Solomon should say, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing, it is for the eyes to behold the sun." What would the world be naturally without the sun? Just in such a condition would we be morally, and spiritually, without the truth, and without the Savior!

My soul was in the dark once. In total darkness. I knew not my sin, I saw not my danger. I wanted something which I had not. I had heard of the way in which it was to be obtained, and thought I could find it — but I groped about in the dark in vain. At length I was led to God's Word, and I found the truth of Solomon's testimony. "The commandment is a lamp, and the law is light." By that word, I obtained a correct view of myself, and clearly discovered my danger. By that word, I saw the way of escape by our Lord Jesus Christ, and was led into it by the Holy Spirit. There I enjoyed the light of life, the light of God's countenance, and the light of joy and peace. I escaped from danger, obtained salvation, and saw with tolerable clearness the path of the just, which shines more and more onto the perfect day.

Since then, God's Word has been my light, and God's Spirit has been my guide. Nor can I do without either of them, for I need both a light to shine on my path, and a guide to lead me in it; and if left without either, I would find myself as I did the other night — groping in the dark. What obligations I am under to the Word, the Spirit, and the Savior; the Word is the light, the Spirit is the guide, and the Savior is the object to which I am led.

What home is to the poor traveler who has missed his way, and become bruised and chilly by groping in the dark, that, and more, oh how much more — is the Lord Jesus to me! In him is my food, my warmth, my rest, my every comfort. Without him I am hungry, cold, weary, and destitute of all real joy. O my Savior, leave me not in the dark — but if you do, I shall grope after you, and however cold and weary, I shall find no rest, until I find you!

Reader, may I say to you, as Paul wrote to his friends, "You were once darkness — but are now light in the Lord!" Have you discovered the darkness you were in? Have you felt your need of supernatural light? Have you endeavored to grope your way out of the darkness? Have you come to the light, and found rest unto your soul? My groping in the dark the other night, ended in a warm room, a comfortable bed, and refreshing sleep; and my former wandering in the dark, ended at the feet of Jesus, in rest of soul, and a place in the church of God. Has this been your case?

Believer, as a child of light, walk in the light. Walk in the truth. Walk in the Spirit. Walk in love. Walk in holiness. Let your course be that marked out by God's Word — that into which the Holy Spirit leads — that which unites and attaches you to all the Lord's people — that in which holiness shines forth resplendent — that all may see an illustration of the prophet's prediction in you, "And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it!" Isaiah 35:8

Spiritual Blindness Is So Sad!

This series about our lack of love for God that I have been posting for the past four days is really important to me because of what I have learned from Him through my wilderness process.

I was sad to learn from Him how busy we are at feeling superior about our religions, our understanding in our own nature and our own explanations. Sad to see how we are too preoccupied with what is not that important at all, yet we are missing the marks because in our misplaced zeal, our doings and focuses are not coming from the right angle. 

Spiritual blindness is sad because it eats you up and ravages you inside like a cancer in your body that you are not aware of. I do not mean to be rude by using the word cancer but, being someone who lost friends and family to cancer, like my own father whom I lost through cancer I had to learn the different types and how the disease works on the inside. I had to learn how it mutates and how it contaminates other healthy cells.

When I was a child I used to hear my father saying all the time that he would rather have a fever rather than being ignorant. When asked what he meant he would say, you can take a pill and your fever goes away but ignorance is there to stay. As I get older, I heard him expand on the fact that ignorance is worst because often the ignorant person has no idea he or she is ignorant. It is true. The biggest problem we have when we are spiritually ignorant is that we cannot know we are blind unless we can see. So, it is a catch 22

In our spiritual blindness, we will always find followers. The reason being is that first of all it is the work of Satan and secondly even though we are wrong, there is always a component of truth in what is being said. Perhaps it is because I have learned from the Holy Spirit how good we could feel in our Christian walk when all the while our father is the devil. I am extremely careful in examining my walk with Him constantly.  

Think about it. Have you ever sat down and really think of how easy it was for the world to crucified Christ? If your eyes had a peak of Christ in His glory, you would understand the magnitude of what I am saying. What about Adam and Eve? To be given so much to enjoy, yet it was so easy for them to defy Him. I do not know about you but these two examples I keep them close to my heart to remind me how vile I am and to enable me to remain in Him because apart from Him I am nothing and can do nothing.

Most of us so called Christians we would never dare think we belong to the category of those that Christ called the devil children in John 8:44. But, our attitude, motives and actions are no different from the people in the Jewish community of Jerusalem. They loved bragging about the fact that Abraham was their father, they knew each written word, yet no spiritual understanding, no eyes to see and no ears to hear. While they knew the truth, but the truth was not in them. Yes Abraham was their father, but they did not have Abraham Spirit that propelled him forward with God, in faith. They did not have his willingness to learn from Him and his obedient heart.  We too Christians, we reject the very truth of the Bible in favor of what is palatable to us.

Some of you would say to me: well I confessed with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, I believe in Him, I changed my life around, I am church goer, Bible reader, I pray, I work for Him etc. My answer to you is that the Pharisees were deeper in their religiosity than you and that still did not stop them from being the devil children.

The key words we need to understand from John 8:44 is that “Satan speaks from his own nature” and “not holding to the truth” – These are words that should get us think deeper about where we are with Him. It is too easy to cover our faulty walk with a few verses about His promises to us and move onto being busy for Him.

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  

Why Shoud I Follow Hard After God?

This is an excerpt of my newly released Christian book 

"Apprehended & Apprehending"

Taken from the chapter 5 of the book

We follow hard after God because we have become aware of the need for a deeper life in Him, with Holy hunger. He initiates this pursuit to a point where we hunger so much that nothing can satisfy us anymore unless we get hold of Him in the depth of our beings. This awareness of Him seeking for us causes a chain reaction as the chase begins. At the beginning, it is not that difficult because we are head over heels in love with Him. I remember being apprehensive, wondering how I managed to fall in love with Him simply because I did not know Christians could fall in love with God. In this hot pursuit, you will soon realize that it takes everything you possess in your heart, soul, and spirit to follow hard after Him because of the intensity, the urgency, the zeal, and so on. Soon, you find out pursuing hard after God is about claiming your inheritance through the rigid preparation of an heir in the making. Eventually, this pursuit led me to the wilderness with Him where you become exhausted but you are to persevere and endure. As you continue the chase you live with the attitude and the full knowledge that you are indeed the King’s precious child.

 The only way Christ can completely apprehend us is if we join Him on the journey and do our share through total surrender. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that Christ does not have the ability to apprehend us without our help, but this is how He has chosen to work. He will not override our will to love Him and join Him in this journey. Neither am I saying that a lip service job of surrender will do. He is not interested in having a half-baked surrender that is done on a case by case basis. Either one of these wrong methods is a rejection of the terms of His covenant with us. He wants our all with no reservations.  When we understand what Christ has done for us, we understand His immeasurable grace, love, mercy and goodness. We cannot help but run back to His feet and surrender ourselves. When we start enjoying the life we have in Him through faith, we understand how lucky we are compared to those who are perishing. When we learn the sweetness of living in His bosoms we also realize how silly we were for having resisted Him for so long as well as for the time we wasted away from Him. Only then do we see the gravity, the ignorance, the blindness, the loss, and the present and future pain of living in the Devil's claws. As we recognize what we have in Him, we enjoy the freedom we have, willingly becoming His prisoners and His bondservant. What a life! What a God! What a wonderful paradox we live through Christ!

This excerpt is from my newly released book.  If you want to read more please get the book on Amazon kindle or paperback.  Kindle link  & Paperback

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