John Gill · 7 of 53

Chapter 6. Of Faith in God and in Christ · Part 2

2b1c. Knowledge of Christ as a Saviour, and an assent unto him as such, is attended with love and affection to him; faith works by love, love always accompanies faith, at least follows it; Christ is precious to them that believe; they love him, value him, prefer him, to all others as a Saviour; and every truth respecting Christ is not “barely assented to”, but as they receive Christ, they receive the “love of the truth” with him.

2b1d. True, spiritual, special faith in Christ includes in it a dependence on him, trust and confidence in him alone for everlasting life and salvation; it is a soul’s venturing on Christ, resolving if it perishes it will perish at his feet; it is a resignation of itself to Christ, a committing its soul, and the important welfare and salvation of it into Christ’s hands, trusting him with all, looking to him, relying on him, and acquiescing in him as the alone Saviour. All which will more fully appear by considering,

2b2. Secondly, the various acts of faith on Christ, as described in the sacred Scriptures.

2b2a. It is expressed by seeing the Son; this is one of the first and one of the lowest acts of faith, and yet eternal life is annexed unto it; “This is the will of him that sent me”, says Christ, “that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life” (John 6:40), it is a sight of the glories and excellencies of Christ’s person, of the fulness of his grace and righteousness, and of the completeness and suitableness of his salvation. It is a looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, a view of him as altogether lovely, the chiefest among ten thousand. Faith is a light struck into the heart of a sinner whose understanding was darkened, yea darkness itself, till God commanded light to shine in darkness; by which, though first but glimmering, he sees himself a sinner, miserable and undone, without a Saviour, when Christ is held forth in the gospel to be looked at by him; that is a glass in which he is to be beheld, and where he is openly set forth crucified and slain for sinners; and so is the hope set before them, both to be looked at and to be laid hold on by them, who was typified by the brazen serpent set upon a pole by Moses, for the Israelites bitten by the serpents to look at and live (John 3:14, 15). And not only sensible sinners are directed to behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, as John’s hearers were by him; and are encouraged by the ministers of the word, who show unto men the way of salvation, to look to and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved; but they are encouraged by Christ himself; who says, “Behold me, behold me”, to a nation not called by his name, “look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else!” (Isa. 65:1; 45:22), which sight of him fills their souls with love to him, as the most lovely and amiable one, with eager desires after him, and an interest in him, signified by hungering and thirsting after his righteousness, and panting after his salvation. And this sight of Christ by faith is nigh, and not afar off; now, and not hereafter; and for a man’s self, and not another; he looks to him not merely as a Saviour of others, but to him as a Saviour and Redeemer suitable for him.

2b2b. Faith is a motion of the soul unto Christ; having looked and gazed at him with wonder and pleasure, it moves towards him; this is expressed by coming unto him; “He that cometh to me”, says Christ, “shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me”, which explains what is meant by coming, “shall never thirst” (John 6:35), which coming to Christ is upon an invitation given, encouraging to it; not only by others, by the Spirit and the bride, who say “come” (Rev. 22:17), and by the ministers of the word; “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come!” and who, through the gospel trumpet being blown with power, and the sound of it attended with efficacious grace, they that are “ready to perish” come (Isa. 55:1; 27:13), but also by Christ himself, who says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest!” (Matthew 11:28), such souls come, being influenced and powerfully wrought upon by the grace of God; “All that the Father giveth me”, says Christ, “shall come to me”; efficacious grace will cause them to come, will bring them to him, through all discouragements, difficulties, and objections, and which are all removed by what follows; “and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37). This coming to Christ as a Saviour, or believing in him, is owing to the Father’s teachings, instructions, and drawing; “No man can come to me”, says Christ, that is, believe in him, “except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him”, draw him with his lovingkindness, and through the power of his grace, and of his divine teachings; “every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me”; yea, this is a pure gift of his grace, “therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:44, 45, 65), and such souls come to Christ in a view of the blessings of grace, of righteousness, and strength, peace and pardon, salvation and eternal life; these are the goodness of the Lord, they flow unto him for with great eagerness, swiftness, and cheerfulness. For

2b2c. This motion of faith towards Christ is expressed by fleeing to him; and such souls that believe in him are described as having “fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them” (Heb. 6:18), and by “turning to the stronghold as prisoners of hope”, that is, to Christ, whose name is a “strong tower”, whither the “righteous run” and are “safe” (Zech. 6:12; Prov. 18:10), fleeing supposes danger, and a sense of it; Christ is the city of refuge, the strong hold and tower, they are directed to; whither coming, they find shelter and safety from avenging justice and every enemy, a supply of wants, and ground of hope of eternal life and happiness; and thus being come to Christ various acts of faith are put forth upon him; such as the following,

2b2c1. A venturing act of their souls, and of their whole salvation on him, like Esther, who ventured into the presence of king Ahasuerus, saying, “If I perish, I perish!” faith at first is such a venture of the soul on Christ, not knowing as yet how it will fare with it; yea, a “peradventure”, perhaps there may be salvation in Christ for it; as Benhadad’s servants said to him; “Peradventure he” (the king of Israel), “will save thy life”; reasoning in like manner as the four lepers did when ready to perish with famine; “Let us fall into the host of the Syrians; if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die”: so sensible sinners, seeing their perishing condition, resolve to venture themselves on Christ; if he saves them it is well, if not they can but die, as they must without him.

2b2c2. A casting or throwing themselves into the arms of Christ, to be bore and carried by him as a nursing father bears and carries in his bosom a sucking child; so Christ carries the lambs in his arms (Isa. 40:11), weak believers, who cast themselves and all their burdens, the whole care of their souls upon him; this sense האמןhas (Num. 11:12), from whence comes a word which in many places signifies to believe (see Isa. 60:4 compared with Isa. 66:12).

2b2c3. A laying hold on Christ, who is “a tree of life to them that lay hold upon him” (Prov. 3:18), from which tree they may pluck and eat all the fruits of grace and life. Christ is the hope of Israel, and the Saviour of his people; and there is great encouragement for sensible sinners to hope in him, because there are mercy and plenteous redemption with him; and he is in the gospel set forth before them as the ground of hope “to lay hold upon” (Heb. 6:18), he is that Jew who sprung from the seed of David and from the tribe of Judah; and his righteousness “the skirt” ten men are said to “take hold of” (Zech. 8:23), even the robe of his righteousness; which being revealed and brought near to faith, it lays hold upon and puts it on, as its justifying righteousness, seeing the insufficiency of its own, and the excellency of this. Socinus treats such an apprehension of Christ by faith for justification as a mere human invention, and a most empty dream; but the true believer finds abundance of solid peace and comfort in it. As Adonijah and Joab fled and laid hold on the horns of the altar for safety, and under a consciousness of guilt; so a sinner, sensible of its sin and guilt, and of its own incapacity to make atonement for it, flees to Christ, and lays hold on his sacrifice, and brings this offering in the arms of his faith, and pleads with God that he would be propitious to him through it, and take away his sin from him. Faith lays hold on the covenant of grace, and upon Christ the Mediator of it, and upon the promises in it, which are yea and amen in Christ, and on the blessings of it, the sure mercies of David, redemption, justification, pardon, peace, reconciliation, and salvation, and claims interest in them. It lays hold on Christ for strength as well as righteousness; “Let him take hold of my strength”, to enable him to exercise every grace, perform every duty, bear the cross of Christ, and persevere in faith and holiness to the end (Isa. 27:5, 6).

2b2c4. Faith is a retaining Christ, and an holding him fast; the soul being come to Christ, and having laid hold upon him, keeps its hold of him: it is said of Wisdom, or Christ, “happy is everyone that retaineth her” (Prov. 3:18), so the church having lost her beloved, and upon search found him, she “held him, and would not let him go”, as Jacob the angel that wrestled with him until he blessed him (Song of Sol. 3:4), which denotes not only an holding fast the profession of the faith of Christ, but a continuance of the exercise of the grace of faith on him; an holding to him, the Head, and deriving nourishment from him, a walking on in him as he has been received; a being strong in the grace that is in him, firmly believing its interest in him. It is expressive of strength of faith in Christ, and of great affection to him; for it is sometimes with difficulty it keeps its hold of him when things go contrary, and Christ has withdrawn himself and is out of sight.

2b2c5. Faith is sometimes expressed by leaning on the Lord, and “staying” upon him, “the Holy One of Israel in truth”; and even those who walk in darkness and have no light, are directed and encouraged to “trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon their God” (Isa. 10:20; 50:10), where trusting in the Lord, and staying on him, are manifestly the same; faith or trust in the Lord, is a staying or leaning on him for all supports and every supply; so the church is said to be “leaning on her beloved”, while coming up out of the wilderness (Song of Sol. 8:5), which shows consciousness of her own weakness, a dependence on his mighty arm, and an expectation of all supplies of grace and strength from him. But,

2b2c6. The grand and principal act of faith, or that by which it is more frequently expressed is, receiving Christ; “as many as received him, even that believe on his name” (John 1:12), where receiving Christ is interpreted of believing on him. Christ is received, not into the head; for not all that say Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but into the heart; for it is with the heart man believes in the Son of God unto righteousness; and in it Christ dwells by faith. A soul made sensible of its need of Christ and his righteousness, and of salvation by him, comes down from self-exaltation and self-confidence, and “receives Christ joyfully”, as Zacchaeus did.

2b2d. Faith receives a whole Christ, not in part only, but in whole, he is “altogether”, or “all of him lovely;” the whole of him is, amiable in the sight of a believer, and acceptable to him. As the passover Lamb was to be eaten wholly by the Israelites, no part of it to be left, so faith feeds upon a whole Christ, Christ in his person, offices, grace, and righteousness. “Is Christ divided?” He is not, not in his person; he is but one, God manifest in the flesh; nor in his doctrines; nor from his ministers: nor from his ordinances; where Christ is received all are received.

2b2d1. Christ in all his offices. Christ is received as the great Prophet in the church whom God promised to raise up, and has raised up, and sent to instruct his people; and by whom grace and truth, the doctrines of grace and truth, are come, and he is to be attended to; “hear ye him”, not Moses, nor Elijah, but God’s well beloved Son, by whom he has spoken his whole mind and will in these last days; and who himself says, “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than fine gold”; that is, his gospel published by him; and such who are spiritually enlightened in the knowledge of him by the Spirit of God, these receive the love of the truth; truth, with a cordial affection for it; receive the word gladly, with all readiness and meekness; they receive the ministers of Christ, and the doctrines preached and messages sent by them; which is interpretatively receiving Christ himself; “he that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me” (Matthew 10:40), And faith receives Christ also as a Priest, and the atonement which he has made; it views him as a merciful, faithful, and suitable one, who has made reconciliation for sin, put it away by the sacrifice of himself, and made full satisfaction for it, and by his one offering has perfected for ever them that are sanctified. Faith regards him and receives him as the advocate with the Father, as ever living to make intercession; as always at the golden altar, ready to offer up the prayers of all saints with his much incense; and by whom, as their great High Priest, saints offer their spiritual sacrifices of prayer and praise, which become acceptable to God through him. And faith also receives him as King in Zion; “as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord” (Col. 2:6), there seems to be an emphasis on that clause τον κυριον, “the Lord”; one that receives Christ, a true believer in him, acknowledges Christ as his Lord and Head, and gives homage to him as such, saying, as the Church did, “the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, he will save us” (Isa. 33:22). Christ is received and owned by such, not only as a Priest, but as a Prince; not only as a Saviour, but as a Lawgiver; they take upon them his yoke, submit to his ordinances, and observe his commands; and walk as Zacharias and Elizabeth did, in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

2b2d2. Christ, and all the blessings of grace along with him, are received by faith; such as adoption; as Christ gives a power to them that believe in him to become the children of God, they by faith receive this power, right, and privilege from him; and hence we read of “receiving the adoption of children”, through the redemption that is by Christ (Gal. 4:5 and because faith receives it, believers in Christ become manifestatively the children of God. They likewise receive the blessing from the Lord, even a justifying righteousness from the God of their salvation. They receive abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness, by and from Christ, by which they are justified from all things, and put it on as their robe of righteousness, and glory in it. By faith they receive the pardon of their sins; as Christ is exalted as a Prince and a Saviour to “give” repentance to Israel, and “forgiveness of sins”, so whosoever believes in him shall “receive remission of sins” (Acts 5:31; 10:43), and that upon the foot of atonement made by him; hence they are said to “receive the atonement” (Rom. 5:11), by faith they “receive” out of the fulness of Christ “grace for grace”, all supplies of grace needful for them; as they want more grace, and God has promised it to them, and provided it for them in Christ; so they apply to him for it, and receive it at his hands; and as he gives both grace and glory, they receive both; grace as a meetness for, and as the earnest of glory: not only do they “receive” the forgiveness of their sins, but also “an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith” (Acts 26:18), they receive grace from God the Father to make them meet for it; and as the Spirit is given as an earnest of it, they receive him as the earnest of the inheritance until they are put into the full possession of it.

2b2d3. Christ is received as a free gift; he is the gift of God; “if thou knewest the gift of God” (John 4:10), and an unspeakable gift of his love he is, a gift freely given and unmerited; “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16), and he is received and owned as such; “to us a Son is given” (Isa. 9:6), and all blessings of grace are given, and freely given, along with him, and received as such (Rom. 8:32).

2b2d4. Faith receives Christ in preference to all others; it receives him, and him only, as the one Lord and Head, as the one Mediator between God and man, and as the one and only Saviour of sinners; it chooses Christ, the good part that shall never be taken away, above all others: faith works by love to Christ in a stronger manner than to any creature object whatever; than to the dearest and nearest relation and friend whatever; than to father, mother, brethren and sisters, houses and lands; yea, he that loves any of these more than Christ is not worthy of him. Nay, faith prefers the worst things belonging to Christ to the best in creatures; the believer is willing to do and suffer any thing and everything for Christ; none of these things, as afflictions, bonds, and imprisonment for Christ’s sake, move the believer from Christ, and its faith and hope in him; he esteems reproach for Christ’s sake greater riches than all the treasures in Egypt, and takes pleasure in persecutions and distresses endured on his account; and even reckons his own best things, his highest attainments in knowledge and righteousness, but loss and dung in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord, and of his righteousness, in which, and in which only, he desires to be found.

2b3. Thirdly, God the Holy Spirit is also the object of faith; though we read and hear but little of faith in him, yet as he is God equal with the Father and the Son, he is equally the object of faith as they are; not only his being, perfections, deity, and personality, his offices as a sanctifier and comforter, and his operations of grace on the souls of men, are to be believed; but there are particular acts of faith, trust, and confidence, to be exercised upon him; as he is truly God, he is the object of religious worship, and this cannot be performed aright without faith. Baptism is administered in his name as in the name of the other two persons, and this is to be done and submitted to by faith in him; he is particularly to be prayed unto, and there is no praying to him nor in him without faith in him; yea a true believer trusts in him for his help and assistance in prayer, as indeed he does in the exercise of every religious duty, and of every grace; and besides all this there is a special act of faith put forth upon him, with respect to salvation, as upon the other two persons; for as we are to trust in God the Father to keep us by his power through faith unto salvation, and to trust in Christ for the salvation of our souls, so we are to trust in the Holy Spirit for carrying on and finishing the work of grace in us, who is equal to it; we are to trust the whole of it with him, and be “confident of this very thing”, as we may, as of anyone thing in the world, “that he”, the Spirit of God, “who hath begun a good work in us, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).

3. The subjects of the grace of faith, on whom this grace is bestowed, and in whom it is, in some more in others less, in all like precious faith.

3a. First, the subjects of faith are not angels, neither good nor bad. Not the good angels; they live not by faith on God and Christ as believing men do, but by sight; they are possessed of the beatific vision of God, and are always beholding the face of our Father in heaven, and are continually in his presence, waiting upon him and worshipping him, and enjoy complete and inexpressible happiness in their access unto him, and communion with him, and in the service of him. They are ministering spirits to Christ, always attend him, ever behold the glories of his person and the fulness of his grace; one part of the great mystery, of godliness respecting Christ is, that he is “seen of angels”, and being “received up into glory”, is the object of their vision continually (1 Tim. 3:16), much less are the evil angels the subjects of this grace. There is a kind of faith that is ascribed to them, the belief of a God, and that there is but one; “thou believest there is one God, thou dost well, the devils also believe and tremble” (Jam. 2:19), but then they have no faith on or towards God; no trust in him and dependence on him; they have cast off allegiance to him, and have rebelled against him; and much less have they any faith in Christ; for though they know him, and cannot but assent to the truth of things concerning him, yet can have no faith in him as their Redeemer and Saviour: and therefore they themselves very justly observed, “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God?” they had nothing to do with him as Jesus a Saviour, and could wish they had nothing to do with him as the Son of God, to whom all judgment is committed, and theirs also, and therefore dread him; but faith in him as a Saviour they could not exercise, for he was not provided as such for them; he took not on him their nature; he was not sent, nor did he come, to seek and save them, nor to die for them; when they sinned God spared them not, made no provision of grace for them, nor promise of it to them, but cast them down from heaven to hell, and has reserved them in chains of darkness to the judgment of the great day, to everlasting wrath and damnation; so that there is not the least ground for faith and hope in Christ concerning their salvation.

3b. Secondly, Men only are the subjects of the grace of faith; and, not all men; “for all men have not faith” (2 Thess. 3:2), that is, special faith in God and Christ; there are but few who have it; there are many who never heard of Christ, of his gospel, and of the way of life and salvation by him; “and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” And of those that have heard of him, and of the good news of salvation by him, “they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Rom. 10:14, 16). There are some who do not belong to Christ, are none of his; and which is a reason why they do not believe in him; and is a reason which Christ himself gives, and a better cannot be given; “Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep”; they that are the sheep of Christ hear his voice, by which faith comes; they know him spiritually and savingly; they follow him, and yield the obedience of faith unto him (John 10:26, 27). There are some of whom it is said, “they could not believe”, because they were left of God to the blindness and hardness of their hearts; and whose minds, by permission, the god of this world blinds, lest the gospel should shine into them, and so they believe not (John 12:39, 40; 2 Cor. 4:4). In short, none but the elect of God become true believers in Christ, and all these do, in God’s due time, and through the efficacy of his grace; so it has been, and so it ever will be, until they are all brought to believe in Christ; “as many as were ordained unto eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48), for, the “belief of the truth”, of Christ, who is the truth, and of the gospel of truth, that comes by him, is the means through which God has chosen men to salvation; and which is as certain to them thereby as the thing itself; for faith is given in consequence of this choice, and is peculiar to the objects of it; hence called the “faith of God’s elect” (2 Thess. 2:13; Titus 1:1), such only are the partakers and subjects of this grace, who are regenerated, called, and sanctified. Such that receive Christ and believe in him are described as “born of God”; yea, it is asserted, that “whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (John 1:12, 13; 1 John 5:1), whomsoever God calls by his grace with an holy calling, he bestows faith upon them; whoever are converted and turned to the Lord, believe in him; “faith” is one of the “fruits” of the Spirit in sanctification (Gal. 5:22), none but such who are made spiritually alive believe in Christ; while men are dead in trespasses and sins they are “in unbelief”, in a state of unbelief, as the apostle was before conversion, shut up in it till mercy is displayed in quickening and relieving them; there must be first spiritual life before there can be faith; hence says Christ, “whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:26). As well may a dead carcass fly, as a dead sinner believe in Christ, or have any will and desire to it. Such only who are alive see and hear in a spiritual sense, and believe in Christ with a special faith, and shall never perish, but have everlasting life.

3c. Thirdly, those who are the subjects of this grace of faith, it is different in them as to the degree and exercise of it, though it is in all “alike precious faith” as to its nature, objects, and acts; and in such is the “common faith”, common to all true believers, of which they have a mutual experience; hence the apostle calls his faith, and the faith of the believing Romans, “the mutual faith both of you and me”; yet as to the measure and degree of it, it is in some more, in others less; see (2 Pet. 1:1; Titus 1:4; Rom. 1:12).

3c1. In some it is great faith; instances of which we have in the centurion, and in the woman of Canaan (Matthew 8:10; 15:28), and many great and heroic actions are ascribed unto it in (Heb. 11:1-40), though all its greatness, power, and efficacy, are to be ascribed to the Object of it.

3c2. In some it is but small or “little faith”; in God, and in his providence, for the supply of their temporal wants; in Christ, as to his presence with and powerful preservation and salvation of them (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31).

3c3. In others it is very little, “least of all”; it is like a grain of mustard seed, which is the least of all seeds (Matthew 17:20; 13:32), and as the apostle Paul calls himself less than the least of all saints, these are the least of all believers; the little ones, as Christ calls them, who believe in him; the lambs he carries in his arms; the smoking flax and bruised reed, the day of small things he does not despise.