人非有信,就不能得神的喜悦。(来十一6)
反常理的信心,是宗教狂热;反信心的常理,是理性主义。信心的生活却将二者调和成正确的关系。常理不是信心,信心也非常理。二者代表了自然与超然的关系,直觉与启示的关系。耶稣基督所说的一切话,非从常理,乃从启示,在常理无效之际,他的话依然有效。信心必须受试验,然后这信心才真实。“我们知道万事都互相效力”,这样,无论什么事发生,神的炼金术总能把理想的信心变作实际。信心必须从个人开始,神整个计划就是使理想的信心,在他儿女身上实现。
日常生活中每一细节,都在启示神,叫我们可以在实际经历中,证实我们所信的。信心是一项极主动的原则,总把主耶稣放在首位--“主啊,你这样说过(太六33),看来全不合理,但我要依你的话去做。”若要把头脑的信心变成个人产业,便时常都要经历争战,不是偶尔经历。神放我们在某一环境中,是要教育我们的信心;因为信心的本性是使目标成真。在我们认识耶稣之前,神只是一个抽象的概念,我们无法对祂有信心;但一旦听见耶稣说:“人看见了我,就看见了父。”我们就有了实际的东西,信心就毫无止境。信心就是透过耶稣基督之灵的能力,全人与神建立正确的关系。
祈祷◆但如今,“神啊,求你坚固我的手”--主啊,请在这一刻,到我这里来,以你自己来充满我,那么,我便不会再有未满足的渴求。
October 30 Faith
“Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Hebrews 11:6
Faith in antagonism to common sense is fanaticism, and common sense in antagonism to faith is rationalism. The life of faith brings the two into a right relation. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual; of impulse and inspiration. Nothing Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, it is revelation sense, and it reaches the shores where common sense fails. Faith must be tried before the reality of faith is actual. “We know that all things work together for good,” then no matter what happens, the alchemy of God's providence transfigures the ideal faith into actual reality. Faith always works on the personal line, the whole purpose of God being to see that the ideal faith is made real in His children.
For every detail of the common-sense life, there is a revelation fact of God whereby we can prove in practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle which always puts Jesus Christ first – Lord, Thou hast said so and so (e.g., Matthew 6:33), it looks mad, but I am going to venture on Thy word. To turn head faith into a personal possession is a fight always, not sometimes. God brings us into circumstances in order to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make its object real. Until we know Jesus, God is a mere abstraction, we can not have faith in Him; but immediately we hear Jesus say – “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father,” we have something that is real, and faith is boundless. Faith is the whole man rightly related to God by the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.