Romans 10:17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1Taken, with editing, from The Christian’s Daily Companion. Wood (1800-1877) was at this time minister of New Greyfriars’ church in Edinburgh.
When they are told to believe on Christ, there are people who do not know where to begin or what to do. They express a willingness to do something, or anything; but then they are utterly at a loss what to do. It is true that their difficulty originates in their attachment to the works of the law and in the blindness of their mind to the glorious simplicity of the gospel. They could understand you at once if you appointed them some laborious penance, or a work requiring a great effort, the fruit of which was to be salvation; and they would know how to set about performing the penance or accomplishing the work. But when it is said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”, the sinner is often greatly puzzled how to proceed. Now though saving faith is the gift of God, some simple statements can be made about the way in which faith is attained and some directions given to those who are anxious to possess it.
But first, let me ask myself, how far am I really desirous to possess true saving faith? Do I deeply feel that I am sinful, deserving wrath, under condemnation? For what is the use of me inquiring about the way in which I may attain to the possession of faith in Jesus Christ, unless I am conscious of my ruined and dangerous state and am convinced that I can only be saved from that state through faith in Jesus Christ? O my soul, you have God’s testimony that you are lost and undone, a child of wrath, an heir of hell. Do your own secret convictions, it may be your strong convictions, not agree with that testimony? Be assured, my soul, that you are in the most urgent need of salvation. May the Lord bless your meditation on this scripture which sets forth the way in which the faith comes without which there is no salvation.
“Faith cometh by hearing.” Those unconverted people who think at all about the matter have an impression that faith is some strange, difficult thing, and that it must require laborious work or some vigorous effort or some subtle investigation to attain to it. “But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above;) or who shall descend into the deep? (that is, 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.” Neither is faith bestowed as a reward on those who exercise themselves unto righteousness, for before faith there can be no righteousness at all. Neither is faith obtained by any secret work of the Holy Spirit, apart from the revelation of the divine will. Neither can I attain to the possession of faith by any work, or effort, of my reasoning powers, as I can to the knowledge of a mathematical truth or of a piece of machinery. I cannot work up my mind to possess it.
But “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. God makes known His will to the children of men in a variety of ways. He has communicated with some by voices, dreams, visions. The truths thus received He commanded to be written down, and these writings form the Scriptures. In His providence He has preserved them and sent them forth among the nations, a faithful and full record of the way by which sinners may be recovered to holiness and happiness. Then there is the voice of the living teacher reading the Scriptures, or drawing his statements of divine truth from their pages. Now hearing refers to all these. We hear God, whether speaking to men, as He did of old to the prophets and apostles, or speaking to us by His Word, when we are reading it and pondering its contents, or speaking to us the things contained in the Word by the mouth of His living servants.
Faith comes by this hearing. The sinner simply hears the communication from God – the doctrines, precepts, facts, warnings and promises recorded in the Word, and faith follows from this hearing. To this statement agree all those places of Scripture where we have an account of people coming into possession of saving faith. It was from hearing the Word of God, in the preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost, that faith came to the 3000. The faith of the Ethiopian eunuch came from hearing the Word of God, recorded by Isaiah and explained by Philip. The faith of Cornelius came from hearing the Word of God, in the preaching of Peter. The faith of Mary came from hearing Christ. The faith of Lydia came from hearing the Word of God, in the preaching of Paul. The faith of the men of Antioch came from hearing the Word of God, in the preaching of Paul and Barnabas.
But some will say, You make faith very simple indeed, if it comes merely by hearing the Word of God. True, it is simple in one sense, so simple that its simplicity becomes a stumbling block to many. But in another sense it is not so simple. For the hearing by which it comes must be the hearing of the Word of God. Now many do not hear the statements of Scripture as statements that are made by God; they very seldom think distinctly of the Bible as God’s Word and never own the truths of the Bible as truths invested with God’s authority? Such persons cannot attain to faith because, while they do hear the Word of God, they do not in fact hear it as His Word; it is before their minds only as the word of man – regarded as true perhaps, but lacking the weight of divine authority to give a perfect assurance of its truth and to invest it with importance.
Besides, whilst faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, faith is a grace wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. While sinners listen to the communications made to them by the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, having communicated spiritual life to the soul originally dead, enables it, in the exercise of its renewed powers, to apprehend and receive the truths presented to it – to apprehend, receive and rely on Christ, who is the sum and substance of these truths.
Since salvation comes through faith, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, with what faithfulness, affection and fulness, should the Word be preached! Lord, make all ministers feel that theirs is an important work. Holy Spirit, furnish them, quicken them, direct them, bless their preaching.
With what care, desire and diligence we should read and hear the Word! By it, that comes which is our life. Apart from it, we can have no salvation. If we refuse or neglect the Word of God, we must soon sink down into eternal ruin.
With what humility we should receive its statements! How unbecoming are cavilling and opposition in creatures receiving a communication from the Creator! O my soul, sit at the feet of Jesus, and receive and obey His Word with humble gratitude.
Finally, since it is only the Holy Spirit who makes hearing result in faith, let me constantly and earnestly pray for the Spirit to be with me in His quickening, illuminating power, whenever I read or hear the Word.