THE GENESIS OF FAITH

ROMANS 10:1

A. "SO BELIEF COMETH BY HEARING, AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF CHRIST" (R.V.)
  1. Faith has its own history:
    1. It has its hour of advent in the soul, and its growth and energy throughout the whole being
    2. A great believer is the man in whom faith has become the splendid and dynamic life
  2. In our opening text:
    1. Paul deals with the genesis of faith
    2. And he uses a simple and easy method to point out its source B. "FAITH COMETH BY HEARING"
  3. Here the servant of the Lord unfolds one of the basic conditions of faith:
    1. "Faith cometh by hearing
    2. "How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?"
  4. This then is the key to faith:
    1. Ignorance is the great barrier to faith
    2. So long as the enemy of God can keep men in ignorance he prevents the faith to save them from sin because salvation is bound up with faith
  5. This is the great incentive for witnessing:
    1. Spread the faith by telling the story of salvation; that is the first order of the gospel commission - Matt. 28:18-20
    2. The groundwork of saving faith was laid by the heavenly host, when they sang, "Peace, good will toward men" - Luke 2:13-14
  6. This is the great reason:
    1. For much of the darkness that covers the earth and gross darkness the people - Is. 60:1,2,6
    2. Why so many honest and well-meaning people seem indifferent to many of God's glorious truths in the Bible
    3. That little word "hearing" how much it means in the attitude and relationship between men and God
    4. "So then belief cometh by hearing" - But how shall they hear without a preacher? C. WHAT, HOWEVER, IS OF THE GREATEST IMPORTANCE TO US IS THE GENESIS OF SAVING FAITH
  7. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God":
    1. This shows that mere hearing, important as it is, is not the total of saving faith because Eve heard the voice of the serpent which caused her to be lost
    2. Saving faith is complete when it is based upon hearing the word of God or of Christ
    3. This simply means that for faith to be sound and saving it must be based upon the message of God - the word of God
    4. That is why Paul wrote to Timothy, "Preach the word!" - 2 Tim. 4:1-2
  8. It is most interesting to learn from the Bible:
    1. That our Lord had many names, indicating His mission in this world and one of these wonderful names - "The word of God" - Rev. 19:13; John 1:1-3
    2. So when one preaches Jesus Christ, he preaches the world of God
    3. When we preach Christ we preach the word of life, the world of truth - John 14:6
  9. The hearing of the word of faith comes in different ways:
    1. There is the hearing of the written word; the message in the pages of the Scriptures must always be given the supreme place - 2 Tim. 3:15-17
    2. There is the hearing of the spoken word; there can be no doubt that when the message of truth comes from the heart it will reach and convert the heart - Acts 2:37
    3. Again it is the hearing of the Incarnate Word - "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" - John 1:14
    4. This word is still incarnate although in frail vessels of humanity - Gal. 1:15-16
    5. Again, it is the hearing of the mystic word; the voice that speaks faith to us through our enlightened conscience. This voice is quickened by the Holy Spirit to guide us into the will of God revealed in the written word.


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