The Larger Christian Life Part 2

BLJ: We look at the final section of "The Larger Christian Life," from J.M. Hames.

Third, we need a larger faith. I do not know of any subject that demands a clearer presentation than faith. "In so much as faith is the condition of all spiritual life, and the step to progress in that life, it behooves us to give it all nourishment possible."

For a number of years, the writer has longed for something to put in print that would enlarge the faith of God's dear children. In our reading, we came across a copy of the old "Way of Faith," written by one of God's choice servants. It so blessed my soul, and enlarged my faith, that I felt led to put it in print. There are twelve points which define faith -- each point is a sermon within itself.

(1) The Bible gives us a true definition of what real faith is. There are thousands of man-made to believe faiths, and diluted faiths, but only one real faith in the Word. The Bible never mentions faith in the plural number. The Bible says: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, and the faith once delivered to the saints."

(2) God has given all men the natural capacity of faith, all have that by nature, and upon this natural capacity the Holy Ghost engrafts the true faith of God.

(3) Faith is born in the soul by the Word of God coming in contact with conscience and our apprehension of divine things.

(4) Faith is the hand in spiritual life. It is the grasp of the soul upon a divine person; an inward power, by which we can grasp an unseen possibility. It is the hand of the heart.

(5) Faith is the eye of the heart by which it sees spiritual things. It reaches out in darkness, and the unseen, and takes hold of things which do not yet appear. It is the marvelous power of apprehending that which is afar off -- out of sight. Faith sees through things. It sees through mountains and difficulties, and discerns God, His Word, His promise and eternal things that are out of sight.

(6) Faith is the pioneer of the soul. (It is the Joshua and Caleb of the soul, which goes before and spies out the goodly land).

(7) Faith is a repose. It brings soul rest. It is impossible to be full of faith, and not have rest and satisfaction.

(8) Faith understands divine things. It believes all that is taught in the Bible, and all that the Holy Ghost whispers to the heart.

(9) Faith grows most when being tried! not when leaning on human props.

(10) "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." It takes hold of the future and draws the substance out of it. It drew the substance out of Calvary thousands of years before Jesus was born. Faith reaches the hand out in the future and takes things you hoped for, and squeezes, and gets the juice out of them.

(11) Faith is the evidence. The word "evidence" means a divine conviction. It is a conviction of the heart of the reality of the invisible Word, the Virgin Birth, life, death, shed blood, and glorious resurrection of Jesus. The unseen world is as real to faith as the physical world.

(12) "If your faith is sound, God will pull you through everything." The Bible speaks of "the full assurance of faith." We are told in Hebrews 10:22 that in 'entering the Holy of Holies, behind the second veil, we are to draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith.

"The fullness of faith," says Dr. S. A. Keen, "is the work of the Holy Ghost. 'The fullness of faith' is a state of the soul in which it apprehends divine and spiritual things. It is a temper of the mind -- an entirely new frame of the heart; it is shorn of none of its saving efficacy, graduated into substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen."

Let us notice a few characteristics of the fullness of faith:

(1) A consciously exclusive confidence in God. Having the fullness of faith, the soul continuously exclaims under all circumstances, with the Psalmist, "Wait thou only upon God for my expectation is from thee." It is such a vision of the persuasion of God's almightiness, and all faithfulness, that the soul is given a set Godward. It will not look for help selfward. The soul full of faith never becomes confounded by unconscious dependence upon apparent encouragements. Neither will discouragement dismay it. Opposition, adversities, difficulties do not enter into its calculation. It believes fully "that all things are possible to him that believeth."

(2) One main characteristic of the fullness of faith is that of a divine ripeness. In such a state, our whole being lies still under the hand of God. Every faculty of the soul is 'like the placid sea of Galilee under the omnipotent feet of Jesus. Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered; to where the soul feels and knows that everything in earth, heaven and hell, past, present and future, is working together for our good and God's glory.

(3) We need a larger experience. We do not mean by this a mere emotional state; but an enlargement of the same truths and experience that was imparted to us in the beginning of our religious life, which can be broadened and intensified to us by the Holy Spirit until they seem new to us. "All the words of God are susceptible of innumerable degrees of meaning, so that the same passage can be fulfilled in us over and over in a deeper measure, until it hardly seems the same scripture it used to be. There are riches in Jesus which can be opened to us in prayer, for which there are no corresponding words in language." But let us remember, there is very little enlargement of the heart and life until we pass the Jordan of Sanctification. Even then, the great expansions, and enlargement, depend on our walking in the 'light, and taking new territory in divine things.

(4) We need larger love. "Love is the central, animating force in true religion. It is to the moral system what the sun is to the solar system -- the warming, illuminating, moving power to every part. So in the spiritual realm, every fervent prayer, act of charity, resistance to evil, gentle word, courageous act, is a product of love." It is the very cream and substance of Christlikeness.

There are several degrees in divine love. The first stage is that which is imparted in the new birth, when we are made new creatures in Christ Jesus.

The second stage is when the heart is purified from the indwelling sin, and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the indwelling Comforter.

The third stage has to do with maturity, sainthood, and spiritual development. It is in this stage we want an enlargement. The old writers on Christian perfection had much to say about being "dissolved in love." To quote one of the old timers, he says, "When the tried soul is dissolved in love, the mental faculties are turned into gentle, loving action; so that the judgments, opinions, decisions are formed slowly, discreetly, with instructive kindness."

"When the soul is dissolved in love, it will not only make the heart intend to do right, but so overmaster the life as to fashion the manners, words and conduct with humility, courtesy and holy refinement.

To quote further: "A life filled and overflowing with the universal sweetness of love! It is the superlative best."

Do you pant and thirst to have your whole being dipped in the dew of live; or to change the figure, entirely consumed in the ecstatic fire of love?"

What is the sweetness of love? "It is love made perfect, and filling, 'enlarging and overflowing the breast; love pushing its tidal wave up into the intellect and will, deluging all the mental faculties with its delicious current." It is love that "suffereth long and is kind," that "envieth not," "not puffed up," "is not provoked." The positive is "beareth all things," "believeth all things," and "never faileth." There is no end to the enlargement, maturing and sweetening power of perfect love. It is the cure for all the ills of life. It is a heavenly tonic to faith, and all the graces of soul. It is the breath of heaven; the fragrance from the "Rose of Sharon." "Be ye enlarged."

(5) We need a larger work. We mean by a larger work, to take new territory, new fields, to possess all the land, to have all the mind that was in Christ Jesus, and to be filled with all the fullness of God. When a vessel starts out to sea, soon the shore lights disappear, and the buoys and other signs are left behind. The pilot knows that he is getting out into the deep. There is something very similar to this in the progress of a soul. There are certain marks showing that the soul is deepening, and taking new territory.

One mark is an evenness of spirit. When God subdues and conquers us, we will manifest an evenness of temper under pressure. There will be a mildness in voice, a tenderness in the eye, and supernatural gentleness over every faculty of the soul.

Says Dr. Henry Knight Miller, the great author: "The good temper radiates kindness, sympathy and patience. They are so lovable as to bring all with whom they are in contact into the atmosphere of divinity, lighting earth's dark places, touching all with beauty and fragrance. They move among the uncontrolled, passion-enslaved masses like gods. They smile as others swear; forgive while others darken their days seeking vengeance; keep happy, kindly and considerate amid life's terrible carnage, breathing the atmosphere of sun-kissed summits."

Sanctification is that blessed work of grace which deals with our disposition, cleansing the heart from all evil temper.

(6) Another sign of largeness of heart is magnanimity of soul. Magnanimity has been defined as "greatness of mind; that elevation of soul which encounters danger and trouble with tranquillity and firmness; which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence; which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishing of useful and noble objects."

He who is filled with the Holy Spirit, and controlled by the indwelling presence of God, will not only be saved from all harshness and roughness -- a spiritual-minded man -- but will have a princely character. This big, noble soul is too great to do a little, mean, low, underhanded thing. Such a soul would not think of wire pulling, or secretly scheming for a place of rower. This spiritual soul is perfectly contented to take a low seat, and let others have the big end of the bargain. A magnanimous soul readily forgives all injuries, and refuses to brood over some wrong done him. There are multitudes today in the religious world who are down and out when it comes to a religious experience because they allow themselves to brood over some imaginary injury until it poisons their spirit and blurs their vision for the big things of life.

(7) Still another mark of largeness of heart is a sweet spirit. If we are really possessing the land, and taking new territory, there should be an increasing sweetness of spirit. One of the outstanding things promised to dwellers of Canaan was honey. This stands for a tender, loving spirit which the blessing of holiness brings. Now, as the land was said to flow with honey, it stands to reason that the deeper one goes into the Canaan life, the sweeter one's spirit should be. How many of God's children started out with a tender, sweet, humble spirit; but for some cause, they lost their tenderness and sweetness. It is painful to watch them try to make up with noise and bluster what they lack in oil, unction and glory. It is a sure sign of growth development and advancement, and a day to date from, when the blessed Holy Spirit floods our hearts with a divine honey-like sweetness, until it seems at times as though a golden lump of honey had been lodged in the heart, dripping sweetness all through the trying hours of the day.

Beloved, let us not stifle those longings and cravings for the 'bigger and deeper things of God; but let us arise and possess the land to the going down of the sun.