Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.
Heb.12:2
Let us think of our intelligent plain man mentioned in chapter six
coming for the first time to the reading of the Scriptures. He
approaches the Bible without any previous knowledge of what it contains.
He is wholly without prejudice; he has nothing to prove and nothing to
defend.
Such a man will not have read long until his mind begins to observe
certain truths standing out from the page. They are the spiritual
principles behind the record of God's dealings with men, and woven into
the writings of holy men as they `were moved by the Holy Ghost.' As he
reads on he might want to number these truths as they become clear to
him and make a brief summary under each number. These summaries will be
the tenets of his Biblical creed. Further reading will not affect these
points except to enlarge and strengthen them. Our man is finding out
what the Bible actually teaches. High up on the list of things which the
Bible teaches will be the doctrine of faith.
The place of weighty importance which the Bible gives to faith will be
too plain for him to miss. He will very likely conclude: Faith is all-
important in the life of the soul. Without faith it is impossible to
please God (Heb 11:6). Faith will get me anything, take me anywhere in
the Kingdom of God, but without faith there can be no approach to God,
no forgiveness, no deliverance, no salvation, no communion, no spiritual
life at all.
By the time our friend has reached the eleventh chapter of Hebrews the
eloquent encomium which is there pronounced upon faith will not seem
strange to him. He will have read Paul's powerful defense of faith in
his Roman and Galatian epistles. Later if he goes on to study church
history he will understand the amazing power in the teachings of the
Reformers as they showed the central place of faith in the Christian
religion.
Now if faith is so vitally important, if it is an indispensable must in
our pursuit of God, it is perfectly natural that we should be deeply
concerned over whether or not we possess this most precious gift. And
our minds being what they are, it is inevitable that sooner or later we
should get around to inquiring after the nature of faith. What is faith?
would lie close to the question, Do I have faith? and would demand an
answer if it were anywhere to be found. Almost all who preach or write
on the subject of faith have much the same things to say concerning it.
They tell us that it is believing a promise, that it is taking God at
His word, that it is reckoning the Bible to be true and stepping out
upon it. The rest of the book or sermon is usually taken up with stories
of persons who have had their prayers answered as a result of their
faith. These answers are mostly direct gifts of a practical and temporal
nature such as health, money, physical protection or success in
business. Or if the teacher is of a philosophic turn of mind he may take
another course and lose us in a welter of metaphysics or snow us under
with psychological jargon as he defines and re-defines, paring the
slender hair of faith thinner and thinner till it disappears in gossamer
shavings at last. When he is finished we get up disappointed and go out
`by that same door where in we went.' Surely there must be something
better than this.
In the Scriptures there is practically no effort made to define faith.
Outside of a brief fourteen-word definition in Hebrews 11:1, I know of
no Biblical definition, and even there faith is defined functionally,
not philosophically; that is, it is a statement of what faith is in
operation, not what it is in essence. It assumes the presence of faith
and shows what it results in, rather than what it is. We will be wise to
go just that far and attempt to go no further. We are told from whence
it comes and by what means: `Faith is a gift of God,' (Eph 2:8) and
`Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' (Rom 10:17)
This much is clear, and, to paraphrase Thomas à Kempis, `I had rather
exercise faith than know the definition thereof.'
From here on, when the words `faith is' or their equivalent occur in
this chapter I ask that they be understood to refer to what faith is in
operation as exercised by a believing man. Right here we drop the notion
of definition and think about faith as it may be experienced in action.
The complexion of our thoughts will be practical, not theoretical.
In a dramatic story in the Book of Numbers faith is seen in action.
Israel became discouraged and spoke against God, and the Lord sent fiery
serpents among them. `And they bit the people; and much people of Israel
died.' Then Moses sought the Lord for them and He heard and gave them a
remedy against the bite of the serpents. He commanded Moses to make a
serpent of brass and put it upon a pole in sight of all the people, `and
it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh
upon it, shall live.' Moses obeyed, `and it came to pass, that if a
serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he
lived' (Num.21:4-9)
In the New Testament this important bit of history is interpreted for us
by no less an authority than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is
explaining to His hearers how they may be saved. He tells them that it
is by believing. Then to make it clear He refers to this incident in the
Book of Numbers. `As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have eternal life' (John 3:14-15).
Our plain man in reading this would make an important discovery. He
would notice that `look' and `believe' were synonymous terms. `Looking'
on the Old Testament serpent is identical with `believing' on the New
Testament Christ. That is, the looking and the believing are the same
thing. And he would understand that while Israel looked with their
external eyes, believing is done with the heart. I think he would
conclude that faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God.
When he had seen this he would remember passages he had read before, and
their meaning would come flooding over him. `They looked unto him, and
were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed' (Ps.34:5). `Unto thee
lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the
eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of
a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord
our God, until that he have mercy upon us' (Ps.123:1-2). Here the man
seeking mercy looks straight at the God of mercy and never takes his
eyes away from Him till mercy is granted. And our Lord Himself looked
always at God. `Looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave
the bread to his disciples' (Matt.14:19).Indeed Jesus taught that He
wrought His works by always keeping His inward eyes upon His Father. His
power lay in His continuous look at God (John 5:19-21).
In full accord with the few texts we have quoted is the whole tenor of
the inspired Word. It is summed up for us in the Hebrew epistle when we
are instructed to run life's race `looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith.' (Hebr 12:2) From all this we learn that faith is
not a once-done act, but a continuous gaze of the heart at the Triune
God.
Believing, then, is directing the heart's attention to Jesus. It is
lifting the mind to `behold the Lamb of God,' and never ceasing that
beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but
it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly
and without strain. Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is
committed to Him, after each brief excursion away from Him the attention
will return again and rest upon Him like a wandering bird coming back to
its window.
I would emphasize this one committal, this one great volitional act
which establishes the heart's intention to gaze forever upon Jesus. God
takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances He must
for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. He
knows that we have set the direction of our hearts toward Jesus, and we
can know it too, and comfort ourselves with the knowledge that a habit
of soul is forming which will become after a while a sort of spiritual
reflex requiring no more conscious effort on our part.
Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very
nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees
everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with
the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all.
While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves--blessed riddance.
The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but
repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering
with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at
Christ the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting
done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.
Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward
Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out
of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has
twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put
self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer
who said, `I will set my throne above the throne of God.' Faith looks
out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.
All this may seem too simple. But we have no apology to make. To those
who would seek to climb into heaven after help or descend into hell God
says, `The word is nigh thee, even in the word of faith.' The word
induces us to lift up our eyes unto the Lord and the blessed work of
faith begins.
When we lift our inward eyes to gaze upon God we are sure to meet
friendly eyes gazing back at us, for it is written that the eyes of the
Lord run to and fro throughout all the earth. The sweet language of
experience is `Thou God seest me.' When the eyes of the soul looking out
meet the eyes of God looking in, heaven has begun right here on this
earth.
`When all my endeavour is turned toward Thee because all Thy endeavour
is turned toward me; when I look unto Thee alone with all my attention,
nor ever turn aside the eyes of my mind, because Thou dost enfold me
with Thy constant regard; when I direct my love toward Thee alone
because Thou, who are Love's self hast turned Thee toward me alone. And
what, Lord, is my life, save that embrace wherein Thy delightsome
sweetness doth so lovingly enfold me?' (So wrote Nicholas of Cusa four
hundred years ago. Nicholas of Cusa, The Vision of God, E.P. Dutton &
Co. Inc., New York, 1928. - This and the following quotations used by
kind permission of the publishers.) I should like to say more about this
old man of God. He is not much known today anywhere among Christian
believers, and among current Fundamentalists he is known not at all. I
feel that we could gain much from a little acquaintance with men of his
spiritual flavor and the school of Christian thought which they
represent. Christian literature, to be accepted and approved by the
evangelical leaders of our times, must follow very closely the same
train of thought, a kind of `party line' from which it is scarcely safe
to depart. A half-century of this in America has made us smug and
content. We imitate each other with slavish devotion and our most
strenuous efforts are put forth to try to say the same thing that
everyone around us is saying--and yet to find an excuse for saying it,
some little safe variation on the approved theme or, if no more,at least
a new illustration.
Nicholas was a true follower of Christ, a lover of the Lord, radiant and
shining in his devotion to the Person of Jesus. His theology was
orthodox, but fragrant and sweet as everything about Jesus might
properly be expected to be. His conception of eternal life, for
instance, is beautiful in itself and, if I mistake not, is nearer in
spirit to John17:3 than that which is current among us today. Life
eternal, says Nicholas, is `nought other than that blessed regard
wherewith Thou never ceasest to behold me, yea, even the secret places
of my soul. With Thee, to behold is to give life; 'tis unceasingly to
impart sweetest love of Thee; 'tis to inflame me to love of Thee by
love's imparting, and to feed me by inflaming, and by feeding to kindle
my yearning, and by kindling to make me drink of the dew of gladness,
and by drinking to infuse in me a fountain of life, and by infusing to
make it increase and endure.' (The Vision of God)
Now, if faith is the gaze of the heart at God, and if this gaze is but
the raising of the inward eyes to meet the all-seeing eyes of God, then
it follows that it is one of the easiest things possible to do. It would
be like God to make the most vital thing easy and place it within the
range of possibility for the weakest and poorest of us. Several
conclusions may fairly be drawn from all this. The simplicity of it, for
instance. Since believing is looking, it can be done without special
equipment or religious paraphernalia. God has seen to it that the one
life-and-death essential can never be subject to the caprice of
accident.
Equipment can break down or get lost, water can leak away, records can
be destroyed by fire, the minister can be delayed or the church burn
down. All these are external to the soul and subject to accident or
mechanical failure: but looking is of the heart and can be done
successfully by any man standing up or kneeling down or lying in his
last agony a thousand miles from any church.
Since believing is looking it can be done any time. No season is
superior to another season for this sweetest of all acts. God never made
salvation depend upon new moons nor holy days or sabbaths. A man is not
nearer to Christ on Easter Sunday than he is, say, on Saturday, August
3, or Monday, October 4. As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial
throne every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation.
Neither does place matter in this blessed work of believing God. Lift
your heart and let it rest upon Jesus and you are instantly in a
sanctuary though it be a Pullman berth or a factory or a kitchen. You
can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.
Now, someone may ask, `Is not this of which you speak for special
persons such as monks or ministers who have by the nature of their
calling more time to devote to quiet meditation? I am a busy worker and
have little time to spend alone.' I am happy to say that the life I
describe is for everyone of God's children regardless of calling. It is,
in fact, happily practiced every day by many hardworking persons and is
beyond the reach of none.
Many have found the secret of which I speak and, without giving much
thought to what is going on within them, constantly practice this habit
of inwardly gazing upon God. They know that something inside their
hearts sees God. Even when they are compelled to withdraw their
conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs, there is
within them a secret communion always going on. Let their attention but
be released for a moment from necessary business and it flies at once to
God again. This has been the testimony of many Christians, so many that
even as I state it thus I have a feeling that I am quoting, though from
whom or from how many I cannot possibly know.
I do not want to leave the impression that the ordinary means of grace
have no value. They most assuredly have. Private prayer should be
practiced by every Christian. Long periods of Bible meditation will
purify our gaze and direct it; church attendance will enlarge our
outlook and increase our love for others. Service and work and activity;
all are good and should be engaged in by every Christian. But at the
bottom of all these things, giving meaning to them, will be the inward
habit of beholding God. A new set of eyes (so to speak) will develop
within us enabling us to be looking at God while our outward eyes are
seeing the scenes of this passing world.
Someone may fear that we are magnifying private religion out of all
proportion, that the `us' of the New Testament is being displaced by a
selfish `I.' Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all
tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? they are
of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard
to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met
together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each
other than they could possibly be were they to become `unity' conscious
and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. The body
becomes stronger as its members become healthier. The whole Church of
God gains when the members that compose it begin to seek a better and
higher life.
All the foregoing presupposes true repentance and a full committal of
the life to God. It is hardly necessary to mention this, for only
persons who have made such a committal will have read this far. When the
habit of inwardly gazing Godward becomes fixed within us we shall be
ushered onto a new level of spiritual life more in keeping with the
promises of God and the mood of the New Testament. The Triune God will
be our dwelling place even while our feet walk the low road of simple
duty here among men. We will have found life's summun bonum indeed.
`There is the source of all delights that can be desired; not only can
nought better be thought out by men and angels, but nought better can
exist in any mode of being! For it is the absolute maximum of every
rational desire, than which a greater cannot be.' (The Vision of God) O
Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to Thee and be
satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till
I see Thee but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Thine own precious
blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze
upon Thee all the days of my earthly pilgrimage. Then shall I be
prepared to behold Thee in full splendor in the day whey Thou shalt
appear to be glorified in Thy saints and admired in all them that
believe. Amen.