(6) Active Faith
A person can have active faith, but do nothing for God:
Lu 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Many people think faith is something pious we achieve by doing good works.
Obeying the ten commandments using human powers alone.
Isa 64:6 .. and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..;
Notice how our Hebrew English translator speaks of active faith:
EGW: "Will we put forth most earnest efforts to form this alliance with Christ, through which alone these blessings are attained? Will we break off our sins by righteousness and our iniquities by turning unto the Lord? Skepticism and infidelity are widespread. Christ asked the question: "When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" We must cherish a living, active faith. The permanence of our faith is the condition of our union. {TR 52.2}
A union with Christ by living faith is enduring; every other union must perish. Christ first chose us, paying an infinite price for our redemption; and the true believer chooses Christ as first and last and best in everything. But this union costs us something. It is a union of utter dependence, to be entered into by a proud being. All who form this union must feel their need of the atoning blood of Christ. They must have a change of heart. They must submit their own will to the will of God. There will be a struggle with outward and internal obstacles. There must be a painful work of detachment as well as a work of attachment. Pride, selfishness, vanity, worldliness-sin in all its forms-must be overcome if we would enter into a union with Christ. The reason why many find the Christian life so deplorably hard, why they are so fickle, so variable, is that they try to attach themselves to Christ without first detaching themselves from these cherished idols. {TR 52.3}
After the union with Christ has been formed, it can be preserved only by earnest prayer and untiring effort. We must resist, we must deny, we must conquer self. Through the grace of Christ, by courage, by faith, by watchfulness, we may gain the victory. - Testimonies For The Church 5:228-231. {TR 52.4}
Is this passage explaining the process of faith? not really -nebulous?
EGW: Spiritual joy is the result of active faith. God's people are to be full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. Then He will be glorified in them. - Bible Training School, April 1, 1905
EGW:Take hold of Christ by living, active faith. Come to him just as you are, helpless and dependent, and say, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." Help me to study thy life, thy self-denial and self-sacrifice; help me to become a Christian in every sense of the word. {GCB May 30, 1909, par. 26}
There are 121 messages using active faith and none of them detail to the reader
how to process faith. These messages are in her writings to confuse readers - I feel. But why?
Because the Bible intentionally confuses readers too. But why is this?
Mt 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
And Jesus replied:
Mt 13:1 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
5 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
So if you read the Bible casually you will not find truth.
Romans 10:3 For "Israel" being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness,
You will develop your own active faith that means "nothing to God"
because your faith comes with only human works
and not Divine works -
You can be almost there - but be entirely lost.
Pious pew people not good enough
Charity works and a good heart, sorry not enough.
Notice what our Hebrew English translator says:
EGW:"We are justified freely through the redemption there is in Christ. Faith is the gift of God. It is an assent of the understanding of God's Word which binds the heart to His service. It is an active faith, for it works by love and purifies the soul. Let us arise and build. The great argument for Christian liberality is the life and example of Christ. We have not as a people the mind of Christ. Our energies are not employed in the service of God to make us more and more heavenly minded. We are not inclined to grow heavenward, but earthward. We want to avail ourselves of every means of grace to become more and more like Jesus. We want every advantage we can command in order to grow up into Christ our Living Head. {Ms23-1886.}
These messages as nice as they read, do NOT explain the process of achieving faith.
Mt 19:16 ΒΆ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Jesus never answered his question by explaining faith, but met the young man where he was - stuck in a doing of faith based on human power alone.
The man went away sad, because Jesus asked of him something he could not do. There are many of us like that,
trying to achieve faith based on human power.
Pious powered pure people that mean nothing to the Lord - church goers too - religious -
Mt 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
So having a human powered active faith is not enough - we need genuine faith.
Next doing genuine faith
