Behold the elation (or, as others translates,whoever fortifies himself), his soul is not upright within him; but the just shall live by his faith. Hab. 2:4.
This verse is to be connected with the previous one. The prophet wants to emphasize that when all sorts of temptations beset our minds, we can do no better than rely upon the word of God. He does not present us with a new teaching; he tells us once again that our only solid and certain security lies in the promise of God, and that we must seek no other door to safety when we suffer under all the attacks of Satan and the world.
The two clauses present opposites. All who try to provide their own security will always be turning anxiously in all directions, and can have no peace of mind. The second clause is the logical consequence of this: we shall find quiet nowhere except in faith.
The first clause is interpreted in different ways. Some think that 'uppelah is a noun and take it as "loftiness." This meaning does not fit badly, and I do not hesitate to accept it as the more correct. The Hebrews called the citadel 'ophel, and those who say that the name is derived from the verb 'aphal "to go up" are correct. (Those who think the root means "strength" are wrong.) Others misinterpret the verse as meaning that the unbelieving are seeking a citadel where they may defend themselves. But this makes little difference to the main point.
However, some interpreters differ more seriously and disagree as to substance.
They put the predicate for subject and the subject for predicate, and get from
the prophet's words: "whoever lacks peace of mind seeks a citadel for himself
in which he
However, we must first see what those who interpret differently are aiming at.
They say that the unbelieving, who are perverse and refractory, are always
seeking a place to loiter safely, because they are suspicious of everyone; and
further that they do not look to God, but try to find in this world some way of
warding off all calamities and dangers. That is what they think.
But as I said, the prophet is rather stating the penalty of all unbelievers; he
means that, when they torment themselves, they only get what they deserve. This
gives us a better antithesis. And the prophet's teaching is more suggestive
when we say that God imposes a due penalty on unbelievers by allowing them to
be pulled in all directions and by letting their minds be troubled with hidden
torments. When the prophet says that no peace of mind exists among those who
think they have protected themselves well [by their own efforts] he knows that
they are their own torturers, because they heap upon themselves many troubles,
griefs, and anxieties, and are always upset and confused by their many
different schemes. They decide first on one thing; then they prefer another.
The Hebrews used the term "right-minded" to describe those who agree on some
one thing and stand quiet. When uneasy thoughts drive people in various
directions, then they say "the mind is not right in us." We should keep to the
plain sense of the prophet's words. . . .
Then follows but the just will live in faith. I have no doubt that the
prophet here sets faith over against all the safeguards with which men blind
themselves in order to neglect God himself and to avoid asking aid from him.
Because men put themselves in subjection to earthly things, and rely upon the
falsehoods in which they trust, the prophet here ties life to faith. But faith,
as we know and as I shall later explain more fully, depends upon God alone.
Therefore, to live by faith means to abandon voluntarily all the
defenses which so often fail us. One who know himself destitute of all
protection will live in his faith if he seek whatever he needs from God alone;
if he disregards the world and fixes his mind on heaven.
Since 'amunah in Hebrew is "truth," some take it here a
All unbelievers desire to make themselves secure, and they strengthen
themselves with whatever they think can help them. But what does the just man
do? He brings God nothing of his own, for man takes hold of faith by prayer
alone; faith is not in our own hands. He who lives by faith does not have life
in himself; he flees to God because he does not possess it. The verb here is in
the future tense to show that life in faith will be lasting.
Now we must come to Paul who used this prophet's witness to teach that
salvation is not from works but solely from God's mercy and therefore from
faith (Rom. 1:17). Paul seems to have twisted the words to his own purpose, and
even beyond what their sense will bear. For the prophet was here speaking of
the present life, and he made no mention of heavenly life. As we have said, he
was testifying to the faithful that God would be their liberator, and so he was
encouraging them to be patient. Then he added that the just will live by his
faith, even though he have no other help, and seem to be completely exposed to
all the blows of fortune, of the wicked, and even of the devil. Anyone may well
ask what this has to do with the eternal salvation of the soul. Paul seems too
subtle when he drags this passage into a discussion of free justification by
faith.
But we must keep firmly to this principle: All the benefits God confers upon
the faithful in this life are for the strengthening of their hope that they
shall inherit eternal life. However freely God acts in our behalf, our
situation will still be miserable if our hope is restricted to earthly life.
Therefore, as often as God aids us in this world and declares himself our
Father, he wishes to turn our minds to the hope of eternal salvation. Equally,
when the prophet says that men of faith shall live, he does not shut that life
within narrow limits; he does not say that God will watch over us for two or
three days (that is, for a few years); he goes much further and declares that
we shall be
We conclude therefore that Paul used the words of the prophet wisely and
properly as support for his own teaching. Surely the just live by faith alone,
and there is no salvation for the soul apart from God's mercy. . . .
Yesterday we compared Habakkuk's statement that we shall live by faith with the
teaching of Paul who inferred from it that we are justified by faith apart from
works. The purpose of life and of righteousness is the same. Our life can be
sought nowhere except in the Fatherly kindness of God. Therefore, for us, to
live is to be bound to God. And there can be no hope of communion with God when
our sins are charged to us. For since God is just, and cannot renounce himself,
sin must always be hateful to him. Therefore, so long as he accounts us
sinners, we are necessarily hated; and where God's enmity is, there is death
and destruction. It follows that no hope of life is left us unless we are
reconciled to God. And there is no other way for God to bring us back to his
favor except by accounting us righteous. Therefore Paul's reasoning is
excellent when he takes us from life to justification. The two are bound
together, and are inseparable.
And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Gen. 15:6.
None of us would guess, if Paul had not showed it to us, how rich and profound
a doctrine this verse contains. It is a strange thing, almost a prodigy, that
when the Spirit of God kindles so bright a light, most interpreters grope
around with closed eyes, as if in the darkness of night. (I am not counting the
Jews whose blindness is obvious.) Even those who have in Paul a most lucid
interpreter corrupt this passage so insipidly that, as I said, it must be
counted a prodigy. Indeed in all ages Satan seems to have fought more violently
against free justification by faith than against any other teaching, striving
to extinguish it and smother it.
The words of Moses are, he believed God, and he counted it to him
We know that there exist criminals before God to whom iniquity is imputed.
Exactly in the same way, God approves as righteous those to whom he imputes
righteousness. Therefore Abram was received into the number and rank of the
righteous by imputation of righteousness. In order to show distinctly the force
and nature of this righteousness, Paul brings us before the heavenly tribunal
of God.
Therefore those who twist this passage and interpret it as a description of
righteousness, as if it said that Abram was a righteous and upright man, are
talking insipid nonsense. The meaning of the text is corrupted no less by those
who say ignorantly that Abram attributed to God the glory of righteousness and
therefore dared confidently to credit God's promises knowing him to be faithful
and true. Although Moses does not expressly name God in the second clause, the
usual mode of speaking in Scripture leaves no ambiguity. Certainly it is no
less stupid than presumptuous to give to the words counted for
righteousness any other meaning than that Abram's faith was accepted by God
instead of righteousness.
Yet it seems absurd that Abram was justified because he believed that his
offspring would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. For believing in one
such promise could not make the whole man righteous. Besides, what earthly and
temporal promise could be valid ground for eternal salvation? I answer that the
faith which Moses records here is not restricted to one point, but includes the
whole promise of God. The promise of seed to Abram was not limited to this
verse; it is given also in others where a special blessing is added. Hence we
conclude that Abram did not in the ordinary fashion hope merely for
descendants, but for offspring in which the world was to be blessed.
Now if anyone stubbornly insists that what was said of the
God does not promise to give this or that good thing to his servant, in the way
that he scatters benefits upon unbelievers who have no taste of his Fatherly
love. He assures Abram that he himself will be gracious to him, and he promises
him the enjoyment of his own protection and grace, and the confidence of
salvation. A man whose heritage is God does not rejoice in flimsy pleasures,
but as though already raised to heaven, he delights in the solid joy of eternal
life. Certainly it must be held as self-evident that all God's promises, which
are destined for the faithful, flow from God's gracious mercy and are proofs of
his Fatherly love and free adoption on which their safety is founded. Therefore
we say that Abram was justified not because he snatched at one little word
about producing offspring, but because he embraced God the Father. Truly, faith
justifies us for no other reason than that it reconciles us to God, and this
not by its own merit, but only because as we receive the grace offered to us in
the promises and are certainly persuaded that we are loved by God as sons, we
also come to possess the assurance of life eternal.
Therefore Paul argues further that he to whom faith is reckoned for
righteousness is not justified by works. For the merits of anyone who seeks
justification by works are measured by God [before whom they are worthy of
condemnation]. We comprehend the meaning of justification by faith when we know
that God reconciles us to himself freely. Hence it follows that [concern with]
the merit of works ends when justification is sought through faith. For if
anyone is to possess righteousness by faith, it must necessarily be given by
God and proffered to us by his Word.
To make this more clearly understood, when Moses says that faith was counted to
Abram for righteousness, this does not mean that faith was the first cause
(what is called the efficient
The sequence of time must now be noted. Abram was justified by faith many years
after he had been called by God, after he had left his native land and had
become a voluntary exile, after he had been a conspicuous mirror of endurance
and self-control, after he had devoted himself wholly to holiness, after he had
practiced himself in the spiritual and the external worship of God and had led
an almost angelic life. So it follows that, even at the end of life, we are
brought into God's eternal Kingdom by justification by faith.
At this point many are grossly deceived. They admit indeed that the
righteousness which is given freely to sinners and offered to the undeserving
is received by faith alone. But they limit this justification by faith to a
moment of time, so that a man, once at the beginning having obtained
righteousness by faith is afterwards made righteous by good works. Faith is
merely the beginning of righteousness, and as life continues righteousness
consists in works. Those who so interpret the teaching must be insane. For if
the angelic integrity of Abram, exercised faithfully and consistently for so
many years, did not prevent the necessity of fleeing to faith to find
righteousness, where in the world will be found a perfection which can meet
God's scrutiny? Therefore we conclude from the time sequence [which I
previously mentioned] that justification of works is not to be substituted for
justification of faith as if the latter began and the former completed
justification; but that the saints, so long as they live in the world, are
justified by faith. If anyone objects that Abram had formerly believed God when
he followed his call and committed himself to his instruction and guardianship,
the answer is easy. No statement is made as to
I admit indeed that after those who believe are born again, in the Spirit of
God, the mode of their justification differs somewhat. For those born of the
flesh only, God reconciles to himself while they are empty of all good. When he
finds in them nothing except a filthy heap of dreadful evils, he holds them
righteous by imputation. But those to whom he has given the Spirit of holiness
and righteousness, he clothes with his gifts. But even then, if their good
works please God, this must be by his gracious imputation, because something of
sin always remains in them.
This truth holds: men are justified by believing, not by what they do. It is by
faith they obtain grace: and grace cannot be earned as a payment for works.
Since Abram, with all his preeminence in virtue, after a long life of unique
service of God, was yet justified by faith, the righteousness of each perfected
man consists in faith alone. It is important to say plainly that what is here
told of one man must be applied to all men. For Abram was called "father of the
faithful" with good reason, and there are not diverse ways of seeking
salvation. Paul rightly teaches that what is here described is not the
righteousness of an individual man, but true righteousness as such.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on
him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;
but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24.
It is not enough to know his teaching that he came to raise the dead, unless we
also know how he liberates us from death. He declares that we obtain life by
hearing his doctrine, but as he soon adds by hearing he means faith. And
faith has its seat not in the ears but in the heart; which gives faith its
great power, as we have explained before. But let us always keep in mind what
the gospel offers us. It is no wonder that anyone who receives Christ with all
his merits is both reconciled with God and freed from condemnation of death;
for he who receives the
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Phil. 3:10.
Here the apostle describes the nature and efficacy of faith, which is the
knowledge of Christ; not a general and vague faith, but the faith we have in
the power of his resurrection. Since resurrection completes the work of
redemption, it presupposes death. But it is not enough to know that Christ was
crucified and rose from the dead, unless we know these things in our lives.
This is why Paul speaks explicitly of the power of his resurrection. We know
Christ in the right way when we experience the meaning of his death and
resurrection within us and as they become effective in us. The expiation and
obliteration of sins, freedom from condemnation, satisfaction, victory over
death, the attainment of righteousness, and the hope of a blessed immortality
-- all these are ours by the power of his resurrection.
And the fellowship of his sufferings. After he speaks of the
righteousness which was received freely by partaking in the resurrection of
Christ, he speaks in addition of the actions of the Godly, so as not to seem to
have advocated an idle faith, having no fruits in our life. And, since the
false apostles were so aggressive with their empty ceremonials, he indicates
the kind of exercises which God requires his people to pursue. Let, therefore,
everyone who has shared in all the benefits which Christ has conferred upon us
know that his whole life ought to conform to the death of Christ.
Moreover, we participate in the death of Christ and associate with him in it in
a twofold way. The one way is inward, which Scripture usually calls the
mortification of the flesh, or the crucifixion of the old man. It is of this
that Paul speaks in Romans 6. The other is outward, which is called the
mortification of the outward man. Of this, he speaks in the eighth chapter of
that epistle, and, if I am not mistaken, also in this place. After the
all-inclusive power of the resurrection, he sets before us Christ crucified, so
that we may be his followers through tribulations and sufferings. When he
speaks of the resurrection of the dead in particular, it is to teach us that
before we live, we must die. The faithful ought to meditate upon this, so long
as they sojourn upon this earth.
It is our singular consolation that, as members of his body, in all our
sufferings we are associated in the cross of Christ; that, as he says
elsewhere, through afflictions we are shown a way to eternal blessedness. If we
die, we shall live. If we suffer, we shall reign (2 Tim. 2:11-12). We must,
therefore, be ready to let our whole life be in the image of death, until it
issues in death itself, just as the life of Christ was nothing else than an
anticipation of death. In the meantime, we have joy in the consolation that the
end is eternal blessedness. The death of Christ, therefore, is joined with his
resurrection. This is why Paul says that he was conformed to Christ's death,
that he might attain a glorious resurrection. The phrase by any means,
indicates not doubt but difficulty. It is meant to arouse our zeal, because
ours is no light skirmish, but a battle against many and great obstacles.
For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have
believed that I came out from God. John 16:27.
These words remind us that the only bond which unites us with God is union with
Christ. But the faith which unites us with Christ is not something contrived;
it grows out of a genuine feeling which is here called love. Such faith
does not merely believe about Christ; it embraces him with the soul. Therefore,
love expresses well the power and the nature of faith. Truly, if God
begins to love us only when we already love Christ, it follows that our love
comes before God's grace, and that the beginning of our salvation is in us. But
many passages in Scripture cry out against such a statement. The promise of God
is, "I shall make them to love me," and John says, "It is not that we first
loved him" (1 John 4:10). It is unnecessary to cite many passages. There is
nothing more certain than the teaching that the Lord calls a people who are
not; that he revives the dead, unites to himself those who are strangers, turns
hearts of stone into flesh, and appears to those who do not even seek after
him. I reply that the elect, before they are called, are secretly loved by God
who loves his own before they exist. But before they are reconciled to God,
they are rightly regarded as his enemies, as we read in Paul and elsewhere
(Rom. 5:10). We are here said to be loved of God when we love Christ; because
when we love Christ, we receive a pledge that God loves us as Father; whereas,
before we love Christ, he terrifies us as a hostile judge.
And keep my Sabbaths holy, and they will be for a sign between one and you,
for understanding (that is, that you may understand or know) that
I am the Lord your God. Ezek. 20:20. (Calvin's wording.)
The way to keep the Sabbath holy had already been explained. Mere idleness was
unimportant. Therefore he repeats and they shall be for a sign between me
and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. God bears witness
in these words that if the Jews kept the Sabbath rightly, they would experience
the working of his grace, which he wished his Sabbath to represent. For we have
said that God wished the Sabbath to be a sacrament of the new birth. He
promises the people that his Spirit will work among them if only they do not
close the door to him by their own impiety and contempt.
Hence we see that sacraments are never without the power of the Spirit except
when men make themselves unfit to receive the grace offered. The papists say of
the sacraments that they are effective if we do not interpose the barrier of a
mortal sin. They make no mention of faith. For example, if someone without a
single drop of faith pushes up to the Lord's Supper, they say he will receive
not only Christ's body and blood but also the fruit of his death and
resurrection, on the sole condition that he has not committed a mortal sin;
that is, if he cannot be convicted of theft or murder. We see in what blindness
they are sunk; and this by the just judgment of God.
But by us the mutual relation between faith and sacrament must be steadily
maintained. The sacraments become effective through faith; and men's
unworthiness does not lessen their effect.
Sacraments always retain their own character. Baptism is the water of rebirth,
though the whole world disbelieve. The Table of Christ is the communion of his
body and blood, even if there were not the tiniest spark of faith in the world.
But we do not perceive [without faith] the grace which is offered to us. And
although the spiritual content remains always the same, we neither obtain the
effect nor feel the power of the sacraments unless we are careful that our lack
of faith does not profane what God has sanctified for our salvation.
But continue thou in those things which thou hast learned and hast been
assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. 2 Tim. 3:14.
He commands Timothy to stay put, even when evil is on the rampage and scatters
destruction very far and wide. And surely
Now with the phrase knowing from whom thou hast learned them, he tells
us we can be certain that the doctrine is true. No one who has been taught a
wrong doctrine should hold on to it. On the contrary, if we would be Christ's
disciples, we ought to unlearn any doctrine which ignores Christ; wherefore,
the beginning of sound instruction in the faith is to reject and forget the
whole doctrine of the papacy. In fact, the apostle enjoins Timothy not to keep
every doctrine handed down to him, but to use discrimination, and to retain
that which he has confirmed as true. Besides, he does not claim that what he
himself has taught as a private person should be received as an oracle. He
confronts Timothy confidently with his own authority, which was already
recognized as evident from the apostle's calling and his faithfulness. Since
Timothy was convinced that he was taught by an ambassador of Christ, he
understood that the teaching he had received belonged not to men but to
Christ.
This passage warns us that as we must be zealous to avoid obstinacy in matters
where no certainty is to be had (and to this class belong all the teachings of
men): we must be adamant in our constancy only in holding on to God's truth.
Besides, we learn here that faith needs to be combined with good sense, to
distinguish the word of God from the word of men, so that we may not grab at
everything that happens to be within our reach. Nothing is further from faith
than lightheaded credulity which embraces and champions senselessly everything,
no matter what it is and where it comes from. Above all, the foundation of
faith is the knowledge that its author is God.
Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the
Amorites before the children of Israel, and said in the sight of Israel, Sun,
stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
Josh. 10:12.
Joshua spoke to the Lord is the literal translation. But some explain
this as before the Lord, because to speak to the Lord whom
reverence teaches us to petition humbly seems inconsistent with the humility of
faith, and also because Joshua immediately afterwards addressed his words to
the sun. However, I have no doubt that in the first clause a vow or prayer is
meant, and that the second clause gives evidence of Joshua's faith after he has
Joshua consults God and petitions him, and when he has been answered, he boldly
orders the sun to do what he knows God approves. Such is the strength of the
privilege of faith, praised by Christ, which subjugates mountains and seas to
its power (Matt. 17:20; Luke 17:6). The more the strength of the faithful is
exhausted, the more generously does God transfer his power to them, revealing
his own power through that faith which is bound to the Word. Briefly, faith
founded upon the Word is transmuted into confident power. So Elijah closed
heaven and opened it at his command and brought fire down from heaven (1 Kings
17-18). So Christ endowed his disciples with heavenly power so that the
elements were subject to them.
Only, it is necessary to be on guard against bursting out with rash commands at
one's own will. For this reason, Joshua did not begin to delay and hold back
the course of the sun until he was duly informed of God's plan. When it is said
that Joshua spoke with God, the words do not properly express the meekness and
submission with which a servant of God ought to begin his prayers. Yet they
serve to show us that Joshua asked of God the thing he desired and then, after
he had prayed, he was the free and brave herald of an incredible miracle which
had not yet occurred. He never would have given a command to the sun so
confidently in front of all Israel unless he had been sure of his own vocation.
Otherwise he would only have exposed himself to shame and humiliation.
Unhesitatingly he shouts his order to the sun and moon to turn aside from the
perpetual law of nature. He knows that he is commanding them by the power of
God which has been given to him.
For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Tim. 1:12.
This is the only refuge of the godly; whenever the world counts them condemned
and without hope; it is enough that God approves of them. For, what would be
the end if they depended upon men?
This shows how different faith is from opinion. When Paul says, I know whom I
have believed, he means that it is far from enough for you to believe unless
[your belief rest] on the
This passage deserves special attention as a superb statement of the power of
faith; it teaches us to glorify God, even in the most desperate situations, by
not doubting that he is true and faithful; it also teaches us to be content
with the Word, as though God himself appeared to us from heaven. Anyone who is
not thus persuaded understands nothing. Besides, let us always remember that
Paul does not philosophize in the dark, but testifies to the power of confident
hope in eternal life as one who, even at present, knows it.
And I am persuaded that he is able. Since the perils which assail us are
at once great and powerful, and often tempt our spirits to distrust, it is
necessary for us to go about with the shield that God has power enough to
protect us. In the same way, when Christ bids us to be confident, he argues,
saying, "The Father, who gave you to me is greater than all" (John 10:29). He
thus declares that we are above the reach of peril, because the Lord who has
taken us under his protection, abounds in power and is able to repel every
assault. Satan does not dare to suggest directly that God is powerless, or that
he can be prevented from doing whatever he promises, because our minds abhor
such blasphemy against God. But he does deprive us of all sense of God's power,
by preoccupying our eyes and our minds with other things. The soul of man,
therefore, needs to be purified, not only to taste the power of God, but also
to keep tasting it under sundry temptations.
Besides, whenever Paul speaks of God's power we must conceive it as, so to
speak, active, or
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the
faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after
godliness. Titus 1:1.
I believe we shall interpret this verse rightly if we take the word and
in the latter half of the sentence as meaning that is. Thus the last
clause of the verse explains the nature of the faith of God's elect,
even though what we have here is not a full definition of faith but a
characterization of it adapted to the apostle's present purpose. He sets his
apostleship apart from error and imposture, by asserting that it contains
nothing except truth which is at once evident and certain, and which instructs
men in a pure worship of God. But since every word in this verse is weighty, we
would benefit greatly if we looked at the whole mosaic, section by section.
In the first place, faith is called knowledge, not as against opinion, but as
against the hazy affair invented by the papists: for they have contrived an
"implicit faith" with no understanding in it. But when Paul makes this
knowledge of truth a proper function of faith, he makes it clear that there is
no such thing as faith without knowledge.
And the word truth expresses even more clearly the certainty that is
essential to faith. For faith is not content with the probabilities provided by
our reasonings. Its proper object is the truth itself. Besides, we are
concerned not with any truth, but with that truth from heaven which stands in
contrast to the vanities proposed by the human mind. Since it is this truth
which reveals God himself to us, it alone deserves to go by that name; and so
it is honored commonly in Scripture: John 16:13: And the Spirit shall lead
you unto all truth; John 17:17: Thy word is truth; Gal. 3:1: Who
hath bewitched you that you do not obey the truth; Col. 1:5: Having
heard the word of truth, the gospel of the Son of God; 1 Tim. 2:4: He
would have all come to the knowledge of the truth;
According to godliness, which follows, puts a special restriction upon
the meaning of truth; at the same time, it commends the teaching of Paul
by its fruit and end, which tends toward nothing else than the right worship of
God and the flourishing of pure religion among men. It is thus that he defends
his teaching as free from every mark of godless curiosity, as he had done
before Felix (Acts 24:10) and then before Agrippa (Acts 26:1). Therefore, it is
only right that the godly should be suspicious of and detest all empty
questioning which does not make for the building up of the church. The only
legitimate recommendation that can be given to doctrine is that it teaches
reverence and the fear of God. Thus we are reminded that the best disciple of
Christ is one who has made the greatest progress in reverence; and he alone is
to be considered a true theologian who builds up the consciences of men in the
fear of God.
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and
which entered into that within the veil. Heb. 6:19.
This is an eloquent comparison between an anchor and faith resting upon the
Word of God. It is obvious that while we wander in this world, we do not stand
on firm ground; on the contrary, we are as in the middle of the sea, tossed
about by turbulent waves. The devil does not cease stirring up innumerable
storms, which almost overturn and sink our ship, unless we throw our anchor
deep in the sea. Our eyes see no harbor anywhere. In whatever direction we
look, we see only water, and the waves keep rising with deadly threat. Just as
the anchor is thrown into the midst of the waters to some dark and secret
place, and while it remains there, it keeps the ship from being broken up by
the waves surrounding it -- so our hope needs to hold fast to the invisible
God. But there is a difference between the anchor and our hope; the former is
thrown down into the sea because the earth is at the bottom of it; the latter,
on the other hand, is lifted up and soars on high because it finds nothing to
hold on to on this earth. For our hope must not cling to the creature, but must
find its quietness in God. As the cable tied to the anchor connects the vessel
with the earth at a long
Which entered into that. As we have said, unless faith reaches God, it
finds nothing except what is unstable and in flux. Therefore, it needs to
penetrate as far as heaven. But since the apostle was dealing with the Jews, he
refers to the old tabernacle, and says that they should not tarry with the
things visible, but should rather penetrate into the inmost holy places hidden
behind the veil: the old and external copies are to be set aside in order that
faith may rest in Christ alone.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a
wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:6.
Here he teaches first the right way to pray. Since we can pray only as we are
led by the Word of God, it follows that faith comes before prayer. When we
pray, we testify to the grace which is the promise of God to us: and so
testifying, we have hope. Thus, anyone who does not believe the promises, has
only the semblance of prayer. Thus also we learn what true prayer is; for as
James bids us to ask in faith, he explains in addition that we are to hesitate
at nothing. Faith, therefore, rests upon God's promises and gives us the
certainty that what we ask for we shall receive; whence it follows that a
confident trust in us goes with the love of God toward us. The word
He who wavers. By an elegant simile, he tells us how God punishes the
infidelity of those who doubt his promises. Such people are tortured by their
own inquietude, for there is no such thing as tranquillity for our spirits
unless they lean upon the truth of God. He concludes finally that those who
doubt God do not deserve anything from him. This is an excellent
Jesus saith to him, Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast
believed; blessed are they who have not seen and have believed. John
20:29.
Here Christ commends faith on the ground that it does not in the least depend
upon sense and carnal reason, but acquiesces in the mere Word of God.
Therefore, in this brief definition, he brings together both the power and the
essence of faith; namely, that it does not consist in seeing what is before us,
but penetrates to the very heavens, so as to believe the things which are
hidden from the human senses. For surely we ought so to know God that his truth
may be to us
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king and said: O Nebuchadnezer,
we are not anxious with what words we are to answer thee (or negotiate
with thee). (Others translate it, "It is not right that we should answer
thee in this matter"; they say l is here,
The chief emphasis in this account is upon the unbroken spirit of the three
holy and God-fearing men, when they knew that they were in imminent danger of
death. Although a horrible death was before their eyes, they did not swerve
from the right path but set the glory of God above their own life -- even above
a hundred lives if they had had so many and such a sacrifice were required.
Daniel does not report all their words but selects only a few in which glows
the unconquerable power of the Holy Spirit who instructed them. The king's
threat, be hurled into the furnace of fire, was certainly horrible, and
terror before his rage would have been very natural. For we know how dear life
is to us and what dread of death fills our minds. Daniel has described the
whole situation to make it clear to us that God's servants, when they are led
by the Spirit, have too much courage to yield to any threats or give way to any
fears. They say to the king, "We need not deliberate." When they say that they
are not anxious, they mean "the matter is settled; we have no desire to
hold a consultation about what is expedient or helpful. Not at all. . . . In so
holy a matter no deliberation is possible. We have already decided that we must
not depart in any way from the pure worship of God." Clearly, the fear of
death, however closely it hangs over them, and however deeply it is ingrained
in their hearts, does not make them deviate a hair's breadth from the true and
right worship of God.
They give two reasons for rejecting the king's proposal. They say that God has
sufficient power and might to rescue them; and then they add that even if they
must die, life is not so precious that they would deny God to prolong it. They
declare themselves ready for death if the king still insists that they worship
the statue.
This passage is especially worth our study. We should note the first answer
which shows us that when we are urged to deny the true God we must close our
ears and do no deliberating. For we begin to dishonor God when we debate
whether it be allowable for any reason whatever to depart from his pure
worship. How I wish that all men would become so conscious of the supreme
excellence of the glory of God that they would
But many today have accepted a fallacy. They think either that they have a
right to sit on the fence or that at times it may be better to swerve
temporarily from the true worship of God. They reason: "There is some good on
both sides. . . . Or if I did not compromise, I might harm others as well as
myself. If our ruler had no advisers to counsel moderation, the wicked could go
to extremes and urge him, without restraint, to all kinds of cruelty.
Therefore, it is better to have some middle-of-the roaders, who humor the
wicked and who keep a watch on their schemes, so that without open opposition
they may by underground means avert danger from the heads of good men." So they
convince themselves that they are doing their bit for God.
Could not Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have given the same kind of excuse?
Could they not have thought: "We have some power to help our brothers. How much
greater barbarities and cruelties would follow if open enemies of religion
replace us! For they would try their best to destroy from the earth both our
race and the memory of our religion. Isn't it better for us to yield
temporarily to tyranny and the king's harsh decree than to leave our office to
be occupied by raging men who will totally destroy our poor people who are
already in enough trouble?" They could have found plenty of excuses for their
faithlessness if, to avoid danger, they had bent their knees before the golden
image. But they did not.
As I have said, God's right remains unviolated only when we adhere
unquestioningly to his service and are convinced that no consideration is
important enough to permit us to make it lawful for us to deviate in the
slightest degree from that course of action which he commands by his word and
which he requires of us. . . . Why do we live except to serve God's glory? If
we lose our purpose in living for the sake of life -- that is, if we desire too
much to live in the world -- we set aside the purpose of life.
When the three declare that God is able to save them, but if not, they are
ready for death -- they reveal a truth which ought to raise our hearts above
all temptations. Since our life is dear to God, he himself, if he wishes, can
rescue us. Since, then, we have in God a sufficient protection, let us not try
to imagine any better way of preserving our life than by surrendering ourselves
wholly to his direction and casting all our anxieties upon him. And we must
also consider the second clause. Even if God wishes to make his glory shine by
our death, this would be a rightful
By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with
fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house: by the which he condemned the
world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Heb. 11:7.
It was a wonderful example of courage that, while the whole world did as they
pleased, and gave themselves up to pleasure, without fear and without
restraint, Noah alone kept his eyes on God's judgment, although it was delayed
for a time; and for one hundred and twenty years he went through the weariness
and misery of building an ark. All this time he remained adamant, while the
godless crowds jeered at him; he never doubted that the world would perish and
he would be saved. Yea, he lived in the ark as in the grave. But I need not say
more about this; let someone else who can do better expand on it. [It is enough
to say that] the apostle attributes this marvelous courage to faith. So far he
had been speaking of the faith of the fathers who lived in the first age of the
world. But when Noah and his family came out of the Flood, faith became a kind
of regeneration. The case of Noah shows that in all ages men neither have been
approved by God, nor have deserved his praise, except by faith.
Now, the story of Noah leads to the following considerations: first, that
warned of things to come, which he still could not see, he was filled with awe
and fear; secondly, that thereupon he built an ark; thirdly, that by building
it he condemned the world; fourthly, that he inherited the righteousness which
is according to faith. My first point brings out the power of faith best. It
always recalls us to the primary truth that faith is the evidence of things not
seen; for it is surely the property of faith to see in God's Word the things
which are hidden and far beyond the competence of our senses. When Noah was
told that after one hundred and twenty years there would be a flood, the length
of time involved might have taken away all his fear. Besides, the whole thing
was incredible. He saw the unbelievers going ahead, safe and secure, with their
life of pleasure. He might have thought that the dreadful news of a flood was
an empty threat to terrify the people. But Noah held such respect
Now, somebody will raise the question, Why does the apostle say that faith
produced fear if it be true that faith is bound to promises rather than to
threatenings? It is the gospel, in which the righteousness of God is offered to
us for our salvation, that Paul calls the word of faith (Rom. 10:8). It seems
therefore wrong to say that by faith Noah was led to fear. I answer, Faith
grows properly out of the promises; it is founded in them and rests upon them.
Therefore, we say that Christ is the true end of faith, since it is in him that
the Heavenly Father has been reconciled to us, and in him all the promises of
salvation have been sealed and ratified. However, nothing keeps faith from
being fixed upon God and accepting from him every word he speaks. Or, if you
would have it put more briefly, it is the function of faith to hear God as he
speaks, and to embrace without doubt whatever proceeds from his holy mouth.
Thus, faith acknowledges precepts and threats, as well as God's free promises.
But since no one manages to obey God's precepts properly and sufficiently, no
one is moved to pray that he may be delivered from his wrath, unless he has
laid hold of God's gracious promises and knows him as a good Father and the
Author of salvation. Therefore, the gospel is called the Word of faith, for it
is the principal part of the Word of God; and this is how faith and the
promises are related one to the other. Faith attends to the promises of God;
but is no less intent upon his threatenings, in so far as it needs to be taught
to fear God and to submit to him.
Prepared the ark. Here the apostle points out the obedience which flows
out of faith as water from a fountain. The work of building the ark was long
and laborious. It might have been hindered by the scoffings of the ungodly, and
thus interrupted a thousand times; for there is no doubt that the holy man was
pelted with insults on all sides. The very fact that he bore their derision
with an unbroken spirit shows the uncommon zeal of Noah's submission to God.
But what was the source of this constancy of obedience if not that he rested in
the promise of God, which gave him the hope of salvation, and led him to
believe in God to the very end? For he would not have had the courage to meet
willingly so many troubles, or to overcome so many
By which he condemned the world. It would be strange to say that Noah by
faith condemned the world. The context of this verse hardly bears this out.
Therefore, the reference is to the ark. The world is said to have been
condemned by the ark in a double sense. Since the building of the ark took so
long, it left the wicked without any excuse. Besides, what followed the
building of it showed that the condemnation of the world was just. Why indeed
did the ark become the means of salvation to one family, if not because by his
righteousness one man was spared the wrath of the Lord, and did not perish with
the wicked? Had he not been left as a remnant, the condemnation of the world
would not have been so conspicuous. By the very example of his obedience to
God's command, Noah condemned the perversity of the world. The very fact that
Noah was snatched away so marvelously from the jaws of death is proof enough
that the condemnation of the whole world was just; for certainly God would have
saved it had it not been unworthy of salvation.
Of the righteousness which is by faith. This is the last thing about
Noah which the apostle brings to our attention. Moses says that Noah was a
righteous man. History does not tell us that the root and reason of Noah's
righteousness was in faith. But the apostle testifies to this as a fair
inference from the facts of the case; not only because no one obeys God with
sincerity unless, after receiving the promises of his Fatherly goodness, he
trusts him with his very life; but also because no one can please God without
his forgiveness, no matter how righteous his life is according to the rule of
God's law. Therefore, it is necessary that our righteousness rest in faith.
By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had
received the promises offered up his only begotten son. . . . Heb. 11:17.
The author goes on with the rest of the story of Abraham, and tells of his
offering up of Isaac. Here we have an example of singular courage, and we are
not likely to find anything like it anywhere. . . .
And he that received the promises. All that was said so far, how
But here we meet a difficulty which is no small matter. How is it that
Abraham's faith is praiseworthy if it was separated from the promise? For, as
obedience is from faith, so faith is from promise. Therefore, when Abraham was
deprived of the promise, his faith also must have failed. Now, the death of
Isaac, as we have said, would have been as it were the collapse of all the
promises; since Isaac was no ordinary man, but one who included Christ. This
difficulty, which would otherwise not have been easy to deal with, is resolved
by the apostle when he adds soon after that Abraham honored God by believing
that he could raise his son from the dead. Therefore, he did not reject the
promise made to him, but extended its truth and God's power beyond the life of
his son; because he did not set the power of God within narrow limits, as
though it were tied up to Isaac's death and would become void with it. He held
on to the promise, because he did not bind God's power merely to Isaac's
lifetime. He was persuaded that it would be active and efficacious in the ashes
of a dead Isaac, as it was when he was alive and breathing.
By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured, as seeing him who is invisible. Heb. 11:27.
This may be said of the first time Moses left Egypt as well as of the second,
when he took the people with him; for, he did leave Egypt in a real sense when
he ran away from the Pharaoh's house. When the apostle says that Moses left
Egypt before the celebration of the Passover, he means the first flight. His
adding that Moses did not fear the wrath of the king does not invalidate
Still, when we consider the early career of Moses, we see that it was when he
came out as the champion of the people that he was not afraid. When I consider
all the circumstances, I prefer to think that here we have to do with Moses'
second departure. It was then that he scorned the wrath of the king, and was so
armed with the power of God's Spirit that he often excited the fury of that
beast. Such certainly was the energy of his faith that, taking along with him a
multitude untrained in warfare, and bearing the burden of many obstacles, he
went with the hope that God by his own hand would open a way through the
countless difficulties which beset him. He saw a most potent king seized by
impotent rage, and knew that he would do his utmost to the very end. But since
he knew that he was departing by God's power, he commended the situation to
God, and did not doubt that God would in time bring the assault of all the
Egyptians to a dead stop.
As seeing him who is invisible. But Moses did see God in the burning
bush; besides, it looks as though this point is introduced here improperly and
without relevance to the matter on hand. I admit readily that Moses was
fortified by his vision, as he set out for the glorious task of delivering his
people. But I deny that his vision of God divested him of his bodily senses and
put him beyond the perils of this world. Strictly speaking, God gave him a sign
of his presence; but he was very far from having seen God as he really is. What
the apostle means to say is that Moses endured as though he were lifted to
heaven and saw God alone; as though he were beyond intercourse with men, beyond
the reach of this life's perils and the struggle with Pharaoh. And yet, he was
certainly beset with so many difficulties that he could not but imagine
sometimes that God was far away from him; or, at least, that the obstinacy of
the king, supported by overwhelming arms, would be impossible to resist
effectively. In short, God presented himself to Moses as living, but not so
that faith became superfluous. Moses himself, beset by terrors on all sides,
turned his whole mind to God. As we have said, his vision helped him to do
this; but he saw more in God than was visible by the sign of the bush. His
apprehension of God's power absorbed all fear and every peril; leaning upon
God's promise, he saw his people, even while they were being oppressed under
the tyranny of the Egyptians, as already lords in the Promised Land.
So, we learn first that the true nature of faith is to set God always before
our eyes; secondly, that faith has insight into things higher and deeper than
those which fall within the scope of our senses; thirdly, that only a sight of
God is sufficient to remove our softness and to make us as rocks against the
assaults of Satan. It follows that the more indolent and the weaker a man is,
the less faith he has.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about
seven days. Heb. 11:30.
Before this, he taught us that the yoke of bondage was broken by faith; he now
reminds us that by that same faith the people took possession of their
inheritance. As they entered the land, they first came up against the city of
Jericho; fortified and almost impregnable, it forbade further progress, sincethey had no means for assaulting it. The Lord ordered that all the fighting men
go around it once every day for six days, and seven times on the seventh day.
All this going around was childish and extremely ridiculous. Nevertheless, they
obeyed God's command; and their labor was not in vain. It ended happily,
according to the promise of God. Surely the walls fell down, not because the
people shouted and made a big noise, nor because of the din and the clamor of
the trumpets, but because the people believed that God would do as he had
promised.
The Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. Now,
therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord. . . . Josh. 2:11-12.
The image of the faith of Rahab shines clear as in a mirror when, throwing away
all idols, she ascribes the rule of heaven and earth to the God of Israel
alone. Without question, when [men acknowledge that] heaven and earth are
subject to the God of Israel, the fictitious gods of the nations amongst which
they distribute the majesty and the power and the glory of God are wholly
repudiated. Therefore Rahab was not too highly honored when two apostles
referred to her faith.
Certain arrogant and over-punctilious men make a face at this. I wish that they
could weigh fairly what it really involves to distinguish the one true God from
all fictions and at the same time to exalt his power so highly as to declare
that he by his will rules the whole world. Rahab speaks without hesitation and
asserts unequivocally that all existing power belongs to the
However, I do not deny that Rahab's faith was not full-grown. Indeed, I freely
admit that it was only a germ of faith, not yet sufficient for her eternal
salvation. Nonetheless we must recognize that, however small and frail was this
woman's knowledge of God, yet when she submitted herself to God's rule, she
produced the certificate of her election; and from such submission as from a
seed springs the faith which grows to full measure.
Now, swear. Here is another evidence of her faith. She is convinced,
relying on no evidence except the promise of God of which she had heard, that
the sons of Abraham are the sure possessors of the land of Canaan. She did not
think that God favored robbers who were bursting with unjust violence and
unbridled lust into the territory of others. She declared rather that the
Israelites were coming into the land of Canaan because God has assigned them
the rule over it. . . .
The words of Rahab illuminate what the author of the epistle to the Hebrews
says of faith: that it is the vision of things unseen. For Rahab lived among
her own people in a fortified city; and yet she trusted her own life to
half-dead foreigners as if they were already in possession of the land and
could kill or save alive whomever they chose. Certainly this willing offering
of herself was truly a laying hold of God's promise and a surrender of herself
to God's Fatherly care.
By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she
had received the spies with peace. Heb. 11:31.
Even though at first sight this example, because of the ignoble character of
the person involved, may seem less striking and hardly worth mentioning in this
series, the apostle used it fittingly and with good reason. So far he had shown
that the patriarchs, whom the Jews regarded with honor and reverence, did
nothing praiseworthy except by faith; that the most memorable benefits which
God bestowed upon them, were the effects of the same faith. Now he teaches that
a woman of alien origin, among the dregs of her own people, and even a harlot,
was by faith placed within the very body of the church. From this it follows
that even those who are placed highest among us have no worth before God except
as they are valued according to their faith; that on the contrary those who are
hardly given a place among the godless and the reprobate are by faith taken
into the company of angels.
And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and
of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the
prophets. Heb. 11:32.
The apostle was afraid that by giving a few examples, he would be taken to
limit the praises of faith to a small number of people. He anticipates this
objection and adds that, if he were to mention everybody one by one, there
would be no end to his recital. His point is that what he said of the few
applied to the whole church of God. He turns first to the period between Joshua
and David, when God raised up Judges to govern the people. He mentions four:
Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah.
It was ridiculous of Gideon to go and attack a host of enemies with three
hundred men; to make his men shake the pitchers in their hands and engage in an
empty ghost play. As for Barak, he was no match for his enemies, and ruled by
the counsel of a woman. Samson was a mere farmer, and was used only to the
tools of a farmer. What could he have done against proud conquerors whose power
had brought the whole populace to subjection? And who would not at first
thought condemn the foolhardiness of Jephthah who set himself up as the
champion of a people who were already lost? But because they all followed God's
leading and, inspired by his promises, took hold of the task enjoined upon
them, the Spirit glorified them by his witness.
Therefore, the apostle attributes their every praiseworthy deed to faith, even
though there was not one of them whose faith was not lame! Gideon was too slow
in taking up arms, and had trouble in daring to commit himself to God. Barak at
first shook in his boots, and was forced into battle by Deborah's insults.
Samson was so overcome by the coaxings of his concubine that he was senseless
enough to betray the safety of the whole people as well as his own. Jephthah,
having let himself in for a stupid vow, and being stubborn enough to perform
it, cruelly spoiled a splendid victory with the death of his own daughter. So,
in every one of these saints, we meet something which deserves censure. And
yet, faith, however deformed and imperfect, is approved by God. Therefore, the
wrongs which burden us should neither dishearten us nor break us down, provided
only that we follow our calling by faith.
Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured,
not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
Heb. 11:35.
Having recounted instances where God rewarded the faith of the saints with a
happy ending, he now presents us with a different situation, in which the
godly, reduced to extreme misery, carried on by faith and remained indomitable
even to the death. At first it looks as though there were a great difference
between these two outcomes of faith. Some enjoyed magnificent victories over
their beaten enemies. They were preserved by the Lord through various miracles,
and were rescued from death itself in new and uncommon ways. Others, on the
contrary, were subjected to outrage. They were spit upon by almost the whole
world; were poor and needy, and so hated by everyone that they had to hide in
the holes of wild beasts; and in the end they were dragged out and subjected to
cruel and inhuman tortures. So, for all one could see, they were abandoned to
the arrogance and savagery of the godless, and were altogether without God's
help. Their lot, therefore, would seem to have been altogether different from
that of the saints mentioned in the earlier parts of this chapter.
Nevertheless, faith reigned in both instances, and in both it was equally
effective. In fact, in the latter it shone even more brightly. The victory of
faith is more splendid in contempt of death than in a life stretched out to
five generations. The glory of faith is more striking in its effects, and is
worthy of greater praise, when we endure want, reproach, and utmost difficulty
with a calm and constant spirit, than when we are restored to health by a
miracle, or enjoy some other benefit from God.
For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
may receive the promise. Forget a little while, and he that shall come will
come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Heb. 10:36-38.
He says patience is necessary, not only because we need to endure a while
longer until the end, but also because Satan is resourceful in innumerable
devices with which to trouble us. Therefore, unless we are taught great
patience, we shall be cut down a thousand times before we are even halfway
through our course. It is indeed certain that we shall inherit eternal life;
and yet, since this life is like an athletic event, we need to strain every
muscle until we get to the finishing line. The course itself contains many
obstacles and hardships, which not only slow us down, but would even stop us
altogether in our race, unless we overcome them with a prodigious fortitude of
spirit. Satan is clever enough to put into our heads every kind of disquiet, so
For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not
tarry. But endurance is hard for us. Therefore, he reminds us that it will
not be for long. Nothing lifts the spirit so well when it is weary as the hope
that the end is at hand. As a general encourages his soldiers by saying the
battle will not be long, provided they hold on a little longer, so the apostle
tells us that the Lord will come shortly and deliver us from all evil, provided
we do not go soft and let our spirits fail.
He gives this consolation greater credibility and authority by an appeal to the
witness of the prophet Habakkuk, ch. 2:4. But since he follows the Greek
version and departs somewhat from the words of the prophet, I shall first
explain the latter, and then compare both with what is said by the apostle.
When the prophet had discoursed of the dreadful fall of his nation, and was
terrified by his own prophecy, there was nothing left for him to do except, as
it were, to leave the world and withdraw to his watchtower. (But our watchtower
is the Word of God by which we are directed toward heaven.) Having been placed
in his station, the prophet was commanded to write a new prophecy which
affirmed to the godly the certainty of their coming deliverance. But since men
are importunate, and their precipitate desires make them always judge God as
much too slow, even when he is quick, the prophet declares that the promise
will be fulfilled without delay; and at the same time he adds, "If there be
delay, wait for it." What he says is that, no matter how quickly God fulfills
his promises, he seems to us too slow. As the old proverb says: To desire, even
haste is delay. Then follow the words: "Behold, he who lifts himself up shall
not have a stable spirit, but the righteous shall live by his faith." With
these words, he warns that the ungodly, however armed with their defenses, and
however confident they be behind their ramparts, shall not stand: because life
is not stable except by faith. Let the unbelievers arm themselves as they
please; they will find nothing in this whole world that will not perish;
therefore, they have to be always in a state of panic. But the faith of the
godly never fails, because it leans upon God. This is what the prophet is
talking about.
Now the apostle applies to God what the prophet had said of
And now, the righteous shall live by faith. He means that endurance is
born of faith. And this is true, because we shall never be equal to our
contests except as we are sustained by faith; as John says truly in other
words, Our victory which overcomes the world is by faith (1 John 5:4). So it is
that we rise on high; so we bound over the obstacles of this life, over its
sorrows and troubles; so we have quietness in the midst of storms and tempests.
Thus, the apostle's whole point is that all those who are righteous before God
shall live by faith. And the future tense of the verb to live indicates
that life by faith shall be life without end. Let the reader look up Rom. 1:17
and Gal. 3:11, where the apostle cites this same verse from the prophet.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen. Heb. 11:1.
Whoever made this verse the beginning of chapter eleven did wrong in breaking
up the continuity of our text. As the apostle has said, his purpose is to show
the need for patience. He has already quoted the testimony of Habakkuk, that
the righteous shall live by faith. Now, he shows further that faith can be
separated from patience no more than from itself. His argument goes as follows:
We shall never attain the goal of salvation, unless we learn patience; because
the prophet teaches that the righteous shall live by faith. But faith calls us
to a destiny which is far off. Therefore, there is no faith without patience.
Hence, the syllogism includes the minor proposition: faith is the substance of
things hoped for. It is wrong to think that here we have a full definition of
faith. The apostle does not speak of the whole of faith, but of that aspect of
it which fits his
Now let us consider his words. He calls faith the hypostasis of the
things hoped for. We of course know that we hope for things not in our hands
and still hidden from us, or at least for things we expect to enjoy at some
other time. The apostle teaches us here the same thing that Paul does in Rom.
8:24, where the latter says that we hope for what we do not see, by which he
implies that we must wait for it with patience. Thus, the apostle warns us that
we must exercise faith in God not for things present but for things about whose
fulfillment we are in suspense. And this paradox is not without its beauty.
Faith, he says, is the hypostasis, that is the prop, or the place we
have, on which we may plant our foot; but the prop for what? I answer, For
things not in our possession, things which are not under our foot, which are in
fact even beyond the grasp of our minds.
The same applies to the second clause, where he speaks of the evidence,
or demonstration, of things not seen. But demonstration has to do with things
that are seen; it is used commonly with regard to things open to our senses.
Thus faith and demonstration apparently do not go together. And yet they do go
together very well; for the Spirit of God demonstrates to us the things hidden
to us and quite beyond the kind of knowledge which depends upon the senses. We
are promised eternal life, but we are dead; we are told of a blessed
resurrection, but we are in a state of corruption; we are pronounced righteous,
and yet we are dwelling places of sin; we hear that we are happy, and yet we
are buried under countless miseries; we are promised riches of every kind of
good, but are exceedingly hungry and full of thirst; God cries that he will
come to us quickly, and yet to our own cry he seems to be deaf. What would
become of us if we were not upheld by hope and if our minds did not escape the
darkness of this world through the bright light of God's Word and his Spirit?
Faith, therefore, is said rightly to be the reality (subsistentia) of
the things we affirm in hope, and the evidence of the things we do not see. It
does not displease me that Augustine sometimes translates evidence as
"conviction," because it is true to the apostle's meaning. But I prefer to
render it as "demonstration," because this is less forced.
And behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood
for
The Evangelist makes it clear that the issue of blood had lasted continually
for twelve years. She had neglected no remedy, and had even spent everything
she had on doctors. The glory of the miracle shines all the more brightly,
because an incurable disease was cured suddenly by the mere touch of a garment;
and this was obviously not a human accomplishment. However, we must not
generalize from the woman's notion that if she touched Christ's garment she
would be immediately healed, because it came to her under a special impulse of
the Holy Spirit. We know how superstition presumes thoughtlessly and stupidly
to play at imitating the saints. But those who try to follow a unique example
without the command of God, moved by their own fancy rather than by the Spirit,
are not imitators; they are apes.
It is even possible that the faith of this woman was mixed with some sin and
error, which Christ was generous enough to endure and ignore. Certainly, when
afterwards her conscience troubled her, so that she feared and trembled, her
doubting, which was the contrary of faith, was without any excuse or
justification. Why did she not rather go straight to Christ? If it was
reverence that kept her back, why did she not trust his mercy, which alone was
to be her help? And why was she afraid of giving offense if she really believed
in his kindness?
And yet, Christ acknowledged her faith with high praise. And this agrees with
my previous statement that God deals kindly and gently with his people; that
even though their faith be mutilated and sickly, he accepts it, without holding
against them the sin and defect which run through it. Therefore, the woman came
to Christ as guided by faith. When she clung to the garment, instead of asking
Christ to heal her, the force of her thoughtless zeal pushed her somewhat off
the right way, as soon became especially evident when she made her venture with
such doubt and perplexity of spirit. Even though her behavior was enjoined by
the Spirit, it still remains a fixed rule that we must not allow special cases
like this to cause us to waver in our faith. Faith needs to be bound directly
to the Word of God; for, according to Paul, faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). And this is a useful warning, that
we may not dignify every opinion, picked up one way or another, with the title
of faith.
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the
wind was contrary. Matt. 14:24.
Readers will find my exposition of this story in my commentary on John 6. Here
I shall be brief. When Christ permitted his disciples to be tossed about for a
while during a dangerous storm, he intended to fix their attention upon the
wonderful help which he provided for them. For the adverse wind began to blow
about midnight, or a little before. But Christ came only at the fourth watch,
or at the earliest, three hours before sunrise. By this time their faith was
shaken by terror even more than their arms were tired by rowing. In this
predicament they were sorely in need of their Master's presence; and yet, when
they saw him, they were seized with a gross stupor, as though they had seen a
ghost.
For this reason Mark says that their heart was blinded and they did not
understand about the loaves; for that miracle might have taught them well
enough that there was no lack of divine power in Christ for helping them, and
that he cared for them and would come to their aid when they needed him.
Therefore they are rightly condemned for feebleness of spirit in forgetting the
power of God which they had seen the day before and which should have been
still right before their eyes. They were surely blameworthy to have been struck
with such stupidity that they had failed to profit from the earlier miracles
they had witnessed. But they are reproached mainly for their blindness, which
wiped out of their minds the memory of so recent and striking an event, or
rather for their failure to acknowledge the Deity of Christ which had been
obvious when he multiplied the bread.
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be
not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come
unto thee on the water. Matt. 14:27-28.
Since Christ is not known as a deliverer until he comes forward as one, it is
by his Word that he invited his disciples to know him. Besides, he set forth
his own presence among them as the real basis for the trust to which he called
them. It is as though he said that, since they know he is there, they have
solid ground for good hope. But since terror had already taken possession of
their souls, he took them under his care, to keep their dread from hindering or
destroying their confidence. Of course, he did not expect that they would be
emptied of all fear and filled instead with sheer joy. He sought to break down
the
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee
on the water. The condition which Peter lays down shows that his faith is
still immature. If it be thou, says he, bid me come! But he had
already heard Christ speak! Why then does he, doubtful and perplexed, argue
with him? Such a rash desire burst out of him because his faith was both little
and feeble. He should have estimated himself rightly, and prayed for an
increase of faith sufficient to lead and guide him across seas and over
mountains. As it was, he was trying to fly without wings; or, without having
the voice of Christ firmly in his heart, he desired to turn the water under his
feet into solid land. And even though Peter's zeal was doubtless good at its
source, yet, since he overdid it and so corrupted it, it is not worthy of
praise.
But Peter soon began to pay for his rashness. Let his example teach believers
to avoid too much haste. When the Lord calls, we should of course run. But
anyone who overreaches himself will find out, from the unhappy consequences,
what it means not to know one's limit. Yet, it may be asked, why did Christ
comply with Peter's wish? For, in so doing, he seems to have approved of it.
The answer is easy. God often helps us better by denying us what we ask of him;
and at other times, he is indulgent with us, so that we may see our folly by
experience. It happens every day that God, by giving his faithful people more
than they need, trains them for sobriety and modesty in the future.
Thus, Christ's dealing with Peter on this occasion was profitable to him and to
the other disciples; and it is profitable for us today. The power of Christ
appeared to better advantage in the person of Peter when, rather than walk upon
the water
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said
unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matt.
14:31.
While Christ was kind enough to save Peter, he did not justify his behavior.
The weakness of his faith is properly rebuked. But one may ask, Is every kind
of fear an evidence of defect in faith? For, Christ's words seem to imply that,
where there is faith, there is no place for doubt. I answer that the doubt
which Christ condemns is the precise opposite of faith. It is possible for a
man to doubt when there is no Word from God to give him certainty. But Peter's
case was quite different. He had received Christ's command and experienced his
power; and yet, letting go of such a double mainstay, he fell prey to a fear
which was at once foolish and perverse.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had
not died. But I know that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will
give to thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith
unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last
day. John 11:21-24.
She begins with a complaint, even though in this way she tells him shyly what
she wants. What she means is: "If you had been here, you could have snatched my
brother from death. You can do it even now, because God denies you nothing."
But speaking in this manner, she gives vent to her feelings more than is proper
to a believer. I admit that these words were
Your brother shall rise again. The kindness of Christ is amazing. He
simply ignores Martha's faults, which we spoke of above, and promises her more
than she dared ask openly and in so many words.
I know that he shall rise again. Here Martha's lack of courage is
evident because she weakens Christ's words. We said above that she went too far
when she devised a hope out of her own desires. And now she falls into the
opposite error; when Christ stretches out his hand to her, she draws back with
trepidation. This is why we should avoid both errors. On the one hand, we
should not fill ourselves with hopes which, being empty of God's Word, are like
so much wind. On the other hand, when God opens his mouth to us, he should not
find our hearts closed and shut firmly against him.
. Providence; VI. Providence
[88]Calvin is following Aristotle's
classification of causes as material, formal, efficient, and final. The
conventional classroom illustration today is the pair of trousers of which the
cloth is the material cause, the pattern is the formal cause, the tailor is the
efficient cause, and the reception at which the trousers are to be worn is the
final cause.
2. FAITH AS FAITHFULNESS AND COURAGE
3. FAITH AS HUMAN ACT
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