THE WARRANT OF FAITH – Charles Spurgeon

THE WARRANT OF FAITH

“And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 3:23.

The old law shines in terrible glory with its ten commandments. There are some who love that law so much that they cannot pass over a Sunday without its being read in their hearing, accompanied by the mournful petition, “Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.” No, some are so foolish as to enter into a covenant for their children, that “They shall keep all God’s holy commandments, and walk in the same all the days of their life.” Thus, they early wear a yoke which neither they nor their fathers can bear, and daily groaning under its awful weight, they labor after righteousness where it never can be found! Over the tables of the law in every Church, I would have conspicuously printed these gospel words, “By the deeds of the law shall no flesh living be justified.” The true believer has learned to look away from the killing ordinances of the old law. He understands that “As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” He, therefore, turns with loathing from all trust in his own obedience to the ten commandments and lays hold with joy upon the hope set before him in the one commandment contained in my text, “This is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ.” We sing, and sing rightly, too—“My soul, no more attempt to draw Your life and comfort from the law,” for from the law death comes and not life, misery and not comfort. “To convince and to condemn is all the law can do.” O, when will all professors, and especially all professed ministers of Christ, learn the difference between the law and the gospel? Most of them make a mingle-mangle, and serve out deadly potions to the people, often containing but one ounce of gospel to a pound of law—whereas even a grain of law is enough to spoil the whole thing! It must be gospel and gospel only! “If it is of grace, it is not of works, otherwise grace is no more grace; and if it is of works, then it is not of grace, otherwise work is no more work.” The Christian, then, turning his attention to the one command of the gospel, is very anxious to know first, what is the matter of the believing here intended? And secondly, what is the sinner’s warrant for so believing in Christ? Nor will he fail to consider the mandate of the gospel.

I. THE MATTER OF BELIEVING

What is it that a man is to believe in order to eternal life? Is it the Athanasian creed? Is it true that if a man does not hold that confession whole and entire, he shall, without doubt, perish everlastingly? We leave those to decide who are learned in matters of bigotry! Is it any particular form of doctrine? Is it the Calvinistic or the Arminian scheme? For our own part, we are quite content with our text—believing on “His Son Jesus Christ.” That faith which saves the soul believes on a person, depending upon Jesus for eternal life! To speak more at large of the things which are to be believed in order to justification by faith, they all relate to the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must believe Him to be God’s Son—so the text puts it—“His Son.” We must grasp with strong confidence the great fact that He is God—for nothing short of a divine Savior can ever deliver us from the infinite wrath of God! He who rejects the true and proper Godhead of Jesus of Nazareth is not saved and cannot be, for he believes not on Jesus as God’s Son. Furthermore, we must accept this Son of God as “Jesus,” the Savior; we must believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became man out of infinite love to man, that He might save His people from their sins according to that worthy saying, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” even the chief. We must look upon Jesus as “Christ,” the anointed of the Father, sent into this world on salvation’s errand, not that sinners might save themselves, but that He, being mighty to save, might bring many sons unto glory. We must believe that Jesus Christ, coming into the world to save sinners, did really effect His mission; that the precious blood which is shed upon Calvary is almighty to atone for sin, and therefore, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, since the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s dear Son, cleanses us from all sin. We must heartily accept the great doctrine of the atonement—regarding Jesus as standing in the place of sinful men, bearing for them the terror of the law’s curse until justice was satisfied, and could demand no more. Moreover, we should rejoice that Jesus Christ, by His dying, put away forever the sin of His people, so by His living, He gave unto those who trust in Him a perfect righteousness, in which, despite their own sins, they are “accepted in the beloved.” We are also taught that if we heartily trust our soul with Christ, our sins, through His blood, are forgiven, and His righteousness is imputed to us. The mere knowledge of these facts will not, however, save us, unless we really and truly trust our soul in the Redeemer’s hands! faith must act in this wise—“I believe that Jesus came to save sinners, and therefore, sinner though I am, I rest myself on Him; I know that His righteousness justifies the ungodly; I, therefore, though ungodly, trust in Him to be my righteousness; I know that His precious blood in heaven prevails with God on the behalf of them who come unto Him; and since I come unto Him, I know by faith that I have an interest in His perpetual intercession.” Now, I have enlarged the one thought of believing on God’s Son Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, I would not darken counsel by words without knowledge. “Believing” is most clearly explained by that simple word, “Trust.” Believing is partly the intellectual operation of receiving divine truths, but the essence of it lies in relying upon those truths! I believe that, although I cannot swim, yonder friendly plank will support me in the flood—I grasp it, and am saved—the grasp is faith. I am promised by a generous friend that if I draw upon his banker, he will supply all my needs—I joyously confide in him, and as often as I am in need I go to the bank, and am enriched—my going to the bank is faith. Thus, faith is accepting God’s great promise, contained in the person of His Son; it is taking God at His word, and trusting in Jesus Christ as being my salvation, although I am utterly unworthy of His regard. Sinner, if you take Christ to be your Savior this day, you are justified—though you are the biggest blasphemer and persecutor out of hell—if you dare to trust Christ with your salvation, that faith of yours saves you! Though your whole life may have been as black and foul, and devilish as you could have made it, yet, if you will honor God by believing Christ is able to forgive such a wretch as you are, and will now trust in Jesus’ precious blood, you are saved from divine wrath!

II. THE WARRANT OF BELIEVING

The point upon which I shall spend my time and strength this morning. According to my text, the warrant for a man to believe is the commandment of God. This is the commandment that you “believe on His Son Jesus Christ.” Self-righteousness will always find lodging somewhere or other. Drive it, my brothers and sisters, out of the ground of your confidence! Let the sinner see that he cannot rest on his good works, then, as foxes will have holes, this self-righteousness will find a refuge for itself in the warrant of our faith in Christ. It reasons thus—“You are not saved by what you do, but by what Christ did; but then, you have no right to trust in Christ unless there is something good in you which shall entitle you to trust in Him.” Now, this legal reasoning I oppose! I believe such teaching to contain in it the essence of Popish self-righteousness! The warrant for a sinner to believe in Christ is not in himself in any sense or in any manner, but in the fact that he is commanded then and there to believe on Jesus Christ! Some preachers in the Puritan times, whose shoe laces I am not worthy to unloose, erred much in this matter. I refer not merely to Alleine and Baxter, who are far better preachers of the law than of the gospel, but I include men far sounder in the faith than they, such as Rogers of Dedham, Shepherd, the author of The Sound Believer, and especially the American, Thomas Hooker, who has written a book upon qualifications for coming to Christ. These excellent men had a fear of preaching the gospel to any except those whom they styled, “sensible sinners,” and consequently, kept hundreds of their hearers sitting in darkness when they might have rejoiced in the light of God! They preached repentance and hatred of sin as the warrant of a sinner’s trusting to Christ. According to them, a sinner might reason thus—“I possess such-and-such a degree of sensibility on account of sin, therefore, I have a right to trust in Christ.” Now, I venture to affirm that such reasoning is seasoned with fatal error! Whoever preaches in this fashion may preach much of the gospel, but the whole gospel of the free grace of God in its fullness, he has yet to learn! In our own day, certain preachers assure us that a man must be regenerated before we may bid him believe in Jesus Christ; some degree of a work of grace in the heart being, in their judgment, the only warrant to believe. This also is false! It takes away a gospel for sinners, and offers us a gospel for saints! It is anything but a ministry of free grace! Others say that the warrant for a sinner to believe in Christ is his election. Now, as his election cannot possibly be known by any man until he has believed, this is virtually preaching that nobody has any known warrant for believing at all! If I cannot possibly know my election before I believe—and yet, the minister tells me that I may only believe upon the ground of my election—how am I ever to believe at all? Election brings me faith, and faith is the evidence of my election! But to say that my faith is to depend upon my knowledge of my election, which I cannot get without faith, is to talk nonsense. I lay down, this morning, with great boldness—because I know and am well persuaded that what I speak is the mind of the Spirit—this doctrine that the sole and only warrant for a sinner to believe in Jesus is found in the gospel itself, and in the command which accompanies that gospel, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” I shall deal with that matter first negatively, and then positively.

NEGATIVELY

My first observation is that any other way of preaching the gospel-warrant is absurd. If I am to preach faith in Christ to a man who is regenerated, then the man, being regenerated, is already saved! It is unnecessary and ridiculous for me to preach Christ to him, and bid him to believe in order to be saved, when he is saved already, being regenerate! But you will tell me that I ought to preach it only to those who repent of their sins. Very well, but since true repentance of sin is the work of the Spirit, any man who has repentance is most certainly saved, because evangelical repentance never can exist in an unrenewed soul! Where there is repentance, there is faith already, for they never can be separated. So, then, I am only to preach faith to those who have it? Absurd, indeed! Is not this waiting till the man is cured, and then, bringing him the medicine? This is preaching Christ to the righteous, and not to sinners. “No,” says one, “but we mean that a man must have some good desires towards Christ before he has any warrant to believe in Jesus.” Friend, do you not know that all good desires have some degree of holiness in them? If a sinner has any degree of true holiness in him, it must be the work of the Spirit—for true holiness never exists in the carnal mind—therefore, that man is already renewed, and therefore saved!

Are we to go running up and down the world, proclaiming life to the living, casting bread to those who are already fed, and holding up Christ on the pole of the gospel to those who are already healed? My brothers and sisters, where is our inducement to labor where our efforts are so little needed? If I am to preach Christ to those who have no goodness, who have nothing in them that qualifies them for mercy, then I feel I have a gospel so divine that I would proclaim it with my last breath, crying aloud, that “Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Sinners as sinners—not as penitent sinners, or as awakened sinners—but sinners as sinners! Sinners “of whom I am chief.”

POSITIVELY

The gospel command is a sufficient warrant for a sinner to believe in Jesus Christ. The words of our text imply this—“This is the commandment.” My brothers and sisters, do you need any warrant for doing a thing better than God’s command to do it? The children of Israel borrowed jewels of silver, and jewels of gold from the Egyptians. Many, as they read the Bible, find fault with this transaction; but, to my mind, if God bade them do it, that was enough of justification for them! Very well—if God bids you believe—if this is His commandment—that you believe, can you need a better warrant? I say, is there any necessity for any other? Surely the Lord’s Word is enough! Brothers and sisters, the command to believe in Christ must be the sinner’s warrant, if you consider the nature of our commission. How runs it? “Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” It ought to run, according to the other plan, “Preach the gospel to every regenerate person, to every convicted sinner, to every sensible soul.” But it is not so. It is to “every creature.” But unless the warrant is a something in which every creature can take a share, there is no such thing as consistently preaching it to every creature. Then, how is it put?—“He who believes, and is baptized, shall be saved; he who believes not shall be damned.” Where is there a word about the prerequisites for believing? Surely the man could not be damned for not doing what he would not have been warranted in doing! Our preaching, on the theory of qualifications, should not be, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved,” but, “qualify yourselves for faith, be sensible of your sin, be regenerated, get marks and evidences, and then believe.” Why, surely, if I am not to sow the good seed on the stony places, and among the thorns, I had better give up being a sower, and take to plowing, or some other work! When the apostles went to Macedonia or Achaia, they ought not to have commenced with preaching Christ; they should have preached up qualifications, emotions, and sensations, if these are the preparations for Jesus! But I find that Paul, whenever he stands up, has nothing to preach but, “Christ and Him crucified.” Repentance is preached as a gift from the exalted Savior, but it is never as the cause or preparation for believing on Jesus. These two graces are born together, and live with a common life—beware of making one a foundation for the other! I would like to carry one of those who only preach to sensible sinners, and set him down in the capital of the kingdom of Dahomey. There are no sensible sinners there! Look at them, with their mouths stained with human blood, with their bodies smeared all over with the gore of their immolated victims—how will the preacher find any qualification there? I know not what he could say, but I know what my message would be! My word would run thus—“Brothers and sisters, God, who made the heavens and the earth, has sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to suffer for our sins, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” If Christ crucified did not shake the kingdom of Dahomey, it would be its first failure! When the Moravian missionaries first went to Greenland, you remember that they spent months and months teaching the poor Greenlander about the Godhead, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the doctrine of sin, and the law—and no converts were forthcoming. But one day, by accident, one of the Greenlanders happening to read that passage, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God,” he asked the meaning, and the missionary, hardly thinking him advanced enough to understand the gospel, nevertheless, ventured to explain it to him—and the man became converted—and hundreds of his countrymen received the Word! Naturally enough, they said to the missionaries, “Why did you not tell us this before? We knew all about there being a God, and that did us no good; why did you not come and tell us to believe in Jesus Christ before?” O my brothers and sisters, this is God’s weapon, God’s method—this is the great battering ram which will shake the gates of hell; and we must see to it that it is brought into daily use! I have tried, on the positive side, to show that a free grace warrant is consistent with the text—that it accords with apostolic custom, and is, indeed, absolutely necessary, seeing the condition in which sinners are placed. But, my brothers and sisters, to preach Christ to sinners, as sinners, must be right, for all the former acts of God are to sinners, as sinners! Whom did God elect? Sinners! He loved us with a great love, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins. How did He redeem us? Did He redeem us as saints? No, for while we were yet enemies, He reconciled us unto God by the death of His Son. Christ never shed His blood for the good that is in us, but for the sin that is in us! “He laid down His life for our sins,” says the apostle. If, then, in election and redemption, we find God dealing with sinners, as sinners, it is a marring and nullifying of the whole plan if the gospel is to be preached to men as anything else but sinners! Again, it is inconsistent with the character of God to suppose that He comes forth and proclaims, “If, O My fallen creatures, if you qualify yourselves for My mercy, I will save you; if you will feel holy emotions—if you will be conscious of sacred desires after Me, then the blood of Jesus Christ shall cleanse you.” There would be little which is godlike in that! But when He comes out with pardons full and free, and says, “Yes, when you lay in your blood, I said unto you, Live”—when He comes to you, His enemy and rebellious subject, and yet cries, “I have blotted out your sins like a cloud, and like a thick cloud your iniquities”—why, this is divine! You know what David said, “I have sinned.” What did Nathan say? “The Lord has put away your sins, you shall not die.” And that is the message of the gospel to a sinner as a sinner! “The Lord has put away your sins; Christ has suffered; He has brought in perfect righteousness; take Him, trust Him, and you shall live.” May that message come home to you this morning, my beloved.

Charles Spurgeon