Faith Comes By Hearing.
Zion's Advocate, Vol. 40, No. 8, August 1901.
We are requested to write on Romans 10:13-15. The first verse of this passage reads, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." This declaration is found in two other places, viz., Joel 2:32, and Acts 2:31. It does not say that none will be saved but those who call upon the Lord's name. If no one else will be saved, then all who are unable to call upon his name will be lost; such as infants, idiots, insane persons, and heathen who never heard of his name. This is not written to exclude these classes from salvation, but for the encouragement and comfort of all who call upon the name of the Lord, assuring them that they shall be saved. Their calling upon his name is not a condition of their salvation, but a sure sign or evidence of it. This promise affords great comfort to every penitent sinner who is made to call upon the name of the Lord. It places them all among the number that shall be saved in heaven.When one is brought to call upon the name of the Lord he gives evidence of a good work having been begun in his heart. His calling is proof of that work and not the cause of it. But he cannot call upon him in whom he has not believed. Every one, therefore, who calls upon the name of the Lord, in the sense of this text, is a believer in him. Jesus says, "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. This teaches that believing is an evidence of having passed from death unto life and of being possession of everlasting life. As it is impossible to call upon the Lord's name without believing in him, it follows that those who call upon his name have been made alive spiritually and are in possession of everlasting life. Their calling upon his name, as well as their believing, is the evidence, then, of their having passed from death unto life, and not the cause of it.
These evidences are manifested through the preaching of the gospel. The preaching of the gospel does not bring them from death unto life, it only calls forth the evidences of this work. Rain will cause living grain to sprout and grow, but not dead grain. The growing is only an evidence of the life the grain possesses. So the preaching of the gospel brings out and manifests the evidences of spiritual life in the case of God's people who hear it. In this sense "faith comes by hearing." Ability to hear comes by a hearing ear being given. Ability to hear does not come by hearing the gospel, for then it would be necessary to hear the gospel in order to become able to hear it, which is an absurdity. Jesus said to some of the Jews, "Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word." Though he preached to them, his preaching did not make them able to hear. Those who did hear his word, then, had ears to hear and hearts to understand. They understood his speech and believed in him when they heard him preach. The difference between those who could hear and those who could not was produced by the impartation of spiritual life and hearing to the former by the Spirit.
The Lord had "much people" in Corinth when he commanded Paul to remain there and preach, although the gospel had not been preached there. So "he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them." Acts 18: 9-11. The people God had there were made to believe through Paul's preaching. The evidences of their being God's people were thus brought out. Often a poor, doubting one is refreshed by the preaching. Soon after we united with the church, we, with a number of others, attended the Danville Association some miles from home. We went to the meeting with a sad heart, fearing we were not a child of God. The last day as dear Elder E. D. Thomas was delivering his soul-cheering exhortation at the close, our young heart leaped with joy, and we fully believed in Jesus as our Saviour. The faith we that day had, our believing then in Jesus with such an assurance, came by hearing. All of God's children have many such experiences who enjoy the privilege of hearing the gospel preached. Their faith often comes with renewed power, and brings fresh joy to their hearts, as they hear the joyful sound. Their spiritual life, was not imparted to them by the preaching, they were not regenerated by that means, but after they received the life, after their regeneration, they were repeatedly caused to believe through the preaching of the gospel.
There must be preachers in order for them to hear the gospel preached. These preachers must be sent or called by the Lord. Human schools may send out preachers who can read written sermons quite well, or preach from "notes" with some degree of success, or even memorize their well prepared orations so as to deliver them as declamations, but only the Lord can qualify a man to preach extemporaneously the true gospel of Christ in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. Every believer who hears the two kinds knows the difference between the cold, formal, spiritless efforts of men-made preachers and the soul-cheering, heart-reaching sermons preached by the Lord's true ministers.
J. R. D.
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