As a subdivision of the law of salvation, there is faith, which is also governed by the law. Then we must not separate them, but must read one in the light of the other. Why does he want us to admit a time element to the question of the response to faith.
G. Morrison Chapter 4
Thus, by cutting off the vital channel through which they were supplied spiritually from God and ultimately physically, the enemy caused the tragedy of the garden. It also seems to confirm the truth of our claim when we observe how often new converts undergo a decline in their Christian experience soon after conversion. Unaware of the extreme importance of maintaining the faith that brought them the new birth, the entanglements of the enemy often lead them to stop believing.
In the same way that we have described the reception of the new birth, so believers are sanctified entirely. It does not matter how well devoted one may be, how completely dead to self, how completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit, no matter how unconditionally one lays oneself on the altar for the crucifixion of the "old man carnality", no fire descends, no baptism of the Spirit takes place, no crucifixion of the self-life is realized, no fullness is experienced, until again the channel of faith is set up to God for that specific thing, and the moment it done, the moment faith is perfect enough for God to work upon it, there is an immediate and automatic response, and the carnality is burned away with "unquenchable fire," released upon your faith from God's own unlimited resources, and the heart be wholly sanctified, and filled with perfect love. That, if he cannot break our faith altogether, but keep it weak, variable, and intermittent, he prevents us from having a satisfactory experience, he may continually cloud us with gloom and despondency, and prevent our Christian lives of the kind any unsaved person would desire.
The power and salvation of God are constantly pouring forth in mighty currents into the soul of the perfect believer, and he can challenge the chief adversary. 34; Don't be afraid, just believe," said the Master, when the centurion was faced with the fact of his daughter's death.
G. Morrison Chapter 5
In exactly the same way a man may be truly converted and gloriously sanctified, and yet not believe that God has accomplished very much. In thousands of communities, in this land of ours, there are small groups of devoted people who have received the light of salvation and rejoice in the possession of both works of grace, that is, they are converted and sanctified, and yet when faith comes to a genuine revival in their own village or place, they have no religion at all, or at least relatively little. But suppose he believed—faithfully, patiently—asked, sought, knocked at the door of heaven, and agreed with one or two others to do so, and steadily believed "in his heart that those things which he said were should come to pass,” he would either receive and cause an awakening, or else there is no truth in God's book.
Meanwhile, the hordes of sinful humanity swirl in terrible currents and eddies around the church, their hearts "like muffled drums beating funeral marches" to the pit. It is the deep conviction of this writer that there is a thousand times more in the atonement of Jesus Christ than any of us are getting out of it. Does not this, in the light of the law of faith which we have discussed, open up meanings to which most of us have hitherto been blind.
If a member of our family, a neighbor, or a well-known acquaintance dies in sin, and we have not done our best to pray the prayer of faith for his salvation, is it not recorded in God's books as a fault on our part? ? , not, perhaps, as we have said, sufficient to exclude us from heaven, but sufficient at least to affect our rewards, and to be a great regret on our part, when "the books are opened!". Shall we dawn in the midst of the greatest storm that hell has ever wrought, and see the cause of God's work, drowning in the waves of the most terrible sea of unbelief that has ever raised its billowing waves to swallow up the church, when all that is needed is faith.
G. Morrison Chapter 6
If, as we claim, faith is an invisible cable that releases the power of the Infinite over it, as a wire does the electric current, then here is an explanation why God insisted on the faith of Abraham and other Old Testament dignitaries . But we "fumbled" in the matter, and in this way broke the connection and stopped the flow of the creative power of God, and the thing asked for was not received. He learned by reading the prophecies that the time had come for the return of the Israelites to their own land.
It would not be difficult to think of a case showing that the first coming of the Lord Jesus coincided with the faith of a number of God's saints. Although His faith did not fail Him when it came to the tragic crisis of the Garden and the Cross, His miracles were nevertheless for the most part designed to accomplish things outside the realm of purely spiritual transactions. They persisted through the ages because of the same gloomy separation from the only channel through which the life of God can come to the hearts of men.
It is very interesting to note that the recovery of the race from the Dark Ages began at the point of faith. In any case, this line of thinking would enable us to understand how his coming had been imminent in all ages but had not yet occurred, due to the fact that no perfect channel of faith for his second coming had been assigned to him, so he could come. .
G. Morrison Chapter 7
Our belief in achievement may be real, but it is much of the time very imperfect and defective. The effect of the "damper" is to decrease the flow of electricity, and the full power of the dynamo is controlled. This seems to be the condition of most believers' faith, especially for achievements.
In many places we are content to sow seeds and leave the harvest to someone else, we know not who. Much of the work of God's church has been stalled and hindered because His people do not faithfully acknowledge their obligations to Him in regard to money. In this way, all imperfections in the channel of faith can be removed, and with a pure faith lifted up to the Almighty of heaven, we can achieve perfection.
Let the reader think for a moment of the souls who are not saved, for we fail to do so. Of the millions marching to hell because so few of us take it desperately seriously.
G. Morrison Chapter 8
Everyone's life will be examined by the all-encompassing eye of the living Christ. This must be followed, of course, by the judgment of all other classes, but it concerns this judgment of the Church which we and we now exercise. Deep in the heart of the sinful soul is the consciousness that he is lost.
If any sin remains upon him when he passes through the gates of death, of course it will not be in the judgment of the church. He will then be involved in the judgment of classes outside the true church of Christ. In the Bible's description of the judgment, it is mentioned that "the books were opened."
What will the record (and mind you, we mean the Christian record, without all the sins) of the best among us look like, in the light of the fiery face of the Son of God. May we all always give as much as the Spirit prompts us to give, for the needs of the kingdom.
G. Morrison Chapter 10
The ruin of the proud soul is so much more spectacular than the ruin of the unbeliever, that he paints his fire burning in the heavens, while the other hides his unfaithful face in the sand. She plants her feet firmly on His wondrous Book, and moves fearlessly forward in pursuit of the cause to which she is called. It is true, that he will pray much for himself, but only that he may be strong to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please himself.
Motives are most important when trying to discover the narrow, almost invisible line that separates true belief from its false sister, presumption. It is one of the most dangerous states of mind a Christian can possess. It is as far from true faith as wild-eyed fanaticism is from the tender-hearted fullness of the Holy Spirit.
It applies all the infallibility of the pope of Rome to his ideas and views. The opinions of the holy brothers, presumptuousness cares nothing, if it possibly conflicts with his own views.
