I believe in baptism…
…of adults
…in water
…by immersion
…as part of saving faith
…for the forgiveness of sins
…accompanied by the reception of the Holy Spirit
…to enter into the body of Christ
Just in case you were wondering.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) We’ve been looking at this verse this week, seeing how it has been pulled out of context and made to say things that it was never meant to say. We’ve seen that the verse originally was written to discuss how people come to have saving faith. We also saw that, in context, “hearing” can refer to hearing the testimony of God’s creation.
If that’s how faith begins, how does it grow and develop? Undoubtedly, one of the ways is through hearing the Word of God, be it through Bible reading or through the exposition of God’s Word. But must we limit faith development to that? Not according to the Bible. Here are some other ways in which faith grows:
Those are just a few ideas of how to develop faith, based on what the Bible says. Can you think of others?
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) In yesterday’s post, we started thinking about this verse and its relation to faith development. I mentioned that though this verse is frequently cited, it is almost never cited in context. I also noted that the immediate context is that of conversion, people who do not know Christ coming to know him.
There is something else we should note about the context. Look at the verse that follows: “But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”” (Romans 10:18) Paul argues that the Jews did hear. I think that Paul is speaking about the number of Christians who went out preaching among the Jews, maybe even thinking of Pentecost when it was said that there were Jews from every nation under heaven present.
Still, look at the verse he quotes. Psalm 19:4. Here are the first four verses of Psalm 19: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalms 19:1-4) Now there’s a context that will ruin a perfectly good proof text! Ouch. When we quote Romans 10:17, it’s usually to support the need for Bible study or the need to hear preaching. How many times have you heard that verse quoted to talk about the need to observe God’s revelation in nature? A similar thought is found in Romans 1: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
Paul’s argument in chapter 1 is that men in general have no excuse because they have “heard” God’s testimony, that being declared by nature. In chapter 10, Paul can use a verse talking about nature’s testimony to argue that Jews, specifically, have been preached to.
Maybe we need to expand our understanding of what it means to hear God’s message.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) If you grew up in a faith context similar to mine, you’ve probably heard that verse quoted hundreds of times. And, if your experience is like mine, that quoting almost never occurred in context.
Romans 10 is talking about conversion. This section of Romans, chapters 9-11, is talking about the Jews rejection of the message. The point Paul is making is that the Jews have heard. They had their chance. The gospel was presented to them, they had the chance to come to faith, and they didn’t do it.
In Galatians 3, the term “hearing” is used by Paul mostly to represent the preaching that is done during conversion (Galatians 3:2,5). That usage corresponds to the usage in Romans.
This verse from Romans 10 refers to how faith comes initially. Faith comes by hearing the message of Christ. Paul is not telling us how faith develops. He’s not talking about how Christians come to have more faith. Faith comes by hearing.
Let’s not try to make this verse say something it doesn’t.
[While we’re traveling in Argentina, I thought I’d post some of the things that I’ve written for the HopeForLife.org blog; they’ve also been posted to Heartlight. Comments are moderated until I get back; sorry about that folks. Some people don’t know how to play nice.]
“Saved alone. What shall I do?” Those were the chilling words Horatio Spafford read in the telegram from his wife. It was November, 1873. Anna Spafford had been traveling to Europe with the four Spafford children; Mr. Spafford was to join them later. The ship the family was traveling on, the Ville du Havre, was rammed by a British iron sailing ship, the Lockhearn. Mrs. Spafford was rescued by the Lockhearn, but the four children were taken by the waves.
Mr. Spafford was a prosperous lawyer and real estate developer in Chicago until his fortunes were reduced to ashes by the Great Fire of 1871. Still reeling from that financial disaster, now Spafford faced an even greater crisis. He was a man of faith, but these were times that would try even the greatest saint.
Making the Atlantic crossing to join his wife, Spafford was shown the location of the wreck that had cost him his children. Reflecting on that moment, he wrote his wife’s half-sister saying “On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down, in mid-ocean, the waters three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs.”
During the crossing, Spafford sat and wrote the words to one of the best-loved songs of all times. The first verse reads:
When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot
Thou hast taught me to say
“It is well with my soul.”
It’s an amazing story. Most of us would have trouble reacting in such a way. When faced with loss, when dealing with grief, the common reaction is to fall back on self-pity. What enabled Spafford to respond as he did? Faith. Spafford believed that death was not the end for his dear children. He believed that the grave was a stopping point, not a destination. To him, his children lay, not beneath the cold waters, but folded safe in the arms of Jesus.
Without God, such hope is not possible. Without God, death is the end. But God has overcome death, through the history-changing resurrection of his son. We can read in the New Testament: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
Do you have this hope? Do you share this faith? If not, let me tell you about the God that can fill you with peace in the most trying of times, that can trace a path of hope through the darkest hour.
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