The Bravery of Faith

Dane K. Jöhannsson 

Lead Pastor, Agros Reformed Baptist Church 

The puritan, William Gurnall, in the beginning of his massive exposition upon Paul words in Ephesians 6:10-20, wrote:  

“The Christian of all men needs courage and resolution. Indeed there is nothing he does as a Christian, or can do, but is an act of valour. A cowardly spirit is beneath the lowest duty of a Christian, ‘be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest’ – What? stand in battle against those warlike nations? No, but that thou mayest, ‘observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee.’ (Jos. 1:7) It requires more prowess and greatness of spirit to be obey God faithfully, than to command an army of men; to be a Christian than a captain. … Indeed there is no duty in a Christian’s whole course of walking with God, or acting for God but is lined with many difficulties, which shoot like enemies through the hedges at him, while he is marching towards heaven: so that he is put to dispute every inch of ground as he goes. They are only a few noble-spirited souls, who dare take heaven by force, that are fit for this calling.” (pp.12,13)
 
In Gurnall’s passage, the apostle Paul tell us to be, “strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Eph. 6:10) We must be strong, valiant, unmovable in our violent taking of heaven by force; in our resisting of the Devil, in our fighting against the lusts and sins of our heart, which, “will not lie so patiently on the altar, as Isaac, or as a ‘Lamb that is brought to the slaughter which was dumb,’ but will roar and shriek; yea, even shake and rend the heart with its hideous outcries.” (pg.13)
 
In spite of our doubtes, we must be brave, be valiant, in our believing God’s promises.  To believe the promises of God when you are in the depths of despair for your sin and in your lack of intimacy with God, is truly a great act of strength and bravery. To be able to pray, “Lord, I believe! Help Thou mine unbelief!” while Satan is breathing hot upon your neck, “Thou art no Christian! Thou hast cursed the Lord in thought, word and deed ten thousand times ten thousand! He cannot love thee, nor save thee, who art so unfaithful to Him!” is truly an act of valiant faith.
 
To believe what is true (that God is working all things for your good; that the same God who began the work of salvation in you will surely bring it to completion) when you doubt whether you are even His child, is a work of strength that fails our human nature! Such strength in faith must be given to us from above, or it cannot exist at all.  The valiancy to trust God’s promises is not mustered from within, but given from above through the means of grace.
 
For the increase of strength in our faith it is helpful to remember the object of our faith, namely, Jesus Christ. Our faith and trust is not set upon ourselves, nor our faith itself, but upon Christ’s person and work. He is “the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). This faith, given as a gift to us by Him, is to be applied to Him alone, it is the means through which, by His grace, we are saved. Thus, looking to our faith will not increase it, but only looking to its object, Christ.
We who have “received him” are given the “power to become the sons of God”, because we have believed (trusted) “on his name.” (John 1:12) Our faith must not be founded upon ourselves, but upon in its foundation (which from God) and in its object (which is Christ). When we look to the weakness of our faith, we will only see more reason to lose faith, bravery and heart. But when we look to the object of our faith, Jesus Christ, then our faith is increased, enlivened and strengthened.
 
The apostle Paul reminded the Colossian Church, saying, “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord [by faith], so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6,7) They had received Christ the Lord by faith, and now they were to “walk in him”. They were to continually live with their eyes of trust set on Him by faith. This, says Paul, will cause them to be “built up in him, and stablished in the faith.”  

What does it mean that their faith would be “stablished”? The word Paul uses here is, bebaiō, meaning, “to put something beyond doubt, confirm, establish; to make a person firm in commitment, establish, strengthen”. This word is still used in modern Greek when you want to say, “of course!”, or, “certainly!” What Paul is saying, is that if the Colossians continue to walk in Christ, just as they received Him, with their trust in Him, then they will be made all the more certain in faith. Their faith will be strengthened, made certain, and stablished. They will be made firm in their trust of Christ.
 
To “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” is to have a brave trusting faith in Christ. By looking to Christ, receiving Him, our faith will be strengthened and stablished. Our faith is certain, because He who has promised to us cannot lie. The apostle Paul exhorts us in another place to, “hold fast the profession of your faith without wavering [bravery]; for he is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23)  
 
As Gurnall says later on in his exposition, God, “hath enacted a law, called the law of faith, for the saving of poor sinners through Christ, and is under an oath to make it good both in the salvation of every one that believes on Christ, and damnation on every one that doth not believe: and to make all sure, hath given Christ an oath to be faithful in his office; who was trusted as priest to procure redemption, and shall sit judge to pronounce the sentence at the great day of absolution or condemnation. Take heed, therefore, poor sinner, that thou beest not drawn from placing thy entire confidence on Christ the Son of God – both God and man in one person – who laid down his life upon agreement with his Father, to make an atonement for the sin of the world; and now offers thee that blood which then he shed, as a price to carry in the hand of thy faith to the Father, for pardon and peace.” (pg. 515)
 
In other words, faith in Christ’s work is the law that binds both God and man. This law is sure and inviolable. As we bring the blood of Christ by faith to the Father, we can have absolute certainty that we will be forgiven our sins and accepted as children. Our brave confidence in Christ (i.e. our faithful boldness in approaching God) is the means by which our faith is stablished and strengthened. Let us therefore bravely and resolutely place all our trust and faith in Christ alone for the establishment and fulfilment of our salvation!
 
Works Cited
All Scripture references are taken from the King James Version
Gurnall, William. The Christian In Complete Armour, Vol.1. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2002.

Categories

All Agros Biblical Theology Book Review Church Church Government Ecclesiology Ethics Faith & Certainty Grafton Liturgics Log College Press London Baptist Confession Lord's Day Ministry Pastoral Theology Pastorate Presbyterian Presbyterianism Puritans Reformed Theology Sabbath Sacrifice Second London Baptist Confession Southern Presbyterians Sunday Sunday Worship Theology Thomas Witherspoon Westminster Westminster Confession Of Faith William Gurnall