From what we have seen in the previous examples there are the following principles: (1) We need to discover what God’s fact is. For this, revelation from the Holy Spirit is necessary. (2) Once we see what God’s fact is, we need to hold on to God’s Word and believe that we are just as God’s Word says. We need to believe that just as God’s fact says, so we are. (3) We need by faith on one hand to praise God that we are this way; on the other hand we need to act and manifest that we are such. (4) Whenever temptation or trial comes to us, we must believe that God’s Word and His fact are more dependable than our feelings. We need only to fully believe God’s Word; then God will be responsible to give us the experience. If we pay attention to our experience first, we shall fail and not have any experience. Our responsibility is to believe God’s fact; God’s responsibility is to grant us the experience. If we believe God’s fact, our spiritual life will grow every day. (5) Fact requires our faith, for faith is the only way by which the fact may be realized in our experience. God’s fact is in Christ; therefore, we must be in Christ in order to enjoy the fact which God has accomplished in Christ. When we are united with Christ, we shall experience the fact which God has accomplished in Christ. We must remember that when we were saved, we were united with Christ and were put into Christ (1 Cor. 1:30; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3). But many, though they are in Christ, do not abide in Christ. Since they do not stand by faith upon the position which God has given them in Christ, they lose the effect which God’s fact has toward them. Therefore, though we are already in Christ, we also need to abide in Christ. By this means, God’s fact will become our experience and will continue to be manifested through us.
We have mentioned repeatedly that God’s fact is something which He has already accomplished and that we do not need to ask Him to do anything. However, if we have not seen God’s fact as fact, we need to ask God to give us revelation, to give us light, that we may see. It is the spirit of wisdom and revelation that will cause us to know (Eph. 1:17-18). We can ask for such a spirit. What we ask for is the vision. We do not ask that God will do that very thing again, but that He may show us that He has already accomplished that thing. We must be clear about this difference.
Following are some further examples to clarify this matter.
(1) A sister, before she had seen the fact of being in Christ, thought that she had to exercise her own effort to work herself into Christ, yet she did not know how to do it. One day upon hearing the word, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:30), she saw in her inner being that God had already put her into Christ and that she did not need to work herself in anymore.
(2) Some children of God, before seeing the fact that “our old man has been crucified with Christ,” either used their own effort to crucify their old man, or asked God to do it. The result was that the more they tried to crucify their old man, the more lively the old man seemed to be. The more they asked God to crucify their old man, the more confused they became. Then one day God opened their eyes and revealed to them that He had already crucified their old man with Christ. At that time they realized how foolish their action and prayer had been.
(3) A certain sister was not clear that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is already a fact. One night she closed her door and read Acts 2. While reading this portion of the Word, she asked God to give her a revelation. God opened her eyes and showed her three things in this chapter: (a) that Christ has been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, has poured down the Holy Spirit (v. 33); (b) God has made Him both Lord and Christ (v. 36); (c) this promise of receiving the Holy Spirit is for the Israelites and for their children, and also for those who are afar off (v. 39). She saw that it is a fact that the Holy Spirit has been poured out. Since she was one who had repented and had been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, she was included in those who were “afar off.” She realized, therefore, that she had a part in the promise, that is, that she had a part in what is mentioned in verse 38, “Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” When she saw this, she was full of joy and could not cease to praise the Lord.
Therefore, we strongly emphasize again that concerning God’s fact we do not need to ask God to do that thing again; we need only ask God to show us that He has already done that thing. We need not ask God to put us now into Christ, but we do need to ask God to show us that He has already put us into Christ. We do not need to ask God to crucify our old man, but we do need to ask God to show us that He has crucified us with Christ. Neither are we asking God to pour down the Holy Spirit from the heavens; rather, we are asking God to show us that the Holy Spirit has already been poured down. (In Acts 1:13-14 we read that the Apostles with several women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers, continued steadfastly in prayer with one accord. Acts 2:1 says that on the day of Pentecost the disciples were all together in one place, because at that time the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out. But Acts 8:15-17 clearly shows that Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans who had believed in the Lord, and laid hands upon them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. They did not pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out from heaven. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit from heaven is a fact, while the coming down of the Holy Spirit upon individuals is an experience.)
We do need to ask God to show us that His facts are facts. Whenever we have the inner revelation, we can spontaneously believe and then spontaneously have the experience. We say again that we may indeed inquire of God, but what we need to ask Him for is the enlightening of our eyes to give us revelation and light that we may really see something concerning God’s facts.
We have mentioned the contrast between God’s promise and God’s fact. Now let us summarize the basic difference between God’s fact and God’s promise. In the Scriptures, promise is the word spoken by God before the thing happens, while fact is the word spoken by God after the thing has happened. We must receive God’s promise with our faith, while we must not only receive God’s fact with our faith, but also enjoy what God has accomplished. Therefore, when we read God’s Word, one of the most important things is to differentiate which is God’s promise and which is God’s fact. Whenever we come to a place which speaks of God’s grace, telling us how God has done something for us, we need to ask whether this is a promise or a fact. If it is a promise and has some conditions, we need to fulfill the conditions and then really pray until God gives us assurance within to know that this promise is for us. Then quite naturally we shall have faith, and we shall know that God has heard our prayer. We shall spontaneously praise God. Although God’s promise has yet to be fulfilled, still, because of the fact that you have faith, it seems that that very thing is already in your hand. But if it is a fact, then you may immediately exercise faith and praise God, saying, “O God, yes, it is so!” You can believe it is really so, and then act accordingly. By doing this you will prove your faith.
There are, however, a few points of which we need to be reminded:
(1) Before we ask God for His promise, we must first deal with our impure heart. Those who are full of confusing thoughts or are too emotional will very likely consider that this is God’s promise for them, or that that is God’s promise for them. Yesterday there was a promise, today there is another promise. To them, obtaining God’s promises is like drawing from a lottery, taking one lot after another. Nine times out of ten such promises are undependable and might be deceiving. (This does not mean that God’s promises are not dependable, but that what such people consider to be God’s promise is something they themselves have conceived, not something which God has given to them.) If those who have natural inclinations or hardness of will subjectively use what they have remembered of God’s Word in their mind, or if they use those words of God which suit their moods, or explain God’s Word in their subjective way and treat these as God’s promises, their “promises” will usually be undependable. The result is that they will become disappointed, even doubtful of God’s Word. Therefore, before we ask for God’s promise, we need to ask Him to enlighten our heart that we may know our heart. We need to ask God to purify our heart. We also need to ask God to grant us grace, making us willing to lay down our selves so that we may quietly look unto Him. Then if God gives us a promise, we shall be spontaneously and clearly impressed from the deepest part of our heart.
(2) After receiving God’s promise we need to make use of it. Charles Spurgeon once said, “O believer, I beseech you do not treat God’s promises as if they were curiosities for a museum; but use them as everyday sources of comfort. Trust the Lord whenever your time of need comes on.” These are words of experience.
(3) Those who really have a promise from God usually behave and act in a peaceful and stable way, as if the promise had come true. For example, when Paul was zealous for the work at Corinth, the Lord spoke to him in a vision: “Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee.” After this, he dwelt there a year and six months (Acts 18:9-11). On another occasion when Paul was on the way to Rome and ran into danger at sea, he could stand among those who were with him in the ship and say, “Be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me.” He not only believed God’s promise, but also used God’s promise as a promise and a comfort to others. “And when he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all; and he brake it, and began to eat.” This was Paul’s manner and action after he believed God’s promise. Such manner gave those with him a deep impression. The result was that “they were all of good cheer, and themselves also took food” (Acts 27:23-25, 35-36). A saint has said that every promise of God is built upon four pillars: God’s justice, God’s holiness, God’s grace, and God’s truth. God’s justice will not suffer Him to be faithless; God’s holiness will not suffer Him to deceive; God’s grace will not suffer Him to forget; and God’s truth will not suffer Him to change. Another saint has said that though the promise tarry, it can never come too late. These are all words of experience from those who know God.
The Psalmist said, “Remember the word unto thy servant, wherein thou hast made me to hope” (Psa. 119:49, lit.). This is a most powerful prayer. God’s promise gives us a living hope. Hallelujah!
(4) Once we have seen God’s fact, our faith must continue to look at God’s fact, counting the fact as fact. Whenever we have a failure, we need to discover the reason for the failure. We need to condemn both the reason for failure and the act of failing. If due to our own failure we become doubtful concerning God’s fact, even denying God’s fact, this proves that we have an evil heart of unbelief towards God’s fact (Heb. 3:12). At this point we need to ask God to remove the evil heart of unbelief.
If we hold fast the beginning of the assurance firm to the end, we have become partners of Christ (Heb. 3:14).