In this lesson we will continue to look at the various aspects of believing.
It is through the hearing of the word of the truth of the gospel (Eph. 1:13) that man believes in the gospel. Through the preaching of those who are sent by God, man can hear the word of the gospel and thus believe, call upon the Lord’s name, and be saved. In Romans 10:14-15 Paul says, “How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without one who preaches? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?” Therefore, believing is produced through hearing the word of the truth of the gospel.
In the act of believing, man first believes with his heart. If man believes with his heart that God has raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead, he is justified (Rom. 10:9-10). The Bible does not ask us to believe in the death of the Lord Jesus; it only tells us to believe in His resurrection. His death is acknowledged by all men, but no one can believe in His resurrection unless the Holy Spirit reveals it to him. Objectively, He died as our Substitute to accomplish redemption for our sins. Subjectively, He was resurrected to impart life to us that we may have a union with Him. Without the subjective union, the objective substitution has nothing to do with us. Therefore, we must both believe that God has raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead and be joined to Him. Only then can we obtain the objective substitution and be saved. Otherwise, our faith is vain; we are still in our sins (1 Cor. 15:14, 17). This is why in their preaching of the gospel the early apostles especially preached the Lord’s resurrection, bearing witness of it (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 4:33).
In Romans 10:10 Paul says clearly that with the heart man believes unto righteousness. Therefore, when man believes with the heart that God has raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead, the result is righteousness. This means that the righteousness of God is counted as the righteousness of those who believe in the Lord Jesus.
In the act of believing, man also confesses with his mouth. If we confess with our mouth, “Lord Jesus,” we will be saved (Rom. 10:9-10). To believe is not only to believe with our heart that God has raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead, but also to confess with our mouth, “Lord Jesus,” before men. Hence, if we desire to be saved through faith, we need to confess the Lord Jesus and call upon His name. This will result in our salvation (Rom. 10:13). God created us as vessels fit for containing Him (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 9:23). As vessels we have an opening—our mouth. Hence, we should open our mouth wide that we may receive Christ (Psa. 81:10). In order to be saved we need to call upon the name of the Lord. When we call upon Him, we receive Christ as our salvation and participate in and enjoy His riches. Therefore, we have a heart with which we can believe that God has raised the Lord Jesus from among the dead, so that we may believe into Him and be joined to Him. Furthermore, we also have a mouth with which we can call upon the Lord Jesus so that we may receive Him and gain His salvation and His riches.
Faith is not of man’s works nor of man’s endeavor or striving, but of God’s gift (Eph. 2:8-9). Faith does not exist in us. It is when we repent and confess our sins before God in the name of the Lord Jesus that the believing ability is dispensed into us, enabling us to believe. Therefore, faith is our appreciation of what Christ is and of what He has accomplished for us. When Christ is infused into us through the preaching of the gospel, spontaneously we appreciate Him and call upon Him. This is the genuine faith, which is of Christ and in Christ (Gal. 2:20b). Hence, the Bible calls this faith the faith of Christ (Rom. 3:22) and the faith of the Son of God (Gal. 2:20). Moreover, such a faith which is given to us by God is the common faith of the believers (Titus 1:4; 2 Pet. 1:1).