May 1950 - Editorial

by Doodson, A. T. | Category: Editorial | May 1950

Unity and fellowship have been considered in various aspects in past issues and we now have to consider the matter of unity of the faith, one faith, as in Ephesians 4.18 and 5. Many children of God seem to give little consideration to the difference between faith and the Faith and in this issue we present two articles which fittingly set forth vital truths, needed truths, concerning these matters.

Ml believers in the Lord Jesus, having a knowledge of sins forgiven and of the glories which await them in heaven, of necessity must have faith: "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him" (Hebrews

11.6). Faith is that which lifts a man above earthly things, but also helps him to use aright his time of earthly sojourn. So Abraham had faith as regards that better country, a heavenly, which filled his vision when the glory of God was revealed to him, but he was something more than a heavenly visionary, for he adapted his life on earth to conform to that heavenly vision revealed to him by faith, and so he became a pilgrim and a stranger in the earth. He believed God, and by faith accepted the status which God gave him. His faith was not nebulous, for he rested it upon the very word of God to him.

All believers have faith, but there is presented to that faith a body of doctrine which is called "the Faith," that which has been delivered once for all to the saints (Jude 8), something which demands of the believer that he contend earnestly for it, which, under God, we are seeking to do in these pages. Faith without works is dead, says James, and faith which is not exercised towards the teaching of the apostles has gone astray. Personal faith, as practised day by day by Christians, is a very lovely thing and what is set forth as to this in the article" Faith that grows "may be commended to all, but faith which takes the word of God as the basis for all hopes of blessing from God should look further in the Word of God, the Scriptures, to see what has been offered to faith in response. Faith is linked up with the promise of the life that now is, and of the life that shall be. Faith sees godliness as a proper response to God's goodness, but "the Faith" is offered to men of faith that they might keep it and so please God upon the earth. Individuals as such cannot keep the faith by themselves. When Paul sought to make havoc of the faith he was not after a number of isolated individuals who had imbibed certain beliefs, but after that body of people who together were seeking to put into practice what they had been taught. At the same time as he sought to make havoc of the faith he sought to make havoc of the church of God in Jerusalem. The doctrine was expressed by a collective people. It cannot be expressed by individuals as such.

Furthermore, there have never been two faiths, or bodies of doctrine given to faithful men, to keep by faith. There is one Faith and only one, even as there is only one Lord. There are no alternative ways of pleasing the Lord, and His doctrine does not change from century to century. There is no modern variation of the Word of God, for the Faith has been delivered once for all to the saints, the testimony is complete and faith is now shut up to the Faith. Individuals who choose part of the Faith and remain as individuals or in human associations, knowing that there are others holding and maintaining the Faith, are thereby denying the Faith. There can be no question that it is part of the desire of the Lord for His people that they should all be found together, all doing the same thing, and all responding in oneness to the one Faith.

Doodson, A. T. | May 1950
Editorial