08 Of Faith construed with Prepositions -continued

OF FAITH, CONSTRUED WITH  PREPOSITIONS (CONTINUED).

CHAPTER VIII.A FEW observations will take in all that, for our present purpose, it will be necessary to say about this word when construed with some of the other prepositions. Of the several instances in which pasta’s, (faith,) is governed by en, (in,) it will be unnecessary to bring more than three or four under review. Respecting the interesting occurrence of this construction inGalatians 2:20,“I live in the faith of the Son of God," it seems a positive marvel that interpreters, as with one consent should fix on believing as the meaning of faith here. Alford, indeed, rejects by and adopts in, in its exact local sense, as referring to an element; but, surprisingly enough, he holds fast to the sense of believing, and makes the exercise of believing the local element. Of Paul’s life! This seems to- be another example of the power of preconceived notions to influence the mind when interpreting the Word of God. Paul said distinctly, with the greatest clearness, "I live in the faith which is of the Son of God." He teaches us that it was in that great scheme of favour, so designated, he found the clement of his life, and that, as a sphere, it contained within itself all the aims of his activities, all his delights, his desires, and his hopes. It seems impossible that any mind, not predetermined to see nothing else in faith but believing, could mistake the meaning here.

InColossians 2:7, we have " Stablished in the faith." The difference between ""stablished in the faith," and stablished in believing, is not great, and taking the latter for the former involves no serious error; but they are not identical. Walking in Christ in this text, presents the idea of the sphere of the Christian’s activities. "Rooted and built up in him” give the figures of a tree and a house, and Christ the local home and stability of the Christian under these views. In being ""stablished in the faith" we have the same thoughts in unfigured language, with this difference; namely, for Christ himself the faith of Christ is substituted as the sphere of the man, the element of the tree, and the foundation of the house.

InTitus 1:13, we have " Sound in the faith." Here an objective sense ought to be undoubted, and the importance of what is believed seriously taken into account. It may be justly questioned whether some teachers of religion; in their exceeding anxiety about believing, are not almost, if not altogether, forgetful about what is to be believed; but all should lay it much to heart that the salvation of sinners is, in Scripture teaching, joined only to a "belief of the truth."

It is assumed, as has been already said, from the connection of en (in) with the pronoun relating to pistil (faith) inHebrews 11:2|, that this preposition is to be understood in every following occurrence of the noun in the dative case in that passage. On this assumption, and giving to en its natural local meaning, we have then the sphere within which all those things were done of which mention is there made; and, at the same time, an interpretation that will free the earnest student of the Word of God from the manifold embarrassments which beset him when trying to expound faith as the instrumental means by which those wonderful things were done.

Pistil (faith) construed with en,2 Corinthians 13:5, like unbelief,1 Timothy 1:13, is the name of a state. Under different views of them, these same opposite states are otherwise represented. Darkness and light, alienation and reconciliation, death and life, are some of the more familiar of these representations. The state of faith is only entered by a translation. None are born in it; all require to be born again into it. As being in darkness, men are delivered from the state so called and brought into light. As enemies, they are reconciled. As dead, they are quickened. As found in a state of disobedience and unbelief, they are raised, through the Gospel, to obedience, and to the whole condition of things that is found in the state of faith. The importance of being in either of these states, and all men are in one or the other, is sufficiently indicated by the terms employed to represent them. But from the earnest exhortation of the apostle it would appear that a man may mistakenly imagine himself to be, or may falsely assume a seeming to others that he is, in the state of faith. Hence the Corinthians were to examine and prove themselves. A matter of this importance was not to be cheaply taken for granted by them. Misconception was possible, and a mistake might be cherished where life and death were in question. Hypocrites have no need of this self-examination. Purposely putting on an appearance to deceive, they cannot be mistaken. Neither for this reason could the apostle have such in view. But all others that name the name of Jesus, without exception, may profitably engage in this work.

It would carry us quite beyond our present purpose to discuss the matter at length, but we may just remark that there are not a few influences at work which as we judge, are, in this respect, very strongly misleading. One of these is the often and earnestly repeated exhortation or invitation, it is both these by turns, “Only believe! Only believe I" varied at times by "Believe now, believe at once!" and, at other times, otherwise varied to the same effect. Now that, from the popular reverence entertained in a greater or less degree for men engaged in the sacred calling of the ministry of the gospel, this sort of thing, however ridiculous it is to reflecting believers, is likely to produce certain effects, is well enough known to all that have expended but the least thought upon the matter. If special services are organized to bring this sort of thing to bear on the popular mind, given that considerable numbers of the people can be brought together, and a man of fervent spirit and some oratorical power is found suitably to address them, and it may be assumed, with an almost mathematical certainty, what corresponding results will follow. New and forcible impressions will be experienced. Moral revolutions in some cases will be effected. Conversions will abound. Baptisms, when this ordinance is observed in connection, will be multiplied. Sympathizing magazines and newspapers will put forth glowing accounts of successes. Sanguine minds will talk of Pentecostal times, and of the Millennium, and of a nation being “born at once." Zealous teachers, more ardent than judicious, imagining that faith, and prayer, and preaching, are the prime factors in the salvation of sinners, from the great things supposed to have been accomplished, will come to form calculations of how much effort would suffice to convert a whole community. Then will come the inevitable reaction, on which it is painful to think, but unnecessary now to dwell.

God forbid, indeed, that a syllable should be written or uttered reflecting disrespectfully on a true earnestness of soul in the work of the Lord. A cold-hearted minister of the gospel is a misnomer. He that is coldhearted in this work has mistaken his vocation, and, however orthodox, and learned, and devout he may be, the sooner he is otherwise employed the better. But he, on the other hand, whose zeal carries him aside from the line of knowledge can only mislead, and the more successful he is in that course, the more mischief he works. After all of this kind of thing that may have been brought about by human agencies, and whatever may be the number or the startling character of the conversions which may have been effected, it is of the highest importance to know that if a radical change in the entire moral nature of the converted has not been created by God himself, they have simply been impressed more or less deeply by natural forces, and have acted under certain merely human influences. If they have not been created anew in Christ Jesus, if they have not passed from death to life, if they have not been born again, if they have not been translated from a state of unbelief to a state of faith by the power of God, they have misconceived the truth about themselves respecting one of the most momentous matters that can affect the interests of human beings. Whether, or to what extent, or with what guilty consequence, they may have been misled, must be left to the Judge of all motives and actions of men. Abhorrent to us as is a cynical suspicion of the entire effects of those outbursts of unwonted fervour and activity that occasionally take place under the designation of revivals, the credulity of a weakness bordering on imbecility would, it seems to us, be required to regard the results of such movements with an unquestioning confidence. A serious conviction of the un-warrantableness of the manner of address we have mentioned; the evident teachings of many Scriptures, particularly the parables of our Lord, and notably among them those of the sower and the seed, and the ten virgins; the Scripture testimony of apostasies; the history of the church; and, to mention nothing more, our own painful observation, peremptorily forbid all such unquestioning confidence. We suggest, with all brotherly well-wishing, that the converters in these movements, and the converted, should bear in mind and lay to heart that conversions may take place which have no basis in regeneration ; that they should read together, learn, and inwardly digest such a book as that of President Edwards on " Religious Affections;" and that, by this and similar means within their reach, they should seriously observe the exhortation given to the Corinthians, Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith."

Passing to dia, (through,) construed with pistis, (faith, we have about nineteen instances of this particular construction; but in no one of them does the general opinion concede any other meaning to faith than belief. Is this a right judgment ? I doubt. In six of these instances the faith is expressly spoken of as being in direct relation to Christ. “By faith of Jesus Christ" inRomans 3:22;Galatians 2:16. " Through the faith of Christ" inPhp 3:9. "By the faith of him" inEphesians 3:12. " By faith in Christ Jesus " inGalatians 3:26. " Through faith which is in Christ Jesus " in2 Timothy 3:15.

Now as pistis, (faith,) is always in the genitive case when construed with dia, (through,) it seems clear, that there are only three meanings which can possibly be assigned to that word in this construction; namely, that of an instrumental means, or that of an efficient cause, or that of a principle of procedure. All expositors whose opinions count for anything in general estimation, decide for the former. They are at a point that “the faith of Jesus Christ” means the belief of believers in him, and they come to the very necessary conclusion from these premises that instrumental means must be the meaning. Bound by the conviction that the faith which is of Christ and in him, mentioned in these quotations, is a believing on him; any other deduction is impossible. But is the conviction from which this conclusion is drawn a necessary one? No. Is it a sound one.This is doubted. Another conviction that leads to another conclusion is entitled to consideration. The faith mentioned in these instances which is of Christ and which is in him, is not that of which he is the object, that is, belief, or believing; but a great scheme of favour so designated from him because he is its Beginner and Perfecter. Not the exercise of belief in or upon him, as an instrumental cause through which something is done ; but that great scheme of pure grace which bears his exalted name because he is its Alpha and Omega, considered as a principle of procedure, through which something is done, is what is intended. If the reader will undertake an operation that cannot be very well done without some pains ; that is, if he will thoroughly pick to pieces in his mind what is said to be, and to be done, through the faith that is of Jesus Christ, and that is in him, in these passages, he will find that believing, taken as the instrumental means, is immensely over weighted, and will require all sorts of apologetic explanations. Whereas, on the fullest consideration of what is said to be, and to be done, through the faith of Christ, taken as a principle of procedure, all will be easy, and all clear. In some instances of this construction, when faith is connected with Christ by no express reference, the same principle of procedure is intended. For instance, we have inRomans 3:30, " Justify, through faith ;" and " Do we make void the law through faith ?" in verseRomans 3:31. “Receive” the promise of the Spirit through faith," inGalatians 3:14. And “Saved through faith," inEphesians 2:8. In these instances the faith, as opposed to works, is the principle through which proceeds, severally, justification, receiving the promise of the Spirit, and salvation. This view is entirely confirmed in the last quoted passage by what follows. “Not of works," says the apostle, "lest any man should boast." But it is the law, or principle, of faith,Romans 3:27, as we have seen, not believing simply, which, according to the apostle, excludes boasting. Could anything be more decisive?

OnGalatians 3:14, Alford says faith is there "the subjective medium ; but rendered objective by the article, as so often by St. Paul." Is this criticism sound? Is it necessary to conclude that when Paul gave pistil (faith,) an objective form by the use of the article, he did not intend to convey a corresponding meaning? Might not the apostle be teaching a truth which the dean failed to perceive, or perceiving, discarded? Would it not be as honorable to Paul to entertain the view that he meant what he said, rather than that he indulged in a habit of peculiar, if not faulty, and, withal, misleading composition ? Nothing but a being tied down by the conviction that faith must almost always mean belief, it is felt, could induce such a man to write so mischievously faulty a criticism. The faith does not mean your belief, when the pronoun is not employed, nor always when it is. For, see1 Thessalonians 3:2.

Only five instances of pistis, (faith,) construed with peri, (concerning,) occur in the New Testament ; namely,Acts 24:24;1 Thessalonians 3:2;1 Timothy 1:19; 6:21; and2 Timothy 3:8; but seeing that in all these occurrences an objective sense js generally admitted, save in1 Thessalonians 3:2, it will be only necessary to say a word about that. An objective sense is clear here. Timothy was sent, not to comfort the Thessalonians concerning their believing, but to hearten them about what they believed. No doubt the heartening them about what they believed would strengthen their belief under the tribulations they suffered for the Gospel’s sake; but the latter depended on the former, not the former on the latter; and therefore the former was the express object of Timothy’s mission.

Once only we have this word construed with apo, (from,) namely, inActs 13:8; but an objective sense is here allowed by all.

Construed with epi, (upon,) it occurs twice; namely, inActs 3:16, and inPhp 3:9. But in both these instances expositors cling to their fondly cherished subjective meaning nevertheless for that, in both occurrences, according to their own teaching, the objective form is used. No objection ought to exist against the meaning agreeing with the form. Many difficulties, and as many objections, stand against coercing the form into compliance with the favourite meaning. Feeling a difficulty, as it is supposed, respectingPhp 3:9, it seems that some one suggested a construction to Alford, which lie speaks of with a kind of half approval, which gives this rendering: “the righteousness which is of God on my faith." That is, as it is explained, the righteousness of God which is "built on, grounded on, granted on the condition of my faith;" that is, on believing. Now if any imagination can conjure up a theological notion more monstrous than this exposition, that faculty is capable of creations more distorted and preternatural than vulgar opinion credits. If there are any in whose minds such an exposition fails to disestablish the favourite meaning of the word under consideration in this text, it would be utterly useless to add anything further with the view of convincing them. They must be given up. Give the word its true meaning, and let the exposition be, The righteousness of God which is grounded or built on the faith, of which Christ is the Beginner and Perfecter, and all will be analogical and beautiful. The word we are considering occurs four times with kata (according to), namely, inTitus 1:1is verseTitus 1:4; inHebrews 11:7, and in verseHebrews 11:13. Leaving a consideration of the occurrences in Titus for the present, it may be observed that general opinion, consistent with itself so far, gives the same meaning to faith, in the two instances mentioned inHebrews 11:1-40, as it does in all the others in this connection. There ought to be no doubt that an objective sense is intended in both. The righteousness, which is according to faith in verse 7, is the same as that revealed in the gospel to be " from faith to faith "; and those that died according to the faith in verseHebrews 11:13, died consistently with, along the line of, that principle. They had lived, supported through all their afflictions (ek) from the sustaining power of that principle, and they died (kata) according to it in all respects. Here an end might be made to the consideration of this word when construed with a preposition, and only a few remarks more shall be added.

Shut up to belief as the meaning of faith in almost all its occurrences, Mr. Haldane says, onRomans 3:30, " by faith and through faith. It is difficult to see why the prepositions here are varied. Similar variations, however, occur in other places, where there appears to be no difference of meaning, as inGalatians 2:16." It is strange that he, and passing strange that his learned coadjutor, Dr. Carson, a man of unusual critical discernment, should never suspect that this word might bear another meaning than belief in these places. On their view of the meaning of the word here, and inGalatians 2:16, there is, no doubt, a difficulty, and that an insuperable one, unless it be overcome by the supposition that various prepositions are construed with this word without giving any difference of meaning ; thus they overcame the difficulty. According to them, the apostle used his prepositions indiscriminately, or at least, interchangeably, without design. Can any mind be satisfied with this view? When our view of a text of Scripture requires us to impute inconsiderateness or purposelessness to the writer in his choice of words, we ought to suspect the soundness of our judgment of his meaning. Let the word faith; construed with these different prepositions, in both these passages, be viewed as the name of a principle, then all difficulty will pass away, and the understanding will experience a satisfaction in the light of an interpretation that is as pleasing as it is clear. Let the verse be read and interpreted thus: "Seeing it is one God who shall justify the circumcision out of faith (as the principle from which the justification arises) and the un-circumcision through faith," (as the principle of procedure in the justification), and nothing will be left to be desired. By a reference to six passages, together, five of which have been already separately considered, an example may be seen of the confusion of thought which so lamentably prevails on this important subject in the minds of those that teach, and those that are taught alike. InRomans 3:22, we read, ’ 1 The righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ." InRomans 5:1, "Being justified by faith." InGalatians 2:20, "I live by the faith of the Son of God." InPhp 3:9, " The righteousness which is of God by faith." InHebrews 11:7, " The righteousness which is by faith." And inRomans 5:2, "We have access by faith." Attention is solicited to the fact that the term "by faith" is found in all these passages. This noted, it will be readily admitted, it is presumed, that nineteen out of twenty, whether teachers or learners, will consider " faith " to mean believing, and " by " to indicate that the believing is the instrumental means of what is said to be, or to be done, in each of these passages. Many will not, of course, know that “by " in the first five of these quotations is made to do duty for five different Greek prepositions, and that the sixth simply represents the dative case. But their lack of this information, judging from the authoritative renderings we have, and from the expositions most in vogue, is not solely the veil which hides the truth from them, for the majority of those who know the most about these things are at a point, as to their interpretations, with those who know nothing. Learned and unlearned, as if by a common consent, are agreed that "faith” in all these instances means believing; and that “by " indicates the believing to be the instrumental means of what is said to be and to be done. It is no matter that one Greek preposition means through, another out of, another in, another upon, and another according to. As faith can have no other sense than believing, therefore all these prepositions, whatever differences of meaning they may represent, must be lengthened, or shortened, and shaped to the dimension and form of "" by," as remorselessly as the guests of Procrustes were to his celebrated bed. Is this expounding the Word of God?