SAVING FAITH

by
Scott Jones

Jesus knew the difference between the half-hearted cry of the curious and the doleful wails of the desperate. It was the latter that the Lord of Glory heard over the din of the crowd as he walked through Jericho. Imagine the anticipation that must have flooded the blind man's soul when suddenly the charged throng, who only moments before had ordered him to hold his peace, now rushed over with the news that Jesus would meet with him, saying, "Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee."

Jesus had not yet reached the immediate vicinity of Bartimaeus when the blind man first began to plead for mercy. The crowd was so large that a sizable contingent preceded Jesus. When Bartimaeus discovered the reason for the commotion - that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by - he immediately began to make his appeal by crying out loudly. And Bartimaeus kept crying out, so much so that he annoyed the crowd. The enterprising crowd obviously had no time for a blind beggar's wails. No matter, for the blind beggar had no respect for the crowd's enterprising. The ignoble protest served only to fan the flames of the blind man's desperation, and thus it is recorded that Bartimaeus cried out "a great deal" more.

When Jesus heard that despondent cry he stood still and commanded that Bartimaeus be brought forth. The Scripture is careful to relate that upon receiving this news, Bartimaeus "cast away his garment and came to Jesus."

Four thousand years earlier Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves and fled from the Pre-Incarnate Christ; now one of their descendants, a casualty of their disobedience who was forced to subsist daily on charity, cast his own garment aside and hurried to meet the very God that the primordial couple had sought to evade. Bartimaeus would not be denied. Bartimaeus was desperate. Bartimaeus would have Jesus see him for the blind beggar he was. Adam and Eve ran away from Christ in their pride; Bartimaeus came to Christ in his humility. Nothing in the world was more important to Bartimaeus than an encounter with the Son of David, Israel's promised Messiah, the world's heralded Redeemer. Bartimaeus would see Jesus at all costs.

His garment forgotten, Bartimaeus was led forward by the crowd, many of whom undoubtedly were more interested in seeing a miracle than a man cured. Either way, the thrill-seekers and the sincere alike were made to fulfill God's purpose, for the blind beggar who had created such a stir suddenly found himself in the very presence of Jehovah Incarnate, Maker of heaven and earth. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:" Colossians 1:16

Thus, the only two men in the entire procession who were on a mission came face to face. One, a blind beggar who only moments before had no hope in this world; the other, a carpenter from Nazareth who from the foundation of this world was the Blessed Hope, now clothed in flesh, made from the dust of the very earth that he himself created.

There was no chit-chat, no soft-talk, no niceties, for a righteous King disallows pretense, no matter its color. The Lion of the tribe of Juda spoke plainly and without preamble, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"

This was perhaps a simple question in the mind's eye of many, but not to a man who has no sight, for when those words flew from the lips of Emmanuel, the unbridled power of the Godhead was summoned and brought to bear. These were words of thunder, with all of heaven at their beckon call, and eternity under their rein. Angels worshipped and prepared themselves for action, while devils cursed and trembled with fear, knowing that the pit was only a word away, if the Son of God so spake, for it is written, "Where the word of a king is, there is power." Ecclesiastes 8:4

The King of Kings had granted an audience to a blind man, and an audience with the King of Kings is evermore a precious grain of mustard seed to the poor in spirit - today as well as yesterday - for when the "angel of his presence" appears, faith is multiplied so that all things are possible. Yea, a lower king (who was in reality nothing but a fox), had been denied an audience by this very King of Kings (Luke 9:9, 13:32), yet now, here in Jericho, not just an audience, but much more was granted, for now the Lord of Glory was also offering to kill the fatted calf, and was holding forth to a blind beggar who had cast aside his garment a white robe washed in divine blood, there for the asking - "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"

There was more than just a question in these words - there was a promise, and a mighty promise at that, with the glory of the Eternal Godhead backing every syllable. "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" This was nothing less than an everlasting pledge, sealed by the testimony of the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," nothing less than an inviolable invitation, extended by him who was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Revelation 13:8, Romans 1:4

These words of Jesus were words of power, quickening words, indited by the Holy Ghost, electrified with grace, and implanting faith into the heart of a soul given him by the Father, as it is written, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." And again, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:63, 37

Aye, anyone who has ever read the Word of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - the same inspiration that produced the Word of God to begin with - can testify to the power of that voice - the voice of Jesus Christ speaking through the Holy Ghost to the spirit of the man He indwells - and the immeasurable graces of faith that pour into the soul as a result of His unction bearing witness to the written Word. As A. W. Tozer so accurately confided - "To understand a Bible text it takes an act of the Holy Spirit equal to the act that inspired the text in the first place. A revelation of the Holy Spirit in one glorious flash of inward illumination would teach you more of Jesus than five years in a theological seminary." The Tozer Pulpit, Vol II

And Charles Spurgeon sounded this warning, especially for those who have never experienced the new birth - "When a flake of fire falls into a man's bosom, the man knows it, and when the Word of God comes home to a man's soul, the man knows it... He who has never received the truth in the power of it, as delivered by the Spirit of light and fire, has need to begin again and learn the basics of the faith." What The Holy Spirit Does In A Believer's Life

I dare say that no man since the days of the Apostles understood "the faith of the operation of God" (Colossians 2:12) so well as John Bunyan. The written Word of God without the witness of the Spirit of God in the believer's spirit is void; the written Word of God without power is non-efficacious, and Bunyan knew it as well as any saint that ever lived - "There belongs to every true notion of truth a power; the notion is the shell - the power is the kernel and life. Without this last, truth doth me no good, nor those to whom I communicate it. Hence Paul said to the Corinthians, ‘When I come to you again, I will know not the speech of them that are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.’" Christ, A Complete Saviour

Bartimaeus was standing in the presence of him that "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto," yea, in the very presence of he who is continuously "upholding all things by the word of his power." John 3:34, Hebrews 1:3

It was exactly this that was happening now - Bartimaeus was being upheld by the word of Jesus' power - "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" This was an invitation from none less than the Faithful Witness. With these words the treasure chest of heaven flew open for a blind beggar who suddenly had more hope than the world itself could contain, for with these words a promise was established as surely as the throne of David, as it is written - "It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah." Psalm 89:37

The God of all flesh, who by the mouth of Jeremiah had asked long ago - "Is there any thing too hard for me?" Jeremiah 32:27 - now posed a related question, a question, in fact, which was so closely related that it implicated Jeremiah, for this query now offered in Jericho was very similar in shade to that proposed to Jeremiah long ago, the only difference being that this time the Lord's question was posited - not to a prophet - but to a bruised reed who desperately craved the salve of salvation - "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" As if to say, "Is there any thing too hard for me?" No, not for the God of all flesh. Thus - "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?"

These were words that did not fall to the ground; these were words that met with faith in the hearer, for in the eternal counsel of the Godhead it had been determined before the world was that God's glory would be manifested in a blind beggar who had been raised up for this very purpose, in accordance with that Scripture which decrees that every soul who receives grace has been "predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." Ephesians 1:11

Bartimaeus spoke as plainly as the Lord, and yet, there is to be found a palpable reverence in the words of this blind beggar who had cried out so loudly just moments before, a sudden change in demeanor, a reverence that was hardly found elsewhere in Israel, even among the Lord's own disciples at times. The request of Bartimaeus had the fresh smell of heaven upon it (whoever has ears to hear, let him hear), and so he said simply - "Lord, that I might receive my sight." Mark 10:51

Certainly Bartimaeus had heard of the fame of Jesus, had heard that Jesus had cured the sick, healed the lame, cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead. Certainly Bartimaeus had heard all of this and more, but now he was standing face to face with the man who had purportedly done all of these things - face to face with the man who up to this point had only been a legend as far as he was concerned. Jesus was somebody he had only heard about up to this point. But now that was all different; in a matter of moments it had all changed, for Bartimaeus suddenly found himself in the midst of a confrontation - a confrontation of reality versus legend. Now the legend was about to be put to the test. Now the legend must be proven, for how could a blind man see? I mean, really? How could such a physically debilitating power be broken? Can it really happen to me? We may safely conclude that these were the questions - and many more, no doubt - that vied for supremacy in the blind man's soul.

We may also safely conclude that Jesus was not standing there dressed in a white lab coat with a stethoscope draped around his neck and a little black bag in his hand. We may safely conclude that Jesus was wielding no medical instrument, nor preparing any kind of elixir or potion that one could consume. By no means.

There was only Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth, a man standing there in the dust like everyone else, "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," a man who would soon be "esteemed stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted", with no one realizing at that point that "he would be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, that the chastisement of our peace would be upon him, and that by his stripes we would be healed." Isaiah 53

No tricks, no gimmicks, no sensationalism - There was only Jesus.

Jesus was enough. Bartimaeus had only heard of Jesus before, but now that he was actually here, appearing in the flesh, somehow the legend did not even begin to do justice to the actual man himself. If it wasn't apparent to others, it was certainly apparent to Bartimaeus that a greater than Jonas and Solomon was here (Matthew 12:41-42), yea, that a greater than all who had ever alighted in Israel was standing before him. The God of all flesh was suddenly manifesting his presence, and Bartimaeus knew it, for the words of Jesus were words of power, and while Bartimaeus did not possess physical vision at that moment, he nevertheless possessed the vision of faith (howbeit, not quite SAVING FAITH - not yet), so that it was clear, at least to Bartimaeus, that he was very close to grace, so close that through the vision of faith he could even at that moment proclaim as truly as Job - "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee." Job 42:5

Yet there was still something lacking.

Bartimaeus was standing before the God of all the earth; standing before the very man who had cured the sick, healed the lame, cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead in so many other villages, towns, and cities. And now the God of all the earth was here, standing right in front of him - yet still Bartimaeus was blind. The God of all the earth had granted an audience, and the afflicted man had been ushered into his presence - yet still Bartimaeus was blind. The God of all the earth had asked, "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" - yet still Bartimaeus was blind. Bartimaeus pleaded in response, "Lord, that I might receive my sight" - yet still Bartimaeus was blind.

Something was lacking indeed. Had Jesus walked away at that moment, had Jesus turned and departed without further ado, Bartimaeus would have gone to his grave blind; Bartimaeus would have remained in his darkness forever, for true faith, that is - SAVING FAITH - must not only be given by God (Ephesians 2:8), it must likewise be indited by God, energized, ignited, fired. Yea, true faith, that is - SAVING FAITH - must be quickened by the Author of faith himself. Nothing less will do. "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." John 5:21

When the Holy Ghost revealed that Jesus is "the Author and Finisher of our faith" (Heb 12:2), he wasn't speaking symbolically or metaphorically; the Holy Ghost was speaking literally; the Holy Ghost was speaking plainly, which is his general custom when revealing perennial truths concerning the Eternal Son of God. Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega of faith in every man born of the Spirit. There are no exceptions.

Thus, Before Bartimaeus could receive his sight, Jesus must give the command - "Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole." Mark 10:42

Hereby was the gift of faith set aflame, quickened by the living word of the Lord of Glory, watered by the life-giving Spirit of Glory, the growth of both given by the Father who ordained it all from the beginning, thereby fulfilling that cornerstone of Scripture, "as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." Acts 13:48

This is "the faith of the operation of God." This is SAVING FAITH, which comes from one source, and one source only, and in spite of the proud hypocrites who profess to know Jesus, but yet have never experienced the new birth themselves, and whose religion is mere will worship, proud hypocrites who continue to insist that a man can contribute to his own salvation, yea, in spite of such vainglory, the Holy Ghost condemns them outright, and the Holy Ghost could not have made it any plainer - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD." Ephesians 2:8 Therefore the will worshippers and those who reserve to themselves a little something that they can do for themselves in salvation - such as "accepting" - are without excuse, and the day of wrath will reveal their secret pride in all it ugliness.

Every truly born again believer has been given a measure of faith, as Paul testified when writing to the saints in Rome - "According as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3 God has dealt a measure of faith to every believer, that is, for that was whom Paul was addressing - and no one else - and lest any be confused, Paul also by the mouth of the Holy Ghost testified - "For all men have not faith." 2 Thessalonians 3:2 No man born of the Spirit of Jesus Christ will ever be able to attribute his salvation and new birth to anything but grace, and it can be taken as axiomatic that any man who does otherwise cannot have been born of the Spirit of Christ. Faith is the gift of God, and Jesus Christ is the Author of all true faith. There are no exceptions.

The Scripture records that when Jesus unleashed his command, Bartimaeus "immediately received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way." Mark 10:52

Where was Bartimaeus' faith before? Where was his SAVING FAITH, that is? Had not the Lord said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole"? Yes, after Bartimaeus had been quickened. Of course, Bartimaeus had the faith that calls upon the Lord, but what good did it do him before Jesus commanded his healing? Well, it caused him to call upon Jesus in the first place, did it not? Yes, Bartimaeus called upon the Lord, but only after he discovered that Jesus happened to be passing by. For better or worse, Bartimaeus did not have the kind of friends who would bother to track Jesus down and then drop the blind man through a roof so he could get healed. No, Bartimaeus was forced to wait until Jesus passed by, and then Bartimaeus called upon the Lord - yet he remained blind. Bartimaeus even called upon the Lord in truth - yet he remained blind. The Lord granted Bartimaeus an audience - yet he remained blind. The Lord asked Bartimaeus what he wanted - yet he remained blind. Bartimaeus answered the Lord - yet he remained blind. Where was Bartimaeus' SAVING FAITH?

It was as a few loaves of bread, or a few scraps of fish, neither of which could feed the multitude - not without being multiplied - yea, Bartimaeus' faith, like the bread and the fish, must have the Master's touch if it is to be sufficient. Bartimaeus stood in the very presence of Jehovah Incarnate, yet he was still blind, for the Author of faith had not yet quickened that which had been implanted. Had Bartimaeus possessed SAVING FAITH, the Lord need not have spoken. But Bartimaeus' faith, like all true faith, that is, like SAVING FAITH, requires life, and that life can come only from the Prince of Life. Bartimaeus' faith was a gift indeed, but it was also more than a gift, for it was a gift that must needs be quickened by the Son of God, like an Old Testament sacrifice which required fire from heaven as a testimony of its efficacy, and so it is with every man who has SAVING FAITH, for SAVING FAITH is a SUPERNATURAL FAITH, generated by none other than the Spirit of Christ at the behest of Christ.

Bartimaeus received his sight when Jesus Christ told him to receive it, and not before. Jesus Christ is sovereign in salvation; Jesus Christ quickens whom he will. This - and nothing less than this - is the "blessed hope," and thus every sinner who reads these words can know that he need not fear, for Jesus Christ is sovereign in salvation indeed. Yea, and since Jesus Christ is sovereign in salvation; since Jesus Christ quickens whom he will, every sinner who reads these words can take comfort in the fact that Jesus Christ not only can quicken him - and he can do so with a word, and in the twinkling of an eye - but that he also will quicken the sinner who calls upon him in truth, because it is written - "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 1 Timothy 1:15

If you are a sinner, Jesus Christ came into the world to save you. Jesus Christ did not come to save the will worshipper, who in his secret pride believes he has strength of his own to make himself a Christian. The will worshipper will meet with his delusion soon enough, that is, when he stands before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ and hears that rending statement of dismissal which will echo in his ears for all eternity - "I never knew you: depart from me." Matthew 7:23

No, Jesus Christ came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous - that is, not those who cannot see how dark and desperate their own hearts truly are, but rather sinners; Jesus Christ came to call those who know that they are vile indeed, and who know that except the Lord of Glory reach down and pluck them from the fire by his own hand in his own strength - his own strength alone - that they shall spend eternity in outer darkness, weeping and gnashing their teeth, away from the presence of the Lord everlastingly. Yea, Jesus Christ came to call sinners to repentance, and no one else.

If you are a true sinner (and may the Spirit of God visit you and show you what you truly are), then Jesus Christ came into the world to save you. If you have no strength to believe, then ask for SAVING FAITH, yea, ask for the gift of faith, ask for the faith of the Son of God, so that you may "be found in him, not having your own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." Philippians 3:9

Let this sink down into your ears - Bartimaeus did not walk away from his encounter with Jesus Christ with merely the assurance that Jesus could make him whole; Bartimaeus did not walk away from his encounter with merely a mental assignation of Jesus' ability to cure blindness; Bartimaeus walked away from his encounter with Jesus Christ with his sight. Bartimaeus walked away with a miracle in hand, for Bartimaeus had SAVING FAITH. So it is with every one that is born of the Spirit.

The new birth is a miracle; nothing less, and it is written - "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3 If you will go to heaven, you must be born again, and if you will be born again, you will need SAVING FAITH. If you deny that faith is the gift of God, if you believe that your own faith is efficacious, then you have your reward. Yea, and unless you repent, it will be your reward for all eternity.

On the other hand, if you understand that SAVING FAITH must come from above, if you understand that faith is the gift of God, then also understand that your faith must be quickened by the Author of faith. If you will be born again, you must walk away just as Bartimaeus walked away - you must walk away with your sight; you must walk away seeing; you must walk away with a miracle. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.

Unlike the multitudes of our day, even a pagan Centurion understood that in order for faith to be SAVING FAITH, it must be quickened by the Author and Finisher of faith; that SAVING FAITH must be commanded by none other than the Lord of Sabaoth, which is exactly what the Centurion sued for - "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: BUT SPEAK THE WORD ONLY, and my servant shall be healed." Matthew 8:8

Aye, here was true faith indeed, such that Jesus even marveled, saying - "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." Matthew 8:10

And yet, even "so great faith" - behold, even "so great faith" - even this type of faith must be quickened by Jesus Christ before it becomes SAVING FAITH, for only after Jesus commanded - "Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee" was the servant healed, and healed "in the selfsame hour." Matthew 8:13 The Centurion had "so great faith," but even this faith must be quickened by the Lord of Glory before it becomes SAVING FAITH.

Faith must be quickened by the Author of faith if it is to become SAVING FAITH, otherwise it is not faith at all; it is in fact dead faith, non-efficacious faith, and its end is death. The definition of faith as taught by the multitudes in Christianity today is not the faith of the Bible. Not in any wise. Therefore, beware, professing Christian. Beware, indeed.

Do you have SAVING FAITH? Do you really? Are you certain? Take heed, for mere mental assignations today will only condemn you tomorrow. If you have SAVING FAITH, you know it more certainly than you know anything else in this world, for if you have SAVING FAITH, the Giver of faith has introduced himself to you in the experience of the new birth. Faith is not a dream; faith is not a wisp of the air; faith is not a mental fixation.

Do you have SAVING FAITH? Which is to say, do you have biblical faith? You had best prove your graces today, not tomorrow, as John Bunyan so solemnly warned - "We should use all lawful means to prove our graces in this world, whether they will stand in the judgment or no. Strive to enter in; get those graces now that will prove true graces then, and therefore try those you have; and if, upon trial, they prove not right, cast them away, and cry for better, lest they cast thee away, when better are not to be had." The Strait Gate

Bartimaeus was blind. Jesus passed by. Bartimaeus called upon him. Jesus stood still in the road, and Bartimaeus was brought forward. The blind man was immediately asked what he wanted. Bartimaeus asked to receive his sight. When Jesus spoke, Bartimaeus received his sight.

Behold! Indeed, this is the receiving which the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaims, and none other. This is the receiving - and none other - which the Holy Ghost proclaims in salvation - "But as many as RECEIVED him, to them GAVE HE POWER to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13

This is biblical receiving; this is SAVING FAITH. Nothing less will do. If you will go to heaven, you must be born again, you must be born from above, you must be born of God, and if you will be born again, if you will be born from above, if you will be born of God, you must be given the gift of faith - SAVING FAITH - otherwise you will perish in your sins.

Biblical faith comes from the Author of faith, and nowhere else. Biblical faith, that is - SAVING FAITH - comes from Jesus Christ, which is how the truly born again Christian lives his life, as it is written - "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

The professing multitudes of this day will not stand in the day of Judgment, for few are truly born again in this day. Take heed, professing Christian, for "faith" that is taught today is not the "faith" of the Scriptures; "receiving" that is taught today is not the "receiving" of the Scriptures; "believing" that is taught today is not the "believing" of the Scriptures. And yet, those who miss of heaven will have no excuse, for the Scriptures could not be plainer, not to the sincere seeker of truth.

The Lord has spoken, yet his terrible voice has all but been ignored on earth, and in our realm particularly, especially in this day of gross ignorance and rampant apostasy. Nevertheless, of the Lord's words, not a jot, not a tittle, will fall to the ground. Hear the word of the Judge of all the earth - "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for MANY, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke 13:24

On that great and terrible day, MANY will seek to enter in, and will not be able, for they lack the birthright. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

The solemnity of this matter, and of its eternal consequences here and now, and of the multitudes that will miss of heaven in that great and terrible day, could not be better characterized than in these words of John Bunyan - "He that believeth the Scriptures to be the Word of God, believeth that men must be born again, and also be partakers of that faith which is of the operation of God, according as he hath read and believed, or else he MUST and SHALL be damned. And he that believeth this aright WILL NOT BE CONTENTED until, according as it is written, he DO PARTAKE OF and ENJOY the NEW BIRTH, and until he do find, through grace, THAT FAITH WHICH IS WROUGHT BY THE OPERATION OF GOD IN HIS SOUL. For this is the cause why men do satisfy themselves with so slender a CONCEITED HOPE that their state is good, when it is nothing so, namely, because they do not credit the Scripture; for did they, they would look into their own hearts, and EXAMINE SERIOUSLY whether that faith, that hope, that grace which they THINK they have, be of that nature, and wrought by that spirit and power THAT THE SCRIPTURE SPEAKETH OF. I speak this of an EFFECTUAL BELIEVING, without which all other is nothing unto salvation." A Few Sighs From Hell

Do you have SAVING FAITH? If you have SAVING FAITH - faith quickened by the Eternal Son of God - then you have experienced the miracle of the new birth, aye, and the miracle of the new birth is a far greater miracle than that which Bartimaeus received.

Do you have SAVING FAITH?

If not, then - "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" John 1:29 - for he, and he alone, can speak SAVING FAITH to your spirit and soul.

Farewell.