which if lost, meant universal disaster.  The word 'faith' is the English

translation of the Greek pistis.  This word is derived from or allied with

peitho, 'to persuade', which conception of persuasion is in the background of

every reference to faith and believing.  'With a being or person for the

object; pistis means trust, and with a thing for the object, belief' (Lloyd's

Encyclopaedic Dictionary).  'The Scripture', says Dewar, 'tells us what we

are to believe, in human systems the main discussion is, how we are to

believe'.  'Apart from the testimony believed, faith has no existence.  In

other words, belief can have no subsistence apart from what is believed'.

A great deal of discussion has been held in connection with the

question: 'Is trust included in believing, or is it something additional?'

When the subject matter is the Gospel of salvation it becomes impossible

really to believe the testimony of Scripture that 'Christ died for our sins

according to the Scriptures' without at the same time fully trusting in the

Saviour thus revealed.  Faith has not been arbitrarily appointed as the

medium of saving grace, for salvation is made known to us through a

testimony, and the salvation thus revealed can only be received, if the

testimony is believed.  Further, faith has been appointed because salvation

is by grace, 'It is of faith, that it might be by grace' (Rom. 4:16), for

faith is as entirely opposite to 'works' as is grace.  Another controversy

has been carried on as regards the nature of 'historic faith'.  Historic

faith being distinguished from 'saving faith'.  Yet, when the Gospel is

examined, we perceive that it cannot exist apart from its history.  If Christ

was not born at Bethlehem, we are all unsaved.  If Christ was not 'crucified

under Pontius Pilate', we are of all men most miserable.  History is so

intimately interwoven with purpose, that to embrace the one necessitates

belief in the other.  Further, the difference between our belief in human

testimony, and our belief in the Divine testimony, consists not in the act of

believing, but in the difference of the thing believed.  Faith according to

Scripture can be considered as threefold:

It is a belief of a testimony concerning Christ.

It is a reception of the Christ thus revealed.

It is a trust in Christ and His work for full salvation.

Now, each of these definite statements includes the other two.  I

cannot believe that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world,

without receiving that Saviour and trusting in Him.  I cannot trust in Christ

for my salvation, and yet at the same time refuse to believe the Gospel that

makes the good news known, or refuse to receive the Saviour in Whom I profess

to trust.  Little is said in Scripture as to the nature of faith, or what

faith is, but much is said in Scripture of the object of faith.  In the

Gospel Christ is set forth in all the wonder of His person and work.  The

following note is taken from Dr. E. W. Bullinger's Figures of Speech Used in

the Bible, p. 854:

'Pistis faith.  In classical Greek, it meant (1) psychologically,

conviction: (2) rhetorically, proof which brings about the conviction;

and (3) morally, good -faith or mutual trust.  In Biblical Greek there

is added a fourth usage, which is (4) theologically, an ideal virtue:

viz.  a full assurance (Rom. 4:20,21).  And, since it believes that,

what God has said He will surely bring to pass, therefore, its objects

are also objects of hope as well as faith' (Heb. 11:1).