Oh, how we wish we could have faith for another, even when we question our own faith and pray for God to help our unbelief. We believe, we cry out, and we ask for help for our unbelief. We look at those around us who profess no belief at all, and we long to have them believe. We long for God to help their unbelief. We want to share our belief with them, our faith, our convictions but a heart has to be convicted on its own, a heart has to believe on its own, we can give none of our own faith at all, but we can share our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can live Christ. We can live clinging to our Savior despite all of Satan's attempts to bring us to despair. We can pray for heart convictions of those who do not believe, pray their hearts cry out for the Savior, that they have even the tiniest of belief that the Lord will help all the rest of their unbelief. Please, Lord, please. We believe, help our unbelief, we believe, help thou their unbelief! Please, Lord, please.
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The Limitations of Conscience.
"Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God."
Faith and conscience pertain to single individuals.
No man can have faith for another.
No man can have faith enough to serve for two.
The teaching of the Roman Church is that certain ones have had more faith than they needed, and have been more righteous than was necessary, so that they can divide with other people; but the Bible teaches that it is impossible for any man to have more faith than will serve to save himself. Therefore, no matter how well one man's faith may be instructed, no other man can be judged by it.
We hear a great deal in these days about the public conscience. We are often told that the conscience of one man is outraged by the course of another. But it is with conscience as with faith, no man can have enough for two.
The man who thinks that his conscience will serve for himself and for somebody else, has mistaken selfish obstinacy for conscience. It is this mistaken idea of conscience that has led to all the horrible persecutions that have ever been perpetrated in the name of religion.
Let Christians all understand that conscience is between themselves and God alone.
They are not at liberty to impose even their freedom of conscience upon another; but by the laws of the kingdom of Christ, they are obliged even to refrain at times from exercising their own freedom, out of consideration for others. That is to say, the man who can walk fast, is to help along his weak brother, who is going the same way, but more slowly. But he is not to turn around to please somebody who is walking the other way.'
Excerpt- Articles on Romans by E. J. Waggoner Chapter 14
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