Evolution.

 

Arm Yourself.

 Faith.

Faith we acquire by hearing.

Hearing we acquire by the word of God.

Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 

Faith. We can get faith when we read the word of God. How important is it to read the word of God for ourselves? To just take the Bible that has been provided to us (if we've been so blessed) reading it, we are cultivating our faith. 

Do you lack faith? Can anyone claim they ever have enough faith? Can we ever get to a place that where we no longer want our faith to increase? I can't personally imagine ever saying to myself, "Okay, you have enough faith, you need no more." 

The Bible tells us to take up our Shield of Faith along with our Sword of the Word of God.  

How often have you seen pictures/movies etc with soldiers fighting with shield and sword? We can imagine such a scene, can't we? A soldier who is under attack raises sword and shield. The shield they use to block the blows coming from the enemy, the sword they use to strike the enemy wounding or killing them. They used their sword and shield to protect themselves, to keep themselves alive in battle. They battle because they've been enlisted in an army. 

We are all enlisted in the army of God from the moment we believe. 

From the moment of our birth we are engaged in a spiritual war that is all around us constantly. The enemy would keep us from God, from belief, from faith, from being in the army of God. Why? Because as long as we don't belong to the army of God, we belong to the army of Satan. You might find that preposterous but it's the truth. If you don't believe you are of the army of Satan because you aren't a Satan worshiper engaged in active worship of Satan, then you are deceived. Satan doesn't need any one to actively worship him to belong to him. Just like any army, there are many, many roles people take. Even if you support the troops while back at home you are doing your part for that army- without ever stepping foot on a battlefield. Your mental ascent to the ways of the army are fuel for it. Satan works with principalities and powers, and wickedness. Satan works in the realm of the spiritual darkness. Spiritual war, this is what we are born into and live in each and every single day. 

Each of us gets to a point in our lives when we choose a side, Spiritual Good or Spiritual Evil.  The big problem comes when Satan uses his deceptive powers to appear to be the Spiritual Good.  We are given all we need by God to truly be His and not to be deceived. He has given us His Holy Word!

When we first believe, we have faith and as we continue to believe that faith grows in purity. Faith can grow through the Word of God.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God.  Our spiritual shield of faith get its power from the Word of God. The sword of the Word of God, is so powerful it can actually kill the spiritual evil that wars against us.  The WORD OF GOD! 

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD! 

Do NOT neglect the WORD OF GOD!

If you have access to the WORD OF GOD utilize it as often as you possibly can! We have to, we so desperately need the power of the Word of God, faith- the shield, the sword of God! Pick up your Spiritual armor! Arm yourself!  

(Excerpt)

Faith is complete dependence upon the word of God only for the accomplishment of what that word says.

This being so, it must never for a moment be forgotten that where there is no word of God, there cannot be any faith.

This is shown also in the truth that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Rom. 10:17.

Since faith thus comes indeed by the very word of God itself, it is perfectly plain that where there is no word of God,  there can be no faith.

This is beautifully illustrated by an instance in the life of David, because David had it in his heart to build a house unto the Lord, the Lord spoke to him by the prophet Nathan, saying, "The Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. . . . And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy throne shall be established forever."

Then David prayed and said, "Now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as thou hast said. And let thy name be magnified forever,  saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel, and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

"For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house:  therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

"And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant; therefore, now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed forever." 2 Sam. 7:11-29.

His prayer was altogether of faith, because it was altogether of the word of God: the word of God was the cause of it; the word of God was the basis of it; and the word of God was all the hope of David that the prayer would ever be answered.

He asked according to the will of God, because the will of God was expressed in the word of God. Having asked according to the plainly stated will of God, David knew that his prayer was heard. And knowing that his prayer was heard, David knew that he had the petition which he desired of him. 1 John 5:14. 

Therefore he said, So let it be. And therefore also the answer to that prayer was, and is, and forevermore shall be, sure unto David.

And this was written for our learning: that we might know how to pray in faith and how in prayer to cultivate faith. Therefore, Go and do thou likewise. Because "the knowledge of what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith is more essential than any other knowledge that can be acquired."

February 21, 1899 AT Jones Excerpt

God Is Good.

 I want to be good.

I want to do what is right.

I wish I were someone who never thought a bad thought, or ever told a lie, or ever felt ungrateful, or ever felt oppressed, or ever spoke a snide reply, or thought a bitter thought.

I wish I never coveted what another possessed.

I want to be good.

The truth is, I find no good thing in me, not a single good thing. 

If by happenstance any good comes out of me, that good comes from something other than me producing the goodness. 

I am wretched, miserable, poor, blind and spiritually naked on my own, of my own self I am nothing. 

There is NOT a single work I can do to merit goodness in me.  There IS a work GOD can do in me and that alone is goodness, GOD. 

By GOD'S mercy and grace He works in me because JESUS the man-God sacrificed Himself for this to be possible.

God can work in me, not because of anything I do, but because of what Jesus did. All I must do is BELIEVE.

(Excerpt)

"Being justified by faith, we have peace with god through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1.

Since faith is the depending upon the word of God only, for what that word says, being justified by faith is simply being accounted righteous by depending upon the word only.

And since the word is the word of God, dependence upon the word only is dependence upon God only, in the word. Justification by faith, then, is justification--being accounted righteous by dependence upon God only, and upon him only because he has promised.

We are all altogether sinners--sinful and ungodly. We are, therefore, all subject to the judgment of God. Rom.  3:9-19. Yet for all of us there is escape from the judgment of God. But the only way of escape from the judgment of God is to trust in God.

When David had sinned in numbering the people and so had incurred the exemplary judgement of God, the Lord gave him his choice as to whether there should be seven years' famine or he should flee three months before his enemies or there should be three days' pestilence. But David would not choose at all. He deferred it all to the Lord, for Him to choose, saying, "Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great." 2 Sam.  24:11-14.

When depending upon God alone, in His word, for righteousness, we have peace with God, because thus we really obtain righteousness and "the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever." Isa. 32:17.

When depending upon God alone in His word, for righteousness we have peace through our Lord Jesus Christ,  because "He is our peace, who hath made both" God and man "one," "having abolished in his flesh the enmity" "for to make in himself of twain--of God and man--"one new man, so making peace." Eph. 2:14,15.

Further: when depending upon God alone, in His word, for righteousness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, because God has "made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself . . . whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproachable in his sight: IF ye continue in the faith"--if you continue to depend only upon God alone is His word. Col. 1:20-23.

When He has made the way so plain, the justification so complete, and the peace so sure to all, and asks all people only to receive it all by simply accepting it from him and depending upon him for it, why should not every soul on earth be thus justified and have the peace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ?

This is "what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of exercising faith." Are you exercising faith? Are you justified by faith? Have you righteousness by faith? Have you peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ?

"Have faith in God." Mark 11:22.

February 14, 1899 A.T. Jones Excerpt

God Alone.

 God Alone.

"To HIM that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Rom. 4:5.

This is the only way that anybody in this world can ever become righteous. First admit that he is ungodly, then believe that God justifies, counts righteous, the ungodly, and he is righteous with the very righteousness of God.

Everybody in the world is ungodly. "Ungodly" means "unlike God." And it is written, "All have sinned and come short of the glory [the goodness, the character] of God."

Anybody, therefore, who will admit that he ever came short of being like God in anything, in that confesses that he is ungodly.

But the truth is that everybody, in everything, has come short of being like God. For "they are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Rom. 3:9-18.

Then, as there is not one on earth who is not ungodly, and as God justifies the ungodly, this on God's part makes justification-- righteousness, salvation--full, free, and sure to every soul on earth.

And all that anybody needs to do to make it all sure to himself on his own part, is to accept it--to believe that God does justify, personally and individually, him who is ungodly.

Thus, strange as it may sound to many, the only qualification, and the only preparation, for justification is for a person to acknowledge that he is ungodly.

Then, having such qualification, having made such preparation, all that is required of him to obtain justification,  full, free, and sure, is to believe that God justifies him, the ungodly one.

It is quite easy for many to believe that they are ungodly and even to acknowledge it, but for them to believe that God justifies them--that is too much.

And the sole reason why they cannot believe that God justifies them, is that they are ungodly, so ungodly.

If only they could find some good in themselves or if only they could straighten up and do better, they might have some courage to hope that God would justify them. Yes, they would justify themselves by works and then profess to believe in justification by faith!

But that would be only to take away all ground for justification, for if a man can find good in himself, he has it already, and does not need it from anywhere else. If he can straighten up and do better of himself, he does not need any justification from anywhere else.

It is, therefore, a contradiction in terms to say that I am so ungodly that I do not see how the Lord can justify me. For if I am not ungodly, I do not need to be made righteous; I am righteous. There is no half-way ground between godliness and ungodliness.

But when a person sees himself so ungodly as to find there no possible ground of hope for justification, it is just there that faith comes in; indeed, it is only there that faith can possibly come in.

For faith is dependence on the word of God only. So long as there is any dependence on himself, so long as there is any conceivable ground of hope for any dependence upon anything in or about himself, there can be no faith, so long there is no place for faith, since faith is dependence on "the word only."

But when every conceivable ground of hope of any dependence on anything in or about himself is gone and is acknowledged to be gone; when everything that can be seen is against any hope of justification, then it is that,  throwing himself on the promise of God, upon the word only, hoping against hope, faith enters and by faith he finds justification full and free, all ungodly though he be.

For forever it stands written, "To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ." "Whom God hath set forth . . . to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past."

This is what it is to exercise faith. Are you exercising faith? For "understanding how to exercise faith: this is the science of the gospel."

February 7, 1899 A.T. Jones Excerpt

Through Faith We Understand That God Made the World.

 Did you know the kingdoms since Ancient Babylon-- Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the divided kingdoms since were all predicted to occur in the Old Testament writings before they occurred? Granted most people are probably not familiar with ancient Babylon, or Medo-Persia, but Greece- well, Greece still exists in name so obviously most are familiar with Greece. Ancient Greece was conquered by Rome and was not its own individually run country any longer. After Rome the lands were divided so that no longer would any one ruling kingdom control so much of the Middle East.

The Bible is a book of prophecy that most don't concern themselves with today.  Every Christian should be concerned though. Jesus was predicted right there in the first few chapters of Genesis. Jesus when He ministered upon earth was all about prophecy- His entire message was one of the prophesied last trumpet sounding - the end of all evil and the eternal reign of His Kingdom.  Jesus preached salvation towards that end, so people would be able to choose eternal life through His mercy and grace. Eternal life is a prophecy. One day He will return and sound the Last Trumpet and those who died with Him as their Savior will rise, and those who are left living who are His will rise too. Prophecy. 

How wondrous it is to know that God's word to us has allowed us to know so much of our future.  

Some will hold fast to the things we cannot know, the mysteries that are God's, and claim He doesn't exist simply because they haven't been made aware of all His ways. People will make up all sorts of things as they fumble about denying God. They ultimately land on there was nothing and from nothing came something- all very scientifically- somehow. Nothing. That word nothing by its very meaning does not allow for anything at all whatsoever. As soon as someone tries to say something came from nothing they've lost all credibility having instantly contradicted themselves. Something came from Someone, the nothing was dispelled by Someone, not nothing creating something from nothing. 

We have an amazing God who has so many wonders for us, so many, if we'd but seek to know Him

Heb_11:3  Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Ecc 3:11  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. 

Ecc 8:17  Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. 

Job 11:7  Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 

Mat 11:27  All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 

Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 

Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 

Rom 11:36  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. 

Trust God.

 Trusting, No Matter What.

(Excerpt - A.T. Jones)

"January 31, 1899

When Abraham and Sarah had cleared themselves of all the scheme of unbelief which had produced Ishmael and had stood upon faith alone--dependence on the word of God alone--Isaac, the true child of the promise, was born.

In harkening to the voice of Sarai (Gen. 16:1), Abram had swerved from the line of strict integrity to the word of God, from the strictness of true faith, and now that he had returned to the word only, to true faith, he must be tested before it could be certainly said of him that his faith was counted for righteousness.

He had trusted the naked word of God as against Ishmael and had obtained Isaac, the true child of the promise of God. And now, having obtained Isaac, the question must be determined whether he would trust the naked word of God as against even Isaac himself.

Accordingly, God said to Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

Abraham had received Isaac from God by trusting the word of God only. Isaac alone was the seed promised by the word of the Lord. After Isaac was born, God had confirmed the word by declaring, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." Gen. 21:12. And now came the word of God, Take thy son, thine only son Isaac, and offer him for a burnt offering.

God had declared to Abraham, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." "In Isaac shall thy seed be called," and now, Offer Isaac for a burnt offering!

But, if Isaac is offered for a burnt offering, if Isaac is burned up, what will become of the promise of the blessing of all nations in him? What will become of the promise, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven innumerable?  Yet there stood the word, Offer Isaac for a burnt offering. Abraham had trusted the word of God only, as against Ishmael, but this is more than trusting the word of God as against Isaac--it is trusting the word of God as against the word of God!

And Abraham did it, hoping against hope. God had said: Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven; In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Offer Isaac for a burnt offering. Abraham did not insist that God should "harmonize these passages." It was all sufficient for him to know that the statements were all the word of God. Knowing this, he would trust that word, would follow that word, and would let the Lord "harmonize these passages," or "explain these texts," if any such thing were needed.

Said Abraham: God has said, Offer Isaac for a burnt offering. That I will do. God has said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." And, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. I interfered once in the promise and hindered it till I repudiated all that I had done and came back to the word only. Then, by a miracle, God gave me Isaac, the promised seed. Now He says, Offer Isaac, the promised seed, for a burnt offering. I will do it. By a miracle God gave him at the first, and by a miracle God can restore him. Yet when I shall have offered him for a burnt offering, he will be dead, and the only miracle that can then restore him is a miracle that will bring him back from the dead. But God is able to do even that, and He will do it, for His word is spoken, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude, and In Isaac shall thy seed be called. And even the bringing back of Isaac from the dead will be to God no more than He has already done, for, as to offspring, both my body and Sarah's were as good as dead, and yet God brought forth Isaac from us. He can raise Isaac from the dead, and He will. Bless the Lord!

It was settled. He arose and took his servants and Isaac and went three days' journey "unto the place of which God had told him." And when on the third day he "saw the place afar off," "Abraham said unto his young men,  Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you." Gen. 22:5.  Who will go? "I and the lad will go." And who will come again? "I and the lad will go . . . and come again to you."  Abraham expected to have Isaac come back with him as certainly as that he went with him.

Abraham expected to offer Isaac for a burnt offering and expected then to see Isaac rise from the ashes and go back with him. For the word of God had gone forth, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, and, Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude. And Abraham would trust that word only, that it could never fail. Heb.  11:17-19.

Heb 11:17  By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 

Heb 11:18  Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: 

Heb 11:19  Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure. 

THIS IS FAITH. And thus "the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." James 2:23. 

But yet above this, "It was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed; if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification." Rom. 4:23-25.

To trust the word of God only, to depend upon the word of God only, to depend upon the word of God, even as against the word of God--this is FAITH. This is the faith which brings the righteousness of God.

This is what it is to exercise faith. This is "what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of exercising faith. And "understanding how to exercise faith," this is the science of the gospel. And the science of the gospel is the science of sciences.

Faith Must Prevail.

 Cultivating Faith.

Choosing to believe the Word of God when we have no understanding of our own. We love to lean to our own understanding as if we can understand the ways of God. As long as we understand something we seem to accept our understanding for what it is. Time and again we've had something we've understood turn out to be something completely different- revealing our understanding was flawed for one reason or another. I can tell you I understand, and after a bit of thought find myself not truly understanding. I thought I understood, but my understanding wasn't complete. We are told to …

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

LEAN NOT to our OWN UNDERSTANDING. We think we have some kind of right to understand simply because we exist. We hold ourselves to be so important, all important just because we live. We pride ourselves on our lives, living to our own understanding, but our understanding is extremely flawed and terribly imperfect. We know this to be true- every time we are proven wrong about something, or are forced to recognize we are wrong in some way we have to KNOW that we are flawed creatures! As flawed creatures we cannot trust our own understanding it would be futile to do so. If we were never wrong about anything at all, then maybe just maybe we'd think differently but we are not only wrong occasionally, but often. Why do we insist upon understanding so much that is beyond our ability to do so? We toss and turn and keep ourselves in a state of anxiousness as we struggle to understand the whys and wherefores of our lives. We are told by our Creator, NOT to lean to our own understanding. We are to trust the LORD with all that we are, He alone has the perfect understanding. 

I can recall there being moments in my life during various crisis when I just say over and over, I don't understand, I just don't understand… I can't understand. And I do that, I announce my inability to understand as if I should be able to understand. I want to understand, I seek understanding, but that is when FAITH has to step in and I have to TRUST that the LORD has everything in HIS control. I may not understand the horrors or why they are allowed to such innocents, but I have been given the knowledge through CHRIST JESUS that I can understand that ALL the horrors are temporary. This knowledge alone allows hope for the end of ALL horrors for all one day, and a lifetime of endlessness without any suffering. I must believe this! If I try to lean to my own understanding, I'm lost entirely. Faith must step in, faith must prevail. All by the grace and mercy, the love of our SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, now and forever!

Amen!

*******

January 24, 1899  AT Jones Excerpt-

"The knowledge of what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith is more important than any other knowledge that can be obtained."

Faith is the expecting the word of God to do the thing which that word speaks and the depending upon the word only to accomplish the thing which that word speaks.

Abraham is the father of all them which be of faith. The record of Abraham, then, gives instruction in faith--what it is and what it does for him who has it.

What shall we say, then, that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the faith, has found? What saith the Scripture?

When Abram was more than eighty years old and Sarai his wife was old and he had no child, God "brought him forth abroad and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."

And Abram "believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Gen. 15:5,6. 

Abram accepted the word of God and expected by the word what the word said. And in that he was right.

Sarai, however, did not put her expectation upon the word of God only. She resorted to a device of her own to bring forth seed. She said to him, "The Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her." Gen. 16:2.

Abram, for the moment, swerved from the perfect integrity of faith. Instead of holding fast his expectation and dependence upon the word of God only, he "harkened to the voice of Sarai."

Accordingly, a child was born, but the whole matter proved to be so unsatisfactory to Sarai that she repudiated her own arrangement. And God showed His repudiation of it by totally ignoring the fact that any child had been born. He changed Abram's name to Abraham and continued to talk about making him the father of nations through the seed promised and of making his covenant with Abraham and the seed that was promised. He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah, because she should "be a mother of nations" through the promised seed.

Abraham noticed this total ignoring of the child that had been born and called the Lord's attention to it, saying,  "O, that Ishmael might live before thee!"

But "God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." Gen. 17:15-21.

By all this both Abram and Sarai were taught that, in carrying out the promise, the fulfilling of the word of God,  nothing would answer but dependence upon that word only. Sarai learned that her device brought only trouble and perplexity and delayed the fulfillment of the promise. Abram learned that in harkening to the voice of Sarai,  he had missed the word of God, and that now he must abandon that whole scheme and turn again to the word of God only.

But now Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Sarah was eighty- nine. And, if anything, this seemed to put farther off than ever the fulfillment of the word and called for a deeper dependence upon the word of God--a greater faith than before.

It was perfectly plain that now there was no possibility of dependence upon anything whatever, but the naked word only; they were shut up absolutely to this for the accomplishment of what the word said. All works,  devices, plans, and efforts of their own were excluded, and they were shut up to faith alone--shut up to the word alone and to absolute dependence upon that word only for the accomplishment of what that word said.

And now that the way was clear for "the word only" to work, that word did work, effectually, and the promised "seed" was born. And so "through faith," through helpless, total dependence upon the word only--"Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised."

And "therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude,  and as the sand which is by the seashore innumerable." Heb. 11:12.

And thus was fulfilled the word spoken to Abram, when God "brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. . . . So shall thy seed be."

This is a divine lesson in faith. And this is what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith. For this was imputed to Abraham for righteousness, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith.

Yet "it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed,  if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification." Rom. 4:23-25.

And all "they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." All they who, excluding--yea, repudiating--all works, plans, devices, and efforts, of their own, depend in utter helplessness upon the word of God only to accomplish what that word says--these are they which be of faith and are blessed with faithful Abraham with the righteousness of God.

O, "understanding how to exercise faith: this is the science of the gospel"! And the science of the gospel is the science of sciences. Who would not strain every nerve to understand it?