We wish to write unto you upon a subject that is misunderstood today by so many. This is the word faith in its divine sense. First of all in order to understand faith in the divine sense we need to recognize faith as it is used in two realms of life.

First we will call attention to the natural realm of life in which all human beings are in possession of faith, that enables them to exercise it in the natural realm of life. By this we mean that they are capable of understanding certain things such as knowledge and things that happen, that we see and can believe, because of the force of evidence by the person that brings the information, or the source of the information. This is usually called historical faith because it is based upon things that have already happened or records that bring forth sufficient evidence for us to believe. For instance if we had never seen or had any record, or source of information or knowledge, that there were such things as a car and a person would tell us that it would propel itself, then we would not have any evidence to believe it until we had seen it with our natural eyes that such a thing did exist and would operate. So by all the evidence brought forward by the actual performance we would believe it. So with faith in the natural realm of life we believe many things and accept many things as being true though we cannot fully understand how they operate or why they are true. This may be called natural or historical faith.

Faith in the divine sense is altogether different. Yet the word is spelled just the same FAITH, just exactly alike in both realms of life, both natural and spiritual. Some might say it was the same, but the Scriptural definition will prove that it isn't. By faith in the divine sense we mean Bible evidence and certainly that evidence is of God. All that know anything about God should recognize this fact. So faith is that we receive by gift.

The first definition we wish to give in support that there is such a thing as divine faith, the Biblical definition of faith, is in the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews and the first verse. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." We will now turn to the book of Ephesians and give you the Scriptures showing that faith is the gift of God. In the second chapter and eighth verse it says: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Let us stop there for a moment, though this is not where the period is at the end of the sentence. We will do these in orders to drop a thought about the first phrase in this verse. Then we will go back and read all the way through to the period in the sentence, which is the proper way to study the Bible. It says that we are saved by grace, and grace which we understand is the unmerited favor of God. Therefore we have that as a gift of God because the Scriptures says "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves," showing that it is not of the natural man or any other source in the natural realm, but it comes from God who is sovereign, and not dependent on man or anything other than Himself. Now let's read the entire expression in both the 8th and 9th verses, because it takes both verses to get to the period at the end of the sentence. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." The 10th verse reads, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." If the reader will carefully and prayfully reread these three Verses you can understand what faith is in the divine sense. It plainly says that faith is the gift of God. Of course this shows that faith is of divine origin and comes from God alone, and He is not dependent on anything else or any other source in bestowing this gift of faith.

We can also show you in this same book, the 3rd. chapter 11 th and 12th verses, "According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him." Again we give Bible proof that this faith comes from God through Him which is Christ Jesus. The gift of faith is implanted in the heart as a gift and result of the new birth.

Again referring back to the second chapter of Ephesians and 10th verse it tells us that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. We know that the work of creation is entirely of God, because man does not have the ability to create anything. God is the only Creator. So we are created in Him when the Holy Spirit applies the benefits of Christ's shed blood in our heart in the new birth, that makes us a new creature in Christ Jesus, and this is how we receive eternal life. We are born of His Spirit in creation and His Spirit is eternal (can't die because it is of God). Let's remember that when man is born of the Spirit it is a work done in the heart and not in the mind. When love is implanted in the heart it changes the heart. When this love is implanted in the heart it is the source of power that enables the person to exercise or walk by faith, and faith is that which is given as a gift of grace and remains in the person as long as they live here on the earth in a physical body. But. it may not be exercised and called into action, and when it isn't, the Bible tells us that faith without works is dead being alone. We can use faith and we should use faith, because we have the ability to do it as a result of the new birth implanting love in our heart, which we can never be separated from in this life because God is love and is eternal.

In the book of Galatians we find that faith is the fruit of the Spirit. Faith is that which enables us to discern spiritual things and enables us to perform things that God has commanded us to do in a spiritual way, that will bring about peace and joy that is promised through the exercise of faith. As proof of this we will read the 22nd verse of the 5th. chapter of Galatians, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." So we can see that faith is not only the gift of God but it is the fruit of the Spirit. The Spirit cannot die, neither can the gift of faith entirely vanish, because faith is the fruit of the Spirit.

We can fail to use or exercise faith and often do, and lose the spiritual blessings of it. We need to remember the love that God has shed abroad in our hearts and that we can never be separated from that love, because the Bible tells us that in the closing verses of the 8th chapter of Romans: "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Certainly that love is His Spirit which is eternal.

In the 11^th chapter of Hebrews we have all the different things that were performed by faith. We need to realize that this faith is the gift of God, and is divine, and it will enable us to do the things that God has called upon us to do. So we can enjoy these blessings as the fruit and result of walking by faith and not walking by sight in a carnal way. Faith in the divine sense is the spiritual eye that enables us to discern things in the spiritual way. Unless we are in possession of faith we cannot discern spiritual things and we will attempt to walk by sight (natural sight). Without faith in the spiritual sense we cannot please God.

We will now quote some of the things taught in the book of Hebrew, 11th chapter, the 6th verse: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. 7th. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house: by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8th. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed: and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." The eleventh chapter is filled with these many things that were accomplished through the exercise of divine faith, which is a gift of God, and is not anything that we have obtained by doing something on our own, or something that someone else has told us to do that we might have faith. We quote again from the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, verses 29th and 30th, "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days." We recognize here that these are things that would have been impossible with man, but they were accomplished by the miraculous power of God. It was by faith of those that were called on to go forward and by the exercise of faith that they did go forward, and God performed that which He promised to do, as He has always done when His children go in divine faith. He will do those things that are impossible with man to do in his own strength.

The wonderful thing about divine faith is we can accomplish things that would be impossible for us to do because we have not the power, but God is all powerful and will accomplish things that He alone can do. When we walk by faith we can see and experience and have the benefits of these great blessings and promises, when we exercise divine faith. So often many people are deceived and confused by men that pose as ministers that are continually telling them to do many things like accepting, repenting, believing, making a decision for Christ, etc. and they will get faith, be born again and be saved in heaven. This is exactly backwards from the way it is set forth in the Holy Scriptures. Many times the person or persons that are told to do these things have already been born again. They have the love of God in their heart, as a result of God's work of grace, and have been made to hope and are in possession of divine faith, but they do not know what to do or who to believe. The Bible makes this plain for us. We know even in the realm of nature that life precedes all action or activity, and anyone that will be honest will be forced to recognize this fact, according to God's laws in the realm of nature. In the spiritual realm it is certainly the same because unless you have already been born of the Spirit you do not have faith in the divine sense, and you cannot come in possession of it, matters not how much activity you might perform in order to try to come in possession of it. It is the gift of God, that God gives by grace. Love is implanted in the heart and not the mind, and it changes the heart so love is the moving cause, by which we can use faith. This love also makes us to hope, and now being in possession of hope and faith, the preaching of the true gospel doesn't bring about hope and faith, but the gospel testifies to that being the work of grace through His precious Son Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer. They should go forward in the exercise of faith, and they can because they have the evidence of this in their heart that they have been redeemed.

First John 5th chapter, 10th verse: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of His Son." So the witness is the testimony of the working of the Spirit in the heart, and faith is that which enables a person to perceive and see the great working of God. You are in possession of the desire to do something because of the life that has been given, and you have eternal life, so this spirit will certainly inquire of God what He would have him to do. Now the person is in position to perform spiritual things even to exercise this faith in the divine sense, because faith is centered in Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Therefore, when faith is exercised Christ comes into view. So by looking to Him that has already given us life by grace and made us a new creature in Christ Jesus and now being in possession of the hope of it, we want to do that which would be pleasing unto God. The preaching of the gospel is not to give eternal life. This has never been done through preaching. It is not being done today and will never be done through preaching, but after the grace of God has been bestowed through the atoning blood of Christ, that fully and completely satisfied God and divine justice because He paid the sin debt in full.

The atonement justified His people in the eternal sense through Jesus' atoning blood. Because of this and through divine faith we can honor Him in our body and spirits, which are God's. Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. The Scriptures certainly testify of Christ and His great accomplishments. This shows that we are not called on to do something to get faith and life, but we are commanded to show that God has bestowed life, with all its great spiritual blessings like faith, and we show this in our life by being obedient to Him according to His holy commands in the Bible. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Taken from Volume 2 of "Identity of the True Baptist Church" by Elder Wiley Sammons)