1030 信心
人非有信，就不能得神的喜悦…《希伯来书 11:6》
信心与常识相对立，是错误的热情和狭隘，而常识与信仰相对立，则表明错误地依赖理性作为真理的基础。信心生活将两者带入正确的关系。常识和信心之别，就像天然生活与属灵生活之别，冲动与灵感之别。耶稣基督所说的一切都不是常识，而是启示意义，并且是完整的，而常识是不足的。然而，信心必须经过考验和尝试，才能在你的生活中成为真实。「我们晓得万事互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处…」（罗马书 8:28），这样，无论发生什么，神护理的转化大能会将完全信心转变为真实。信心总是以个人的方式发挥作用，因为神的美意是要看见完全的信心在祂儿女身上成为实现。
对于生活中的每一个常识细节，都有神启示的真理，我们藉此可以在实务经验中证明我们所信的神是誰。信心是一个极其主动的原则，总是把耶稣基督放在首位。信心的生活说：「主啊，袮已经说过了，袮说的，看起来很不合理，但我要勇敢地信靠袮的话而踏出去。」（例如，见马太福音6:33）。将理智的信心转变为我们个人的财产，一直都是一场争战，而非仅仅偶尔的争战。神把我们带到特定环境中来教育我们的信心，因为信的本质就是让我们信心的目标变成对我们是非常真实的。直到我们认识耶稣之前，神只是一个概念，我们无法对祂有信心。然而一旦我们听到耶稣说：「人看见了我，就是看见了父。」（约翰福音14:9），我们立刻就拥有了真实的东西，我们的信心就是无限。信心是通过耶稣基督之灵的大能，整个人与神建立正确的关系。
来自章伯斯的智慧
神设计环境要看我们如何行事。我们会成为天父的孩子？或会再次回到卑鄙、常识的态度？我们会冒一切风险并忠于祂吗？「你要至死忠心，我就赐给你生命的冠冕。」生命的冠冕意味着我将看到我的主最终获得了胜利，甚至在我身上也是。《至善—朝圣者歌集》
1030 Faith
Without faith it is impossible to please Him… —Hebrews 11:6
Faith in active opposition to common sense is mistaken enthusiasm and narrow-mindedness, and common sense in opposition to faith demonstrates a mistaken reliance on reason as the basis for truth. The life of faith brings the two of these into the proper relationship. Common sense and faith are as different from each other as the natural life is from the spiritual, and as impulsiveness is from inspiration. Nothing that Jesus Christ ever said is common sense, but is revelation sense, and is complete, whereas common sense falls short. Yet faith must be tested and tried before it becomes real in your life. “We know that all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28) so that no matter what happens, the transforming power of God’s providence transforms perfect faith into reality. Faith always works in a personal way, because the purpose of God is to see that perfect faith is made real in His children.
For every detail of common sense in life, there is a truth God has revealed by which we can prove in our practical experience what we believe God to be. Faith is a tremendously active principle that always puts Jesus Christ first. The life of faith says, “Lord, You have said it, it appears to be irrational, but I’m going to step out boldly, trusting in Your Word” (for example, see Matthew 6:33). Turning intellectual faith into our personal possession is always a fight, not just sometimes. God brings us into particular circumstances to educate our faith, because the nature of faith is to make the object of our faith very real to us. Until we know Jesus, God is merely a concept, and we can’t have faith in Him. But once we hear Jesus say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9) we immediately have something that is real, and our faith is limitless. Faith is the entire person in the right relationship with God through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common-sense attitude? Will we stake all and stand true to Him? “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The crown of life means I shall see that my Lord has got the victory after all, even in me. The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 530 L