1030 信心
人非有信，就不能得神的喜悅…《希伯來書 11:6》
信心與常識相對立，是錯誤的熱情和狹隘，而常識與信仰相對立，則表明錯誤地依賴理性作為真理的基礎。信心生活將兩者帶入正確的關係。常識和信心之別，就像天然生活與屬靈生活之別，衝動與靈感之別。耶穌基督所說的一切都不是常識，而是啟示意義，並且是完整的，而常識是不足的。然而，信心必須經過考驗和嘗試，才能在你的生活中成為真實。「我們曉得萬事互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處…」（羅馬書 8:28），這樣，無論發生什麼，神護理的轉化大能會將完全信心轉變為真實。信心總是以個人的方式發揮作用，因為神的美意是要看見完全的信心在祂兒女身上成為實現。
對於生活中的每一個常識細節，都有神啟示的真理，我們藉此可以在實務經驗中證明我們所信的神是誰。信心是一個極其主動的原則，總是把耶穌基督放在首位。信心的生活說：「主啊，袮已經說過了，袮說的，看起來很不合理，但我要勇敢地信靠袮的話而踏出去。」（例如，見馬太福音6:33）。將理智的信心轉變為我們個人的財產，一直都是一場爭戰，而非僅僅偶爾的爭戰。神把我們帶到特定環境中來教育我們的信心，因為信的本質就是讓我們信心的目標變成對我們是非常真實的。直到我們認識耶穌之前，神只是一個概念，我們無法對祂有信心。然而一旦我們聽到耶穌說：「人看見了我，就是看見了父。」（約翰福音14:9），我們立刻就擁有了真實的東西，我們的信心就是無限。信心是通過耶穌基督之靈的大能，整個人與神建立正確的關係。
來自章伯斯的智慧
神設計環境要看我們如何行事。我們會成為天父的孩子？或會再次回到卑鄙、常識的態度？我們會冒一切風險並忠於祂嗎？「你要至死忠心，我就賜給你生命的冠冕。」生命的冠冕意味着我將看到我的主最終獲得了勝利，甚至在我身上也是。《至善—朝聖者歌集》
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