To them who have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. – 2 Pet. 1:1
There may be strong faith where there is no true faith persons may pretend to have the assurance of faith, may believe that their sins are forgiven, without one grain of "precious faith." Who believes more than a deist does? he believes he has wisdom to guide and power to save himself, without either the word or the grace of God. Who has stronger faith than the self-righteous Pharisee had? He believed he had a right to go to God, to plead his works before God, and to assure his heart that he was accepted of God: he wanted no righteousness from God. This is just such a faith as all unregenerate men have. It is not a precious faith; it is not obtained through the precious righteousness of Christ; it doth not make his glorious person and everlasting righteousness precious to the heart; it does not cause such to renounce the filthy rags of their own righteousness, and to delight in God, as justifying the ungodly through the righteousness of Christ, and sanctifying the unholy through the Spirit of his grace.
That faith is ever to be suspected, as only a rank weed which grows in the corrupt soil of human nature, the possessors of which do not see the evil of sin which is in them, the curse it has brought upon them, and that nothing can relieve their conscience, support their mind, bring hope to their heart and joy to their spirits, but the one spotless righteousness of Christ, in which sinners stand perfectly justified before God. He who dares open his mouth in objections against justification and sanctification solely by His righteousness, gives fearful evidence that so far from having obtained "like precious faith" with the apostles, his heart is not yet convinced of sin.
"Precious faith" will show itself by its fruits inward as well as outward: the heart will bow to God's sovereign will, receive his doctrines of grace, in the love of them, and not carp and cavil against them; it will glory that salvation, from first to last, is not of works, but of grace; and it will experience, that "the grace of God which bringeth salvation," most sweetly and powerfully teaches to "deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present evil world." Most sweetly says one, "Surely there can be no greater honor to Christ than this: in the sense of sin, wants, stains and blemishes, to wrap ourselves in the righteousness of Christ, and with boldness to go, clothed in his heavenly garments, to the throne of grace." This is the glory of faith. Lord, grant it may be ours.
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