James Nisbet Commentary - John 4:42 - 4:42

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James Nisbet Commentary - John 4:42 - 4:42


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REASONS FOR FAITH

‘Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.’

Joh_4:42

This incident reminds us that there are different stages and different degrees of faith. The men of Samaria first of all believed on the evidence of the woman of Samaria who had spoken with our Lord by the well; then they began to make personal inquiries into the truth, about which they heard; and finally their personal experience led them to know that ‘this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.’ Here then we may find for ourselves one or two thoughts.

I. The evidence of authority.—Why do we believe in Christ? Why do we believe in the Christian faith, in the Christian religion? In the first stage, we believe wholly and entirely and completely upon the evidence of others. And what are the kinds of evidence which we hear and which we trust?

(a) There is the witness of the Church.

(b) And then there is the witness of the Saints.

(c) And then there is the evidence of some one whom we have known.

II. The evidence of experience.—Religion has to be corroborated by personal experience. We ought all of us to be able to reach a time when we can say, ‘Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.’ Christ says it must be a matter of practice, it must be a matter of obedience, if the faith which has been accepted on authority is to become the faith which is strengthened and corroborated by experience. Let me take one or two instances of the way in which this may be done, or may not be done.

(a) The love of God. Why do we in the first place believe in the love of God? Simply because we were taught it. But little by little, what was perhaps the barren dogma, ‘God is love,’ passes into a living experience.

(b) The case of prayer. Now here is a matter in which we may all of us feel difficulties of some sort or another. But the value of prayer can only be known by those who pray. You will find with those who really pray that the difficulties which physical science puts about prayer do not seem to hurt them or frighten them at all. Why not? Because they have on their side a great personal experience: they know whatever may be the difficulties of prayer, it has put them into closer communion with God; it has given them a new life and new spirit.

(c) Obedience. ‘If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine.’ The sayings of Christ are things which can never be proved by demonstration; they can only be verified by experience.

III. See Christianity from the inside.—Before we can judge of Christianity or the Christian religion, we have to see it from inside. That is to say, we have to try it. Only those who have made the venture of faith can convert what at first is a mere hypothesis into a practical certainty.