“We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;”
2 Corinthians 4:13
In today’s verse passage, the apostle Paul draws the connection between faith in God and the verbal expression of that faith. The two things appear inseparable. “I believed, and therefore I have spoken,” wrote Paul, directly quoting a psalm of David (Psalm 116:10). David’s faith, as is the case with millions of saints around the world and throughout the ages, caused him to speak, to testify to the goodness and faithfulness of God. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,” said the Lord Jesus, “a good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” (Matthew 12:34b-35). A believer in the covenant-keeping God of the Bible cannot help but give verbal expression to his faith. In 2 Kings 5 we read that a young Hebrew servant girl, taken captive by the Syrians, could not help but give expression to her faith. Her master was Naaman, a captain in the Syrian army, who was also a leper. The servant girl told his wife, “Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy” (2 Kings 5:3). Her fearless testimony led to Naaman’s miraculous healing and his own faith in Israel’s God (2 Kings 5:15). The Bible is replete with accounts of faithful and fearless people giving verbal expression to their faith in God, no matter the personal risk involved.“We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard,” said Peter and John to the Jewish religious leaders (Acts 4:19-20). Two of the most powerful examples of this kind of thing occurred at Calvary. The Gospels record that two criminals were crucified with Jesus. Both hurled insults at the Lord (Matthew 27:38-44). Miraculously, one of them came to perceive Jesus as He really is. Instantly, he gave verbal expression to his faith, rebuking the blasphemer, and giving witness to Jesus. “Dost not thou fear God,” he said, “seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:40-41). Even the Roman centurion who stood at the foot of the cross was converted and therefore confessed openly, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54). The centurion’s faith eclipsed any awareness of personal risk he might assume by openly endorsing Rome’s condemned enemy. With faith comes fearlessness; with conversion comes courage. May God help us to give a courageous and consistent expression of our faith, even in these last of days.
God bless you dear saints,
Pastor John
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