Characteristics of Faith

Using the story of the nobleman whose son was dying, Spurgeon traces three stages of growing faith: seeking faith, which drives a person to earnest, persistent prayer even while making the mistake of trying to dictate exactly how God must answer; relying faith, which takes Christ at his bare word and finds quiet peace even before any evidence confirms it; and full assurance, which comes only after careful observation has confirmed that God indeed did what he promised, and which naturally overflows to bless one's entire household. He also diagnoses three diseases that can derail faith at each stage — abandoning prayer when answers seem slow, demanding visible signs and wonders as a substitute for simply trusting God's word, and failing to actually observe God's hand at work in daily providence — warning that built-in dreams, feelings, or strange experiences are no foundation for real assurance compared to the plain word of Scripture. He closes with three searching questions for anyone who claims to have faith: does it make you pray, does it make you obey in the ordinary honesty of daily business, and does it make you actively seek the salvation of your own household — since faith that produces none of these is, however confidently held, no faith at all.Sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon on May 27th, 1860.