
Do you struggle with little faith in the Christian life? Do you sometimes fear that the Lord’s grace is not sufficient for your doubts and sins? In this week’s sermon, Charles Spurgeon delivers helpful insight and instruction for those of little faith. Utilizing imagery from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, this sermon helps us understand the nature of one’s faith, and the means by which it can be grown and strengthened.
He further emphasizes the reality that those of little faith are not abnormalities. Doubts and unbelief are real battles that must be faced by every Christian. But God’s grace is sufficient for those of little faith, even if we struggle to believe it. Our faith – looking and coming to Christ – must be strengthened and accordingly turned into thankful praise to the Lord. “Faith is a feeding grace” and must be sustained through God’s promises. Spurgeon provides encouragement for the doubting believer by pointing us to God’s sufficient grace, sovereignty, and role in our salvation.
Excerpt:
“When faith grows a little, it rises from looking to Christ to coming to Christ. He who stood afar off and looked to the cross by-and-bye plucks up courage, and getting heart to himself, he runneth up to the cross. or perhaps he doth not run. but hath to be drawn before he can so much as creep thither, and even then it is with a limping gait that he draweth nigh to Christ the Saviour. But that done, faith goeth a little farther: it layeth hold on Christ; it begins to see him in his excellency, and appropriates him in some degree, conceives him to be a real Christ and a real Saviour, and is convinced of his suitability. And when it hath done as much as that, it goeth further; it leaneth on Christ. it leaneth on its Beloved; casteth all the burden of its cares, sorrows, and griefs upon that blessed shoulder, and permitteth all its sins to he swallowed up in the great red sea of the Saviour’s blood. And faith can then go further still; for having seen and ran towards him and laid hold upon him, and having leaned upon him, faith in the next place puts in a humble, but a sure and certain claim to all that Christ is and all that he has wrought; and then, trusting alone in this, appropriating all this to itself, faith mounteth to full assurance; and out of heaven there is no state more rapturous and blessed. But, as I have observed at the beginning, faith is but very small, and there are some Christians who never get out of little faith all the while they are here.”
Read the rest of the sermon here.