“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
(Romans 10:17)

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Faith is belief, trust and confidence in God and in His Christ. Faith in God (Christ) gives peace, hope, assurance, rest, joy, strength, courage, patience and many more things to the believer. “Faith cometh by hearing.” In the wisdom and purpose of God, faith cometh by hearing His Word, the gospel, preached. If by His grace we hear it, believe it, and receive it, then all things mentioned will be ours. And all grace, mercy and peace will be multiplied . . . will grow, as we hear and feed upon the “sincere milk of the Word.” If we do not hear, the opposite is true. If we do not hear the Word . . .

– Trust will not grow, but doubt will.

– Hope will not grow, but despair will.

– Peace will not grow, but turmoil will.

– Assurance will not grow, but worry will.

– Patience will not grow, but impatience will, impulsiveness will.

– Joy will not grow, but sadness will.

– Strength will not grow, but weakness will.

– Courage will not grow, but fear and cowardice will.

– Godliness will not grow, but worldliness will.

– Knowledge will not grow, but ignorance will.

– Fellowship will not grow, but loneliness will.

– Humility will not grow, but pride will.

– Selflessness will not grow, but selfishness will.

– Kindness will not grow, but meanness will.

– Gentleness will not grow, but hardness will.

– Righteousness will not grow, but self-righteousness will.

– Temperance will not grow, but intemperance will.

– Love will not grow, but hate will.

How important then is the hearing of God’s Word? We cannot live without It. We cannot cope without It. We cannot please God without It. We cannot be justified without It. We cannot live together without it. We cannot have any rest for our souls without It.

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P. Mahan