Faith Glorifying God

Robert Trail is the author of: Justification Vindicated (Banner of Truth, £3.75, $6.99 ISBN: 851518184, Paperback, 96pp.) He asks can sinners really be justified before God by faith alone? If so, can they go on to live as they please? Robert Traill suffered persecution, exile and prison for faithfulness to the gospel. Here is an extract from his writings on the theme of faith glorifying God:

The reason why faith is said to give glory to God is because faith answers God’s faithfulness. Great faith is said to give glory to God: one of the special commendations of Abraham’s faith is: ‘He was strong in faith, giving glory to God’ (Rom 4.20). God magnifies His faithfulness above all His name; the believer magnifies His faithfulness by his believing; therefore he gives glory to God.

Faith gives glory to God because it brings nothing to Him but poverty, want and emptiness. All graces bring something to God, but faith brings nothing. Love brings a flaming, burning heart to God; repentance brings a bleeding, broken heart to God; obedience brings a working hand to God; patience brings . . . a broad back to God, let Him lay on what He will; poor faith brings just nothing but the poor man’s bare hand and empty dish. The poorer man comes to God the more glory he gives to God. It is remarkable that in those cases wherein we bring something to God we are very apt to carry away something of the glory that belongs to Him: faith brings nothing at all to God; it brings no more than broken bones and sores to the great Physician (Rom. 3.27).

Faith glorifies God for it seeks all in Him and from Him: as it brings nothing to Him, so it expects everything from Him . . . and from the single warrant of His Word (John 3.33).

Faith always glorifies God, for it ventures its all upon His Word. The believer is still in this frame in the exercise of faith: ‘Now, here I have God’s faithful promise, and if it should fail me I should certainly sink for ever . . . All my concerns whatever are all laid upon the faithfulness of God; they are all put in that bottom of the ship; if I miscarry I am gone for ever.’ Who is there that believes this, that a bare adventuring of thy eternal salvation upon the Son of God, by virtue of the promise of God, brings more glory to God than all things else can do? (1 Cor 1.30, 31).