Faith versus Unbelief

Taken from John Bunyan’s “Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ”

Let me here give the Christian reader a more particular description of the qualities of unbelief, by opposing faith unto it, in these particulars.

Faith believeth the Word of God, but unbelief questioneth the certainty of the same (Ps. 106:24). Faith believeth the Word because it is true; but unbelief doubteth thereof because it is true (1 Tim. 4:3; John 8:45). Faith sees more in a promise of God to help than in all other things to hinder; but unbelief, notwithstanding God’s promise, saith, How can these things be? (Rom. 4:19-21; 2 Kings 7:2; John 3:11, 12). Faith will make thee see love in the heart of Christ, when with His mouth He giveth reproofs; but unbelief will imagine wrath in His heart, when with His mouth and Word He saith He loves us (Matt. 15:22-29; 25:24).

Faith will help the soul to wait, though God defers to give; but unbelief will take offense and throw all up if God makes any tarrying (Ps. 25:5; Isa. 8:17; 2 Kings 6:33). Faith will give comfort in the midst of fears; but unbelief causeth fears in the midst of comforts (2 Chron. 20:20, 21; Matt 8:26; Luke 24:25). Faith will suck sweetness out of God’s rod; but unbelief can find no comfort in His greatest mercies (Ps. 23; Numb. 12). Faith maketh great burdens light; but unbelief maketh light ones intolerably heavy (Mal. 1:12, 13). Faith helpeth us when we are down; but unbelief throws us down when we are up (Micah 7:8-10; Heb. 4:11). Faith bringeth us near to God when we are far from Him; but unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to Him (Heb. 10:22; 3:12,13).

Where faith reigns, it declareth us to be the friends of God; but where unbelief reigns, it declareth us to be His enemies (Heb. 3:18; Rev. 21:8).

Faith putteth a man under grace; but unbelief holdeth him under wrath (Rom. 3:24-26; Eph. 2:8; John 3:36; 1 John 5:10; Heb. 3:17; Mark 16:16; John 8:24). Faith purifieth the heart; but unbelief keepeth it polluted and impure (Acts 15:9; Tit. 1:15, 16). By faith the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us; but by unbelief we are shut up under the law to perish (Rom. 4:23, 24; 11:32; Gal. 3:23).

Faith maketh our work acceptable to God through Christ; but whatsoever is of unbelief is sin. For without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:4; Rom. 14:23; Heb. 11:6). Faith giveth us peace and comfort in our souls; but unbelief worketh trouble and tossings, like the restless waves of the sea (Rom. 5:1 ; James 1:6).

Faith makes the ways of God pleasant and admirable; but unbelief maketh them heavy and hard.

Faith maketh us see preciousness in Christ; but unbelief sees no form, beauty, or comeliness in Him (1 Pet. 2; Isa. 53:1-3). By faith we have our life in Christ’s fulness; but by unbelief we starve and pine away (Gal. 2:20). Faith gives us the victory over the law, sin, death, the devil, and all evils; but unbelief layeth us obnoxious to them all (1 John 5:4; Luke 12:46).

Faith will show us more excellency in things not seen than in them that are; but unbelief sees more in things that are than in things that will be hereafter (2 Cor. 4:18; Heb. 11:24-27; 1 Cor. 15:32).

Faith makes the ways of God pleasant and admirable; but unbelief maketh them heavy and hard (Gal. 5:6; 2 Cor. 12:10, 11; John 6:60; Ps. 2:3).

By faith Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob possessed the land of promise; but because of unbelief neither Aaron, nor Moses, nor Miriam, could get thither (Heb. 11:9; 3:19). By faith the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea; but by unbelief the generality of them perished in the wilderness (Heb. 11:29; Jude 5). By faith Gideon did more with three hundred men and a few empty pitchers than all the twelve tribes could do, because they believed not God (Judges 7:16-22; Num. 14:11, 14). By faith Peter walked on the water; but by unbelief he began to sink (Matt. 14:22-33).

Thus might many more be added, which for brevity’s sake, I omit. I beseech every one who thinketh he hath a soul to be saved or to be damned, to take heed of unbelief, lest seeing there is a promise left us of entering into His rest, any of us by unbelief should indeed come short of it.

Sinner, thou hast heard of the necessity of coming to Christ, also of the willingness of Christ to receive the coming soul, together with the benefit that they by Him shall have who indeed come to Him. Put thyself now upon this serious inquiry, Am I indeed come to Jesus Christ?

Motives plenty I might here urge, to prevail with thee to a conscientious performance of this duty. As,

1. Thou art in sin, in the flesh, in death, in the snare of the devil, and under the curse of the law, if thou art not coming to Jesus Christ.

2. There is no way to be delivered from these but by coming to Jesus Christ.

3. If thou comest, Jesus Christ will receive thee, and will in no wise cast thee out.

4. Thou wilt not repent of it in the day of judgment if thou now comest to Jesus Christ.

5. But thou wilt surely mourn at last if now thou shalt refuse to come. And,

6. Lastly, Now that thou hast been invited to come, thy judgment will be greater and thy damnation more fearful if thou shalt yet refuse, than if thou hadst never heard of coming to Christ.

John Bunyan (1628-1688), Puritan pastor and allegorist, was a prolific author, renowned especially for his Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666), Pilgrim’s Progress (1676), The Holy War (1682), and Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ (1687).

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