=29. This is the work of God, that ye have faith in him whom he hath sent.= They ask respecting the _works_ of God (plural), he replies concerning the _work_ of God (singular); they ask what they shall _do_, he replies _have faith_; they ask respecting work to be done _for_ God _by_ them, he replies that it is a work _of_ God _in_ them that is required. The condition of eternal life is not doing any work for God, it is having a work of God done in ourselves. See John 3:5; Titus 3:5-7. The condition of this work is faith in Christ. The nature of this faith it is the object of the discourse which follows to explain; it is certainly not equivalent to belief, and the use of the word believe is an unfortunate necessity from the poverty of the English language, which contains no verb corresponding to the noun faith. Of this faith I know no better nor more comprehensive definition than that of Webster’s dictionary, “That confiding and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ which affects the character and life, and makes the man a true Christian.” See Heb. 11:1, and notice that it is there defined not only as the _evidence_ of things unseen, _i. e._, the power of seeing and realizing the invisible world, which would include the imagination, but also as the _substance_ of things hoped for, which clearly includes the activity of the desires and affections. The germ of all Paul’s subsequent teaching of justification by faith is contained in this one single sentence. The Epistles are but an amplification of the gospel as proclaimed by Christ himself. “I know not where we can find any passage, even in the writings of the apostles, which says more significantly that all eternal life in men proceeds from nothing else than faith in Christ.”--(_Schleiermacher._) 30 They said therefore unto him, What sign[218] shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? [218] Matt. 12:38; 1 Cor. 1:22. 31 Our fathers[219] did eat manna in the desert; as it is written,[220] He gave them bread from heaven to eat. [219] Exod. 16:15; Numb. 11:7; 1 Cor. 10:3. [220] Neh. 9:15; Ps. 78:24, 25.