05.05 - Chapter 28 - Finding Faith in the Family of God
Chapter 28 FINDING FAITH IN THE FAMILY of GOD The Usage of the Word Faith "Faith is that voluntary change in the mind of the sinner in which he turns to Christ. Being essentially a change of mind, it involves a change of view, a change of feeling, and a change of purpose." (A.H. Strong)
♦ There Is An Objective Faith. When Objective Faith is manifested, there is an object on which faith rests (Christ), and a body of truth (the Bible). "Faith rest on a person. Faith is that act by which one person, a sinner, commits himself to another person, a Savior." (Horace Bushnell) In John 11:25 Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life." And the heart says in faith, "I believe."
♦ There is a Subjective Faith. As there is an Objective Faith so there is a Subject Faith as well which expresses a quality or action of the soul. Subjective Faith is honored in the Scriptures.
♦ Matthew 17:20 “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
♦ Luke 7:50 “And He said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”
♦ Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for,”
Faith Defined The non-Christian might define faith as belief in that for which there is no proof. Such a definition is inadequate. True faith is belief in what is unseen or not apprehended by the senses.
Scripturally, faith is "the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). "Faith is belief on evidence. The best definition of faith is in the abstract. Faith is assent of the mind and consent of the will. This is true of saving faith. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the gospel." (David Clark) Faith Distinguished
♦ Historical Faith. There is a Speculative or Historical Faith that is an intellectualapprehension of faith’s moral or spiritual purpose. In Acts 8:13, Simon Magnus was said to believe but he was not saved. James 2:19 teaches that even the devils "believe" and tremble. However they are not saved because the faith that does not lay hold of Christ is not a saving faith.
♦ Temporary Faith. This is a faith that seems to be genuine but is evanescent in character.
Good seed sown on the rocky soil illustrates this type of faith.
♦ Saving Faith. The Bible teaches that there is such a thing as Saving Faith that unites the soul to God and issues forth in salvation. This true Saving Faith has the element of affection as well as belief, and the element of will or purpose combined with both. The Relation of Faith to Knowledge No dramatic distinction can be drawn between faith and knowledge. Their spheres overlap. No one can believe in a God of whom he has never heard nor in a proposition that has never been considered. No one can believe in a God of whom there has been no intellectual apprehension. On the other hand there must be faith in the trustworthiness of our senses, our faculties, and the processes of thought before any considerable acquisition of knowledge is possible.
Faith in Relation to Salvation
Faith is the connecting link between the believer and Christ. “The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word; by which also, and by the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and other means appointed by God, it is increased and strengthened” (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 14, Section 1; study 2 Corinthians 4:13; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 19:14,17; Luke 17:5; 1 Peter 2:2; Acts 20:32). The Spirit applies the redemption purchased by Christ by working faith in us and thereby uniting us to Christ.
♦ Galatians 3:26 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
♦ John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
♦ John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
♦ 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
♦ Acts 16:3 “Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”
Faith is the Instrumental Cause of Justification
One of the great words in Scripture is the word “justification” which conveys the basic concept that God graciously pardons and accepts believing sinners into fellowship with Himself (Psalms 32:1-5; Psalms 130:1-8; Luke 7:47 ff; Luke 18:9-14; Acts 10:43; 1 John 1:7-10, 1 John 2:1-2). Justification includes the pardon, remission (forgiveness) of sins and the non-imputation (non charging) of all sins to the account of the guilty. It means to be reconciled to God bringing to an end His enmity (hostility) and wrath (cp. Acts 13:39; Romans 4:6 f; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Romans 5:9). There is a Divine declaration of being just before God. But there is more. Justification freely bestows the status of righteousness to a person which entitles him to all the blessings and privileges of that position (Romans 8:14 ff; Galatians 4:4 ff). The ground of justification is found in the fact that God’s law of punishment upon the guilty has been satisfied by the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ. Since Christ kept the Law perfectly (cf. Matthew 3:15) He becomes a pure and innocent sacrifice for the sins of others (Galatians 3:13). The obedience of Christ is imputed or charged to the account of the sinner who believes (Romans 4:2-8; Romans 5:19). “Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are justified; and did, by the sacrifice of Himself in the blood of His cross, undergoing in their stead the penalty due unto them, make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice in their behalf; yet, inasmuch as He was given by the Father for them, and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for anything in them, their justification is only of free grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.” (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 11, Section 3; study Hebrews 10:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 8:32; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:26; Ephesians 1:6-7; Ephesians 2:7).
It is one of the most glorious truths for all eternity that, “The righteousness of God” (or righteousness from God: cp. Php 3:9) is given as a free gift (Romans 1:17; Romans 3:21 f; Romans 5:17 cf. Romans 9:30; Romans 10:3-10) to all who call upon the Savior in faith. “By this faith a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word for the authority of God Himself, and also apprehendeth an excellency therein above all other writings and things in the world, as it bears forth the glory of God in His attributes, the excellency of Christ in His nature and offices, and the power and fullness of the Holy Spirit in His workings and operations; and so is enabled to cast his soul upon the truth thus believed; and also acteth differently upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the treatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life and that which is to come; but the principal acts of saving faith have immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, and resting upon Him alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace” (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 14, Section 2; study Acts 24:14; Psalms 19:7-10; Psalms 119:72; 2 Timothy 1:12; John 15:14; Isaiah 66:2; Hebrews 11:13; John 1:12; Acts 16:31; Galatians 2:20; Acts 15:11).
"Faith results in peace, assurance, sanctification, and all graces of the Christian life. Faith is an appropriate condition of salvation because an intellectual apprehension and belief of the truth is necessary in order to yield to it and obey it; and a personal trust in God, and purpose toward him is essential to any filial relation." (David Clark)
♦ Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”
“Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love” (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 11, Section 2; study Romans 3:28; Galatians 5:6; James 2:17, James 2:22, James 2:26). While a person is justified by grace through faith alone, justification itself is no fortuitous event in the life of an individual for, “God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification; nevertheless, they are not justified personally, until the Holy Spirit doth in due time apply Christ unto them.” (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 11, Section 4; study Galatians 3:8; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Timothy 2:6; Romans 4:25; Colossians 1:21-22; Titus 3:4-7.