Class 13
What is True Faith?
We must scrutinize and investigate the true character of faith with greater care and zeal, because many are dangerously deluded today in this respect – John Calvin
- The object of faith
- True faith must have the proper object – Jesus Christ
- The Father is revealed through the Son – Jesus the intermediary
- Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12)
- Jesus is the way, truth and life; no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6)
- Jesus reveals the Father to whom He wishes (Luke 10:22)
- Only through Jesus Christ do we know God and His glory (2 Corinthians 2:2)
- To worship God through means He has not ordained is idolatry
- Statue or pictures of Jesus are idolatry
- Jesus video idolatry
- Christ revealed through the word and visible means of sacraments
- The elements of faith
- True faith rests upon knowledge not pious ignorance
- Rome’s doctrine of implicit faith is wrong
- Apostle Paul yokes faith to teaching (Eph. 4:20)
- The foundation is the teaching of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:19-22)
- Faith is based on the knowledge that comes through divine revelation, the Bible, not the knowledge associated with human sense perception (Eph. 3:2-6)
- Mental ascent is not enough; must have personal trust in Jesus Christ and the promise of the Gospel (confidence)
- Trust – the deep-rooted assurance that the promise of the Gospel is mine
- With faith one has confidence to stand in God’s sight without being condemned based on confidence in the righteousness of Christ as the basis for your justification
- True faith includes trust – the ability to receive what is yours by faith
- Westminster Confession defines the principle acts of saving faith as accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for your justification because of the covenant of grace
- We exercise our faith; man’s will is engaged in this process but in no way does man’s will produce saving faith. True faith affects man’s will (Rom 5:1-2)
- Faith implies certainty
- Conclusion
- The elements of faith include knowledge, mental assent and trust
- The principle acts of saving faith are accepting receiving and resting upon Christ alone for your justification because of the covenant of grace
