“The Reformation Pulpit” Feb 21, 2009

“The Reformation Pulpit” (email Feb 21, 2009)

What’s wrong with the modern pulpit?

The Method & Manner of Preaching the Gospel must be thoroughly biblical!
The Content of the Gospel Message Preached must be thoroughly biblical!
The Emphasis of every part of the Gospel Message Preached must be thoroughly biblical!

The Gospel is Message about Saving Faith in Christ #2!
What does it mean to Believe in Jesus Christ for Salvation?

Benjamin Warfield points out that historic Protestantism has always held to the view that Biblical Saving Faith includes the following three elements, knowledge, assent and trust. “In accordance with the nature of this faith the Protestant theologians have generally explained that includes in itself three elements notitia (knowledge-intellectual element), assensus (assent-emotional element), fiducia (trust-voluntary element).”

Faith includes Knowledge

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph. 1:13. CF. Rom 10:9, 10).

AW Pink points out that a pre-requisite of certain Bible facts is necessary before one can exercise faith:

There can be no movement toward an unknown object. No man can obey a command until he is acquainted with its terms. . . . Apply it to the case in hand . . . the knowledge of Christ must of necessity precede our believing on Him or our coming to Him. “How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?”(Rom. 10:14). . . . None can come to Christ while they are ignorant about Him.

Saving Faith includes Assent:

To assent is to agree with something by accepting as true. We must not only know facts about God. We must believe, that is convinced and persuaded, that the facts are true.

He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true (John 3:33).

We assent to and agree with the biblical truths about the existence of God, the reality of sin, and the truth concerning Christ (John 16:8; 2:22; 4:42; 5:47; 11:27; Acts 4:12; Luke 5:31, 32; I Corinthians 15:1-11; Rom 10:9, 10). Though knowledge of biblical facts is necessary and though we must accept those facts as true, knowledge and assent alone are not enough to save anyone.

King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe (Acts 26:27).

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven (Matt 7:21).

The Zondervan Bible Dictionary warns us not to make a mistake in regard to improperly defining biblical faith, “Faith is not to be confused with a mere intellectual assent to the doctrinal teachings of Christianity, though that is obviously necessary.”

Biblical Saving Faith

What is faith? How does faith act? What are the biblical examples of men and women who manifest the “characteristics” of genuine faith? These are the kinds of questions that must be answered from the Bible. The exposing of hypocrites and the strengthening of genuine saints necessitates that we answer such questions.

According to the Scripture faith acts in a certain way. What are those ways shown in the Scriptures? The Devil is destroying men’s souls by causing them to think that faith merely involves knowledge and assent.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it (2 Cor 11:3, 4)

The Scripture commands that people are to properly engage in self- examination to see whether the root of the matter is in them:

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble (2 Pet 1:10).

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified (2 Corinthians 13:5).

Saving Faith includes Trust

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed , you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Eph 1:13).

Trusting and believing in Christ means that we look away from ourselves and realize that Christ has done everything necessary to secure the salvation of all who commit themselves to Him. This is how John Murray explains it, “Faith is knowledge passing into conviction and conviction passing into confidence. . . . The specific character of faith is that it looks away from itself and finds its whole interest and object in Christ”

The same is stated by Sinclair Ferguson, “Faith gets man out of himself and into Christ. Its strength therefore depends on the character of Christ. Even those of us who have weak faith have the same strong Christ as others.”

Saving Faith Trusts in the Person of Christ

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink (John 7:37)

Westminster Confession of Faith: Larger Catechism

What is justifying faith? Justifying faith is a saving grace. . . not only assenteth to the truth of the promise, but also receiveth and resteth upon Christ and His righteousness.
. . . but the principle 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 Belgic Confession: Article 23

"without presuming to trust in anything in ourselves, or in any merit of ours, relying and resting upon the obedience of Christ crucified alone,which becomes ours when we believe."

Iain Murray quotes Spurgeon when he wrote:
"I have heard it often asserted that if you believe that Jesus Christ died for you, you will be saved. . . . That is not saving faith. The man who has saving faith afterwards attains to the conviction that Christ died for him, but it is not of the essence of saving faith. . . . I pray you remember that the genuine faith that saves has for its main element--trust--absolute rest of the whole soul--on the Lord Jesus Christ to save me, whether he died in particular or in special to save me or not, and relying, as I am, wholly and alone on him, I am saved."

Dr. Wayne Mack and Pastor Joshua Mack gives a helpful illustration of the most crucial aspect of saving faith. They speak of a little boy, Jimmy, who is accidentally left behind on the top floor of a burning house. There is no way out for Jimmy but through the window. Jimmy’s father tells him to jump and assures him that he will catch him. Now I quote:
"Jimmy knows that his father is strong enough to catch him; but does that make him safe? Jimmy knows his father loves him and is willing to catch him; but does that make him safe? Jimmy not only knows that his father is willing and able to catch him but that his father is pleading with him to jump; but does that make him safe? None of these things will save him unless he trusts his father enough to jump. If Jimmy will not commit himself to his father’s arms, he will perish."

The characteristics of true saving faith in Christ is that a sinner not only has knowledge about Christ and agrees with that biblical knowledge, but he or she must personally, from the heart (Rom 10:9, 10), commit themselves to Christ to save them.
It is absolutely essential for preachers to regularly explain the nature and essence of true justifying faith. This is necessary in order to prove ourselves, in that day, as faithful stewards of the mysteries of God, (I Cor 4:1, 2). It is also necessary in order to expose and warn hypocrites that their faith is not the saving faith described in the Bible. True believers need much preaching on the subject of faith so they may be encouraged that their faith is sincere and genuine.