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Faith Defined and Explained | John Calvin · Reformed Thinking

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  Welcome back to Reformed Thinking.
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  This is the deep dive where we take the sources you've gathered
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  and really try to 0 in on the core ideas.
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  Today. You've given us some notes, some
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  excerpts from a major theological work, and our goal
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  here is to pull out what these sources tell us about defining
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  true faith and maybe how it's different from false faith.
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  Exactly. We're aiming to look through
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  this material you've provided, identify the key traits of true
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  faith as described here, and then, you know, understand the
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  distinctions made. We want to make the concepts
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  clear, useful for you, based entirely on what's in these
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  sources. OK, great.
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  Let's get right into it then. It looks like the central piece
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  in these notes, kind of the starting point, is a definition.
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  It's but like this. True faith is a firm and certain
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  knowledge of God's benevolence toward us, founded upon the
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  truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed
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  to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
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  Right. That's the core definition
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  presented. And if we start to unpack that,
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  the first thing that really jumps out is firm and certain
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  knowledge. The sources are pretty specific
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  here. They say it's not mere opinion
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  or even persuasion. So not just thinking something
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  might be true. No, and not an obscure and
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  confused conception either. It's described as needing full
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  and fixed certainty. Certainty, like knowing
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  something for sure. Yes, like knowing something from
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  things experienced improved. It's called sure and firm, and
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  its position is a higher knowledge, something beyond just
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  our senses. It consists, they say, in
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  assurance rather than in comprehension.
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  Assurance rather than comprehension.
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  And it's built on a preconceived conviction of God's truth.
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  OK, so it's certain knowledge, but knowledge of what?
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  And where does it come from according to these texts?
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  Good question. It has a very specific
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  foundation. True faith is founded upon the
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  truth of the freely given promise in Christ.
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  The promise in Christ. Yes, its stability, its anchor,
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  is in Christ, and its object, what it looks toward, is God's
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  benevolence, His mercy, especially as seen in Christ.
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  The material says this means receiving Christ as he is
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  offered by the Father, namely clothed with his gospel.
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  Clothed with his gospel. Interesting image.
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  That means knowing God is a merciful Father because of
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  Christ and recognizing that Christ himself has been given as
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  righteousness, sanctification, and life.
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  So the certainty is tied directly to Christ and God's
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  mercy through Him. Precisely the faith stability is
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  in Christ. Its object is God's mercy in
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  Christ. But how does a person actually
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  get this kind of knowledge? It sounds like more than just
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  reading it somewhere. Definitely.
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  And this is where the Holy Spirit comes in.
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  According to these sources, he's described as the author,
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  initiator and giver of faith. The author and giver.
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  OK, it's the Spirit who illumines the mind, helps us
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  grasp God's truth, understand Scripture.
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  He also strengthens and supports the heart, sort of prepares the
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  ground for God's light to enter. Preparing the heart.
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  And he seals up in our hearts those very promises.
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  He's called a sure guarantee and seal of adoption.
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  Faith is termed the Spirit's peculiar work.
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  So the Spirit is essential for this knowledge to become real to
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  us. Absolutely central and.
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  Didn't the sources also mention where this faith resides?
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  Something about location? Yes, they did.
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  They talk about true faith taking root in the depth of the
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  heart. Deep in the heart.
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  Right. It's described as being more of
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  the heart than of the brain, and more of the disposition than of
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  the understanding. It has to penetrate your inner
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  self. OK, so we've got a picture now
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  of what these sources say. True faith is firm, certain
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  knowledge of God's mercy in Christ revealed and sealed in
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  the heart by the Spirit. But the sources also seem to
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  spend quite a bit of time contrasting this with, well,
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  with things that aren't true faith.
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  That's a major part of it, yes. Understanding the distinctions
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  is key. The material sets true faith
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  against several other ideas. First, there's what's called
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  false opinion or mere ascent. That sounds like the opposite of
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  the firm and certain knowledge you just talked about.
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  Exactly this isn't that fixed certainty.
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  It's described as doubtful and changeable.
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  Changeable OK, or a confused conception.
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  Sometimes it's just a common ascent to the gospel history,
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  like agreeing you know that certain historical events
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  happened just. Accepting facts, basically.
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  Right. And crucially, the sources say
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  this kind of thing flits about in the top of the brain.
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  It doesn't get down into the heart.
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  Stay superficial. Precisely.
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  Then, moving beyond that, the source is really pushed back
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  against something called scholastic implicit faith.
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  Implicit faith? What's that about?
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  Well, as described here, it's a faith-based not on actually
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  knowing God or Christ, but on ignorance.
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  Ignorance. How can faith be based on
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  ignorance? The idea critiqued is submitting
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  your belief entirely to the church without personal
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  understanding. The sources call it a fiction
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  that actually undermines true faith because it sort of
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  deliberately embraces not knowing.
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  Wow. OK, that's a strong critique.
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  It is now, the sources do acknowledge something
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  interesting here. They mention a different kind of
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  implicit aspect in genuine believers.
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  Oh, how so? Because believers right now
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  don't have perfect, complete understanding.
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  There's always more to grasp. So in that sense there's an
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  implicit element due to our current limitations.
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  And I mentioned examples like the disciples before they fully
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  understood everything. Or figures like Naaman Cornelius
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  the eunuch in Acts. They had true faith, but their
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  understanding was still developing.
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  I see, so that's different from choosing ignorance.
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  Very different. That's the key distinction the
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  sources make. One is imperfection on the way
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  to understanding, the other is settling for ignorance.
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  Then there's another scholastic distinction.
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  The sources take issue with the idea of unformed versus formed
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  faith. Unformed and formed.
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  Yeah. The idea is that faith starts as
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  just intellectual agreement that's unformed faith, and then
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  love is added later to make it formed faith, saving faith.
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  So like 2 separate steps. Believe, then love.
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  Kind of. But these sources reject that
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  separation. They argue that true biblical
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  ascent, the kind we've been discussing already, comes from a
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  pious inclination. You can't really separate it
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  from a devout disposition because knowing Christ as
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  presented here includes grasping the sanctification His Spirit
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  brings. So true faith and a changed
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  disposition go together. They're presented as
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  inseparable. The sources do note, though,
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  that some spiritual gifts, like the gift of performing miracles,
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  which is sometimes called faith in a different sense in the
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  Bible, can exist apart from this saving faith.
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  OK, that's an important clarification.
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  What else do they contrast it? With there's also the concept of
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  temporary or fleeting faith. Temporary faith, like someone
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  believes for a while and then stops.
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  Sort of. The sources talk about people
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  who might get a taste of the heavenly gifts or have a
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  momentary awareness of his grace.
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  Maybe they're lightly touched with a knowledge of his gospel,
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  but this transitory faith, as it's called, doesn't have the
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  spirit specific ceiling work for adoption.
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  So it lacks that deep rooting we talked about earlier.
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  Exactly. It doesn't have living roots.
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  It's described as something that afterward vanishes, like a tree
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  not planted deep enough. The sources bring up examples
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  like Simon Migas from Acts or the seed in Jesus parable that
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  springs up quickly but Withers because it has no root.
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  Right, I remember those examples.
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  It looks real for a bit, but doesn't last.
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  That's the idea presented. And finally, there's a basic
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  distinction made between faith and sight.
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  Faith and sight, How do they define that?
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  Simply that faith deals with things not appearing requires
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  the mind to go beyond and rise above itself.
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  Because you can't see it directly.
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  Right sight deals with visible present realities, but faith, as
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  we mentioned earlier, is more about assurance rather than
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  incomprehension in this life. The image used is like seeing
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  faint oblique rays of light while you're in prison, not
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  seeing the full sun directly. You know the sun is there, you
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  have assurance from the rays. You don't see it fully yet.
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  That's a helpful picture. OK, so we have the definition
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  and we have these contrast showing what true faith isn't.
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  What about the positive side? What does true faith do?
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  What are its effects or characteristics?
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  Good question. The sources definitely highlight
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  several key properties and effects.
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  One big one is confidence and boldness.
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  Confidence, yes. True faith is consistently
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  linked with a feeling of full assurance.
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  It's said to produce confidence and boldness.
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  This allows believers to dare with tranquil hearts to stand in
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  God's sight. Stand before God with tranquil
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  hearts. That's quite something.
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  It is. It leads to an assurance that
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  renders the conscience calm and peaceful before God's judgement.
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  And this is directly contrasted the text with the miserable
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  anxiety felt by those who lack this true faith.
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  OK, so confidence, peace before God, What else?
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  There's a strong emphasis on it being personal and inward,
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  embracing and personal possession.
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  Meaning it's not just acknowledging something is true
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  out there. Right.
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  It makes the promises of mercy ours.
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  They become a sure and secure possession of those things which
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  God has promised us is personal ownership, you could say.
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  My promise is my possession OK, And this naturally leads to
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  reliance, to resting. Faith is described as a support
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  upon which the godly mind may lean and rest.
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  Leaning on what? Relying entirely on God's
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  generosity and his mercy specifically.
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  Relying on God's mercy alone? And is there a connection to
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  Christ himself in these effects? Oh, absolute fundamental true
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  faith according to these sources, and graphs us into his
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  body. And graphs us like being joined
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  to him. Exactly.
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  It makes us partakers, not only in all his benefits, but also in
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  himself. We become one with him.
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  And the certainty of faith we discussed earlier?
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  It's set to rest on this indestructible certainty of
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  Christ's oneness with us. So our certainty comes from
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  being united with Christ. That's the idea.
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  Those who like this union, the sources say, tend to see Christ
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  as standing afar off and not rather dwelling in us.
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  A distant figure versus someone dwelling within.
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  Big difference. Huge difference.
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  And finally, flowing from this faith is a pious disposition and
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  love. Love comes back in.
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  Yes, but as a fruit of faith, not something added separately.
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  True faith naturally engenders hope, and it also engenders
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  love. It also involves what's called
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  reverent fear, a mix of honor and appropriate fear or awe in
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  God's presence, which is different from a cringing,
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  servile dread of punishment. OK, this paints a picture of a
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  very active life changing reality.
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  But you know, hearing about firm and certain knowledge, full
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  assurance, confidence, it raises a question, what about doubt?
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  Real people, even believers experience doubt.
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  Does the sources talk about that?
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  They absolutely do. And this is, I think, a really
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  crucial part of the picture they paint.
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  It's not ignored. The sources state clearly that
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  true believers are not immune to doubt.
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  OK, that's good to hear. Acknowledged.
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  Yes, faith certainty is often tinged with doubt.
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  They say it's assailed by some anxiety.
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  Believers are described as being in a perpetual conflict with
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  their own unbelief. Perpetual conflict.
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  Wow, where does that come from? It's attributed to the
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  imperfection of faith that still exists in the believer and the
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  remains of the flesh. There's an internal struggle.
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  Believers might feel disquiet. They might even be shaken by
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  gravest terrors. The example given frequently is
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  David in the Psalms, crying out in distress and doubt.
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  Right, you see that struggle clearly in the songs.
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  Exactly. But, and this is the critical
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  distinction made in these sources, this doubt, this
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  struggle, does not destroy true faith.
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  It doesn't, even if it feels overwhelming sometimes.
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  According to these texts, no, believers, even while
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  struggling, do not fall away. And apart from the certain
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  assurance, the claim is that the root of faith can never be torn
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  from the godly breast. It clings too deeply so fast to
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  the inmost parts, the root. Remains.
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  Yes, it's light might seem dim, never so extinguished or snuffed
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  out that it does not at least lurk, as it were beneath the
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  ashes, but it's still there. Unbelief is described as
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  something that assails them from without.
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  It attacks Faith, but it doesn't gain ultimate control within.
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  So it's an external attack, even if it feels internal.
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  In a sense, yes, it might wound faith.
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  The sources use the image of faith being a shield that gets
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  wounded but isn't pierced through.
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  The wound is curable. A wounded shield, not a broken
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  one. Right.
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  Or like a soldier who might give ground in a battle but isn't
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  totally overthrown. Or another image used like a
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  palm tree that strives against a heavyweight but still pushes
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  upward. Those are powerful images of
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  resilience. How does faith fight back then
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  in this conflict? The sources say true faith arms
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  and fortifies itself with the word of the Lord against
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  temptation. Uses God's Word as its weapon.
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  Exactly. So when tempted with thoughts
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  that God is angry or hostile, faith replies based on the word
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  that God's correction comes from love rather than wrath.
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  When thoughts of condemnation for sin arise, faith sets over
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  against this the fact that his pardon is ready again based on
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  the promise. So it counters the doubts with
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  the promises of God. Yes, the point made is that the
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  godly mind, through faith, ultimately surmounts all
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  difficulties and never allows itself to be deprived of
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  assurance. In fact, this very struggle,
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  this wrestling, is said to often result in even greater certainty
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  in the end. The struggle strengthens it.
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  That seems to be the idea. Even when Saints cry out to God
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  with complaints, the sources note that ACT itself shows they
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  still have hope. They still believe God can and
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  will help. They persevere in their
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  struggle. And the struggle is different
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  from the willful ignorance of that implicit faith or the
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  shallowness of temporary faith. Very different, yes.
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  This is the conflict within genuine rooted faith, not a lack
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  of faith or a superficial version of.
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  It OK. That distinction is really
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  helpful. Now you mentioned hope briefly
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  earlier. The sources link faith and hope
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  closely. They do very closely.
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  They're described as inseparable companions.
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  Inseparable companions, how do they relate?
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  Well, if faith is the firm conviction now about God's
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  promises being true. The firm and certain knowledge.
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  Right then, hope is described as the patient, confident
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  expectation of their fulfillment, especially looking
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  toward the future, eternal salvation, things not yet seen.
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  Faith is the foundation upon which hope rests.
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  You hope because you first believe the promise is true.
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  So faith grounds hope. Exactly.
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  And in turn, hope nourishes and sustains faith, especially when
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  the promises seem delayed or when doubts and temptations
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  press in. Hope keeps faith looking
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  forward. So they support each other.
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  You can't really have one without the other.
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  And a true believer. That's what the sources strongly
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  suggest. They work together.
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  OK, we've covered a lot of ground here digging into these
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  sources. We have.
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  We've looked at the definition of true faith, the contrast, the
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  effects, the struggle with doubt, and the connection with
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  hope. So maybe a final thought to
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  leave with you drawing all this together from the material you
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  provided. These sources seem to present
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  faith not primarily as believing certain facts about God,
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  although that's included, but fundamentally it's presented as
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  a firm, certain knowledge of God's goodness toward you
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  personally, rooted specifically in Christ, made real and sealed
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  in your heart by the Holy Spirit.
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  So the question perhaps to ponder is, if you understand
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  faith in that way, a certain knowledge of God's favor toward
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  you in Christ worked by the Spirit, how might that change
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  what you look for in your own experience, or what you lean on
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  day-to-day, or maybe even what you ask God for?
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  That's a powerful question to reflect on.
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  How does seeing faith as God's benevolence toward me, sealed by
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  the Spirit, change things? Well, this has been a really
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  insightful deep dive into the sources you brought us on true
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  and false faith. We've unpacked the definitions,
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  the key distinctions and the dynamics involved.
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  Yes, and we really hope going through this material this way
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  has been helpful for you clarifying what these particular
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  sources have to say on such a vital subject.
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  Absolutely. Remember to bring us your next
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  stack of sources whenever you're ready for another deep dive.