Questions and Answers
Is there different types of faith? For example, temporary, historical, or saving? Another one that gets often put out there is miraculous faith or faith in miracles, right? That's the four I grew up being taught, is those four.
Temporary, historical, miraculous, and saving. I mean, I didn't understand the nature of the question. What are the different types? Saving faith is different than a historical or a temporary faith.
And I think the Bible furnishes us examples of, you know, historical faith, I think at some points along the way in John's Gospel, some of them seem to be tracking that Jesus did sort of cross off the list, all that was necessary for Messiah. It seems to me at least at certain points, it was probably within the last six months, so I don't know, 11ish maybe, John chapter 11, somewhere in there, it seemed like some of them started to kind of get it that yeah, he could actually be the one that the prophets and Moses wrote about. That didn't put them in the category of saving. You know, temporary faith, you have persons that make a profession, they seem to be good for a while, but they're fake.
And then the genuine saving faith is those who by grace believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as He's preached in the gospel and as the confession uses the metaphorical language of belief is receiving and resting upon him. And that faith that is alone is accompanied by all other saving graces, so it's not a dead faith. It worketh through love, but yeah, that's qualitatively different than the temporary or the historical. you know, somebody might be, and I think there are those people, you know, I've read, studied all the religious systems and if any of them are right, it's Christianity. And, you know, they say there's no reason to doubt that Jesus was who he said he was, just don't believe it in the sense of I'm going to lay my, I'm going to receive him and rest upon him.
So, yeah, I think, again, we don't see those terms applied, but I definitely think we see the concepts involved in scripture. Now my brain's working a little bit better.
Confession on Degrees of Faith
Chapter 14 of our confession, paragraph three, does say, this faith, although be different in degrees and may be weak or strong, talking about saving faith, it is in the least degree of it different in the kind or nature of it, as is all other saving grace from the faith and common grace of temporary believers. So weak faith is still saving faith.
Act and Object of Faith
We can also distinguish between the act of faith and the object of faith. We're the ones who believe, but the object of faith is Jesus Christ. And so we look to him, we believe upon him. We have faith in someone, faith in Jesus Christ, but one who has a temporary faith has not done that.
They have not looked to Christ by faith, because it is different. So the confession does highlight that. And even a weak faith may be many times assailed and weakened, yet it gets the victory. growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance through Christ who is both the author and finisher of our faith. So paragraph three is helpful there.
Yeah. Yeah. Like
Weak Faith Still Saves
Machen has a good point in his, what is faith? And he makes the comment that weak faith will not move mountains. But there is one thing at least that it will do. It will bring a sinner into peace with God.
Our salvation does not depend upon the strength of our faith. Saving faith is a channel, not a force. If you are once really committed to Christ, then despite your subsequent doubts and fears, you are His forever. That's a good statement.
Weak faith will not remove mountains, but there is one thing at least that it will do. The opposite of, you know, the faith, yeah, like the confession says, it can vary. It grows, it's fed, it's nourished, it's built up. But if there is even, you know, mustard seeds worth, then you look unto the Lord Jesus Christ, that's the mustard seeds worth that you need.
Yeah, just, you know, because I finished reading Pilgrim's Progress Part 2 recently, and there's characters like that, weak faith, feeble faith, and halt, halting and whatever, but they get to the river and they cross. They do, yeah. Somehow. The Lord is good.
Yeah.
Parable of the Sower Applied
And we have the parable of the sower as well, the seed falling in hard ground, whatever. It's like, people can go to church and, hey, that was a great sermon. Is it really impacting the emotional? And then a week later, it's gone.
They never come again. That's right. Yeah.