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Ask FGBC #32: Are there different types of faith? Ie. temporary, historical, saving

Jim Butler · 2024-12-21 · 811 words · 5 min

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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. 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. 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 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. 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.