"...Believe in the Lord
your God,
And you shall be established;
believe His prophets
and you shall prosper."
2 Chronicles 20:20b
Is faith purely an intellectual exercise? Is faith an exercise of the affections? The answer is much the same as the answer given to the last questions in the last blog.Earlier the Roman Catholic dogma was presented and will be reflected in this blog in regards to whether or not assent is essential to faith. At the Council of Trent Third Session (1561-1562) it was established that there are five great theme, sola scriptura, sola fide, solus Christus, soa garatia, and soli Deo Glori. these five theme encapsulate the Gospel as salvation is revealed in the Scriptures alone, and purchased by Christ alone, received by faith alone, offered by grace alone, and is to the glory of God alone. this understanding was rejected by the Roman Catholic and replaced the Gospel with a Gospel that it was the Church alone, mediated by the sacraments alone. This Romish position was based on the authority of the Bible that included the Apocrypha, and that only the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible was the authoritative Word of God leaving out the Greek and Hebrew texts. Included in their dogma was Scripture plus tradition. This form of Doctrine makes faith to be an intellectual act or the speculative act of faith. According to their Doctrine a man may have faith but not be saved, in other words they deny that faith is necessary to salvation, it is an intellectual exercise.
The Protestant view is that faith is not a mere intellectual exercise. The Heidelberg Catechism (1562-3) states: "It is not merely a certain knowledge, whereby I receive as true all that God has revealed to us in his Word, but also a cordial trust, which the Holy Ghost works in me by the Gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, the forgiveness of sin, and everlasting righteousness and life are given by God, out of pure grace, and only for the sake of Christ's merit."
Saving faith a speculative assent of the understanding. You might remark that the Scriptures do not make a distinct difference between the understanding, the feeling, and the will, something that is prevalent in today's society. For instance, a large part of our inward exercises and states are complex that it is to be the acts of the whole soul, not just of exclusively of any one of its faculties. In repentance there is a necessity for an intellectual apprehension as to our state as being sinners, and of the holiness of God, His law which we have failed to keep and be conformed to and of His mercy in Christ. Intellectually we come to know that we are morally bankrupt, our character is flawed, and by that intellectual assent we come to have sorrow, shame, and remorse, purposing us to forsake sin and lead a holy life. In the mind of a believer there is complexity which is expressed by the word faith as exists. Also, there is a distinction between faith in general and saving faith.
If we take the element of faith that is believing, and to believe all that we understand by our apprehension of its worth and have confidence no matter where it is nature, science, etc. In that case faith is intellectual, there is intellectual assent.
But what of about the state of the mind that is required in the Gospel? It is very different. This which we are commanded to believe. It is to believe in Christ as God manifest in the flesh. This is not intellectual conviction to say that no one could be truly divine and be and do as Christ did. Even the demons believed that Christ was who He said He was; Satan called Him the Son of God when tempting Jesus in the desert. But as Christians we receive Him as God. This requires that we receive Him, apprehend Him and be convicted of His Glory; give to Him adoring reverence, love, confidence, and submission, those things which belong to God alone. We are commanded to believe that Christ is the Savior of men and we not to required to assent to that proposition that He saves sinners, but, to receive and rest upon Him alone for our own salvation.
The Scriptures mean this by faith, in this connection, that faith which is required for salvation is an act of the whole soul, the understanding, the heart, and the will.
Be still, and know that I am
God;
I will be exalted among the
nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10
May God Bless You
Richard L. Crumb
The Protestant view is that faith is not a mere intellectual exercise. The Heidelberg Catechism (1562-3) states: "It is not merely a certain knowledge, whereby I receive as true all that God has revealed to us in his Word, but also a cordial trust, which the Holy Ghost works in me by the Gospel, that not only to others, but to me also, the forgiveness of sin, and everlasting righteousness and life are given by God, out of pure grace, and only for the sake of Christ's merit."
Saving faith a speculative assent of the understanding. You might remark that the Scriptures do not make a distinct difference between the understanding, the feeling, and the will, something that is prevalent in today's society. For instance, a large part of our inward exercises and states are complex that it is to be the acts of the whole soul, not just of exclusively of any one of its faculties. In repentance there is a necessity for an intellectual apprehension as to our state as being sinners, and of the holiness of God, His law which we have failed to keep and be conformed to and of His mercy in Christ. Intellectually we come to know that we are morally bankrupt, our character is flawed, and by that intellectual assent we come to have sorrow, shame, and remorse, purposing us to forsake sin and lead a holy life. In the mind of a believer there is complexity which is expressed by the word faith as exists. Also, there is a distinction between faith in general and saving faith.
If we take the element of faith that is believing, and to believe all that we understand by our apprehension of its worth and have confidence no matter where it is nature, science, etc. In that case faith is intellectual, there is intellectual assent.
But what of about the state of the mind that is required in the Gospel? It is very different. This which we are commanded to believe. It is to believe in Christ as God manifest in the flesh. This is not intellectual conviction to say that no one could be truly divine and be and do as Christ did. Even the demons believed that Christ was who He said He was; Satan called Him the Son of God when tempting Jesus in the desert. But as Christians we receive Him as God. This requires that we receive Him, apprehend Him and be convicted of His Glory; give to Him adoring reverence, love, confidence, and submission, those things which belong to God alone. We are commanded to believe that Christ is the Savior of men and we not to required to assent to that proposition that He saves sinners, but, to receive and rest upon Him alone for our own salvation.
The Scriptures mean this by faith, in this connection, that faith which is required for salvation is an act of the whole soul, the understanding, the heart, and the will.
Be still, and know that I am
God;
I will be exalted among the
nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:10
May God Bless You
Richard L. Crumb
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