Confession of Faith: Article XXII

We now come to the benefits of faith, which are contained in the Articles XXII to XXVI. Articles XXII and XXIII deal with the free justification of the sinner before God; Article XXIV deals with sanctification; Article XXV with the ceremonial law; and Article XXVI with Christ’s intercession. These are all benefits because of Christ’s satisfaction. So we now come to the fruits of His work; and it is necessary that we be partakers of that. We first come to Article XXII which deals with “Faith in Jesus Christ.” We read:

We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery [that is, the mystery which is explained in the previous article], the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ with all His merits, appropriates Him, and seeks nothing more besides Him. For it must needs follow, either that all things which are requisite to our salvation are not in Jesus Christ, or if all things are in Him, that then those who possess Jesus Christ through faith, have complete salvation in Him. Therefore, for any to assert that Christ is not sufficient, but that something more is required besides Him, would be too gross a blasphemy; for hence it would follow that Christ was but half a Savior.

Therefore we justly say with Paul that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith without works. However, to speak more clearly, we do not mean that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our Righteousness. But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all His merits and so many holy works which He has done for us and in our stead, is our Righteousness. And faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with Him in all His benefits, which, when become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit us of our sins.

This is an article which deals with the heart of the church. Thus it is a very essential and a very precious article. “We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery, the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith.” In this article we are dealing with upright faith. We all know that faith is a word which is read and heard everywhere. In faith there are distinctions, as was taught us already in our youth — historical, temporary, miraculous, and saving faith.

We know that historical faith is not the faith of which is here spoken. I believe that President Clinton is President of the United States. I may have knowledge of him, and that knowledge might be quite detailed. Whether I know much or little, however, it is a knowledge which does not indicate any particular love or any personal acquaintance with the person, but it is a knowledge which is only in my head. In like manner we can also know exactly what the Bible says, and we can believe that it is the truth. We can believe in the Lord Jesus as a historical reality, that He indeed came in the form of a servant, that He suffered, died on the cross of Golgotha, that He arose, ascended to heaven, and is sitting at the right hand of the Father, and all the other truths of which the Word of God speaks. That is historical faith. Paul said that King Agrippa believed the Scriptures, and yet he was not saved. Even the devils believe that the Scripture is true. They know very well that the Bible is the Word of God from the beginning to the end. They have their instruments who sow doubt in the hearts of people, and they use theologians in order to criticize the Word of God, but they themselves believe that it is the truth. They know it; they believe that there is a God, and they tremble (James 2:19). But this is not saving faith; it is a historical faith, without affection, without love, without feeling.

Temporary faith goes a little bit deeper. It affects even our emotions. It may make us cry in church. It even makes us joyful when we hear the message of salvation. It makes us feel very down when we hear about judgment. It affects our emotions so that we cry, we weep, or we rejoice, but it does not change our heart. An example is the seed sown on the stony ground (Matthew 13). It came up fast, quickly, but it did not have depth of earth. The roots did not go deep; they were just on the surface. This is surface religion. The difference in saving faith is that it is planted by the Holy Ghost. It is rooted in the heart and is known in the fruit. Saving faith loves the Lord and goes out toward Him, while temporary faith is concerned about self and seeks the Lord’s benefits. As an example of temporary faith, we can also mention Demas, who returned to the world.

Miraculous faith believes that a miracle will happen by me or unto me. We recognize that from confession and catechism classes. It is a faith in which we believe, like the ten lepers, that we will be healed or that a wonder will happen to us. It is like the people on the last day who, standing before the closed gate of heaven, will say, “Open unto us, for have we not prophesied in Thy name; have we not cast out devils in Thy name?” And the Lord will say, “I never knew you.” So that is not saving faith.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

What we are dealing with here is true saving faith. True saving faith is a work of God. I would like to make that very clear. Saving faith is not just an act of mine. Generally, faith is spoken about today as if it were just our response to an invitation, to a calling, to something which comes to us with some power or persuasion.

Dr. Alexander Comrie says that there are two things when we speak about faith: the habitus, or the essence of faith, and the actus, or the exercises of faith. First of all, when we speak about faith, there is a planting. In the hour of regeneration the Lord plants in the heart of a sinner a heavenly planting; and that is the essence, the principle, the habitus of faith. At His time the Lord brings this essence into action; the Lord moves it by His power, for no one can exercise this principle, this planting, in his own strength. This second part is also the work of the Lord. The exercises come from God’s power bringing this essence into operation — hungering, or thirsting, or being poor. Comrie speaks about poverty as being one of the appearances of faith.

There are many words which Comrie uses in order to describe all the actions, the acts of faith; but these do not flow from the sinner himself, responding without a new birth, without regeneration, without the quickening, without being made a new creature, without having received the habitus. No; they flow from the sinner having received that planting of the Lord. That makes all the difference. Our speaking or talking, or being zealous for God’s kingdom, without this new principle, without a new heart, without this planting of the Lord, are not the works of saving faith at all. Therefore we should always maintain that faith is not merely man’s answer to God’s invitation.

Comrie said that the principle of faith is a planting of God. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Both the principle and the actions of faith are His work. That faith justifies the sinner.

At two ministers’ and office-bearers’ conferences in Delft in 1618, just preceding the Synod of Dordt, it was stated about justification, about faith, “Justification must be complete.” I must be justified, not just eighty percent, but I must be completely just before God, and that is possible only by a perfect satisfaction, which is the perfect righteousness of Christ. Now that is clear enough.

In their second thesis they said that faith is the only instrument, but it is also only an instrument; it is not the righteousness before God itself. It is an instrument. Our works, also those which come forth from the root of faith, good works, cannot be our righteousness before God, nor a part of it. And about faith they said, “This faith,” which is an instrument, “cannot be without knowledge of the Person and merits of Christ, for no one can be saved but he who receives the benefits of Christ with a believing heart.” Then they also said this about faith, “With true faith also belongs a certain, a sure confidence of the heart, which assures us that not only to others, but also to us, has been given forgiveness of sins, eternal righteousness, and salvation.”

This reminds us quite a bit of what we read in Lord’s Day 7. There we read what the essence of faith really is. When speaking about faith, Comrie has another expression, “Faith is the officer or the captain of all graces.” As unbelief is the captain of all evil, all iniquity, so faith is the officer of all graces. Without faith we cannot please God; without faith we cannot be just before God.

— to be continued —

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