The Faith That Saves
We are saved by faith- but what does this faith that saves look like?
Notice the link between “believe” and “receive” in the following scripture.
“…much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the One man Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17
John 1:12 “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. “
The Reformer’s recognized three aspects to faith. They did so using three Latin terms: noticia, assensus, and fiducia. Let me explain.Noticia is the content of faith
Assensus is the personal recognition of the veracity of the truth claim.
Fiducia is the trust element or the personal reliance on Christ alone.
All three are vital to saving faith.
A person can’t be saved without certain content. This is why neither a baby nor a person who never hears the name of Christ can actually believe. True belief rests on content, not just sincerity.
A baby, who has not reached the age of personal accountability is not saved by faith alone- they are saved by grace alone. Because they are incapable of understanding the content of our faith they cannot “believe” in that sense of the word.
On the other hand, an Islamic believer may be very sincere but also sincerely wrong. Their faith rests on a different foundation. So Peter says: “There is salvation in no other. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” This is what the reformers meant by Noticia.
Secondly, not only must an individual “know” certain things; they must also assent to those things truthfulness.
They must give mental assent to the veracity of what the Bible teaches concerning Christ. This is why Romans 10 tells us “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is the Assensus of faith.
Lastly, there is fiducia or personal reliance. This is what is described in Romans 10:13 when the Holy Spirit says: “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The calling out to a Savior is the personal reliance that seals the deal.
All three of these components of faith are necessary for faith to save. When one or more of these elements is missing, faith is defective and deficient.
Because of grace,
Tim
Watch the related live-stream below.
