Survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 14)

Survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 14

Of Saving Faith

(Part  2)

II. By this faith, a Christian believes to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God Himself speaking therein; and acts differently upon that which each particular passage thereof contains; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that which is to come. But the principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.

This paragraph deals more precisely than the previous with a definition of saving faith. The writers explain what results from the work of the Spirit of Christ in the heart of the elect. In the simplest terms, faith is believing whatever God tells us in His Word. And it is believed because it is His Word; that is, the Author of the Word produces its credibility and authority.

This faith in the trustworthiness of Scripture leads the Christian to conform himself according to what the Word requires. As the writers say, faith leads the believer to obey the commands of the Word of God, fear the threats of the Word of God and embrace the promises of the Word God concerning this life and the life to come. Saving faith, therefore, manifests itself in a complete submission to the Word of God.

The writers speak about the “principal acts” of saving faith. By this they mean the most important, the most fundamental display of faith. This they identify as “accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life…” If saving faith exists, it will exhibit itself in this accepting, receiving and resting upon Christ alone.

As we said, the believer’s life may be in need of moral improvement in many areas and he may be woefully ignorant of much of what the Bible teaches, but, if he is truly born again, then his faith will bear these marks of accepting, receiving and resting upon Christ alone.

The faith described here is tied to the covenant of grace. It is in this covenant that God promises to save and keep the one who accepts, receives and rest upon Christ alone for salvation. Faith, then, is a vital part of the overall plan of redemption; it brings together the promised substitutionary work of Christ and the objects of that promised substitutionary work, the elect.

III. This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong; may be often and many ways assailed, and weakened, but 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.

This final paragraph seeks to recognize the reality of the Christian experience. Our faith is not always as strong as we would like; it is not always resistant to temptation or the attacks of the enemy. For much of our lives, we struggle to manifest a consistent faith. This doesn’t mean that we believe in Christ one day, then don’t believe in Him the next. All it means is that our faith waxes strong and becomes weak, it is bold and it is timid.

Moreover, not every Christian exhibits the same degree of faith. Some seem to possess a stronger faith than others; some seem to be subject to doubts more than others. The writers of the Confession confront this aspect of faith head-on. They state that while saving faith always gives evidence to that essential trust in Christ, there are times and occasions when it is not as evident as it should be. This explains, of course, the variation we find in the Body of Christ. Christians are at different stages of development, different stages of maturity.

However, the Divines go on to say that true faith always “gets the victory.” That is, true faith never dies, it never is totally obliterated. True faith, though assailed and driven back for a season, remains alive and, in most case, eventually produces a sense of assurance in the believer. This is because Christ Himself is the “author and finisher” of that faith. He gives it by His Spirit, He nourishes it by the Word and sacraments and prayer, and He will cause it to persevere.