1. Faith is a
belief of a testimony (2 Thess.
11. It is something more than merely the assent
of the understanding, because it is called an
obeying the gospel. For Esaias saith, “Lord, who has
believed our report?” “For the time is
come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us,
what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17).
It is obeying the doctrine from the heart. “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants
of sin; but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was
delivered you. Being then made free from
sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” etc. (Rom.
12. This expression of obeying the gospel, seems
to denote the heart’s yielding to the
gospel
in what it proposes to us in its calls: it is something more than merely what
may be called a believing the truth of the gospel. “Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also,
many believed on him; but, because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him,
lest they should be put out of the synagogue” (John
13. There are different
sorts of faith that are not true and saving, as is evident by what
the apostle James says, “Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show
thee my faith by my works:” where it is supposed that there may be a faith without
works, which is not the right faith.
When he says, “I will show thee my faith by my works,” nothing else can
be meant, than that I will show thee that my faith is right.
14. It is a trusting
in Christ. “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye
perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little: blessed are all
they that put their trust in him” (Psa.
Many places in the Old Testament speak of
trusting in God as the condition of his favor and salvation; especially Psalm
75:21, 22: “Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled
against Jacob, and anger also came up against
15. It is a committing
ourselves to Christ; “For the which cause I also suffer these things:
nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against
that day” (2 Tim. 1:12). This is a
scripture sense of the word believe, as is evident by “Jesus did not commit
himself to them” (John
16. It is a gladly
receiving the gospel. “Then they that gladly received his word,
were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand
souls” (Acts
17. Faith consists in two things, viz. in being persuaded of, and in embracing, the promises: “These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and
embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the
earth” (Heb. 11:13). “Charity believeth
all things, hopeth all things” (1 Cor.
13:7). If that faith, hope, and charity,
spoken of in this verse, be the same with those that are compared together in
the last verse, then faith arises from a charitable disposition of heart, or
from a principle of divine love. “But I
know you, that ye have not the love of God in you,” with the context (John
23. It is submitting
to the righteousness of God. “For
they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their
own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God”
(Rom. 10:3). It is what may be well represented
by flying far refuge, by the type of flying to the city of refuge. “That by two immutable things, in which it
was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge, to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:18). It is a sense of the sufficiency and the
reality of Christ’s righteousness, and of his power and grace to save. “He shall convince the world of sin of
righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8).
It is a receiving the truth with a love to it. It is receiving the love of the truth. “And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. That
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness” (2Thess.
24. Upon
the whole, the best, and clearest, and most perfect definition of justifying
faith,
and most according to the Scripture, that I can think of is this, faith is the soul’s entirely embracing the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Savior. The word “embrace” is a metaphorical
expression: but I think it much clearer than any proper expression
whatsoever. It is called believing,
because believing is the first act of the soul in embracing a narration or
revelation: and embracing, when conversant about a revelation or thing
declared, is more properly called believing, than loving or choosing. If it were conversant about a person only, it
would be more properly called loving. If it were only conversant about a gift,
an inheritance, or reward, it would more properly be called receiving or
accepting, etc.
The definition might have been expressed in
these words: faith is the soul’s entirely adhering and acquiescing in the
revelation of Jesus Christ as our Savior—or thus: faith is the soul’s embracing
that truth of God, that reveals Jesus Christ as our Savior—or thus: faith is
the soul’s entirely acquiescing in, and depending upon, the truth of God,
revealing Christ as our Savior.
It is the whole soul according and assenting to
the truth, and embracing of it. There is
an entire yielding of the mind and heart to the revelation, and a closing with
it, and adhering to it, with the belief, and with the inclination and affection. It is admitting and receiving it with entire
credit and respect. The soul receives it
as true, as worthy, and excellent. It
may be more perfectly described than defined by a short definition, by reason
of the penury of words; a great many words express it better than one or
two. I here use the same metaphorical
expressions; but it is because they are much clearer than any proper
expressions that I know of.
It is the soul’s entirely acquiescing in this
revelation from a sense of the sufficiency, dignity, glory, and excellency of the author of the revelation.
Faith is the whole soul’s active agreeing,
according and symphonizing with this truth; all opposition in judgment and
inclination so far as he believes being taken away. It is called believing because fully
believing this revelation, is the first and principal exercise and
manifestation of this accordance and agreement of soul.
25. The adhering to the truth, and acquiescing in it
with judgment is a sense of the glory of the revealer, and the sufficiency and excellency of the performer of the facts. The adhering to it and acquiescing in it with
the inclination and affection, is from the goodness and excellency
of the thing revealed, and of the performer.
If a person be pursued by an enemy and commit himself to a king or a
captain, to defend him, it implied his quitting other endeavors, and applying
to him for defense and putting himself under him, and hoping that he will
defend him.
If we consider it as a mere act of the mind, a
transaction between spiritual beings, considered as abstracted from any
external action, then it is the mind’s quitting all other endeavors and seeking
and applying itself to the Savior for salvation, fully choosing salvation by
him, and delivering itself to him, or a being willing to be his with a hope
that he will save him. Therefore, for a
person to commit himself to Christ as a Savior, is quitting all other endeavors
and hopes and heartily applying himself to Christ for salvation, fully choosing
salvation by him, and acquiescing in his way of salvation, and a hearty consent
of the soul to be his entirely, hoping in his sufficiency and willingness to
save.
Excerpted
and edited from The Works of Jonathan Edwards. This volume contains many more thoughts by
Edwards on the nature of saving faith than those we have listed here.