What Faith Involves
Biblical faith involves three key features:
1. Knowledge
Faith is dependent upon what can be known about God. In fact, the New Testament says that faith involves us coming to know God Himself. In John 17:3, Jesus says, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Note: John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
How can you know God? In the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! Speaking of Jesus, John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” That’s why it is so important to consider the claims that Jesus made: it is in knowing Him that we know God. And it is this knowledge of God that gives us the basis for our faith.
2. Assent - express approval or agreement, typically officially.
In biblical faith, our knowledge of God must then be followed by assent. Once we’ve recognized that certain things are true and are to be believed, we must actually believe them! Biblical faith is certainly more than giving assent—but it is never less.
As we read the Bible and consider the claims of Jesus Christ, we discover in Christ someone who compels people’s belief—sometimes even against their will. We might say to ourselves, “I don’t want to believe in Jesus. I don’t want my life taken over. I don’t want somebody in charge of me.” Yet when we lay our lives open before Christ, when we see Him on the cross, and when we understand that He bore all of our sin and rebellion, He compels our belief. When we see Christ in this way, knowledge will be followed by assent.
3. Trust
Lastly, genuine faith involves trust. Knowledge and assent alone do not make genuine faith. James 2:19 says that “even the demons believe.” Demons are not atheists. They even have an orthodox view of God. If faith, then, is simply about understanding God correctly, we must logically conclude that the demons have saving faith. Yet we know that this isn’t the case.
A simple awareness of facts is not faith. There must be a movement from knowledge to assent that then culminates in trust.
A summons to trust in Christ—actively, not passively—is included in all of His invitations. In Matthew 11, for example, He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (vv. 28–29). Notice the verbs: “come,” “take,” “learn,” “find rest.” These are all action words. They involve doing. You see, faith is not passive resignation. New Testament faith begins in knowledge, leads to assent, and ends in trust on the basis of the knowledge to which we have assented.
A Picture of Faith
A helpful illustration of biblical faith is marriage. Like faith, marriage involves multiple stages. First, you must get to know the individual: you go out for dinner, you walk in the park, you listen to them talk, and you observe them with their family and friends. As you gain knowledge, you begin to ask yourself, “Could I spend my life with this person? Am I willing to commit myself to them?” Then, once you have satisfactory answers to these questions, you begin to tell yourself, “On the basis of the knowledge that I’ve gained, I am prepared to make a commitment. I want to move beyond mere knowledge and assent to trust. I want to give myself to them. I want to know them at the deepest possible level.”
This is the experience of all who place their faith in Jesus. Is it your experience? Are you a person of faith?
