- Repentance and Faith

4. Repentance and Faith are Saving Graces

The Scriptures declare that repentance and faith are saving graces, they are blessings embraced in the eternal salvation bestowed at effectual calling. They are therefore products of salvation already bestowed by free and sovereign grace, prior to any possibility of faith. 1689.11.2 summarizes thus, “Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification;(6) yet it is not alone in the person justified, but ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.” (Ro 3:28; Gal 5:6; Jas 2:17,22,26.) [I will not go into the relationship between faith and justification now. That will have to wait till Section VIII when I consider your 5th charge in your formal letter of complaint to SDC.]

‘Faith… is [simple present tense] not alone in the person justified [simple past tense].’ This simple grammatical observation alerts us to something obvious – a simple past action precedes the present state a person is in. ‘Faith is not alone in the person justified’ simply means faith is the effect of the justified state. Remember, it is ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Living by faith, i.e., believing and resting in Christ are only possible by a person who is already justified. Living by faith is the activity of a justified person. Living by faith begins with repentance and faith in Christ as presented in the gospel call. And that living by faith in Christ continues throughout life. Often true believers foolishly live by sight or their works! Remember the Galatian believers?

Please observe that ‘faith… is not alone in the person justified, but ever accompanied with all other saving graces.’ This means that faith is one among all other saving graces of justification or salvation. Graces of salvation are the fruit of salvation. Both Abraham and Cornelius had works of righteousness before their faith was called forth by the gospel. Faith was not alone in Abraham and Cornelius. It was accompanied by other saving graces, Gen 12-14 and Acts 10. Saving graces are the fruit [singular] of the Spirit. They are ‘privileges’ belonging to those adopted as children of God. Their presence is outward evidence of salvation bestowed by sovereign free grace at effectual call. Faith in Christ is an evidence of salvation and eternal life and not a means to obtain eternal salvation or eternal life.

If some sincere folks want to believe that faith, a saving grace of eternal salvation, is the means to secure eternal salvation itself, then I really can’t see how a profitable dialogue is possible with such folks. It is like conversing with folks who are convinced and insist that a function of life, like breathing, is the means to secure the life itself. Therefore repentance and faith are outward saving graces of the eternal salvation already bestowed by free grace at the effectual call to life, i.e., justified, regenerated and adopted. For me to believe otherwise would be inconsistent with the plain testimony of Scriptures.


5. Some Common Misreading of Scriptures

There is a very sad but common misreading and misunderstanding of the passages of Scriptures that speak of faith and eternal life, e.g., like John 3:16 and Lk 13:1-5 quoted in the theological statement above.

There are passages in the New Testament which declare categorically that eternal life must precede faith or belief, e.g. John 3:3-8,15-16 17:2-3, etc. Without life, there can be no activity of life. Faith is an activity of spiritual life. This is a given, and non-negotiable. The eternal life bestowed by God’s free and sovereign grace must precede all spiritual acts by His elect. The justification of life precedes the actual bestowal of life, thus enabling a person to believe. Nowhere do the Scriptures speak of faith preceding eternal life.
It is perfectly true that there are also passages that speak of faith as preceding and saving the already redeemed life of the believer. This is perfectly true without contradicting those passages that speak of eternal life preceding faith. Rightly dividing the Word of God would inform us that the eternal life preceding faith and the blessed life obtained as a result of faith in Jesus Christ are speaking of very different things. Being saved from eternal wrath by God’s grace and being saved from this perverse generation by obedience of the regenerated elect of God are two very distinct matters. We must distinguish the sound from the sense of the same word. Eternal life is a gift bestowed upon a spiritually dead sinner. The life that is obtained by faith in Christ is this present redeemed life lived in knowing and enjoying and serving Christ. It is a life that can be saved or lost depending on how a believer lives his life, which has been redeemed for a specific purpose – to know God by enjoying him.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it” Mk 8:35. These are words addressed to disciples, to those who would follow Christ. The life that a disciple will save or lose is not the same as the eternal life supernaturally birthed in him, and which enables him to follow Christ. It is his redeemed life to be lived out here and now. It is self-evident that the life that will be saved as a result of faith in Christ, cannot possibly be the same as the eternal life bestowed by free grace before faith. One who lives his redeemed life for the sake of Christ and the gospel, the same shall save that redeemed life. That redeemed life is not wasted or squandered. It is saved unto eternal life. The ‘it’ that is saved unto eternal life cannot be the same as the eternal life! See John 12:25 below.