That is why professing Christians will be shocked at the last day, when they hear Jesus say, “I never knew you.” They will protest, “Lord, Lord.” To be sure, believing that Christ and his promises are true, based on a testimony, is a necessary part of faith. But it is not the saving essence of faith.
The Spiritual Apprehension of Truth
What makes faith saving faith is this “different way” of believing that comes from a different (not alternative, or contradictory) way of apprehending the reality believed. This different way is what Hodge calls a “spiritual apprehension of the truth.” He says, “It is a faith which rests upon the manifestation by the Holy Spirit, of the excellence, beauty and suitableness of the truth. … It arises from a spiritual apprehension of the truth, or from the testimony of the Spirit with and by the truth in our hearts” (156).
To illustrate this kind of spiritual apprehension that constitutes an essential part of saving faith, Hodge cites three texts:
- Luke 10:21. God has “hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.” Both the wise and the children are hearing the same advocates, and looking at the same evidences. But there is a difference. Jesus says the difference is something God “revealed.” In other words, it goes beyond what we see with physical eyes and hear with physical ears and infer with natural reason.
- Matthew 16:17). This sight is something different.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6).
In other words, even though it is essential to use the mind and the senses to hear and see and construe the incarnate, inspired, human testimony to the truth, nevertheless, being persuaded with the mind that something is true is not the same as apprehending the beauty and worth of the truth. And without that, our conviction may be no more than the devil’s useless assurance that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Even he “believes” that. But he does not see it as beautiful and precious and wonderfully suited to accomplish good and holy purposes.
What Does It Mean to Believe a Promise?
What then does this reality mean for our conviction that believing the promises of God is the essential thing in saving, sanctifying faith? Here was my argument in Future Grace: Saving faith—which also sanctifies—is not only a backward glance to the foundations of faith in the work of Jesus. Saving faith is also the forward glance in the confidence that the future grace, which Christ purchased, will in fact come true—for the world, and for me.
But now we see that more needs to be said about this future-oriented faith. Now we see that it must include a spiritual perception of the beauty of God and his plan in making these promises—a beauty that we will enjoy to the full as the promises come true.
In other words, saving faith in the promises of God includes spiritual enjoyment of the God of the promises. I don’t want to overstate it. I only say that saving faith must include this enjoyment. Enjoyment of the glory of God is not the whole of what faith is. But without it, faith is dead.
Defining Faith as Resting Is Not Enough
It is not enough even to say that believing the promises of God is a resting in God and his help. We must clarify the spiritual nature of this resting in order to distinguish it from the deluded “resting” of Matthew 7:22). We rest in security, and we rest in sweetness.
This satisfaction is missing from the hearts of the professing Christians of Matthew 7:22. If the enjoyment of God himself were there, they would have delighted on earth in the very divine excellencies that such enjoyment anticipates. But instead they were “workers of lawlessness.”