Three Elements of Genuine Faith: Part Two

In part one of this series of posts, I argued that in order for genuine saving faith to take place, there must be a basic understanding of the "content" of the gospel. It isn't enough just to "have faith" in the abstract--- as if the concept of faith itself ever saved anyone. Biblical, saving faith must be directed toward something-- or more importantly-- toward Someone, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. So the essential content a person needs to understand in order to exercise genuine faith must be the fundamental truths regarding Jesus Christ's life, death, burial, and resurrection.

However, a second element must be present in order for genuine saving faith to take place. What is it?

2. Genuine faith must include belief/assent.

When I was a student at a public high school, it was possible to take Old Testament Survey for class credit. In fact, my homeroom teacher was the instructor for that very class. Now, what is so intriguing is that students in that class were exposed to all the right content of the Old Testament: Adam and Eve, the Fall, Noah's Ark, even Jonah and the whale. No story was withheld. No verses were overlooked or excluded. Yet-- the overwhelming majority of those public school students did not believe what they were hearing!

In other words, for genuine, saving faith to take place, there must not only be an intellectual interaction with the truth of the gospel message, there must also be added to that a heartfelt belief and acceptance of it as true and reliable. It's not enough just to have the right content or right knowledge-- one must also believe that content and receive it as God's truth!

John 1:12 reminds us "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to believe in His name..." 1 Cor. 1:21 also says "...it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." So, while true faith must begin with a proper understanding of the content-- it doesn't stop there. It must progress forward into belief--- accepting it and receiving it as true.

When I was traveling back from Israel last summer on an enormous 777 jet-liner, I noticed a special sticker on the seat back in front of me which read: "Your seat cushion is a flotation device".

Now just imagine that jet-liner making an emergency crash-landing into the ocean-- and two passengers are faced with having to exit the plane into the water. One passenger upon seeing that sticker remarks, "Oh, what an interesting factoid-- my seat cushion is a flotation device. What an ingenious idea!" Does that person have the right knowledge-- the proper content? Yes! But the second passenger who actually believes it--- she is the one who unbuckles her seat belt and removes her seat cushion out of its frame in preparation for swimming.

That's the difference between understanding the content and believing it. So many people today give an intellectual assent to the right facts regarding God, Jesus Christ, and the gospel-- and yet they don't believe it. It is only a disconnected head-knowledge that has never penetrated the heart.

This is a challenging reminder to us that simply having an intellectual understanding of God, Jesus, or the gospel is not sufficient for genuine saving faith! Even if someone were to have an exhaustive knowledge of all sixty-six books of Scripture-- that does not mean they are destined for eternal life, because the Bible mandates that genuine faith must always include this second important element of belief/assent.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life." John 6:47 NKJV