The Canadian Presbyterian theologian Walter W. Bryden said, "The Christian is an optimist…because he believes God has come and does come into this world. The Christian's faith and hope lie in the fact that the Word was made flesh." This faith, like Jesus, is a gift God gives us so that by his gift we can come into his presence and live out our human lives as new creations. Knowing that faith is the principle work of the Spirit, what is its object, what is faith and how does the Spirit bring faith to the sinner? Calvin answers these questions in this great “faith chapter” of his Institutes.
Because of the size of the chapter I will summarize it over at least 5 entries. It really is a great chapter.
1. The object of faith. It is not the law of God or human ability. Rather, the object of true faith is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the express revelation of God. [2 Cor 4:6; Jn 17:3; Heb 1:3]
2. God in all his power and redemptive grace would have remained hidden from us if he had not purposed to reveal himself by Christ. Christ is the life, the living water, living bread and way. He is the One sent from and by God to be the Saviour. In short, he is the revelation of God himself, and thus true faith looks to Christ alone.
3. “As God he is the destination to which we move; as man, the path by which we go. Both are found in Christ alone. But, while Paul proclaims faith in God, he does not have in mind to overturn what he so often emphasizes concerning faith: namely, that all its stability rests in Christ” (Pg., 544).
4. This faith must rest explicitly upon Christ alone and simultaneously be dressed with true knowledge of Christ. Implicit faith, which is simultaneously covered with ignorance requires a person to “submit their feelings, obediently to the whim of a church” (Pg., 545), or person. This is not true faith, it is a blind fold used to cover and hide Christ as revealed by the Spirit in Scripture. Calvin writes, “Faith consists n the knowledge of God and Christ [Jn 17:3], not in reverence for the church” (Pg., 545).
Of course this does not mean the church should not preach Jesus. She must, and therefore she must judge herself to see what her “whim” is. If the whim is church growth, or psychological self-help (I could list countless other things), then she is not helping people have an explicit faith in the Lord of the world, and she needs to repent.
And if her “whim” is to preach Christ Jesus, well then she must still judge herself so she can stay on track and give people what Hauerwas once wrote, “the interpretive skills, a truthful understanding of how to see the world under the banner of Jesus Christ.”
5. Does this mean all implicit faith is wrong? No. Implicit faith is wrong when persons in a position of authority demand the “blind faith” of others, while teaching them error or not teaching them at all. Implicit faith is legitimate when it is “strictly nothing but the preparation of faith” (Pg., 547). [i.e Jn 4:50-53; 42; Lk 24:11-12; Jn 20:8]
6. The disciples are an example of this legitimate implicit faith. Notice their whole attitude about the resurrection. Jesus had told them of this truth, but they did not finally believe until they discerned for themselves the truth Jesus’ words by the resurrection fact itself. Calvin says, “Not that they then began to believe, but because the seed of hidden faith - which had been dead, as it were, in their hearts - at that time burst through with renewed vigour! For there was in them a true but implicit faith because they had reverently embraced Christ as their sole teacher” (Pg., 547).
7. Anselm sums up the meaning of true implicit faith in the phrase “Faith seeks understanding.” Because we are surrounded by many obstacles and clouds, our faith is not complete. But we must strive to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and teachers of the church must seek to make the members of Christ, scholars of Christ who abound in the knowledge of the object of true faith, namely Jesus Christ.
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