What makes a covenant child of God different from an unbeliever. Indeed, there is the element of God’s grace enacted toward them (Exd. 34:6; John 1:14-17; 2 Cor. 12:9). However, one could argue that faith sets the believer apart from the unbeliever. The Bible defines faith in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Three critical words in this verse draw an equivalency: faith (pisitis), hope (elpizo), and conviction. One may diagram the parity as follows: “assurance of things hoped for” = “faith” = “conviction of things not seen.” Let us define some terms using Strong’s Concordance and Thayers Greek-English Lexicon.
Summarizing “faith’s” definition, one learns that Scripture speaks of faith as the belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. As faith relates to God, it is the conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things and the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. As faith relates to Christ, it represents a solid and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven (Thayers Greek-English Lexicon).
Summarizing the definition of “hope,” one looks forward with confidence to the excellent and beneficial. It means to expect, with the implication of some benefit. One must also note that hope is in the present tense, which speaks of continuous action, or better, a continual attitude of hope (Thayers Greek-English Lexicon). Therefore, hope is a confident expectation as Peter has in mind in 1 Peter 1:13.
The final word to consider in the faith, hope conviction correlation is “conviction.” Conviction indicates something brought into the light in one’s heart-mind that is not based on visible matters. In commenting on its use here, Thayer defines it as follows: “that by which invisible things are proved and we are convinced of their reality” (Thayers Greek-English Lexicon). Its second definition is simply “conviction.” Conviction indicates something brought into the light in one’s heart-mind that is not based on visible matters. This verse describes the believer as convinced that the things they cannot see are real.
Understanding this Biblical definition of faith with its equivalent parities, the believer extrapolates its correlation with justification and sanctification. The last post considered The
Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 73. It is prudent that one considers the second half of the answer to its question: “How does faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?” Answer: “…only as an instrument by which he receives and applies Christ and his righteousness” (John 1:12; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16).
Justification is only God’s work in a believer’s life. God provides and imputes the righteousness and surety of Jesus Christ by grace alone. Nothing a person does can earn justification. Christ and Christ alone satisfy and merits everything a covenant child needs to appease the judgment of God. And it is through God’s grace that He provides the faith to receive the righteous justification of Christ. Brakel states, “The stronger the faith in Christ is, and the greater the measure of clarity is with which the promises made to believers are perceived and in a lively sense are received by faith and applied to the soul, the more clearly the believer will hear the pronouncement of the justifying sentence by the righteous Judge, and the greater measure of peace and joy will be” (Wilhelmus Á Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service:2, 614).
Faith also has a relationship with sanctification. Again, The Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 75 asks then answers: “What is sanctification? Sanctification is a work of God’s grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit (Ezek. 36:27; Phil. 2:13; 2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:11) applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them (Rom. 6:4-6; Col. 3:1-3; Phil. 3:10), renewed in their whole man after the image of God (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:23-24; 1 Thess. 5:23); having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts (Acts 11:18; 1 John 3:9), and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened (Jude 20; Heb. 6:11-12; Eph. 3:16-19; Col. 1:10-11), as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life (Ezek. 36:25-27; Rom. 6:4,6,12-14; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Pet. 2:24; Gal. 5:24).”
The covenant child must understand that faith will not satisfy them with receiving Jesus Christ only once by His justification. Instead, the believer’s faith excites a desire to be more and more like the Savior. By faith, one aspires to live continually in union with Christ, glorifying God in the great work of redemption wrought in one’s life. “The growth of spiritual life also increases in consequence of faith’s activity in reference to the promises” (Brakel, 615).
Finally, a believer’s faith motivates one to follow after Christ in the sufferings in this life that are associated with sanctification (Matt. 16:24-26). God leads the covenant child through various trials and sorrows, whether bodily or spiritual, to partake in His holiness. Believers become partakers of the peaceable fruit of righteousness when they bear their cross well (Brakel, 615-616). Horatius Bonar puts it this way, “By faith we choose affliction with the people of God, and despise Egypt’s treasures. By faith we keep our passover; pass through the Red Sea; overthrow Jerichos; subdue kingdoms; work righteousness; stop the mouth of lions; quench the violence of fire; turn to fight the armies of the aliens, and refuse deliverance in the day of trial, that we may obtain a better resurrection (Heb. 11:35)” (Horatius Bonar, Christ Is All, 150). Why does the believer live with such faith? Because of the hope and conviction one possesses.
Andrews PCA 