Much is written and spoken concerning faith in our day.  We hear about faith constantly;  faith in
government, also called its credibility, faith in our leaders, faith in our fellow man, faith or confidence in the
economy and the markets, etc.  We also hear a great deal about faith in God or faith in Christ.  We are told
that it is something which we must have in order to be saved;  we must believe.  But just what is this faith?
Are the current notions of it correct?  How are we to understand it?  Is it the work of man or the work of
God?  In order to solve some of the confusion and to obtain a proper view of faith, we must look at the
Biblical teaching regarding it.

 We must say that faith is the bond whereby the regenerated sinner is united with Christ.  Now a
bond presupposes a certain unity with Christ on the part of those that possess this faith.  And exactly such a
unity there is.  For faith is grounded in God's sovereign election, that act of God whereby he chooses some
to be His people in Christ Jesus.  This immediately unites them with Christ, and also means that only the
elect can be the possessors of faith.  Moreover, this unity with Christ is principally realized in the people of
God in God's sovereign work of regeneration, that work of God whereby he changes the elect sinner from a
child of darkness and sin to a child of God as to the center of his being, his heart.  So undoubtedly we must
say that even before faith is worked in God's people, there is a unity between them and Christ, a unity
grounded in election and begun in regeneration.

 Now faith is the means whereby that unity is realized for the child of God, i.e., whereby he
becomes conscious of and knows his relationship with God in Christ.  This idea may be compared to an
electric light which is connected by wires to a power source;  the light does not burn until the switch is
thrown and current flows through it.  So also is faith; though there is a connection between God's people
and Christ, that relation is not realized except through the means of faith.  Faith is therefore the living bond
or connection between them and Christ, whereby they consciously become partakers of Christ and all His
benefits.  We must remember that all of our salvation is in Christ alone; in Him is our redemption, the
forgiveness of sins, the adoption unto children, eternal and perfect righteousness, knowledge of God and
wisdom, sanctification, eternal life and light.  Faith is the means whereby all of these blessings of Christ,
and Christ Himself, become the conscious possession of the believer.

 Further, faith may be distinguished as potential and actuality.  In order to understand this, we may
best compare the power of faith to the power of dynamite.  A stick of dynamite is power; but it is not real
power, only potential power.  When it is detonated, it becomes real power.  So also is faith; it is
distinguished as a potential and an actual power.  The potential of faith is given in regeneration.
Regeneration is principally all of salvation, though given in seed form; thus it also includes faith.  God gives
the gift of faith already in His sovereign work of regeneration, though that faith is only potential.  that faith
is brought to consciousness through the divine calling.  When God through His Spirit and Word speaks to
the elect, regenerated sinner, he calls him out of the darkness of sin into the light of conscious faith.  The
faith which the sinner has becomes conscious faith; he knows Christ, embraces Him, puts all his hope and
trust in Him, looks to Christ for all his salvation, relying on Him in time and eternity.  Thus the faith of the
believer is active, becomes an actuality, a fact, a living power whereby he is more and more united with
Christ.

 As to the contents of this faith, it consists first of all of a certain knowledge.  This is not a mere
intellectual knowledge or theoretical knowledge of Christ.  Such a knowledge is possible for anyone to
have.  Anyone can read the Scriptures and understand in his mind the doctrines of it.  But Scripture
emphatically teaches that only God's people have faith, not anybody and everybody.  Also this idea can be
illustrated by an example.  Supposing there is a table of food prepared and two men stand before it.  The
one is a professional dietitian, who can understand and explain all of the ingredients and their value, and
analyze thoroughly the protein, vitamin, mineral, and caloric contents of that food; but of that food he
cannot partake because he has cancer of the stomach.  The other man is ignorant and uneducated, and
knows nothing of the complicated chemistry of that food.  But he has worked hard and is hungry.  He sits
down and consumes the food with relish and enjoyment.  So also is the knowledge of faith.  It is not a
knowledge about something, but a knowledge of something; not a knowing about Christ, but a knowing
Christ.  that means that it is a matter of the heart; Solomon says, "Out of the heart are the issues of life."
Faith must arise from the regenerated heart of the child of God, with the result that he knows Christ, not
with a mere head knowledge, but with the deep knowledge of the heart.  Thus that knowledge is also
certain, sure; because it arises from the heart it cannot be shaken or changed or lost, but clings and seeks
and looks always to Christ.

 Faith also consists of a hearty confidence in Christ.  Again, the source of this confidence is the
heart.  By that confidence the believer surrenders himself entirely to Christ and relies on Him completely.
And he does so consciously, for this confidence belongs to his will.  From this changed will, grounded in his
regenerated heart, arises this confidence whereby he trust wholly in Christ for all his salvation.  this
confidence follows from the certain knowledge of faith; they cannot be separated; the one without the other
is impossible.  It is necessary therefore first to have the true spiritual knowledge of Christ before He can
become the object of the confidence and trust of the believer; and following from that knowledge is the
hearty confidence.  Knowing Christ from his regenerated heart, the child of God believes in trust.

 This faith is usually presented as being the work of man.  According to the Arminian idea, faith is a
work whereby man accepts Christ.  Often it is compared to a hand by which man reaches out to accept the
offered gift of salvation.  Thus the matter is relatively simple:  God loves everybody, and wants to save all
men, and offers salvation to anyone that believes.  All man must do is accept the offer, extend his hand of
faith, and thereby become the possessor of salvation.  But such is certainly not the teaching of Scripture; it
is the doctrine and heresy of man, not the Word of God.  For one thing, God does not love or want to save
all men, but only His elect.  For another, this idea denies the sovereignty of God in the work of His
salvation of His people; God does not save, or at least He cannot save without the consent and cooperation
and acceptance of man.  Man must save himself through believing on Christ; God does not save him.
Further, such a conception is totally impossible.  How can the natural man, the sinner outside of Christ, ever
believe?

Scripture teaches that he is wicked, totally sinful and depraved, in fact dead, spiritually dead in  his sins.
Can the physically dead extend a hand to one who would raise him from his grave?  How then can the
spiritually dead sinner ever extend the hand of faith to Christ, apart even from the fact that he does not and
cannot want to do so because he is at enmity with God?  How can one who is not regenerated ever have
faith?  Scripture says (Romans 10:10) that with the heart one believes unto righteousness.  No one that has
not been regenerated and had his heart changed by the sovereign work of God, can ever believe.  Thus, such
an Arminian and Pelagian idea is indeed the wicked doctrine of man and not the word of God.

 Rather, Scripture teaches that also faith is the work of God in its entirety.  He gives the potential in
regeneration; He calls it to consciousness through His powerful and efficacious calling; He realizes faith as
an actuality in the hearts and lives of believers.  Is not such the direct teaching of Scripture in Ephesians
2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith:  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Thus it is
God that gives the gift of faith to the elect, regenerated sinner.  He gives, and we believe.  And believing,
we are saved through Christ to whom we are united by faith.  And the end of it all is that God receives the
glory.  He is the Author and Finsiher of our salvation, and to Him belongs all the honor and glory forever,
for He is the Giver of the sovereign gift of saving faith.