Morning Coffee with Gomarus

Faith Imparted is a section from chaper 12 of A. W. Pink’s The Satisfaction of Christ: Studies in the Atonement.

That faith is, in some sense, essential unto salvation, it would, with an open Bible before us, be worse than idle to deny. But the important question is, Did Christ purchase the gracious operations of the Spirit and all His fruits for those for whom He died? Or, did He effect by His sacrifice nothing more than the removal of legal impediments out of the way of salvation, leaving them to provide their own faith and repentance? That Christ must have purchased these should be clear from the fact that, in their natural condition, the elect have no power to furnish any spiritual graces. It has been rightly pointed out that, “The Scriptures everywhere ascribe the whole ground and cause of our salvation to Christ. But if the differentiating grace which distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever is to be attributed to any cause external to Christ’s mediation, then that cause, and not His redemption, is the real cause of salvation” (A. A. Hodge).

That faith is necessary in order to salvation is clear from such verses as Acts 16:31; Romans 1:16, etc. God never gives the one without the other, therefore both are inseparably connected in His eternal purpose thereunto: “God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit [the new birth] and belief of the truth” (2 Thess. 2:13). Yet it is a mistake to say that faith is a “condition” of salvation in the sense of my paying for an article is the condition of obtaining the same. Every condition to the right of salvation has been fulfilled for us by Christ. Faith is rather the connection between the soul and God’s salvation in Christ, and that connection is made by the Holy Spirit. The various steps in the outworking of God’s eternal purpose are set forth in Romans 8:29, 30. The actual application of redemption commences with the effectual call of the Spirit, by which the elect are brought out of a state of nature into a state of grace.

There are two chief errors in connection with saving faith. The first is that fallen man is the author of it, that it is the product of the creature’s will. This is a horrible delusion which must be firmly withstood. A dead man cannot believe. Believing in Christ in a spiritual and saving way is the result and fruit of “life” communicated to the heart. Christ declared that “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44): this is accomplished in and by the Spirit’s regeneration. It should be noted that John 1:12 is explained in 1:13, as that John 3:15, 16 are preceded by John 3:6, 7. Those who are born again believe. Those who believe have been born again: “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is begotten of God” (1 John 5:1 R. V.).

The second error is in separating the Spirit’s communication of faith from the merits of Christ’s sacrifice. “Why did we at first believe? Why do we still exercise that faith and walk by it? Only because it was covenanted for on our behalf when Christ undertook to die for us. It should help us to pray better, ‘Lord, increase our faith’ when we remember at what a cost that faith was procured for us. And certainly this alone will keep us from one of the subtlest of all Satan’s snares, pride of faith. . . . How easy it is to live proudly on faith! Faith will do as well as works for Satan’s purpose of leading us to give to man the glory that is Christ’s” (From Papers of the Sovereign Grace Union Conference, 1923).

In order that Christ may have all the glory even for our believing in Him, it is most necessary to recognize that faith is not only God’s gift, Ephesians 2:8, 9 (and therefore while we are saved “through” faith, we are not saved for faith), and that this faith is “of the operation of God” (Colossians 2:12), i.e. of the Spirit’s working, but also that the Spirit imparts it on the ground of Christ’s redemption, i.e. that Christ merited it for us. It is because Christ appeased God’s wrath and removed the obstacles from the outflow of His mercy toward us, that the Spirit is free to work in us. This is clearly stated in 2 Peter 1:1, “To them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (R. V.). God has treasured up all the store of grace and gifts in Christ, and it is out of His “fullness” the Spirit takes (John 16:14) and we “receive” (John 1:16). Only as this is held fast is the righteousness of Christ exalted and magnified.

In Ephesians 1:3 we are told that God “hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ,” and not the least of these is faith! In Romans 8:32 the question is asked, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Yes, “with” Christ, God freely bestows on us the Spirit, faith, repentance and all that is needed for time and eternity. In Philippians 1:29 we read, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” In 1 Peter 1:3 it is said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us.”

It is as “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” that God begets us! Salvation and all the blessings accompanying it were purposed, promised and purchased long before writer and reader first saw the light of day. Those for whom Christ died have an indefeasible right to what He bought for them, and that, long before they come into actual possession of the same. If it be asked, This being so, why do not the elect enter upon the enjoyment thereof as soon as they are born into this world? The answer is, because God has reserved to Himself the right and liberty to discharge the debtor when and as He pleases. As in the parable: some are called at the first hour, some at the third, sixth, ninth, and some at the eleventh (Matthew 20).