Over the past couple of weeks I have been reading several sermons and excerpts from Charles Spurgeon on saving faith. Yesterday, I read again an excellent exerpt from his book All of Grace where he lays out the classic exposition of saving faith as constituting notitia (knowledge), assensus (belief), and fiducia (trust). All of Grace is a great little book where Spurgeon addresses everything from repentance and faith to regeneration and the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. In this excerpt, he speaks of the importance to know, believe, and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ. I pray it will be an encouragement to you today.
Know!
Know the Gospel. Know what the Good News is and how it talks of free forgiveness, of change of heart, of adoption into the family of God, and of countless other blessings. Especially know Christ Jesus the Son of God, the Savior of men, united to us by His human nature and yet one with God. And thus He was able to act as Mediator between God and man. He was able to lay His hand on both and be the connecting link between the sinner and the Judge of all the earth. Endeavor to know more and more of Christ Jesus. Endeavor especially to know the doctrine of the sacrifice of Christ, for the main point which addressing saving faith itself is this: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Know that Jesus was “made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Drink deep of the doctrine of the substitutionary work of Christ, for therein lies the sweetest possible comfort to the guilty sons of men, since the Lord “made Him to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Believe!
The soul believes that God is and he hears the cries of sincere hearts. The soul believes that the Gospel is from God, and that justification by faith is the grand truth which God has revealed in these last days by His Spirit more clearly than before. Then the heart believes that Jesus is verily and in truth our God and Savior, the Redeemer of men, the Prophet, Priest, and King of His people. . . . Firmly believe that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Believe that His sacrifice is complete and fully accepted by God on man’s behalf, so that he who believes in Jesus is not condemned.
Trust!
Commit yourself to the merciful God; rest your hope on the gracious Gospel. Trust your soul on the dying and living Savior; wash away your sins in the atoning blood; accept His perfect righteousness, and all will be well. Trust in his lifeblood of faith; there is no saving faith without it. . . . Fall at full length and lie on the rock of ages. Cast yourself upon Jesus. Rest in Him. Commit yourself to Him. That done, you have exercised saving faith. Faith is not a blind thing, for faith begins with knowledge. It is not a speculative thing, for faith believes facts of which it is sure. It is not an unpractical, dreamy thing, for faith trusts and stakes its destiny on the truth of revelation. That is one way of describing what faith is.
– Charles Haddon Spurgeon, All of Grace, 48-50.
Spurgeon looks like a thick John Travolta. There are, however, some theological differences.
Yeah, I liked the younger Spurgeon. He looked quite dapper.