Baptist Catechism 91

Q. 91. What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel. (Heb. 10:39; John 1:12; Phil. 3-9; Gal. 2:15,16)

Scripture Reading: Galatians 2:15–16

“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:15–16, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

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Please allow me to begin by reminding you of how we arrived at the question, what is faith in Jesus Christ? 

It is has taken us a long time to get to this question, hasn’t it? And that fact alone is worth noting. “Faith in Jesus Christ” is not the first thing that our catechism talks about. No, it is question and answer 90 that teaches us that it is through faith in Christ that we escape God’s wrath and curse, and it is question 91 that defines what faith in Jesus Christ is. 

Here is the point I am making: it is impossible to understand what faith in Christ is apart from other more foundational truths—truths which questions 1 through 89 of our catechism establish. In brief, we have learned about God, the Scriptures, man, sin, and God’s plan of redemption. We have learned what it is that God requires of us and of our guilt before him. And we have learned what it is that our sin deserves. If we wish to know what faith in Jesus Christ is, and why it is required, then we must also understand these other doctrines. I’m afraid that men and women, boys and girls, are often exhorted to believe in Jesus (and even to be baptized), but without being instructed in these other foundational doctrines. That’s a problem, I think. To make a credible profession of faith in Jesus Christ, one must also know who God is, who man is, what God requires of us, that we have sinned, and what our sins deserve.  

So, what does our sin deserve? Question 89 speaks the truth when it says, “Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life and in that which is to come.” Is there any hope for sinners? Question 90 brings us good news, saying, “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.” 

Now, questions 91 through 93 will define the things that were mentioned in question 90: faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, and the outward means.

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Baptist Catechism 91

Let us now consider the way that our catechism defines faith in Jesus Christ. 

Notice, first of all, that it is not generic faith that saves us, but faith in Jesus Christ. Having generic faith does not save a person from their sins. No, faith in Jesus Christ does. Many people in this world have faith in something, but saving faith is faith in Jesus, for he is the only Savior that God has provided. He is the Christ, or Messiah. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is the only mediator between God and man. As 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5–6, ESV). And Jesus himself claimed to be the only way to the Father, saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV). So then, forgiveness of sins does not come to us through generic and undefined faith, but through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Two, notice that our catechism calls faith in Jesus Christ a “saving grace”. It is said to be saving, for it is through the instrument of faith in Jesus Christ that we come to be forgiven and saved. And it is called a “grace” because faith is a gift from God. Faith is something that you exercise. It is something that you do. You and I must place our faith in Jesus Christ to be saved from our sins. But the faith that you have – that is to say, your ability to trust in Christ – is a gift from God, and it is not a giftft that he grants to everyone. We must never forget this. Even our ability to trust in Jesus is a gift from God. We believe by his grace. 

This is what the Scriptures so clearly teach. First of all, the Scriptures teach that God has predestined some to salvation from before the creation of the world (read Ephesians 1-2, for example). Two, the Scriptures teach that God’s elect come to be saved only through faith in Jesus Christ. Three, the Scriptures teach that men and women, boys and girls, will come to faith in Jesus only through the hearing of the Word of God (see Romans 10:17). Lastly, the Scriptures teach that for someone to believe, God must give them new life, open their blind eyes, and draw them inwardly by his Spirit. The Scriptures talk about this “drawing” or “inward calling” in many ways. For now, consider what Jesus said to the multitude that came out to him in the wilderness: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44, ESV).

So then, the ability to believe in Jesus Christ is a gift from God. This is what Paul explicitly teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9, saying, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV). What is “the gift of God” according to the Apostle? Salvation is the gift of God, and so too is the faith. The grammar of the Greek demands this interpretation, and so too does the context. Notice that Paul concludes by saying, “so that no one may boast”. There is no room for the Christain to boast, for everything that we have in Christ Jesus is a gift from God, and that includes his faith. 

Our catechism teaches that “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace…”, three, “whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation…” 

So, what is it that we do when we place our faith in Jesus Christ?  What are the elements or characteristics of faith in Christ?

One, we receive Jesus Christ. In what sense do we receive Jesus Christ when we believe in him? Well, we receive him in that we welcome him as our Savior and Lord. More than this, the Scriptures teach that we are united to Jesus by faith. To have faith in Christ means that we are in him. And more than this, the Scriptures teach that when we place our faith in Christ, he is in us by his Spirit. You may read about this in John chapters 15, 16, and 17. To have faith in Jesus is not to trust in a distant and far-off Savior. No, it is to receive him, to know him, and to commune with him, by the agency of the Holy Spirit.    

I’ve said before that the components of true saving faith are knowledge, assent, and trust. In other words, to have true and saving faith, we must know certain things, believe those things to be true, and trust in Jesus. Trust is what our catechism is referring to here with the word “rest”. To believe in Jesus is to trust him, to rest in him, to take refuge in him. Trust is a vital component of saving faith. 

Three, notice the word “alone”. “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation…” So this is an all-or-nothing proposition. If we wish to be saved, then we must trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of our sins. We must go all in. It will not do to say, I believe in Jesus, but I also believe in myself, and in my own obedience or good works. If this is what you think, then it reveals that you have not understood the gospel. You have not understood those other truths that I mentioned early concerning God, man, sin, and salvation in Jesus Christ. To have Jesus as Lord and Savior means that we have abandoned all hope in other things. In Christ alone our hope is found. 

The fourth and final phrase in this answer to question 91 is, “…as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” This phrase is so important, for it roots our faith in Jesus Christ in the word of God. Friends, if you wish to be saved, then you must trust in the Jesus of the Scriptures—that is, the Jesus presented to us in the Gospel as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. This should be obvious to all. It will do you no good to claim to have faith in Jesus Christ, but to believe things concerning him—his person and work—that are contrary to the word of God. 

For example, some in this world claim to believe in Jesus Christ but think that he is the half-brother of Satan. Others claim to believe in Jesus but view him only as a great teacher. They deny that he is the eternal Son of God come in the flesh. Other examples can be given, but it should be clear that these have only hijacked a name—they pronounce the name in the same way that you and I do, but their Christ is substantially different from the Christ of scripture. 

No, if we wish to be saved, then we must have faith in Jesus Christ. And not just any “Jesus Christ”, but the Jesus Christ of Holy Scripture. In other words, to be saved, we must hear, receive, and believe the Gospel, which is the good news presented throughout the Holy Scriptures. 

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Conclusion

Q. 91. What is faith in Jesus Christ?

A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel. (Heb. 10:39; John 1:12; Phil. 3-9; Gal. 2:15,16)

Pre-Introduction

The context for our Old Testament reading is this: The Hebrews had been redeemed from Egyptian bondage by the mighty hand of the Lord. The Lord then led them through the wilderness and brought them to Sinai, where he made a covenant with them. This covenant was built upon the covenant God made with Abraham hundreds of years before. In that covenant, the Lord promised, among other things, to give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan. After the Lord entered into a covenant with Isarel through Moses at Sinai, he led them through the wilderness to the border of Canaan. In Numbers 13:1, we read, “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them” (Numbers 13:1–2, ESV). Numbers 13:25-14:35 is about the return of the spies and the report they brought to the people of Israel.  

Old Testament Reading: Numbers 13:25–14:35

“At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, ‘We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.’ But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, ‘Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.’ Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.’ So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, ‘The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.’ Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, ‘Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’ Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh [yef·oon·neh], who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.’ Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.’ Then the LORD said, ‘I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’ And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ‘How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh  [yef·oon·neh] and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.’” (Numbers 13:25–14:35, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Hebrews 3:12–19

“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:12–19, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church, but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

After preaching that sermon last Sunday on Luke 21:34, wherein Christ commands us to “watch [ourselves] lest [our] hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life…” (Luke 21:34, ESV), this question came to my mind: While it is clear that Christ is here commanding us to keep a watch over our own hearts, lest our own hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, what obligation do we have to watch out for one another in the Lord? In other words, do fellow disciples of Jesus Christ, and especially fellow church members, have an obligation to look out for one another, and, if so, what shall we do? 

Hebrews 3:12-19 came to mind. Let me explain why. 

Exhort One Another

At first, this passage sounds just like Luke 21:34. In Luke, we hear Christ speak to his disciples, saying, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” (Luke 21:34, ESV). And in Hebrews 3:12, the Apostle says, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12, ESV).

Notice, firstly, that both passages begin with a command. Christ says, “But watch yourselves…”, and the Apostle says, “Take care…” The word translated as “take care” means “to be ready to learn about future dangers or needs, with the implication of preparedness to respond appropriately—‘to beware of, to watch out for, to pay attention to’” (Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 332.) So you can see that in both passages, watchfulness or alertness is commanded. 

Notice, secondly, that both passages address disciples of Jesus. In Luke 21, Christ spoke to those who followed him into Jerusalem and the temple. In Hebrews 3, the Apostle speaks to “brothers”, a term used to address followers of Jesus Christ, male and female. So then, this warning is for those who profess faith in Jesus and follow after him. “Take care, brothers”, the Apostle commands. 

Notice, thirdly, that both passages are about keeping the heart pure. Jesus said, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with…the cares of this life.” The Apostle says, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart…” (Hebrews 3:12, ESV).

Fourthly, notice that both passages are meant to keep Christ followers from spiritual ruin. The concern of Christ is that those who follow after him be ever ready for his return. Keep your hearts pure, he commands, “lest your hearts be weighed down… and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap” (Luke 21:34, ESV). The concern of the Apostle is similar. “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12, ESV). To fall away from the living God is to fall away from trusting in God and following after him in Christ Jesus. 

Will all who have true faith in Christ persevere in the faith to the end? Yes. Stated negatively, will any who have authentic faith in Christ fall away from the living God? No. But how will they persevere?  By God’s grace, they will persevere by obeying the command of Christ and the Apostle! They will, by God’s grace, watch themselves lest their hearts be weighed down. They will take care lest their hearts grow evil and unbelieving. No doubt, God will preserve his elect in Christ Jesus. And he will preserve them by graciously enabling them to obey this command: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12, ESV).

So far, the warning of Hebrews 3:12 sounds very much like the warning of Luke 21:34, but in Hebrews 3:13, we find another command. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV). This second command takes this passage in a slightly different direction when compared to Luke 21.  In Luke 21, the responsibility is placed on the individual disciple of Jesus to keep watch over their own heart and to tend to the garden of their own soul, lest their own soul be overrun with the thorny weeds of the desire for riches, pleasures, and the cares of this world. But here in Hebrews 3:13, Christians are commanded to look out for other Christians and to exhort them. In other words, Hebrews 3:12-19 does not have individual Christians in view, but the Christian community, that is to say, the church. Brothers and sisters in Christ are to be on the lookout for one another, lest there be any in their midst whose hearts are growing evil and unbelieving, leading them to fall away from the living God. Brothers and sisters in Christ are here commanded to “exhort one another”, so that none may be “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

What does it mean to exhort? To exhort is to encourage strongly. To exhort is to appeal to or plead with someone to do something. This Greek word behind the English word, exhort, appears 109 times in the New Testament and is translated using a variety of English words: urge, comfort, encourage, beg, appeal, implore, entreat, and plead. The word is used again in the book of Hebrews in chapter 10, verse 25. There the Apostle says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV). The word translated as “exhort” in Hebrews 3:13 is translated as “encourage” in Hebrews 10:25. Christians are commaded in the Holy Scriptures to exhort and encouarge one another “lest there be in any [in their midst] an evil, unbelieving heart, leading [them] to fall away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12, ESV).

[There is a point of application to be made here. Brothers and sisters, the Christian life is clearly to be lived, not in isolation, but in community with other Christians. Our confession puts it this way: ​​Those called to repentance faith in Christ are commanded by Christ to “walk together in particular societies, or churches, for their mutual edification, and the due performance of that public worship, which he requireth of them in the world” (Second London Confession, 26.5). This can be proven from many passages of Scripture in the New Testament, including the one that is open before us today. Exhort one another. That is the command of Holy Scripture. How can you possibly exhort someone you do not know? And how can you be exhorted by someone if you are not known? This passage assumes that Christains will be members of a local church. More than this, this passage requres Christains to be good and involved members of a local church—to obey this command, you must know your brothers and sisters in Christ, and you must be known by them.]    

“But exhort one another… that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV). That is the command. I have five subpoints to present to you this morning. Each of them is meant to clarify how we are to go about exhorting one another in the church. The five points are these: Exhort one another (1) lovingly, (2) carefully, (3) consistently, (4) in and unto Christ, and (5) until we enter eternal rest. 

Exhort One Another Lovingly

First, Christ followers must exhort one another lovingly. 

Being motivated by love. 

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1, ESV)

In a loving way. 

Follow the example of the Apostle: “Take care, brothers…” Notice the tenderness of the Apostle. Notice the familial language.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)

Exhort One Another Carefully

Is exhortation needed?

Is it your place to deliver it?

What kind of exhortation is needed?

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14, ESV)

Is the time right? 

Is the place right?

Is your heart right?

“How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:42, ESV)

Is my tone and delivery right?

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.” (1 Timothy 5:1–2, ESV)

Exhort One Another Consistently

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV)

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV)

Exhort One Another In And Unto Christ

Exhort one another because we are united together in Christ.

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:14, ESV)

Exhort one another unto Christ. 

Encourage one another to trust in Jesus, to walk in his ways, and to obey his commands.   

Exhort One Another Until We Enter Eternal Rest

“As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:15–19, ESV)

Conclusion

Interesting observation. Christ warns against hardness or heaviness of heart, and then the celebration of the passover. The pattern is this: redemption, wilderness wandering, possession of the promised land. We are wilderness wanderers. There are spiritual dangers in the wilderness. Watch yourselves and look out for one another. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13, ESV)