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Originally Posted by Davidius  In these verses there doesn't seem to be a difference between believing "in Christ" and believing the message, words, propositions, etc. |
Well noted. It is for this reason that we do not accept the mystic idea that faith is void of propositional content. Faith is "notitia" and "assensus." But it is not bare "notitia" and "assensus." One must at least know and acknowledge WHAT Jesus Christ and salvation is; but one must also have trust (fiducia) in Jesus Christ for salvation. If we take the eating and drinking language of John 6:53, we see that faith is more than acknowledging the food of the soul, it is digesting and assimilating it also. Food does no good unless its nutritional qualities are broken down by the body and become part of the person's physical existence. Likewise Jesus Christ profits no person by mere knowledge of Him, but there must be a feeding upon Him and His benefits in order to receive eternal life. This feeding is an act of the whole soul, not merely the mind, but the will and affections also. It is a question in reformed theology whether the intellect or the will has primacy; but it is unquestioned that will and intellect are both involved in the act of faith. Hence the reformed faith allows no room for a bare intellectual faith.