Samuel Hopkins · 2 of 48

Section VI. Concerning Saving Faith. · Part 2

Other passages of scripture hold forth the same truth; but it is needless to mention them particularly, since those which have been mentioned are so clear and express on the point before us. And if this were not so, and there were no such scriptures to be produced; the truth asserted may be demonstrated from what has been before proved from scripture respecting divine illumination, and saving faith, viz. That true faith implies a right taste and exercise of heart, which can be nothing but love: And the light and discerning which is essential to faith, implies disinterested benevolence, or love. And who can help seeing that approbation of the character of Christ, and receiving and trusting in him as the Saviour of dinners, which has been shown is the scripture account of faith, does necessarily imply, and really is, love to him? From all this the perfect consistency of the scripture on this head is apparent; and that it is agreeable to the reason and nature of things.

IV. It appears from the scripture that true repentance is included in saving faith: That repentance comes into the nature and essence of faith, so that where there is no repentance, there is not, nor can be, any saving faith.

This will be evident to any one, who will well observe the following things:

1. The scripture represents repentance as necessary in order to pardon. We are told that John did “preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” That is, he preached repentance, as necessary in order to their obtaining forgiveness. Jesus Christ taught his disciples, “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.” That is, that forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed and offered to all that should repent, and to none but such; to which exercises all should be invited and called. Accordingly, we find the apostles preached agreeable to this direction. “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”

2. As repentance is necessary in order to forgiveness, so forgiveness of sins is promised to repentance.

The passages mentioned under the foregoing particular are so full and express in this, that it is needless to repeat them, or to turn to others which assert the same thing. As repentance is required, in order to forgiveness, so forgiveness is connected with repentance.

3. Faith is represented in scripture as the only condition of pardon and salvation by Christ: As that without which no man shall be forgiven and saved; and to which pardon and salvation are promised. “He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned.” “He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life: And he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” To him give all the Prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins.” A great number of passages to the same purpose might be cited.

From these premises it follows, that saving faith and repentance are not two distinct exercises, but imply and include each other, so that repentance comes into the nature and essence of faith. There is no other possible supposition by which the scripture account of this matter can be reconciled. If he who believes is forgiven, and shall be saved, and he who believeth not is condemned; and yet no one is forgiven, or shall be saved, unless he repent; and pardon and salvation are promised to repentance; then he who believes, does also repent, and he who does not repent, does not believe: Which could not be true, unless repentance and faith imply each other, so that there is faith in evangelical repentance, and repentance comes into the nature of saving faith, and is essential to it. Faith and repentance are not two distinct parallel conditions of pardon and salvation. They cannot be so, consistent with the representation of scripture respecting this matter, which has been produced. But they are so implied in each other, and so far connected, that one is not without the other.

It is abundantly evident that the Evangelists and apostles viewed and treated the matter in this light. This appears not only from what has been already observed; but it will be farther evident by attending to the account which the evangelists, Mark and Luke, give of the gospel, which Jesus Christ directed his apostles to preach to all nations. In Mark, we have it in the following words—“And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned.” The good news to be proclaimed is summed up in these words, holding forth the condition on which eternal life is to be offered, and obtained, which is here called believing. Luke says that Christ directed, “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.” These words contain the sum of what Christ ordered to be preached, and express the condition on which pardon and salvation were to be offered to all nations; and therefore are parallel with the passage just cited from Mark, and do express the very same thing, though in different words. But what Mark calls believing, Luke calls repentance. Therefore, saving faith and repentance are not essentially different; but repentance implies what is essential to faith, and faith takes into the nature of it what is essential to true repentance, so that one may be put for the other consistent with propriety and truth.

The account we have of the apostles preaching this same gospel, in the execution of their Lord’s instructions, serves to prove that the above cited words of the evangelists are intended to express one and the same thing, and point out the only condition on which they were to offer pardon and salvation, and that the apostles understood it thus. When the hearers of Peter’s first sermon were brought solicitly to ask, “What shall we do!” he said unto them, “Repent, and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins.” Here he expressly preached “repentance and remission of sins,” exactly agreeable to the direction of Christ, as it is expressed by Luke. But when this same apostle is called to preach the gospel to Cornelius, and tell him, “what he ought to do,” we find him expressing himself in the following words. “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive the remission of sins.” Here, instead of repent, St. Peter uses the word believe, which is the only difference between this, and the above cited direction to his hearers. And in this he comes nearer the words in which Mark expresses the direction of our Lord, which was to be regarded as their rule in this case. “He that believeth—shall be saved.” This apostle cannot be reconciled to himself in any other way but that in which the evangelists may be reconciled to each other, viz. that by repentance he means the same thing which at another time he expresses by faith or believing. And we cannot account for his expressing himself thus, but by supposing that faith implies repentance, so that he who believes, does, in the very act of believing, repent.

But aside from the express testimony of scripture, it is demonstratively certain, that repentance comes into the nature of saving faith, from what has been proved concerning it, under the preceding particulars, viz. that saving faith implies a right disposition of heart; and that this right taste and disposition consists in love to God. For there can be no degree of right disposition, and love to God, or friendly disposition towards him, in an impenitent heart. Every degree of right exercise, and of love to God, in a sinner, implies repentance, as essential to such exercises. Therefore the impenitent man is always an unbeliever; and every believer is a true penitent.—Where there is no repentance, there is no faith.

That repentance is implied in saving faith, and the reason of it, will be still more evident, by considering the nature of true repentance, and in what it consists, according to scripture. The definition given of repentance by the assembly of divines, in the shorter catechism, appears to be agreeable to the scripture, which is in the following words, “Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it, unto God—with full purpose of, and endeavour after new obedience.” Here repentance is defined as including the whole of a saving conversion: And he who attends to his Bible, must be sensible that repentance is commonly used there in this sense, and always, unless it be evidently used in a limited sense. Repentance has a first and more immediate respect to sin, discerning, realizing, and confessing the malignant nature, odiousness and ill desert of it, as committed against God, and a violation of his law. It therefore supposes and implies the true knowledge of God, discerning and realizing his being, greatness, excellence, worthiness and authority: And consequently a conviction and sense of heart, of the righteousness, excellence and perfection of the law of God, both in the precepts and sanctions of it; or an understanding, cordial approbation of it: for it is in the light of those objects that sin, which is the transgression of this law, which derives its foundation and reason from the divine character and perfection, appears in its true colours and extent, and as infinitely odious, and deserving infinite evil, even endless punishment. Repentance includes right views and exercises of heart respecting these objects, God, law, sin which right exercises of heart are supposed and implied in right views and sentiments concerning them. Therefore, repentance implies and consists in a hearty regard to God, as infinitely excellent and glorious; or, which is the same, in love to the Deity; and in a cordial approbation of the law of God, in which the divine character appears, and is effectually asserted; and in a true love to this law, rightly understood; and in hatred of sin, as committed against this law, and this God, and an hearty acknowledgment of his own guilt and vileness, and desert of the punishment, which the law of God threatens to sin. All this will be acknowledged to be implied in true repentance, and essential to it, by all who have properly attended to this subject.

But these sentiments and exercises are supposed and implied in saving faith, or faith in Jesus Christ. If we suppose this faith to consist in right speculative views of the gospel, in a conviction of the truth and excellence of it, exclusive of any exercise of heart, if this could be, yet even this supposes and includes right sentiments of God, law, and sin; for without a right view of these, the gospel, or way of salvation by Jesus Christ, cannot be understood. For the gospel implies these truths respecting God, law, and sin, and is founded upon them; and the existence, wisdom and glory of it are derived from the nature and perfection of God and his law, and the consequent nature and ill desert of sin. If these be left out of view, there cannot be any true idea or conception of the gospel in the mind. The ideas and sentiments therefore, which are essential to repentance, are equally essential to faith in Christ.

But if saving faith includes a right disposition and exercises of heart, in receiving Jesus Christ, as he is offered in the gospel, as essential to the nature of it, which has been proved; then it necessarily supposes and implies those exercises in which true repentance consists. Embracing Jesus Christ as a Saviour, or looking to him and trusting in him for salvation from sin and misery, implies a true view and cordial approbation of the character of God, and of his law, an acknowledgment of the desert of sin, and of his desert of endless destruction; and a hatred of sin, and hearty renouncing it, and desire of deliverance from it. It is easy to see that a person cannot heartily approve of Christ as a Saviour from sin and misery, to which he is justly exposed by sin, and look to him, and accept of him, in this character, unless he sees and acknowledges himself to be a sinner, deserving eternal destruction; and in his heart hates sin and forsakes it, as no impenitent person does, or can do: For the heart, in turning or cleaving to Christ, turns from, and renounces sin, in this very act. And applying to Christ for deliverance from the curse of the law carries in it an acknowledgment of the desert of sin, and the righteousness of the divine law. It is therefore certain that repentance is implied in saving faith, and comes into the nature of it, and has a coexistence with it; and is not properly a fruit or effect of faith in Christ. Therefore, as saving faith and true repentance are thus implied in each other, so that the exercise of faith is also an exercise of repentance, we may hence clearly see the reason and propriety of the Apostles speaking sometimes of repentance as the condition of salvation, and at other times representing faith in Christ as the only condition; and that they are perfectly consistent in this.

Sometimes, indeed, repentance and faith seem to be used in a more limited sense; and, in this view, distinguished from each other. Thus we find St. Paul speaking, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here the Apostle limits the meaning of the words repentance and faith, and so makes a distinction between them. And by repentance toward God, he appears to mean right views and exercises with respect to God, as lawgiver and judge, asserting and maintaining the rights of the Deity; and so right notions and exercises respecting the law God, and sin, the transgression of this law; such sentiments and, exercises as ought to take place in the mind of a sinner, and must take place, whenever he comes to a right taste and temper of heart, whether he have any distinct views of Christ, and the way of salvation by him, or not; and which are necessary in order to understand and embrace the gospel, as has been shown. By faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, he intends those views and exercises of heart toward Jesus Christ, as a suitable and all sufficient Saviour from sin, and the curse of the law, which are agreeable to the gospel, and to which sinners are invited. According to this distinction, as repentance toward God is put first, so it takes place in the mind first, in the order of nature, and precedes faith in Jesus Christ. Repentance toward God, in this sense of it, respects the term from which the sinner turns in conversion, and consists in a cordial approbation of the law of God, and self condemnation for his sin, and hating and renouncing it in his heart. Faith in Jesus Christ respects the term to which the sinner turns, viz. God in Jesus Christ, or God manifest in the flesh; and consists in believing the gospel with all his heart, which implies receiving and trusting in Christ, as a sufficient and suitable Saviour for such a sinner.

The same distinction seems to be made between repentance, and faith in Christ, in the following passages.—“Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” “And ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” “But shewed unto them—that they should repent, and turn unto God.” But all this is consistent with repentance being implied in faith, so that where there is no repentance, there is no faith in Christ; and repentance, taken in the full sense of it, implying saving faith: And the whole may be considered as one and the same complex act of the mind, viewed and distinguished according to the different and opposite objects to which it has respect, viz. sin and the curse; and God in Jesus Christ, which is a turning from sin to God, revealed in the gospel. And therefore, when faith or repentance is mentioned without any limitation, each comprehends the whole, even active conversion, or turning from sin to God, by Jesus Christ. To prevent mistakes, and farther to elucidate this point, it must be observed, that repentance toward God, which, in the order of nature, at least, is antecedent to faith in Jesus Christ, implies faith in God, or a real belief of his being and glorious perfection. For, as has been observed, God must be seen in some measure in his true character, in order to see the reason and foundation of his law, and consequently the evil nature of sin, which can be known only by understanding the divine law. This discerning and belief of the existence and perfection of God; of the reason, reality, existence and extent of the divine law, and of the sinfulness and ill desert of man, is faith: It is the faith of a mind divinely illuminated, and implies right taste and exercise of heart: Or it is a belief peculiar to a renewed heart. And even this faith implies repentance; for an impenitent heart is not capable of it, and does not discern and believe the existence and character of God, as the renewed penitent heart does. This faith now described is, in the order of nature, antecedent to faith in Jesus Christ; as those objects must be seen as they are, and believed with a faith which implies exercises of heart in some measure answerable to them, before the gospel can be understood, or there can be any discerning or faith respecting Jesus Christ and the way of salvation by him. That the discerning and belief of these objects, God, law, sin, is true faith, and of the same nature with that by which men believe in Jesus Christ, is evident from scripture. “Faith is the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen, were not made of things which do appear. He that cometh to God, must believe that he is.” Here the Apostle is speaking of the faith, which is peculiar to good men, true saints: It is a belief that God is. It is true indeed that this faith is not complete, without believing that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, which is the same with believing the gospel, or believing in Jesus Christ; but the belief of the former is first in the order of nature, and is necessarily implied in the latter. And the latter implies a true view and belief of the existence of the divine law, and the character of the sinner as has been shewn. Our Saviour makes this same distinction between believing in God and believing in him, and speaks of the former as prior to the latter, and the foundation of it, in his exhortation to his disciples, “Believe in God, believe also in me.”

It must also be observed, that what is properly called evangelical repentance, is not prior to faith in Christ. The repentance which precedes faith in Jesus Christ, respects the objects and truths, which are discerned prior to any true regard to Jesus Christ, or the knowledge of his character as the Saviour of sinners, the former being necessary in order to the latter, as has been shewn. Repentance, considered as it respects sins against Jesus Christ, and the gospel, and the great sin of unbelief, does not precede a belief of the truths of the gospel, or faith in Jesus Christ; for this is impossible. But repentance towards God, as it has been described above, is of the same nature with evangelical repentance; and implies a disposition to repent of the sin of not believing on Christ, when his character comes into view, and does always accompany, and is implied in faith in Jesus Christ.

But though these distinctions may be made in theory, and are founded in the nature of things, and the connexion of revealed truth, and dependence of one revealed object upon another; and such distinctions may be proper and necessary in order more clearly to understand the subject to which we are attending: Yet a person may doubtless be a true believer in Jesus Christ, and not distinguish his views and exercises, so as to perceive experimentally which is prior to the other, and in what particular order they have taken place in his mind; and may entertain notions in theory on this point, which are really contrary to the truth of things, which may have been imbibed by education and wrong instruction, or some other way. But whatever contrary opinions have been advanced in theory, on this head, it is presumed that it has been now proved from scripture, and the reason and nature of things, that repentance is implied in saving faith, and comes into the nature and essence of it; so that where there is no repentance, there is no saving faith; and that it is impossible that any person should believe on Jesus Christ in a saving manner, with an impenitent heart, which was the truth advanced, and to be supported under this head.

V. It is evident from the holy scriptures that the whole of evangelical obedience is included in saving faith. Or that saving faith implies all the holy exercises and works of a christian, and is the sum of all; so that where there is no faith, there is no true obedience, and where there is faith, there is obedience, and in this obedience, saving faith does essentially consist. Saving faith does not produce obedience, or the latter flow from the former, as the effect from the cause; but faith itself is evangelical obedience, and cannot be distinguished from it.

When the Jews asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” he answered, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” The plain meaning of the question put by the Jews is this: What are these exercises, duties and works which God requires under the dispensation, and in the kingdom which the Messiah is to set up, in order to obtain that everlasting life which he will give? And Jesus comprised it all in believing on the Messiah. It is observable, that our Lord does not say, that in order to work the works of God, they must believe, so that their faith should become the foundation and principle of good works: But he says, This is the work itself. It will doubtless appear, that the natural and plain import of the words is, that faith in the Messiah, or believing in Jesus Christ, comprehends the whole of what the gospel requires, or is that in which conformity to the gospel in heart and life consists; and is therefore the sum of gospel holiness, or evangelical obedience.

Agreeable to this are the words of St. Paul, “The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” The Apostle is here speaking of his life as a christian, a life of christian holiness or evangelical obedience, and says, he lived this life by the faith of the Son of God; that is, by faith in Jesus Christ. For the faith of Christ, is the faith by which men believe in Christ for righteousness and justification. Hence it appears, that the spiritual life of a christian is his faith, or it is a life of faith. Therefore, that conformity to the gospel in which christian obedience consists, is called, The obedience of Faith. “According to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the Prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.” St. Paul uses the same expression in the beginning of this epistle, though it is a little varied in our translation. “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations.” He is evidently speaking here of the same thing as in the above cited words; and the words which are there translated, for obedience of faith, are exactly the same here as in the original, and should have been so translated, as such a translation is most exact and literal. And that the obedience of faith intends conformity in heart and life to the gospel revelation, or evangelical holiness or obedience, not only appears from the words themselves, in the connexion in which they stand, but also from a parallel expression in this same epistle. “I have therefore, whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ, in these things which pertain to God—to make the Gentiles obedient in word and deed.” The Apostle is evidently speaking here of the same thing, as in the above cited passages: He is speaking of the same persons, the Gentiles; of the same causes, means, and operation, the gospel preached and attended with the power of God; and therefore he is doubtless speaking of the same effect. This he here expresses by their being made obedient in word and deed. Hence it follows, that the obedience of faith, is the same with obedience to the gospel, or evangelical holiness. Agreeable to this, faith is called, obeying the gospel, in this epistle. “But they have not all obeyed the gospel; for Isaiah saith, Who hath believed our report?” Faith then is gospel obedience; that is, evangelical obedience. Therefore, obeying Christ is mentioned as the same thing with believing in him. “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation, unto all them that obey him.” The christian life of holy obedience is expressed by “Fighting the fight of faith.”

What the Apostle James says of faith serves farther to establish the point under consideration. He, speaking of saving faith, says, “Faith without works is dead.” And again, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” According to this, works, or holy exercises and obedience, are essential to true faith. They are the life of faith, by which faith lives and acts; and therefore, are faith living and acting. As the body without the spirit is not a true living man, but the spirit or life is an essential part of a man; so nothing can be called true faith, which is or can exist without works; and works, or evangelical obedience, are included in faith and essential to it, and as really, and as much faith itself, as the spirit or life of a man is essential to the man, and is indeed the man himself.

The Apostle does not say, that faith produces works, which may be distinguished from saving faith, and are the effect and consequence of it: Nor is there any thing in the Bible to warrant such a representation of the matter: Nor docs he mean any thing like this; for then the similitude by which he illustrates the subject would be ill chosen, and nothing to the purpose: For the body does not produce the spirit and life of a man, but this coexists with the body, without which it would not be a man; and does itself produce every thing done by the man externally.

But it must be carefully noted, that the Apostle does not mean external actions merely; but those exercises of heart, that disposition of will, of which external actions are the proper and genuine expression; and in which all true evangelical obedience essentially and summarily consists. He does not mean mere external motions and actions, for there is no life in them, any farther than they are the fruit and expression of internal life and motion; which internal life and motion is the life of faith, or faith living and acting; and not any effect produced by faith, any more than the life and motion of the spirit of a man is the fruit and effect of a dead body.

It will farther appear that St. James includes the works of which he speaks, by which he means evangelical obedience, in saving faith, as essential to it, by attending to what he says of the faith of Abraham, the father and pattern of all believers. “Seest thou, how faith wrought with his works; and by works was faith made perfect.” If faith operates in, or together with works; then works are the operation of faith, or faith exerting and exercising itself. And if faith be not perfect without works, then works are a part of faith, and belong to it, being included in the nature of it. If faith does not include evangelical obedience, which the apostle means by works, then faith may be perfect without it, and cannot be perfected by it. But James says, faith is not perfect without this; therefore it is implied and included in faith. Evangelical obedience is saving faith, in such a sense and manner, that the one cannot be distinguished from the other; it is the obedience of faith; and where there is no such obedience, there is no faith.