Part 2 The Assurance of Things Hoped For

“Faith expects from God
what is beyond all expectation.”
Andrew Murray


Part 2 The Assurance of Things Hoped For: The Nature of Faith

Salvation is obtained by faith in Christ Jesus’ finished work on the Cross. Salvation comes as a result in our belief that Jesus died as our Passover Lamb, our substitute. This raises an interesting question. When were the disciples and believers of Jesus saved? As salvation rests on His being our Substitute for sin, then there faith prior to these acts wasn’t based on His crucifixion, death and resurrection.

When the disciples walked with Jesus they didn’t fully understand the concept of salvation as we do today. Jesus foretold them of His impending death for our sin and resurrection for our justification… they heard, but they didn’t truly understand.

9For as yet they did not understand the Scripture,
that He must rise again from the dead.
John 20:9 NASB

22So when He was raised from the dead,
His disciples remembered that He said this;
and they believed the Scripture
and the word which Jesus had spoken.
John 2:22 NASB

Martha’s “faith” in the Lord is related in the Gospel of John:

27She said to Him, "Yes, Lord;
I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God,
even He who comes into the world."
John 11:27 NASB

Martha’s faith was clearly not based upon Jesus as the One who would die and be risen as a personal Substitute for her sin.

She had faith in Him as the Son of God as the promised Messiah.

Likewise Simon Peter made the Spirit inspired observation:

16Simon Peter answered,
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:16 NASB

Again this is not an observation that Christ would die for his sin and be raised for his justification, but that He was the Son of God. As striking as this was, it showed no knowledge of saving faith.

There is yet another type of faith mentioned in the Gospels that is quite surprising:

30So they said to Him,
"What then do You do for a sign,
so that we may see, and believe You?
What work do You perform?”
John 6:30 NASB

Note the expression “that we may see, and believe.”
This is an example of Sense Knowledge driving the belief system.
In-other-words “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

This echoes Thomas’ statement regarding the report of Jesus’ resurrection.

25So the other disciples were saying to him,
"We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them,
"Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails,
and put my finger into the place of the nails,
and put my hand into His side,
I will not believe."
John 20:25 NASB

Thomas was willing to believe only if he had hard evidence.

When finally faced with the Lord, He invited him to indeed examine his wounds and Thomas believed saying, “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus reply to Thomas is very revealing…

"Because you have seen Me, have you believed?
Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
John 20:27-29 NASB

In this one example are contrasted two distinct types of faith.

One is Sense Knowledge Faith, which is predicated upon physical evidence.
If I can see it, feel it, taste it or smell it then I’ll believe it…

Jesus however speaks of a superior faith one where physical evidence is not present, yet one believes.

The faith that is exemplified by the men and women of Jesus day was predominantly Sense Knowledge Faith.

The Jews of Jesus’ day were still under the old covenant… they were still sacrificing Passover Lambs… the blood of animals still was atoning for their sin.

They didn’t have eternal life until Christ died on Calvary and rose again.

There is no reference to Christ as their savior or redeemer.

They did not believe in the Lords Substitutionary work,

indeed they demonstrated no knowledge of it.

We get a clarifying description of the disciples condition following the Lord’s resurrection in Luke 24: 10-53

Jesus appeared to Mary, Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and the other women who accompanied them to the tomb.

They rushed to the place where the disciples had gathered to share the good news that Jesus had risen. Note the reaction of the disciples…

10Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.
11But these words appeared to them as nonsense,
and they would not believe them.
Luke 24: NASB (my emphasis bold)

There was no saving faith on the part of the disciples…

They didn’t say:
“Ah yes, remember the Lord said this would happen…
it must be true He has risen!”

They didn’t believe until they saw for themselves.

The disciples had faith in Jesus as a Messiah, and as the Son of God.
There is no evidence that they beheld Him

as a Substitute for sin… as the Passover Lamb of God…

they viewed Him as their deliverer from Roman oppression.

The knowledge of Christ as their substitute for sin was only made clear to them later when God gave this revelation through the apostle Paul, as recorded in the Epistles.

End Part 2

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