Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Day VII—“that not only to others, but to me also … freely given by God”

Q. 21. What is true faith?

 

A. True faith is not only a certain knowledge, whereby I hold for truth all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also an assured confidence, which the Holy Ghost works by the gospel in my heart; that not only to others, but to me also, remission of sin, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are, freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits.

 

 

 

WELL-MEANT OFFER ARGUMENT:

“All men who outwardly hear the gospel are not only commanded to repent but also to ‘believe’ (that is, to have and exercise true faith in its true, full, and spiritual sense—hyper Calvinists deny this by their denial of duty-faith and by their making a distinction between ‘natural’ faith and ‘spiritual/evangelical’ faith—the latter being commanded of the elect alone, so they argue) ... As to what this true faith is, exactly, is described by the Heidelberg Catechism as ‘... not only a certain knowledge, whereby [the individual] holds for truth all that God has revealed to [him] in His Word,’ but also ‘an assured confidence’ that ‘not only to others, but to [the individual himself who outwardly hears the gospel] also, remission of sin, everlasting righteousness, and salvation are freely given by God, merely of grace, only for the sake of Christ’s merits.’ (Q&A 21) ... Granted, the reprobate are not given Christ and all His benefits (i.e., remission of sin, everlasting righteousness, and salvation) in a ‘subjective’ or ‘inward’ sense, but, according to the catechism, are nevertheless ‘given’ these things in another sense: an objective, outward sense—specifically, in the gospel that is preached to them. How else can we justify the catechism’s definition of true faith, along with the truth that all are commanded to have this faith, without the notion of the gospel as a well-meant offer: an ‘objective giving,’ as it were, of remission of sin, everlasting righteousness, and salvation in Jesus Christ to each and every hearer ... How can the reprobate have this ‘assured confidence’ that Christ and all His benefits are ‘freely given’ to them, unless they really and truly are well-meangingly offered to them? ... Is there a difference between being commanded to ‘believe the gospel’ (something which everyone is commanded to do) and being commanded to ‘have true faith’? Aren’t the reprobate also commanded to ‘believe’ (aka, have ‘true faith’) in Jesus Christ?”

 

 

 

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Prof. David J. Engelsma

The answer to this question is two-fold.

First, the nature of the true faith described in Q. 21 of the Catechism is that of the one who according to Q. 20 has been ingrafted into Christ and who has received all of Christ’s benefits by his true faith.  This one has the knowledge and confidence described in Q. 21. 

Second, the faith referred to in the call of the gospel, “Believe,” is not a call to believe something, namely, that he is saved and that he has the confidence of salvation.  Obviously, he cannot have this knowledge and confidence before believing.  But he is called to believe on Someone, that is, to know Him as the Savior and to put his trust in Him.  When the church issues the call to believe, she calls sinners to acknowledge Christ as Savior and to put their trust in Him.  Upon believing and by believing, they have the knowledge and confidence of Q. 21. (DJE, 18/03/2021)

 

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(II) 

More to come! (DV)