Ian Hamilton, “...true faith does not look into self, it is not principally ‘introspective’; it looks out and away to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the focus of faith.” • Hamilton says, “Faith is essentially extraspective.” • “Extraspective” is just the opposite of introspective – because faith looks beyond, faith examines what is outside ourselves. • In Hamilton’s book, The Faith-Shaped Life, he says, “To grasp this basic, indeed very basic, fact, will transform our lives. It is undoubtedly one of the devil's stratagems to turn the Christian in upon himself ... with both eyes on ourselves, the devil will cast us into the deepest of pits.” • Faith turns our eyes upon Jesus. • The devil turns our eyes upon ourselves. • Faith, therefore, is a rejection of the narcissism in our day. Ill. The devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Jesus was tempted to turn inward and feed himself. But, Jesus said by faith, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God.” • So, the primary movement of true faith is up and out of ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. TITLE: Three Aspects of True Faith “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.” - Heb. 11:6 (NASB) • This verse says, there is no pleasing God and no receiving from God, without faith. • Faith is where all the action is in Christian living! • BUT NOT all faith pleases God and NOT all faith receives God’s reward. Faith is NOT… A Head Faith A Said Faith A Dead Faith A Faith in Faith A Force we Manipulate An absence of Questions All these things fall short of a much broader and richer biblical view of faith. 1. Faith is facts, knowledge, content. • The Latin for this aspect of faith is “notitia.” • We all have notions of who God is, but are they true? Heb. 11:6. “the one who comes to God must believe that he is!” Faith is knowing certain facts… “… faith comes from hearing the message.” Rom. 10:17 Faith “Loves God...with all your mind.” Mark 12:30 Jesus said to the Sadducees, “You are in error.” – you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Matt. 22:29 There is no true faith unless we know the truth of who God is, that He exists, and unless we hear the true message of Jesus, and have understood it all correctly. This first aspect of faith is the intellectual aspect of faith. Francis Shaeffer, “Christianity is a specific body of truth… there is truth and we must hold to that truth… the gospel we preach must be rich in content…. we must be careful not to fall into cheap solutions of just moving people to make decisions without really knowing what they are making a decision about.” The burden in preaching and teaching and discipleing is much greater these days. Because so much is said and believed about God/Word that is factually wrong. And, the simplicity, clarity, and power of the Gospel message is getting lost in all the noise. The great need of our day is to love God/Word with all our minds! But, this is only the first aspect of faith… 2. Faith is agreement, conviction, or reception. The Latin for this aspect of faith is “assensus.” Assenting means agreeing with the doctrines taught in the Word of God. Heb. 11:6, “the one who comes to God, must believe that he exists… and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Faith is agreement that engages our emotions. It’s one thing to know facts. It is another thing to agree with those facts, and agree they are good, and rewarding! “can two walk together, without agreeing?” Amos 3:3 “Love God...with all your soul.” Mark 12:30 “Faith is the certainty of things hoped for.” Heb. 11:1 We have all met people who know the Bible, but find it disagreeable. That amounts to a full stop of faith. True faith not only knows certain facts, but there is a gladness in those facts. So faith, involves knowing the facts about Christ, and finding them agreeable,and resonating deeply in your soul. Finally, let’s look at the 3rd aspect of faith… 3. Faith is Trust, or Commitment. The latin is “fiducia.” A fiduciary is someone you trust to act in your best interest (in law, finance) Faith is also a trust, trusting Jesus to act for us, to save us from death and judgment. Hebrews 11:6 says, “the one who comes to God, must believe that he exists… and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.” How does this happen? One must come to God! How do we do that? We come by an act of trust and commitment to Christ. “By grace you have been saved through faith (through trust).” Eph. 2:8 By faith, we “Love God...with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 This aspect of faith, is an act of the will. “But as many as received Him ... to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12 This third aspect of faith, is faith that actually receives Christ in our hearts! Luther describes faith as a living trust of the heart. Boat illustration: You are on a little island and you realize the flood waters are coming. First, you see a boat - the boat exists! Secondly, as the flood rises, you see the boat with some emotion - it is a good boat for my need! Thirdly, action is necessary or the flood will sweep you away. The boat does you no good unless you get into the boat and trust it as the only means of safety. • Trust, is the faith that truly saves, but the facts and the agreement helped you to get there! REVIEW: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.” - Heb. 11:6 (NASB) The three aspects of faith are facts, agreement, and trust. The mind, the emotions, the will are all involved in coming to Christ and following Christ. True Christian faith integrates all three – it understands doctrine, it affirms its truth and entrusts oneself completely to Christ. Without TRUST there is no faith, but without KNOWLEDGE and AGREEMENT there can be no TRUST. Knowledge and agreement provide the foundation for faith, yet without personal trust and commitment, there is no salvation. I am afraid that many fall short on this 3rd and crucial step of faith. If that is you, pray and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior. CONCLUSION: Good News! John 5:24 (NASB), “Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. If you have never made that full commitment of yourself to Christ, why not do that today? Hear the facts concerning the message of Jesus. Agree that it is Good News to meet your need. Trust Him alone to save you from death and give you eternal life.