by George Sidney Hurd
-- Throughout the Scriptures we see that we are saved by faith alone. In Ephesians 2:8-9 it most emphatically says: “For by grace you have been saved (perfect passive) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8–9) Paul could say to the believers at Ephesus that they had been saved exclusively by God’s grace the moment they believed. The phrase “have been saved” is the perfect participle of σώζω (σεσῳσμένοι). The perfect tense in Greek expresses an action completed in the past with results continuing into the present. No one can be saved by works since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:20,23). Yet, from the moment that we simply believe, we can confidently say that we have been saved by faith alone apart from works. Some think it is presumptuous for anyone to say, “I am saved.” However, far from being presumptuous, it is simply a matter of believing the clear declarations of God’s word. The question that I will be considering in this article is, what is true saving faith? Is the object of our faith important? It is becoming more and more common to hear people say that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you have faith. Inclusivists say that it is not necessary for one to hear and believe the gospel in order to be saved – that one can be saved by simply believing in some general revelation of God’s existence without ever having actually heard of Christ and what He accomplished for us on the cross. I examine the modern doctrine of Inclusivism in my article: What Must I do to be Saved? Is saving faith merely mental assent, as many within the Free Grace Movement claim, or does saving faith of necessity also consist of one putting their trust in Christ as their Savior? The first of the Fathers to do a comprehensive inductive study of the Scriptures concerning the subject of saving faith was Saint Augustine in the late 4th century. He distinguished between three distinct ways in which one can believe: 1) Credere Deum: to believe that God exists, 2) Credere Deo: to believe in God, and 3) Credere in Deum: to believe into God or entrust oneself to God. He emphasized that only those who have believed into God have believed unto salvation. In a similar manner, the Reformers pointed out three essential elements to true saving faith: 1) notitia: “information or knowledge,” involving our intellect; 2) assensus: “assent or agreement,” involving our emotion and 3) fiducia: “trust or confidence,” involving our will. The following is a consideration of these three elements of saving faith with particular emphasis upon Augustine’s third level of faith, considering what it means to believe into Christ. 1) Notitia The Latin word notitia means knowledge or information. In order for one to have saving faith, they must first hear and have at least a rudimentary understanding of the gospel that Jesus died for their sins, was buried and rose again for their justification (1Cor 15:1-4). Faith is not some ethereal mystical essence. Our faith is only as efficacious as the objective truth upon which it is built. We must first hear the gospel in order to have saving faith. As Paul said: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom 10:14) While knowing the truth alone does not save, notitia is foundational to saving faith. Contrary to the claims of Inclusivists, saving faith isn’t possible without the notitia of the gospel message. As Paul said: “Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17 DRB). This first element of saving faith, notitia, is at times referred to in Scripture as “the faith,” (i.e. that body of objective truth upon which our faith is based). These foundational truths are essential to saving faith. For this reason, Satan, the deceiver, has always sought to undermine the notitia or the faith. That is why Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, enjoins us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Much of what is today referred to as “deconstruction” is actually a departure from the faith, the notitia. I believe that what we are witnessing is that which Paul prophesied would occur in the last days. He said: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1Tim 4:1) More than ever, in our present Postmodern relativistic culture in which the objective truths of God’s Word – the foundational notitia of our faith, is being undermined, we need to do what Paul enjoined Timothy to do: Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have received (2Tim 1:13). However, as important as notitia is, it is only the first element of saving faith. 2) Assensus The second element of saving faith is assensus which means assent or agreement with the notitia or information. It is not enough to know the truth-claims of the gospel, we must also agree that they are true. Yet, contrary to what many “Free Grace” teachers claim, mere mental affirmation does not save anyone. One could be a theologian able to articulate every major doctrine of Scripture with precision – he could even agree with the Scriptures, affirming them as being entirely true, and yet not have saving faith. James wrote his epistle to the Jews of the dispersion. No doubt, in their daily prayers they still repeated the Shema: “The LORD our God, the LORD is One..” He made what to them would have been a shocking statement. He said: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (Jas 2:19). He did this to emphasize that a mere affirmation of truth never saved anyone. In fact, the demons have never doubted who Jesus is. On more than one occasion demons addressed Jesus saying things like, “I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” or “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” (Matt 8:29; Lk 4:41; Mk 1:24). So, while both the knowledge (notitia) and assent (assensus) of the gospel are essential to saving faith, it is not effectual to the saving of the soul without the third element of saving faith. 3) Fiducia While notitia and assensus involve one’s intellect and emotions, fiducia or trust primarily involves the will. It is when one goes beyond knowing about Christ and agreeing that He is who He says He is, and believing that He can do what He says He can do, to actually putting their trust in Christ for their salvation. Paul makes mention of all three elements of saving faith, knowing, becoming convinced, and entrusting oneself to Christ in one sentence. He says: “I know in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted until that day.” (2Tim 1:12). I think that the best illustration that shows the difference between mere belief and actually placing our trust in Christ to save us, is the Charles Blondin Story, which I cite here: 
An Acrobat, A Wheelbarrow, and a Challenge of Faith
“Can you imagine a tightrope stretched over a quarter of a mile and spanning the breadth of Niagara Falls? The thundering sound of the pounding water drowning out all other sounds as you watch a man step onto the rope and walk across! This stunning feat made Charles Blondin famous in the summer of 1859. He walked 160 feet above the falls several times back and forth between Canada and the United States as huge crowds on both sides looked on with shock and awe. Once he crossed in a sack, once on stilts, another time on a bicycle, and once he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet! On July 15, Blondin walked backward across the tightrope to Canada and returned pushing a wheelbarrow.” The Blondin story is told that it was after pushing a wheelbarrow across while blindfolded that Blondin asked for some audience participation. The crowds had watched and ‘Ooooohed’ and ‘Aaaaahed!’ He had proven that he could do it; of that, there was no doubt. But now he was asking for a volunteer to get into the wheelbarrow and take a ride across the Falls with him! It is said that he asked his audience, ‘Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?’ Of course the crowd shouted that yes, they believed! It was then that Blondin posed the question – ‘Who will get in the wheelbarrow?' Of course...none did. (Later in August of 1859, his manager, Harry Colcord, did ride on Blondin's back across the Falls.)” [i] True saving faith is comparable to getting into the wheelbarrow. It is trusting Jesus to carry you safely to the other side. Any faith that stops short of actually entrusting the salvation of our soul to Christ is not saving faith. According to James, the faith of mere mental assent is demonic faith (Jas 2:19). The author of Hebrews contrasts the faith that draws back, with those who have faith unto the saving of the soul, (i.e., saving faith) (Heb 10:39). Believing into Jesus This brings us to an important distinction between believing in Jesus and believing into Jesus, pointed out by St. Augustine of Hippo and others after him, such as St. Bede of England in the 7th century and Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It wasn’t until the 13th century under the influence of Thomas Aquinas that saving faith came to be seen as more of a mental exercise, believing in a proposition, rather than relational, believing into Jesus or receiving Him as one’s personal Savior, becoming one with Him. Augustine emphasized the crucial difference between believing in Jesus and believing into Jesus. Alluding to James 2:19, he said: “But it makes plenty of difference, whether someone believes in Christ, or whether they believe into Christ. For even the demons believed him to be actually Christ, nevertheless the demons did not believe into Christ.” [ii] Are there any Scriptures which actually present saving faith as believing into Christ? There are many passages which speak of our union with Christ, which is the result of believing into Christ, becoming one spirit with Him through regeneration. But, additionally, there are numerous passages which, literally translated, speak of believing into Him (πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν). The following are some examples: (Matt 18:6; John 1:12; John 3:16; John 3:18; John 3:36; John 6:29; John 7:5; John 9:35; John 9:36; John 11:26; John 11:48; John 12:36; Php 1:29). However, most modern translations do not properly translate the numerous verses which speak of believing into Christ. They render the preposition εἰς (eis) as “in” or “on” instead of “into.” The only Bible translations I could find which rendered πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν literally as “believing into Him” were the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible (LITV), and the Holy Bible Recovery Version. Greek scholars agree that the preposition εἰς most commonly means “into” and εἰς is always used with the accusative which normally suggests motion. [iii] The most common argument for rendering it “believe in or on Him” rather than “into Him” is that it doesn’t make sense to speak of someone believing into another person. It is true that it would be impossible for one to believe into any person outside of God Himself and Christ His Son. However, as Augustine points out, believing into Christ is unique in that it results in our justification and organically unites us with Christ: “Again also, of his own apostles we are able to say, ‘We believe Paul’ but not ‘We believe into Paul;’ ‘We believe Peter’ but not ‘We believe into Peter.’ For whoever believes into him who justifies the wicked, their faith is reckoned as justice.” [iv] “When you believe into Christ, therefore, by your believing into Christ, Christ comes into you, and you are in some way made one with him (literally “united into him”) and made a member in his body.” [v] In John 1:12 we see that believing into Christ is equivalent to receiving Him: “But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His name.” (Jn 1:12 LITV) It is upon receiving Christ, believing into His name, that we become united to Christ, being baptized into His body by the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:3-4; 1Cor 6:17; Eph 1:13). Augustine said that believing into God is believing to go into God, being incorporated into Him: “To believe into God, is by believing to love, by believing to go into God, by believing to cling to God and to be incorporated in God’s members.” [vi] This believing into Christ, thereby becoming one with Him is what the Fathers referred to as the theosis or the divinization of man. I discuss this subject further in The Theosis or the Divinization of Man. From what I have been able to gather, the Church during its first centuries didn’t see saving faith as merely believing in Jesus, embracing a proposition as true, but as embracing the person of Christ, believing into Him, and being united to Him in a vital union, just as Jesus prayed for in the upper room during the last supper with His disciples: “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe into Me (εἰς ἐμέ) through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (Jn 17:20–23) If you have believed in your heart, receiving Christ, or believing into Him, then you have been united to Christ, becoming one spirit with Him (1Cor 6:17) For a more thorough and scholarly treatment of this subject, I recommend Believing into Christ, by Natalya Cherry. While she is not a Conservative author, she is a Latin scholar and quotes extensively from the Church Fathers. [i] https://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Blondin-story.html [ii] Augustine, sermon. CXLIV [iii] Robertson, A. T.. A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research: “The accusative indeed normally suggests motion (extension), and that did come to be the common usage of εἰς plus the accusative. The resultant idea would often be ‘into,’ but this was by no means always true.” [iv] Augustine, Tractatus XXV (Homily 25) . [v] Augustine, sermon. CXLIV, . [vi] Peter Lombard, Sententiae, p. 143 quoting Augustine in Tract. Ev. Jo. XXIX 
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