Chapter 23: Of Faith and Union with Christ

Q. You have spoken of the person, offices and actions of Christ; you are now to shew the benefits that come by Christ, and how we are made partakers of Christ and of his benefits?

A. We are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits by faith alone (John 1:12 and 3:16, 18, 36 and 20:31; Ephesians 3:17 and Acts 16:31).

Q. What do you mean by faith?

A. That grace of the Spirit whereby we receive Christ, which is wrought in our hearts in our effectual calling?

Q. How is faith wrought in effectual callings?

A. Effectual calling consists of two parts, the offer of Christ to the soul, and the soul excepting of that offer or the call of God when he calls the soul to come to Christ, and the answer of the soul to that call: now this latter is nothing else but faith.

Q. How is faith wrought in us?

A. Not by any power of our own free will, or merely by moral persuasion; for we are dead in sins and trespasses.

Q. How then is it wrought?

A. By the almighty power of the Spirit of God as the author of it; and by the word as the instrument thereof.

Q. How does the word work faith?

A. The law prepares for it, by convincing the soul of sin, and terrifying for the same, through the work of the spirit of bondage.

Q. And what does the Gospel?

A. It presents the excellency and worth of Christ as an only and all-sufficient savior; but withal convincing the soul of its great sin in not believing in Christ, of its utter insufficiency to come to him, and its great unworthiness to have any part or portion in him.

Q. What follows hereupon?

A. Hereby the soul feeling itself to be utterly lost is further and more kindly broken and humbled (Luke 19:10; Isaiah 61:1, 2, 3; Matthew 11:20; Zechariah 12:10).

Q. What else is done by the Gospel in the working of faith?

A. It sweetly encourages poor lost souls to come to Jesus Christ, and enables them so to do, rolling and resting themselves upon him, by the help of the spirit of grace, which is ministered thereby.

Q. It seems then you make Christ the object of faith?

A. Yes; not only the whole truth of God, but specially Christ Jesus as he is set forth in the promises of the gospel, is the object of saving faith.

Q. Wherein does the nature of this faith consist?

A. Not only in knowledge of the revealed will of God; and in assent to the truth thereof; for so much may be found in devils.

Q. What is there more than this in saving faith?

A. There is also a coming to Jesus Christ, with affiance, and reliance upon him.

Q. What is the subject in whom this faith is wrought?

A. This faith is not wrought in any reprobate but only in the elect; and not only in the understanding, or only in the will but in the whole heart.

Q. And what a heart is it in whom this faith is wrought?

A. Only the heart of such an one as is now a poor, lost and broken-hearted sinner (Matthew 9:12 and 11:28; Luke 19:10 and 3:4, 5, 6).

Q. Why say you so?

A. Because till the heart be thus prepared, men will never come to Christ, nor can they truly believe on him.

Q. What do you think then of those who profess themselves to be true believers, and yet were never in any measure thus prepared and humbled?

A. The case of such professors is very dangerous.

Q. Why say you so?

A. Because the fallow ground of their hearts being never broken up, they do but sow among thorns, and so the stoniness of their hearts not being removed by any sound and thorough work of contrition and humiliation, therefore though they may for a time receive the word with joy, and believe for a season, yet they are like to be but temporary believers, and in time of temptation fall away.

Q. You have shewed the cause, and the object, the nature and subject of faith; tell me now what are the principal effects of faith?

A. Hereby we have union with Christ himself, and so communion with him in all the benefits which he has purchased for the elect.

Q. What do you understand by union with Christ?

A. That spiritual conjunction between Christ and the believer whereby the believer has possession of Christ as his own, dwelling in Christ, and Christ in him, and is made one spirit with him.

Q. By what comparisons or similitudes is this union expressed in Scripture?

A. It is expressed by that union that is between the husband and wife, the vine and the branches, and the head and the members.

Q. What benefit comes to believers by means of this their union with Christ?

A. Being one with Christ, therefore Christ will be sure to take all their injuries and afflictions as if they were his own, will free them from condemnation, and afford to them communion with him in all his benefits.

Q. What are those benefits of Christ wherein believers have communion with him by virtue of this their union?

A. Some of the principal are justification, adoption, and sanctification, besides which if God give us Christ, he will with him freely give us all things also.