All right, I've chosen this text.
We could have had 25 different texts to speak on the same subject,
but I've chosen the confession of Simon Peter because I believe
that it is indeed the confession of every child of God. And looking at verse 13 through
17, when Jesus came into the coast of Caesarea Philippi, He
asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son
of Man, am? And they said, Some say John
the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremiah, or one of the
prophets. He saith unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Look what Jesus said. Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. Now, the subject that we go out
upon today is so large that it is hard to know where to enter
in and to put our vessels into this vast ocean without a bank
or a bottom. Consider what Paul calls the
faith of God's elect. Titus chapter 1 and verse 1. of God's elect. There Paul calls
himself a servant of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ according
to the faith of God's elect. That Paul's ministry was purpose,
that it was geared, that it was exercised toward the faith of
God's elect. Thus we learn in reading Paul
that Paul was not and Arminian, either in persuasion or in practice. For he knew that all were not
elect and that all would not be saved. And he exercised his
ministry and endured all trials, as he said in 2 Timothy chapter
2 and verse 10, quote, for the elect's sake that they may also
obtain the salvation which is in Jesus Christ." Some are elect,
according to the Bible. These elect have a unique and
unusual faith. And this faith of the elect is
not native even in the heart of one who is an elect of God
from all eternity. But this faith is worked in them
by the power of God. It is a result of the grace of
God in them. But our subject today is this.
Faith must have an object. Yes, faith must have a proper
object that it is fastened upon. And when a sinner is given a
new heart by the renovating of regeneration, when faith is born
out of that new work of God that we call regeneration, and then
faith, as it were, begins to rise and to take its being, and
it is nourished and directed and strengthened by the Spirit
of God, then it is directed toward the work, the person, and the
office of Jesus Christ. He is the object of the faith
of God's elect. In fact, He is both the author
and the object of the faith that saves or that justifies. Now, we'll take this up a little
bit later on in our study, in this particular study, but first
let us, if we might, say a few things about faith itself. Let's speak about faith. One
of the first things that we acknowledge is that faith, that is spiritual
faith, justifying faith or saving faith if you will, is not innate
It is not native to the unregenerate sinner. The apostle cautioned
us in 2 Thessalonians 3 and verse 2. When you go out, you will
meet much wickedness, because all men have not faith. Some are in fact shut up under
unbelief. Romans 11. And verse 32, and
as John the Baptist told his hearers in John 3 and 31, a man
can receive nothing except it were given unto him from heaven. Now one of the great heresies
of Arminianism that has existed down through the centuries is
that of free willism and everything else that goes along with it. Such as them saying because of
free will, all therefore have the potential and the ability
in themselves to savingly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. that
to believe on Christ for salvation is in the power and the ability
of the sinner. It is their belief, if I mistake
not, that all have some kind of a latent inactive faith in
them that only needs stirring up and arousing and then channeled
in the right or the proper direction. I quote from Thomas Goodwin,
a Puritan, quote, Faith is above all the powers and all the faculties
in men." That is, not only is there nothing in the sinner that
will enable him to believe, but there is everything in the sinner
that withstands He is believing apart from a work of grace. To quote Goodwin again, and this
is from his large book, The Acts and Objects of Justifying Faith,
quote, to bring one to believe, there is no principle in one
that has any power to give any assistance to faith, so it must
be wrought anew by God." Faith is incompatible with a state
of unregeneracy. Why would we expect an unregenerate
man to have any sort of spiritual or saving faith? It is not founded
on anything in the person. It comes not through education. A man can't study and come to
faith. It is not the product of natural
or of rational reasoning. Remember, if you will, many saw
the miracles of the Lord and did not believe. Some even blasphemed
and called Him a sinner. Nor will the bare hearing of
truth itself produce faith in one unregenerate. Yea, truth
often arouses enmity and hatred in the heart of an unregenerate. Nor can the working of natural
conscience bring one to faith. Religious works, the keeping
of the law, will not engender faith in one unregenerate. for the simple reason that faith
is the work and the result of the grace of God. Faith never
comes in until the grace of God sets it to work. Some, such as
Louis Burkoff, in his theology, have said, quote, the seed of
faith is implanted in people in regeneration." Then it is
drawn forth by effectual calling and conversion. It is therefore
important both to maintain and to understand the proper distinction
between regeneration and conversion. And that regeneration is the
cause of faith and not the reverse. saving faith may be summed up
in but a few words, that saving, justifying faith is a certain
belief and a firm persuasion which is born out of a work of
the grace of God, that the gospel is indeed the truth of God, and
the belief that Christ is a true savior of sinners Yea, the only
Savior of sinners. That is a good summation of faith. Some speak of the elements of
faith. others talk about the essence
of faith, of what it consists, what is the essence or in what
does faith consist in the elect sinner. Owen called it the nature
of faith, and I think that might serve us well. In other words,
how to define it, how to describe it. What is faith in the biblical
saving sense of the Word. I will tell you that there are
some theologians and commentators who do make a distinction between
the habit of faith and the activity of faith. That it is both a principle
and an actuating grace. that the habit of faith, the
principle of faith, then issues forth in acts and worship and
service to God and unto others and such like. But as to the
order, the principle must precede the acts. There must be the habit
before there is the activity of faith. But what makes up faith? At the top of the list, I believe,
comes knowledge. If we were to describe what does
faith consist of, what is the essence of faith, the first thing
that I would like for us to mention is knowledge. And go a step further,
revealed knowledge. Knowledge that is revealed by
God or by the Spirit of God unto us. You'll notice in the text,
in Matthew chapter 16, the Lord said to the Apostle, flesh and
blood hath not revealed this to you, but my Father which is
in heaven. In 1st Timothy chapter 2 and
verse 4, the Lord would have those that are saved, listen,
to come to the knowledge of the truth, to know the truth as it
is in Christ Jesus. 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13
again, those chosen from the beginning to salvation through
sanctification and belief of the truth. Here's one in Isaiah
53 and 11 that it's important that we do not turn it upside
down or get it backwards. By His knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many. Notice that again. By His knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many. Now, not the knowledge
that the righteous servant possesses, for he has all knowledge, all
knowledge that there is, but the knowledge that He imparts,
the knowledge that He gives, the knowledge that He reveals
unto His people. Calvin rendered that passage
In Isaiah 53, 11, like this, and I quote, by his doctrine
shall he justify many, unquote. That is, by causing them to know,
by causing them to learn, by causing them to believe the truth
concerning himself. Remember what the Lord said,
everyone that is taught of God then cometh unto me. The Lord
prayed to the Father in John 17 and verse 3, This is eternal
life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom Thou hast sent. Faith is not blind ignorance. Faith is not a leap in the dark. Faith acts upon divine truth. It cleaves to the truth of God. It loves the truth and it fastens
itself upon it. Again, faith rests and faith
adheres and stands upon the truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus. It lets God be true if every
man in the world is a liar. But I believe there's also an,
well they call it an emotional element in the faith of God's
elect, in that faith Our believing is a new beginning of a new way
of life. We have a new interest. We have a heartfelt joy, not
an empty void in our life when we are given the faith of God's
elect. Life is filled with meaning. It is filled with proper meaning.
And faith is not dead, dry dogma. It is living hope that the faith
of God's elect attaches itself to. And then there's what Berkow,
Louis Berkow, called a volitional element. in faith, in that faith
comes, or out of faith, or with faith, there comes an inclination
toward the things of God and the Word of God. Thus we read
of the obedience of faith in Romans 1.5 and Romans 16.25,
for it was by faith that Abraham Believed and obeyed God. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse
8. But now we draw ever nearer to
our subject, which is the object of the faith of God's elect. And that faith of God's elect
is in some way like Noah's dove who found no rest for the sole
of its feet, only in that for which it was given. Faith is
drawn only to a suitable and a proper object, as only true
metal is drawn to a magnet. not wood or plastic or rubber
or any such thing as that. Faith must have an object to
which it is drawn and to which it comes. Commentators such as
Thomas Goodwin, the old Puritan, and John Gill and others that
I read taught, when it comes to saving faith and eternal hope,
there are two grand objects of that faith. One is God the Father
and the other is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Consider
the words of our Savior to his disciples in the upper room discourses
in John chapter 14 and verse 1. To his disciples he said,
let not your heart be troubled. Troubled at all these things
that I'm telling you. that I'll go away, that they'll
persecute you, and that I'll be not with you. Let not your
heart be troubled at hearing these things, and here's the
point of emphasis, believe in God, believe also in me. Or, you believe in God, believe
also in me. Paul said, in Acts chapter 20
and verse 21, that he testified both to the Jew and the Greeks
repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. This he did in his farewell address
to the Ephesian elders when he knew that they would see him
no more. Listen to it again. Repentance
toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. James Alexander, on this verse
in his commentary, said the two together constitute the whole
of practical religion and they comprise the leading themes of
evangelical instruction." Unquote. Repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ. to repent before God, the holy
offended sovereign, to have another mind, a change of heart and mind,
therefore a change of life, to turn about, if you will. We remember that even repentance
is not in the ability of the sinner himself. That the goodness
of God leads to repentance. Romans 2 and verse 4. That it was God who granted repentance
to the Gentiles unto life. In Acts 11, And verse 18, it
is called repentance unto life. Paul tells Timothy, 2 Timothy
2 and 25, to meekly instruct others, if peradventure God would
grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth. Also, Paul preached faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ, to believe in Christ, to trust Him, to view
Him as the Savior, as the Divine One, and the Son of God, and
Him as the object of our faith and of our trust. Now, let's
recall again the words of the Lord in John 14 and verse 1. You believe in God, believe also
in me. Now these together are the dual
objects of faith and of trust. They cannot be separated in the
gaining of eternal life. By that I mean one cannot have
the Father, or God, and exclude the Son, Jesus Christ. None can do that. They cannot
have eternal life, and they cannot have the Father and exclude the
Son, nor can they believe on the Son to the exclusion of God
the Father. One must first think of God in
the matter of religion, of coming to Him. And this is a natural
tendency. We find men all over the world
worshipping a God, sometimes an unknown one, without and apart
from Jesus Christ. The first inclination, therefore,
of a sinner, particularly one not well instructed in any measure
in the doctrine of the gospel, is like that of the prodigal.
I will arise and go to God. I will cast myself upon God and
seek mercy and forgiveness. But I remind us, this requires
a mediator to come to God, to meet with God, to find mercy
and forgiveness. This requires a mediator between
holy God and sinful man. This needs one to appease the
offended sovereign and placate his wrath against sin, so that
when any sinner would come to God, they must come through the
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, listen
to this, Word from Peter, suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God. That's what he did. He suffered
for sin, the just for the unjust. The purpose is that he might
bring us unto God. Christ has done what is needed
and necessary for us to come to God. implies that we are and
were by nature estranged, alienated, and at enmity separated from
God by our sin. Therefore, as the old Puritan
wrote, The Father, when He means to save a soul, directs that
soul to His Son, unquote. The Lord Jesus, again He said,
quote, God puts an instinct into the soul to go to Christ, unquote. Faith is given its being by God
sending forth the Spirit of God into our heart and therefore
regenerating us. And that faith, being as it were
the faith of God's elect, can only have one first and proper
object, and that object is Christ. It will spy out Christ in a room
full of fakes and imposters, faith will. Put faith in a room
with Christ, an imposter, and it will spy out Christ. Being
the faith of God's elect, it sees and hears the voice of Christ
in the gospel. And being the faith of God's
elect, it responds to the call of God to come to Christ. It is not content to rest in
works. It would be restless if it rested
in works. It does not rest in a church
or a denomination. It does not trust in the law. It knows the dangers of that.
It does not even trust in the bare-necked doctrine of Christ,
but in Christ Himself and His person and His work. Faith does not attempt to make
a Savior out of itself. And this, I think, is important
to emphasize because, as others have said, some have tried to
do that. No faith does not attempt to
make a Savior out of itself, in that it does not put itself
in the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are some good thoughts
on that from a man named Mr. Bell from an article entitled,
The View of the Covenants. And I've coveted to have that
article and have never found it anywhere. That because faith
rests upon Christ alone, It excludes itself as a work in the matter
of justification, so that the sinner does not rest upon his
faith For faith's object is Christ and Christ alone. It is sometimes
necessary to mention this because of the many in professing Christendom
who, as I would say, have faith in their faith. That their faith
is in their faith and not necessarily in Christ. They would have their
act of faith. that act of believing to be their
righteousness. To say it another way, they trust
in their trust. They believe in their believing. They have faith in their faith
and think that that's as far as it must go. To this, Mr. Bell wrote, and I'm quoting,
thus Christ, by that view, is bid to stand at a distance while
the sinner's own act is bid to come near in the case of justification,
unquote, Mr. Bell. Let's raise a question
which we can ponder for our edification, whether or not we have the ability
to fully answer it. And the question is whether Christ,
in His suffering, in His death, in His dying upon the cross,
whether Christ in those things procured for all of his elect
the grace of faith. I'm asking you, in other words,
is faith, the faith of God's elect, the faith that saves and
justifies, is that a fruit of the suffering and the death of
Christ or not? Did his death for them ensure
that all that he died for will believe, will come to faith,
will be brought to faith in the one who died for them. Now the
question also might be phased in another way. Is faith, that
is the grace of faith, the faith that we talk about this morning,
is that the fruit of the death of Christ? Or must we trace it
back only to our regeneration? Or can we even tie it to election
before the foundation of the world? After all, it's called
the faith of God's elect, and election was before the world. We believe, as did John Owen,
all the grace and all the graces in the plural which are bestowed
upon the elect in time or in eternity are, number one, purposed
before the world. They were purposed even in eternity. Ephesians 1, 3-5 says so. Romans 8, 28-30 also declares
the same thing. Or secondly, made sure by the
death and the merit of Christ our Savior. Purpose before the
world, but yes, made sure and certain by the death of our Lord. So the Lord procured faith for
those that he died for. And he either did it in one of
two ways. Either he did it A, conditionally,
or B, absolutely. Either he procured it upon a
condition, or he procured it absolutely. If only conditionally,
then we would desire of such that hold this view, what then
is the condition of faith? Do not Arminians say Christ died
for all upon the condition that they believe and that they accept
it? That we have this absurdity then
from them that the condition of faith is faith itself. What an absurdity. Or as one
put it, Christ procured that they should believe upon the
condition that they believe. Again, this is an absurdity. Now the only alternative is to
say that faith is strictly an act of a fallen sinner himself
or that the word of the gospel in some way produces this faith
within them who are sinners. Consider a verse in Philippians
1 and verse 29. We want a part of this verse
for it suits our text. For unto you it is given, in
the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to
suffer for his sake." Now notice very carefully, it had been granted
what Edy called and found here a double grace granted to them. Number one is faith or belief,
and number two is to suffer for the sake or the cause of Christ. We want to concentrate, of course,
upon the first. It is given for Christ's sake
to you to believe on Christ. Now let's look at it. Given is
a gracious grant or bestowal. Something graciously or gratuitously
bestowed. Something freely given. It is
a show of goodness, grace, and kindness. So what is given? To believe on Christ, or faith. This is given. It is given in
behalf of Christ. Then notice the word behalf.
Behalf is the word hooper, which can mean over, and it can also
mean on behalf of, or regarding, in regard of Christ. on the part of. Now connect this
with Ephesians 4 and verse 32 where there Paul said that God
for Christ's sake has forgiven you. For Christ's sake God has
forgiven you your sin. Then there is that verse in Acts
13 and verse 48, that as many as were ordained to eternal life
believe. And we must not turn that upside
down. It does not say as many as believe
were ordained to eternal life, but the opposite, as many as
were ordained to eternal life believe. Hebrews 12 and verse
2 calls Jesus, quote, the author and finisher of faith. There's some discussion about
how these words ought to be translated or how they ought to be rendered
in our version of the scripture. The word author in Hebrews 13
and 2 is not the same as the word in chapter 5 and verse 9
where Christ is become the author of eternal salvation, the causer
or the beginner. In chapter 5 And verse 9, but
the word in Hebrews 12 and 2 is three more times in the New Testament. It's in Acts 3.15. It's in Acts
5.31. In both places it is translated
Prince. P-R-I-N-C-E. The same word in Hebrews 2 and
verse 10 is translated as captain. Now some call him author, captain,
prince, the file leader, the one that goes before, that leads
the way and conducts others in that way who follow. Let's notice
something about Hebrews 12. 1 and 2, first the context and
the flow of thought. The author has given us in chapter
11 and verse 1 the saying that faith is the substance or the
reality of the things hoped for and the evidence of things that
are not seen. And by manifold examples, the
apostle in chapter 11 illustrates that. Then in chapter 12 and
verse 1, he likens the believers to those running a race in a
great stadium like the Olympics with a great bank of witnesses
around that are beholding our spectators, we might call them. They're running a race before
a great number of spectators, which I believe to be the Old
Testament saints who are the witnesses in chapter 11. But
in the second verse of chapter 12, he directs our eyes to the
one who is the supreme model of faith and of obedience. He's
not only the perfect model, but the one who is both the example
and the object of the believer's faith and trust. Of course, I
speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, who in so many things, in so
many things, the Lord Jesus, the Son, He believed the Father,
He trusted the Father. He obeyed the Father in all things. The author in chapter 11 recalls
the experience of those men and women who are of like passions
as you and me, but who by faith did great and wonderful things. But in chapter 12 and verse 2
of Hebrews, he would have us set our eyes not upon that great
cloud of witnesses and of Old Testament saints, but upon the
author and the finisher of our faith, who is the Lord Jesus
Christ, The very Son of God, the Word, who has been made flesh. Is He not the sum and the substance
and the object of the saints' faith? Of course He is, as was
the author and preserver and finisher of faith. Our Lord is
that. Did He not pray? for the Apostle
Peter's faith. Remember that text in Luke chapter
22, is it? Verse 32. Simon, I have prayed
for you that your faith fail not. What a wonderful intercession. I have prayed that your faith
will not fail, that you will not come to nothing in faith. In John 17, that great priestly
prayer, and I think it's in the 20th verse, he prays for those
who would yet in the future believe on him through the word of the
apostle. He prays both for converting
faith and persevering faith in the elect because they are kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last day. So says 1 Peter 1 and verse 5. Now there could be no question
which Goodwin dealt with whether Christ exercised faith in God
for himself or also for his people. Did our Lord exercise his trust
and faith and belief and obedience for himself only or also for
his people? Every grace flows to the elect
through Him, whether it be the same with justifying faith or
not. For Christ trusted that He would
live again Psalm 16, 8 through 11, quoted by the Apostle Peter
in Acts chapter 2, 24 through 28. He was raised for our justification,
Romans 4 and verse 25. That is a subject for another
time and for another study. For now, let us end where we
began. In Matthew chapter 16, 13 through
17, the confession of the apostle Simon Peter. As they companioned
with our Lord, the longer they were with our Lord, The more
they learned and heard of Him, the stronger grew the opposition
of those who opposed our Savior. And as our Lord drew nearer and
nearer to that awful death upon the cross, here in this place
He would give His disciples and inner circle a test. He would test their soundness
against what the world thought about him. Who do you say that
I am? First he asked them, who do men
say that I am? Various answers. But he said
to them then, who do you say that I am? In spite of what others
are saying, tell me, who do you take me to be? For those Cephas
answered, The Lord had put the question to, quote, His disciples,
all of them that were there. Peter answered for them all as
he often did, as he did in John 6 and verse 68 and verse 69,
saying, we, including all of the disciples, we believe that
you are the Christ. We believe that you are the Son
of the living God. for faith, the faith of God's
elect, saving faith, justifying faith, holds Christ in the very
highest of esteem, the Anointed One, the Son of God, the Messiah,
Son of the Most High God Thou art. And Peter cries out, we
believe and are sure that you have the words of everlasting
life. Now how did Peter believe that?
Why did Peter come to that persuasion? The answer? By revelation. Not by, from, or through flesh
and blood. By the Father in heaven came
this revelation and this persuasion. The first cause of faith is divine
revelation and knowledge made unto it. The revealing of Christ
unto the soul. What inadequate views of Christ
are held and are preached in the world today. They run all
the way from some idiot calling him a good old boy, Jesus, or
my buddy. something irreverent like that,
to calling him a philosopher, others an example, others a good
teacher, the hippies thought him a revolutionary, some call
him a social reformer and such as that, but to the elect He
is the Son of God, Son of Man. He's the God-Man. He came down
from the Father to reveal the Father. He's one with the Father. He is the object of our faith. Now remember something in closing. Unbelief is a mother sin. By that I mean unbelief gives
birth to all manner of vile sin of every sort. On the other hand,
grace is a master, master grace. Faith is a master grace, is what
I meant to say. Faith is a master grace. It's
the leading grace. It is first and foremost and
leads all others. He would not love or adore without
faith. That would be an impossibility. So faith is a leading grace and
Christ is the object of that faith. God the Father, Christ
the Son is the object of faith. And faith has not found its proper
resting place until it rests upon the Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, for that is the object of saving faith. It will go nowhere
else. It will take its flight. It will
spy out Christ. It will hear His voice and respond. Faith, the object is Christ.