What is Faith
by
Bryan D. Estelle |
Dear Friends,
Yesterday
I was rereading Machen’s What is Faith and came
across the following quote:
“At the present time it is
the fashion to ignore this aspect of faith: indeed faith and
knowledge, as we have already observed, are often divorced;
they are treated as though they belonged to two entirely
different spheres, and could therefore never by any chance
come either into relation or contradiction.”1
What Machen said over 75 years ago
was not only timely and true then, it is true and timely now
as well. Examples of this symptomatic rot of
anti-intellectualism with respect to faith abound. Sadly,
however, those who are genuinely seeking answers about the
nature of faith want knowledge that they may consider. How
can one separate knowledge from faith? You may not. If the
reader will allow a personal allusion, I think that I may be
able to illustrate my point.
A couple of years ago I
was flying home from the East Coast where I had been
attending a Presbytery meeting and preaching on the Lord’s
day. It was also the end of a Semester and so I had many
exams with me that I was grading. I took my seat and began
working as I usually do on these long flights. I was
sitting in an aisle seat, the seat next to me was empty and
a young man whom I guessed to be about 18 or 19 years of age
occupied the window seat.
After working for about an
hour, I put my tray table up and took a break. The young
man sitting next to me asked me if I was a teacher (he had
been watching me do my grading). I said yes and explained
that I was a Professor at a Seminary that trained
prospective ministers in San Diego. That was the end of the
conversation for then and I went back to my grading.
When I took my next break
from grading, the young man asked me politely if he could
ask another question. I said, “Of course.” He said, “If
you are a Professor that trains prospective ministers, are
you a minister yourself?” I said, “Yes, I am.” Then he
proceeded to ask his question. He said, “What is faith?”
I told him that I was
returning from a Presbytery meeting – I explained to him
briefly what that was – and that we had just asked a
prospective minister that was taking his ordination exams
that very question as well. I told him if he didn’t mind me
taking about 10 minutes of his time, I would explain to him
the kind of answer we were hoping to receive from that man.
In the next 10 minutes I explained to him that true saving
faith includes elements of knowledge, assent, and trust. I
told him that faith was outward looking not inward looking.
I took great pains to explain very carefully to him that we
need to look for righteousness outside of ourselves and that
righteousness can be found in none other than the Lord Jesus
Christ.
At the end of my brief
description of faith he thanked me and said that was the
fullest and best answer he had ever received to his
question. I proceeded to ask what he was doing on the
plane, where he was traveling from and to? He then told me
that he was a bare-knuckled boxer who was returning from an
“underground” and “black market” fight that had been held in
Vietnam. He had won and had $20,000 in his pocket as a
consequence. This is how he made his living. I asked, “Have
you ever seen anyone get killed?” He said, “No, but it
happens.” He had grown up in Compton, California and lived
with his uncle since his Dad was in prison for dealing crack
cocaine. He was only 18 or 19 years old. Then he asked me
if I had children. I said I that I did, three of them.
Then he told me he had a daughter that was 6 years old!
Yes, do the math. His daughter and the mother of his child
also lived with his uncle in Compton, California.
Over the next couple of hours we had a very fine conversation. As
our conversation drew to a close, I encouraged this young
man to go to school and get an education since he would not
be able to box forever. I left him with my card and told him
to call me if he ever thought I could be of help to him.
I’ve not heard from him since.
That day I
was very thankful for my Westminster education. I never
solicited or expected that question. But when it came, I
was glad to “give an account of the hope that is in me” (1
Peter 3:15). I was glad that Dr. Strimple had taught me
about the extraspective character of faith. I was glad that
Dr. Kline had taught me about Christ’s penalty paying
substitution and probation keeping merit. I was glad for Dr.
Godfrey’s unmoving stand on the active obedience of Christ
and the imputation of that righteousness to those who by
grace through faith believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. I was
glad for all those Westminster professors and all my pastors
that have taught me to speak plainly to people the truths of
the gospel when we are given the opportunity.
Now I begin to ponder the number of Westminster graduates like yourself
that are equipped to give knowledgeable answers to the
question, “What is faith?” There is a vast sea of humanity
looking for informed answers to that question. That thought
only causes me to redouble my efforts as a minister and a
professor. I have utter confidence that Westminster
graduates will not mistakenly divorce faith from knowledge
when they preach the gospel. I hope that you will have many
opportunities inside and outside the church to answer the
question, “What is faith?”
Cordially,
Bryan D. Estelle
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Footnotes
1
J. Gresham Machen, What is
Faith? (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1925),
230.
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