Ephesians
1:16-20 I do not cease to give thanks for
you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the
knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know
what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his
glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of
his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
that he worked in Christ.
The gift of faith makes it
possible for the souls of the elect to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ.
This gift is the work of the Spirit of Christ in the hearts of the elect and is
ordinarily accomplished by the ministry of the Word. It is also increased and
strengthened by the Word, by prayer, and by the administration of the
sacraments.
By this faith a Christian believes whatever is revealed
in the Word to be the true, authentic, authoritative statement of God himself.
By this faith the believer also acts according to what particular passages in
the Word say. By faith the believer humbly submits to and obeys God’s various commands.
He trembles at God’s awesome threats, and eagerly embraces his promises about this
life and the life to come.
But the chief actions of
saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting on Christ alone for justification,
sanctification, and eternal life, in the power of the covenant of grace.
This faith has different degrees of strength and
weakness. It may be attacked and weakened often and in many ways, but it gets
the victory. In many believers it matures and becomes completely assured
through Christ, who both creates and perfects our faith.
The Westminster Confession of Faith
