The Westminster Shorter Catechism
Q30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption
purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applieth to us
the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us,[1]
and
thereby uniting us to Christ in our
effectual calling.[2]
[1] Ephesians 1:13–14; John 6:37, 39; Ephesians 2:8; [2] Ephesians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 1:9.
In the last answer, we saw that the Holy Spirit is the One who applied the benefits of redemption purchased by Christ on behalf of the elect. In this answer, we see how this is done, namely: (1) By working faith in us; and (2) By uniting us to Christ.
How does the Holy Spirit work faith in us or give us the gift of faith (Eph
2:8)? Not by pouring faith into us. Faith, after all, is not an entity that can
be transferred. Faith is trust and trust is personal, i.e., a person has faith
in someone if he trusts in someone. If faith can be transferred in any way, it
is no longer personal but meaningless. Therefore, when the Scripture says that
faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit, it is referring to the regenerating work of
the Holy Spirit (cf. Tit 3:5). In this work of regeneration, the Holy Spirit
changes our hearts (Ezk 11:19–20) so that we find Christ irresistible. Notice
that the faith that results is therefore, strictly speaking, our own when we
exercise it—it becomes our own after it is given by the Holy Spirit. We note
also that this work is a radical work rather than, as the Arminians suggests, a
mere assistance to improve the faith that is already in us naturally. Our Lord
says it in no uncertain terms when He says, “Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). Paul tells us that we “were by nature
the children of wrath” (Eph 2:3) and that “we were dead in sins” (Eph 2:5). We
were enemies of God (Rom 5:10); who neither understood nor sought after God
(Rom 3:11). In other words, by nature we cannot possibly love God nor trust
Him. The Arminian, who objects by saying that since the demons have faith in
that they believe too (Jas 2:19), and therefore the unregenerate can have faith
too, only that the faith needs to be helped or augmented by a work of the Holy
Spirit, has totally failed to grasp what James is saying, namely that faith is
not just a matter of intellectual belief. Saving faith, involves, rather, trust
and love,—which love will result in good works (cf. Heb 6:10). Or, to put it
theologically, saving faith or fiducia
is of a totally different quality from notitia
or assensus, which demons and false
believers may indeed have.
The work of the Holy Spirit which unites us to Christ,—as our answer
indicates,—is a result of faith responding to our effectual calling. The Holy
Spirit’s work of regeneration essentially plants spiritual ears and spiritual
eyes (cf. 1 Cor 2:14) into our soul so that we recognise Christ (cf. Jn
10:26–27), and embrace Him wholeheartedly as our Saviour and Lord. In doing so,
we are united with Him, i.e., joined together, and in a certain sense made one
with Him. He is the Vine, we are the branches; He is the Head, and as the
Church, we are the body. Paul puts it this way: “he that is joined unto the
Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17).