KNOWLEDGE, ASSENT, AND CONFIDENCE

By Gary Ray Branscome

I have mentioned that faith in Christ consists of knowledge, assent, and trust (or confidence), so let us take a deeper look at what the Bible says about those aspects of our faith.

Knowledge

The words, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life,” tell us that Scripture is a source of the knowledge that leads to eternal life (1John 5:13). The words, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” speak of that knowledge as the source of our faith (Romans 10:17). The words, “To give His people the knowledge of salvation by the remission of their sins,” tell us that salvation comes through “knowledge” (Luke 1:77). And, the words, “This is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent,” speak of faith in Christ although only knowledge is specifically mentioned (John 17:3). We know that faith in Christ is intended because the words, “He who does not believe will be damned,” tell us that we are not saved by knowledge alone, but by knowing and believing (Mark 16:16).

Assent

The words, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the promised Savior is born of God,” tell us that we are born again through believing the Bible when it tells us that Christ “is the promised savior” (1John 5:1). The words, “They have not paid attention to my words, says the LORD, which I sent to them by my servants the prophets, sending them time and again; but you would not listen, says the LORD,” speak of people being lost because they refused to believe the knowledge given to them by God’s Word (Jeremiah 29:19). And, the words, “He who believes on Him is not condemned: but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God,” tell us that all who do not believe [assent to or accept] the gospel are under condemnation, not only for their sins, but also for their unbelief (John 3:18).

Confidence

The words, “We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold firmly to the end the confidence that we had at first,” // “Christ as a son over His own house; whose house are we, if we continue to the end unshaken in our confidence and the hope of which we boast” and “Do not throw away your confidence, which has such a great promise of reward,” all speak of faith in Christ as confidence” (Hebrews 3:14, 3:6, and 10:35). In those words Paul is urging Jewish believers not to turn away from the faith because of persecution. And, in the words, “We both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe,” Paul speaks of his faith as trust (1Timothy 4:10).