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Matthew 12:22–32
“Knowing [the Pharisees’] thoughts, [Jesus] said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges’” (vv. 25–27).
Basic knowledge of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ constitutes the notitia, or knowledge, that is the first component of authentic saving faith. If we do not know anything about the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot trust Him, just as on an earthly level we do not trust others without knowing them at least to some degree.
In looking to the Scriptures to discern the components of saving faith, the Protestant Reformers noted that mere knowledge of the facts about Jesus is insufficient for redemption. So they argued that true faith in Christ also includes assensus. This word means “assent”; therefore, saving faith not only has knowledge of the facts but also includes an assent to the truthfulness of those facts.
That saving faith must include assent should be obvious. After all, we have knowledge of many things to which we do not assent. For example, it is a historical fact that Muhammad claimed to be the final prophet of God. Muslims give their assent to that claim, but non-Muslims do not. We who are Christians do not assent to Muhammad’s claims because they are demonstrably false even on a purely historical investigation. The Qur’an that was supposedly revealed to Muhammad contains so many basic errors about what Christians actually believe that there is no way that Muhammad could be a prophet sent from God.
Scripture includes examples of those who know basic facts about Jesus but then do not assent to them. Today’s passage records Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees when they observed Him freeing a blind and mute man from demonic oppression. Contrary to the obvious evidence that this could be a work only of God, the Pharisees did not assent to the truth but instead attributed the ministry of Jesus to the work of Satan. Such opposition to the truth put them perilously close to committing the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:22–32).
Many people have heard the basic facts about the Lord Jesus Christ. Merely knowing the content of these facts will save no one, for we must make our assent that the facts are actually true and come from God. Thus, Westminster Confession of Faith 14.2 tells us that “by [saving] faith, a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of God himself speaking therein.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Some men and women profess to be Christians and yet deny the truth of basic gospel facts, such as that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. That may not be true of us, but we may find it difficult to believe other things that God has revealed in His Word. As we read the Scriptures, let us ask God to enable us to assent to the truth of whatever He says therein.
For further study
- Psalm 119:142, 151
- Proverbs 30:5
- Isaiah 50:10
- John 17:17
The bible in a year
- Isaiah 16–18
- Ephesians 2