Nature of saving faith
- S23.1 Era II: faith as ‘assent of piety’; Era III: ‘believing in’ Christ includes love (Augustine); neither ‘fiducia’ nor ‘formed faith’ as such before 750 (medium)
- S23.2 Era III: no one can be sure in this life of being predestined (Augustine); assurance not defined as part of faith before 750 (medium)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is second-order (tier weight 2). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 200 Clement of Alexandria S23.1
- c. 415 Augustine S23.1
- c. 415 Augustine S23.1
- c. 415 Augustine S23.2
- 1531 Apology of the AC Lutheran
- 1547 Trent VI Catholic
- 1577 Formula of Concord Lutheran
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
S23 · Nature of saving faith
Assent, trust, and the place of love in justifying faith.
Tier: Second-order (scoring weight 2). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
What is saving faith? Scripture shows it as believing God’s promise and relying on Christ, and says faith ‘works through love’. Clement of Alexandria called faith ’the assent of piety’, and Augustine said that to believe in Christ is to love him. Protestant confessions define faith mainly as trust in Christ, with love following; Catholic and Orthodox teaching say faith justifies when joined with love.
Plan
Question: S23.1 is justifying faith essentially trust (fiducia) in Christ and God’s promise, or assent that justifies when joined with or formed by love? Links: S01 justification. Scripture: Rom 4:18–21; 10:9–10; Gal 5:6; Heb 11:1, 6; Jas 2:19; 2 Tim 1:12. Fathers: Clement of Alexandria, Stromata II.2; Augustine, On the Predestination of the Saints 5; Tractates on John 29.6. S23.2: is assurance of salvation of the essence of faith? 1 John 5:13; Rom 8:15–16; 2 Pet 1:10; Augustine, On Rebuke and Grace 13.40.
Questions
- S23.1 Faith as trust, or as assent formed by love
- S23.2 Is assurance of salvation part of saving faith?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
S23.1 · Faith as trust, or as assent formed by love
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S23.1 | Era II: faith as ‘assent of piety’; Era III: ‘believing in’ Christ includes love (Augustine); neither ‘fiducia’ nor ‘formed faith’ as such before 750 | Medium | S23.1.1 · S23.1.3 weighing | clement-of-alexandria-s23-s1 · augustine-s23-s1 · augustine-s23-s2 | S23.1.4: medium |
S23.2 · Is assurance of salvation part of saving faith?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S23.2 | Era III: no one can be sure in this life of being predestined (Augustine); assurance not defined as part of faith before 750 | Medium | S23.2.1 · S23.2.3 weighing | augustine-s23-s3 | S23.2.4: medium |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | partly S23.1, partly S23.2 | — |
| Orthodox | partly S23.1 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | partly S23.1 | — |
| Lutheran | S23.1, S23.2 | partly S23.1, partly S23.2 |
| Anglican | S23.1 | partly S23.1 |
| Presbyterian | S23.1, S23.2 | partly S23.1, partly S23.2 |
| Reformed Baptist | S23.1, S23.2 | partly S23.1, partly S23.2 |
| General Baptist | S23.1 | partly S23.1 |
| Anabaptist | S23.1 | partly S23.1 |
Overall verdict
S23.1: the fathers treat faith as assent that, as ‘believing in’ Christ, includes love (Augustine). Scripture adds personal reliance and makes love the way faith works. Protestant confessions stress trust; Catholic and Orthodox texts make love part of justifying faith. S23.2: Augustine denies certainty of predestination in this life; Scripture offers assurance as a fruit of faith; the Westminster and 1689 formula (assurance attainable but not of faith’s essence) fits Scripture best.
Verification status
Trent VI, Dositheus 9, Shenouda, AC XX, the Homily of Salvation, WCF XIV.2, 1689 14.2 and Menno are verified. The General Baptist cell rests on the Orthodox Creed (1679) art. XXIII (verified). S23.2: Trent VI ch. 9, Formula of Concord III, WCF XVIII.3 and 1689 18.3 are verified; Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox cells are not assessed; the General Baptist cell is not addressed.