In the previous post I set out a quote from John Owen where he shows at least five ways men “express what concerneth the use of faith.” He goes on to say that “all these notions of the use of faith are suited and accommodated unto the opinions of men concerning the nature and principal causes of justification.” He spent a fair amount of time and ink showing that the way we conceive our use of faith in justification is where the real controversy consists. While this may sound like an archaic disputation or some way to split theological hairs to modern ears, this gets at the heart of justification by faith alone. Unless we understand the way that faith is used in justification, we might miss the real issue of justification. This is not some side issue; it is rather the very heart of it all. I will repeat the five uses of faith (paraphrased or condensed) that Owen listed in his works.
- It is used as an instrument.
- It is a condition.
- It is a causa sine qua non. The term sine qua non means “without which, not” and is something that is absolutely essential. The causa refers to a cause and so faith is seen as a cause that is utterly essential.
- It prepares and disposes men to receive justification.
- It merits justification in a congruous way.
From the Reformation until the time of John Owen faith was seen to be the instrumental cause of justification. But even then we must be careful because that is also used in different ways. Even the term “instrument” can be used in different ways and the word “cause” can be used in different ways. The term “instrumental cause” goes back to Aristotle who set out five distinctions between causes. This is what has been used to set this out since the time of the Reformation and so it is a time honored approach. We will use a chair made by a craftsman as the example.
Material Cause: It is that out of which something is made. The material cause of the chair is the wood.
Formal Cause: It is the design or idea that is followed in making something. The formal cause of the chair is the plan that the craftsman followed in making the chair.
Final Cause: The purpose for which the chair was made. The final cause of the chair was to sit on.
Efficient Cause: This is the agent that is causing the chair to be made. The efficient cause of the chair is the craftsman himself who is building the chair.
Instrumental Cause: This is the instrument by which something is made. The instrumental cause of the chair is the tools of the craftsman.
Using the term “instrumental cause” in this way can be misleading. It still sounds as if faith is either created or does something in creating something else. What this does is point to a particular type of cause rather than others. Faith is an instrument, but in whose hands is the instrument? Faith is the instrument of God to give the grace of salvation. While faith is something that man has, it is still a gift of God and in the hands of God (“help my unbelief”). This issue is utterly and extremely vital for the Gospel of grace alone. While it may seem tedious, we simply must get this correct or we will have a wrong understanding of the Gospel.
Let us look at the term in light of medical help to a clinically dead person. Let us imagine that an ambulance arrives at a hospital emergency room with a person that is clinically dead. This is simply to say that the person’s heart has stopped beating on its own and the person is not breathing on his or her own. The person is quickly attended to. Tubes are inserted and various procedures are done and the person’s heart begins to beat and s/he begins to breathe. In certain situations people are given shots for various reasons. The shot can be a stimulant or help thin the blood or other things. When the needle is inserted, the needle is an instrument by which the medication flows through. It is not the needle that does the work, but the medication does the work. The needle is an instrument in this case to get the medication to the patient. When a tube is inserted into a patient, the tube does not help the patient but is an instrument for other things that will help the patient. In one sense the patient is saved by the needle or the tube in the sense that it was the instrument by which the medication came through. Saving faith as an instrument is used (by analogy) in this way. Saving grace comes through faith and so we are said to be saved by faith or by means of the faith. Christ Himself dwells in the heart through faith and so we are said to be saved by faith. Faith is the instrument in justification but it is not what causes salvation to the sinner other than by receiving it. It is Christ alone who saves by grace alone and He is received by means of faith alone. Faith is the receiving instrument of salvation and is in the hands of Christ.
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