(Last week we stated unequivocally that whoever believes in Christ will be saved. But you might remember the word "trust" appearing throughout the text, often in parentheses. To clarify what God means by faith as trust, we shall include a repeat of one of our earliest Engedi devotionals.)

Because it is obvious that not everyone who believes in Christ has saving faith, the Reformers identified three levels of faith, with only the final level being saving faith. Think of the demons who believe in God and tremble, but do not have a faith that is real and manifested by good works (James 2:19)and the Jewish leaders who believed in Christ but would not confess him (John 12:42). Think of people you know.

The Reformers spoke of an initial level of faith that they called Notitia, or cognitive faith. One believes that Christ is the Son of God and is able to save, as one believes in some fact. The demons were certainly at that level. A second level they called Assensis, or a level of agreement or assent. One believes that Jesus not only can save him but that he will. And he is in full accord with the proposition. I think the leaders were there.

But the third level is Fiducia, or trust. At this level one actually entrusts himself to Christ for salvation and rests on Him alone. Neither the demons nor the leaders were willing to move to that level.

I heard a story on the radio of a man who fell down a mountainside. He grasped a sapling and was able to break his fall, but the sapling was pulling out of the ground, and it was a sheer drop down to the ground far below. In desperation the man cried out in prayer: "Oh, God, if you are there, please save me!"  The Lord sent an angel. The angel asked the man "Do you believe that I am able to save you?" The man said, "Yes!" (Notitia) The angel said, "Do you believe that I will save you?"  The man said "Yes, of course!" (Assensis). The angel said, "Turn loose!"(Fiducia)

Where are you with faith? Only trust in Christ is saving faith! Are you willing to let go? Have you? Is there nothing between you and eternity but the doing and dying of Jesus?