categories of faith to give you an overview. This will help you under-
stand more clearly not only things in this chapter on faith, but also
points made in chapters to come on goodwill [§§ 392 – 462 ], free choice
[§§ 463 – 508 ], repentance [§§ 509 – 570 ], reformation and regeneration
[§§ 571 – 625 ], and the assignment of spiritual credit or blame [§§ 626 –
666 ]. Faith runs through each and every part of a systematic theology
the way blood runs through the body’s limbs, bringing them to life.
What the church today has to say about faith is generally known in
the Christian world and specifically known among those in its religious
hierarchy. Books only about faith and about faith alone fill the libraries
of the church’s theologians. In fact, hardly anything other than faith is
considered to be a valid theological topic these days. Before taking what
the church is saying nowadays about its faith and examining it in an
appendix, I will first list the general points that the new church teaches
about its faith. They are as follows:344 The underlying reality of the faith of the new churchis (^1 ) trust in the
Lord God our Savior Jesus Christ; ( 2 ) confidence that he saves those who
live good lives and believe the right things.
The essence of the faith of the new churchis truth from the Word.
The manifestations of the faith of the new churchare ( 1 ) spiritual sight;
( 2 ) harmony among truths; ( 3 ) conviction; ( 4 ) acknowledgment engraved
on the mind.
The states of the faith of the new churchare ( 1 ) a newborn faith, a
growing faith, a mature faith; ( 2 ) faith based on genuine truth, and
faith based on things that seem true; ( 3 ) faith based on memory, faith
based on reason, faith based on light; ( 4 ) earthly faith, spiritual faith,
heavenly faith; ( 5 ) faith based on life experiences, and faith based on
miracles; ( 6 ) faith that is free and faith that is coerced.
For a universal idea and a specific idea of the form itself of the faith
of the new church, see above, §§ 2 and 3.
345 Since I have just given a brief list of types of spiritual faith, I will also
give a brief list of types of merely earthly faith. Such faith is actually a
persuasion that pretends to be faith. It is a false persuasion. It is called
heretical faith. Its categories are ( 1 ) illegitimate faith, in which false
beliefs have been mixed with true ones; ( 2 ) promiscuous faith based on
truths that have been falsified, and adulterous faith based on good things
that have been contaminated; ( 3 ) closed or blind faith, which is a faith in
mystical things that we believe in, although we do not know whether
they are true or false, beyond reason or contrary to it; ( 4 ) wandering