6. Saving Faith Is Fides Directa.
The faith that seizes the promise of grace can exist without man being aware that he believes. The Christian believes, fide actuali, no matter whether he is awake or asleep, man or child.!73° Yes, faith is present even when the penitents, in statu tentationis, in the fear of their heart, think that they do not believe.. 39) The old Lutheran theologians distinguish perfectly between direct and reflective faith, fides directa et fides reflexa. By fides directa they understand the faith that is directly directed towards the forgiveness of sins offered in the promise of the gospel and that takes or wants to take. By fides reflexa they understand faith in so far as it makes itself an object of contemplation and recognizes its existence from its effects and fruits.
easily be undermined, but is meant seriously, it is usually based on synergism. It is thought that conversion comes about through "self-determination", "self-decision", the "right behavior" of man, or man can be converted "if he only wants to". Not the fides reflexa, but only faith, insofar as it is fides directa, that is, directed only to the Gospel or Christianity, is medium Anat0kov of the grace of God.!*4°) Nevertheless, it must be noted that the Christian can and should recognize that he is in faith. This is assumed to be the normal state of affairs in Scripture. The jailer rejoiced that he had become a believer in God, Acts 16:34; and Paul confesses on behalf of all Christians: "We believe according to the working of his mighty power", Eph. 1:19. Indeed, Christians are often uncertain about their state of faith. This uncertainty, however, should not be cultivated, but eliminated.!** If we ask about the means of elimination, not all cases should be treated in the same way. Rather, the cause of the uncertainty must be considered. If the cause of the uncertainty is an increase in carnal security, e.g. in the careless use of the means of grace or in careless conduct in general, then we must begin with the uncovering of this damage, i.e. with the application of the law. This is the subject of 2 Cor. 13:5: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves!." If the reason for the uncertainty is the foolishness of the conscience, which is afraid of the guilt of sin, the case is to be treated with the true gospel, that is, with the reference to the objective reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19; Rom. 4:25) and with the emphasis on the fact that God's grace in Christ is greater than all sins (Rom. 5:20-21). It should also be pointed out that a frightened sinner's desire for the grace of God in Christ or for faith in Christ (velle gratiam, velle accipere promissionem) is already faith itself, because the natural man cannot desire the grace of God in Christ, but can only respect it for folly.!74
existunt in anima vel cum perceptione et reflexione, quod adsint, vel sine hac perceptione et reflexione; in illo casu fides a theologis reflexa dicitur, in hoc directa. [Google] (Instit. theol. practice. Holmiae 1768, p. 376.) Ad. Osiander: Ad specialem applicationem sufficit actus fidei directus, nec opus est actu reflexo. [All that is required for the special apprehension is the direct act of faith; the reflexive action is not required.’] (Coll, theol. V, 133.)
Dei habet, certo illud ipsum pro vera fide, quam infirma etiam esse videatur, habendum erit.... Non ipsa caro et sanguis surgery aut operari potest eiusmodi solicitudinem de fide, sed ipsa est opus spiritus As pastors we also face such cases in which the patient—we would like to say: with a certain obstinacy—desires from us the proof of the existence of his faith. In such stubborn cases, one will successfully put an end to self- torture by asking him to let the question of his former faith rest with him and now to seize the grace in faith promised to all sinners.