What is Faith? Fiducia, Notitia, and Assensus.

Mark — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 03:27:48 +0000

In our doctrine classes, Michael Jensen has been teaching us about the doctrine of the Christian life via the ordo salutis. Thus far, we’ve looked at effectual calling, regeneration, and faith itself. One of the interesting things about faith is in defining what it actually is. Michael called our attention to the scholastic distinctions of fiducia, notitia, and assensus. So I thought I’d resume my blogging with Muller’s definitions of these important components of faith (from his Dictionary of Latin and Greek theological terms):

Fides: “faith; the firm persuasion of the truth of God’s revelation or that truth itself considered as the object of belief; most frequently the former, as it is manifest in Christians.

Saving faith is usually explained as having three components, the first two belonging to the intellect and comprising the category of cognitio certa, certain cognition, the latter one belonging to the will: (1) notitia, knowledge, the actual content of the gospel and the promises of God; (2) assensus, assent, by which the intellect acknowledges the truth of notitia, apart from any personal trust or saving appropriation of that knowledge; (3) fiducia, trust or appreheniso fiducialis, faithful apprehension, which appropriates savingly, by an act of the will, the true knowledge of the promises of God in Christ. Saving faith, therefore, cannot be merely intellectual; it must also be volitional.”

Fiducia: “trust; the essense of fides; note that in English the etymological relation between fides (faith) and fiducia is lost; in the older theology faith and trust are intimately related. Fiducia, as the crown of faith, is also called apprehensio fiducialis, or faithful apprehension.”

Notitia: “knowledge; synonymous with cognitio.”

Assensus: “assent, spiritual acknowledgement, or agreement; a necessary component of fides. Used without modifiation, a simple assent to a truth by the intellect. The scholastics distinguish three degrees of assent: firmitas, certitudo and evidentia. Assent with firmitas, or firmness, is full assent without hesitation to something accepted purely on authority. Assent with certitude, or certainty, is full assent founded firmly upon a solid ground of accepted testimony. Assent to evidentia, or evidence, rests not on testimony, but on proof drawn either from sense-experience or reason. The Protestant scholastics will argue that the assensus theoreticus of faith is assent with firmitas and certitudo only. Evidentia, by way of constrast, belongs to a science.”

So glad that the Reformers thought through this stuff!

Is the church still serious about hell?

Mark — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:28:08 +0000

This is probably the most theologically sharp article I’ve read in the Briefing for a long time. It concerns the very serious doctrine of hell.

Jonny Gibson, a good friend, and constant source of encouragement and theological sharpening, has put together the article for the Briefing. Simply put, I have not read such a biblically comprehensive and pastorally sensitive account of the doctrine of hell for a long time, if ever. Can I seriously commend this to you to read – I’ve been stirred up and challenged in my thinking, evangelism, preaching and pastoral duties as a result of reading it. Above all however, I’ve found that these articles have brought me back to gratitude, and a desire to give glory to God.

It consists of a short version for print, an extended version online, a theological reflection, and a pastoral reflection. Get them here:

Extended version online: here.
Theological reflection: here.
Pastoral reflection: here.

(h/t: The Briefing)

seeing in a mirror dimly » doctrine

What is Faith? Fiducia, Notitia, and Assensus.

Is the church still serious about hell?