Yesterday a friend of mine sent me a question one of his students had asked him in class. The student wanted to know how to reconcile Calvin’s definition of faith with that of the Westminister Confession of Faith (WCF).

Here is how Calvin defines faith. “Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Calvin, The Institutes, 3.2.7). For Calvin, faith is “firm” and “certain.” Thus, faith is sure. It seems assurance is part of what faith is.

For Westminister, assurance does not belong to the nature of faith. The Westminister divines are explicit on this point, writing, “this infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it” (WCF 18.3).

So, does Westminister depart from Calvin?

Here is what I wrote to my friend in response to the question (with some edits):

As [your student] mentions, Beeke takes the question up here. Scott Clark has written on it as well. I have found Sinclair Ferguson helpful and he published an article dealing with Assurance more broadly in the RTS Journal of Theology in 2020. In the middle of that article, he tries to show that there was a distinction between the essence of faith (a sure and certain thing) and the experience of faith (the believer assailed by doubts). Thus, the distinction is not a contradiction but a point of emphasis. Calvin emphasized faith in its essence, though he allowed for doubt in the believer. Westminster emphasized the experience of the believer, namely that doubt was normal in this life and therefore not of the essence of faith. At least that is one line of explanation.

I’ve struggled like [your student]. When taking the words at face value, there does seem to be a contradiction.

Now, I’m not an expert on Westminister. However, I’ve written some on Calvin on this point (unpublished work at this point). I’ve argued that for Calvin, faith is sure. That’s how he defines it. It isn’t that faith doubts, as some would say. Faith is faith. It’s a trust. A surety. And yet, because we are not yet glorified, there remains a principle of doubt or unbelief within us. We believe but need help for our unbelief (cf. Mark 9:24).

So, there are two competing principles ad intra. There is the principle of faith, given to us by the Spirit (cf. Eph 2:8). This principle believes in, trusts, and rests on God’s promises and his Christ. And yet, because sin remains (cf. Rom 7), there is a principle within us that doubts. These two principles are not of the same essence. They are two different realities inside you and me. Doubt doubts. Faith believes. And they war at each other inside you.

For Calvin, faith, in the true believer, always wins. It rises to the top and is never vanquished.

Later in history, this idea seems to be supported by Article XI of the Canons of Dort: “The Scripture moreover testifies that believers in this life have to struggle with various carnal doubts, and that under grievous temptations they are not always sensible of this full assurance of faith and certainty of persevering. But God, who is the Father of all consolation, does not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that they may be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13); and by the Holy Spirit again inspires them with the comfortable assurance of persevering.”

For Westminister, they say that assurance does not belong to the essence of faith. Instead, “this infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties before he be partaker of it (WCF 18.3).”

Woe to me for trying to improve Westminister, but I’d say that faith is sure. That’s what it is. It is belief. But the experience of “infallible assurance,” due to remaining sin in our lives, may only come after “many difficulties” and perhaps not until we see Christ in the new heavens and new earth.

Hope that helps.