Series: Grace Beyond Ability – The Justice and Mercy of God Toward the Helpless and the Ignorant
1. Introduction
If divine grace is the foundation of salvation, human response is the doorway through which that grace is received. Grace, in its universality, reaches every human; but it becomes personally effective through faith, repentance, and confession. These three movements—believing, turning, and confessing—do not earn salvation but activate alignment with what God has already accomplished in Christ.
For those capable of understanding, these responses signify conscious participation in divine mercy. For those incapable (as discussed in earlier parts), grace itself substitutes for faith. Thus, salvation remains consistent: grace is the cause, faith the channel, repentance the evidence, and confession the seal.
2. The Foundation: Grace Alone
Paul declares:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
Grace precedes all human action. God acts first; humanity responds. Salvation originates in God’s initiative, not in human ability or morality. Faith and repentance are therefore responses to grace, not preconditions for it.
As Calvin (1960) observed, faith “does not create salvation but apprehends it.” Grace is objective—anchored in Christ’s finished work—while faith is subjective—our trusting reception of that reality.
3. Faith: Trust in the Redeemer
Faith (pistis) in biblical language means confident reliance on God’s promise and character. It is not intellectual assent alone but relational trust. Abraham’s belief was credited as righteousness because he trusted God’s word (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). In the New Testament, faith centres on Christ:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
Faith connects the believer to the redemptive work of Christ, transferring them from death to life (John 5:24). It is both a divine gift and a human act—a mystery of grace empowering trust (Philippians 1:29).
In the Triadiverse interpretive lens, faith represents active alignment with the Divine Realm: acknowledging truth, trusting love, and accepting divine justice as one’s governing principle.
4. Repentance: Turning Toward Alignment
Repentance (metanoia) literally means a “change of mind” or “turning around.” It is not a work that merits forgiveness but the internal realignment of will and direction. John the Baptist announced repentance as preparation for divine revelation (Matthew 3:2). Jesus began His ministry with the same message:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17)
Repentance involves recognition of sin, sorrow for disalignment, and active redirection toward God’s truth. It is both emotional and volitional—a transformation of perception and purpose. In Acts 3:19, Peter links repentance directly with cleansing: “Repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.”
Repentance therefore completes the inward work that faith begins; it signifies the movement from grace offered to grace received.
5. Confession: The Public Seal of Faith
Confession (homologeō) literally means “to say the same thing.” It is the outward expression of inward faith—aligning speech with divine truth. Paul explains this dual dynamic clearly:
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
Faith is inward conviction; confession is outward declaration. Together they constitute covenant participation. Confession is not a ceremonial formality but a relational witness: the believer publicly acknowledges divine lordship and personal allegiance.
In early Christianity, confession often occurred through baptism, symbolising death to the old realm and birth into the new (Romans 6:3–4). In the Triadiverse model, this corresponds to realm transfer—a legal and spiritual transition from corruption to divine citizenship.
6. Relationship Between Faith, Repentance, and Confession
| Stage | Description | Realm Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Faith | Trust in God’s grace through Christ | Opens alignment with Divine truth |
| Repentance | Turning away from sin toward God | Restores moral direction and harmony |
| Confession | Declaring allegiance to Christ | Seals and manifests new realm identity |
These are not sequential steps but interwoven responses of the heart. True faith naturally produces repentance; genuine repentance flows into confession; and confession reinforces faith. They form a living triad of divine-human cooperation.
7. The Limit of Human Capacity and the Sufficiency of Grace
For those capable of moral choice, these acts are necessary responses. For those incapable—infants, the unborn, or the cognitively impaired—God’s grace functions substitutionally. Where no human expression is possible, divine initiative completes the process internally. Grace never fails because of human limitation.
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
Thus, salvation depends not on the degree of human faith but on the object of that faith—Christ Himself.
8. Practical and Pastoral Applications
- Assurance in Christ: Salvation is secure not because our faith is strong but because His grace is sure.
- Repentance as Renewal: Believers must see repentance not as guilt-driven fear but as continual realignment with divine nature.
- Confession as Witness: Every confession of Christ strengthens both the believer’s faith and the world’s awareness of divine truth.
- Mercy for the Helpless: Where response is impossible, grace remains operative, ensuring God’s justice and mercy stay united.
9. Conclusion
Faith, repentance, and confession do not earn God’s grace; they reveal that grace has already been received. They are the language of alignment—the voice of humanity returning to its true source. Those who can respond must do so freely; those who cannot are still embraced by the same grace that calls and saves.
The next section, Part 5 – Grace Beyond Conscious Faith: When Belief Is Humanly Impossible, will explore how Scripture demonstrates divine mercy acting on behalf of those unable to act for themselves—revealing a grace that reaches even beyond human comprehension.
Key References
- Barth, K. (1956) Church Dogmatics IV/1: The Doctrine of Reconciliation. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.
- Calvin, J. (1559/1960) Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. H. Beveridge. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
- Stott, J. (1986) The Cross of Christ. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press.
- Packer, J. I. (1973) Knowing God. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
- Wright, N. T. (2012) How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. London: SPCK.
- Holy Bible (2011) New International Version. London: Hodder & Stoughton.