The Allegiance of Faith - Why 'Believing' Means More Than You Think

The Lexical Crisis: Demons “Believe” Too

The New Testament was written in Koiné Greek, a language where the word group for faith (pistis/pisteuo) is derived from the root peitho—to persuade, to trust, to rely upon.

In our modern vernacular, if I say, “I believe it will rain,” I am expressing an opinion based on data. If it doesn’t rain, I was simply misinformed. This is intellectual calculation.

But the Bible speaks of faith differently.

If faith is merely Mental Assent, agreeing with the theological facts, then Satan is the greatest believer of all. He knows the Trinity is real. He knows the Resurrection happened. He possesses perfect orthodoxy (right opinion), yet he possesses no salvation.

Why? Because he refuses Allegiance. He agrees with the facts of God’s power, but he remains in active rebellion against God’s authority.

The Three Rungs of the Ladder

The Reformers—Luther, Calvin, and their successors—fought tooth and nail for the doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone. But they were terrified of “Cheap Grace.” To protect the gospel, they distinguished three necessary elements of saving faith:

1. Notitia (Knowledge): You must know the data. (Jesus is the Son of God, He died for sinners).

2. Assensus (Assent): You must agree the data is true. (I am a sinner, and Jesus is the only way).

3. Fiducia (Trust): You must personally entrust yourself to the object of that knowledge.

The modern tragedy is that we have stopped at step two. We have filled our churches with people who have Notitia and Assensus but lack Fiducia.

Fiducia is where “Allegiance” comes in. It is the difference between believing that a parachute works, and actually jumping out of the plane. The first is an opinion; the second is an act of total reliance.

Allegiance and the Sovereign Decree

Does defining faith as “Allegiance” turn salvation into a “work”? Are we saving ourselves by our loyalty?

Absolutely not. And here is where we must balance the Sovereign Voice with the Responsibility Voice.

From the Reformed perspective (the Sovereign Voice), we must remember that a rebel cannot pledge allegiance to a Holy King on his own. Our hearts are naturally hostile to God (Romans 8:7). Therefore, this allegiance is not a wage we earn; it is a gift we receive.

As Charles Hodge and the great systematicians remind us, the Holy Spirit regenerates the heart, removing the hostility, so that we can believe. The traitor lays down his weapon only because the King’s grace has melted his heart.

But, as the Wesleyan theologians (the Responsibility Voice) remind us, the surrender must be real. God does not believe for us. He empowers the will, but the will must act. The “Universal Offer” of the Gospel is a treaty of peace: “Come out with your hands up, and you will be forgiven.”

To accept the treaty (Faith) is to accept the terms of the King (Allegiance).

The Rope and the Rescue

Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, used an illustration that perfectly captures this tension.

Imagine a man drowning in a storm. A rescuer throws him a rope.

The man grabs the rope. He clings to it with every ounce of strength he has.

• Does his grip save him? No. If the rope is cut, his grip is useless. It is the rope (Christ) and the strength of the Rescuer (Grace) that pulls him to shore.

• Is his grip a “work” that earns the rescue? No. He is a beggar accepting help.

• But can he be saved without gripping the rope? No. Passive observation of the rope saves no one.

This is “Faith as Allegiance.” It is an active, desperate, clinging trust. It is the “Obedience of Faith” that Paul speaks of in Romans 1:5. It is not a relaxed mental agreement that “the rope exists.” It is the act of staking your life on the rope.

Practical Application: The End of duality

When we view Faith as Allegiance, the false wall between “Salvation” and “Discipleship” collapses.

We often hear, “I accepted Jesus as Saviourten years ago, but I made Him Lord last week.”

Theologically, this is impossible. You cannot negotiate with a King. You cannot say, “I accept your pardon, but I reject your rule.”

To have Faith is to have Fidelity.

• It means when the world says “Go left,” and the King says “Go right,” we go right—not to earn our salvation, but because that is what it means to trust Him.

• It means our stumbling obedience is not an attempt to bribe God, but the natural breathing of a heart that has been captured by Love.

Conclusion: The Great Exchange

Sola Fide, Faith Alone, is still the article upon which the church stands or falls. We contribute nothing to our salvation but the sin that made it necessary.

But let us be clear about what that Faith is. It is not a nod of the head. It is the bowing of the knee.

It is the Spirit-empowered cry of the rebel who, seeing the beauty of the Cross, drops his sword and says to Jesus:

I have no hope but You. I have no King but You. I am Yours.

That is Allegiance. That is Faith. That is the only thing that saves.