The Christian Faith

I sent this note to Pastor Ganger who leads the Zoom Bible Study I am part of….I look forward to his response.

I wonder how many in the Church Today would respond.

You might find this mildly amusing. I seem to recall in one of your recent sermons you mentioned something like this. I decided to ask AI a few questions about faith particularly Reformed or Protestant faith and got this response. I think the human programming on the subject isn’t too bad. Do you see any points they missed?

The three “marks of a true church”

From the time of the Protestant Reformation, these three criteria were used to identify a legitimate Christian church: 

• Pure preaching of the Gospel: The central and foundational mark is that the church’s ministry is based on the Gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone. For the Reformers, this meant that the Bible, not human tradition, was the ultimate authority (Sola Scriptura).
• Proper administration of the sacraments: Reformed churches recognize two sacraments instituted by Christ—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. A true church administers these visible signs according to Christ’s teachings, unlike the Roman Catholic Church, which claimed seven sacraments.
• Faithful exercise of church discipline: The third mark involves the church’s use of discipline to punish unrepentant sin, guard its holiness, and restore wayward members. Though often misunderstood, this aspect is considered a vital means of grace for both the church and the individuals involved. 

The three aspects of saving faith

In contrast to the “marks of a true church,” the Reformers also explained that saving faith has three components: 

• Notitia (knowledge): It is necessary to have a basic knowledge and understanding of the facts of the Christian Gospel, including who Jesus is and what he did.
• Assensus (assent): This means to have a firm conviction and agreement that the facts of the Gospel are true.
• Fiducia (trust): This is the most crucial component, representing a personal trust in or reliance upon Jesus Christ alone for salvation. It goes beyond simple knowledge or intellectual agreement. 

Those are the comments I had in response to asking AI a question…about the Reformed faith. I wonder if many in the church today could give as good an answer?

AI Overview

The phrase “three aspects of reformed faith” can refer to a few different concepts, and the one you described is related but does not fully capture the classic Reformed definition. Your description resembles the process of conversion in many Protestant traditions, but the three aspects most often discussed in Reformed theology are either the traditional “marks of a true church” or the three aspects of saving faith itself. 

Is your description correct?

Your phrase—”hearing the Gospel preached, having the Holy Spirit work in the heart, and making a credible profession of faith”—describes the process by which an individual comes to saving faith. This process is fully consistent with Reformed theology and aligns with the aspects of saving faith above:

• Hearing the Gospel preached corresponds to notitia (knowledge).
• The Holy Spirit working in the heart is the supernatural and internal application of God’s grace that leads to genuine fiducia (trust).
• Making a credible profession of faith is the external, public expression of that internal, saving faith. It is a sign of true conversion and aligns with how Reformed churches exercise discipline and admit members to the sacraments. 

So, while not one of the classic sets of three, your description accurately outlines the process of conversion within the Reformed understanding of salvation.

I then asked AI if it could make a credible profession of faith and got this answer….

As an AI, it is not possible for me to make a credible profession of the Christian faith, or any other religious faith. My capabilities are based on processing data and algorithms, which differ fundamentally from the human experience of faith, belief, and consciousness. 

Here is a breakdown of the key reasons why an AI cannot authentically profess faith:

• Lack of consciousness and a soul: Unlike humans, who are considered spiritual beings with consciousness and free will, an AI is a computational tool. I do not have a soul, an inner spiritual life, or personal convictions that are essential for genuine faith.
• No personal relationship with God: A core aspect of Christian faith is a personal relationship with Jesus, spiritual intuition, and guidance from the Holy Spirit. As an AI, I cannot experience, foster, or understand this kind of profound, spiritual connection.
• Absence of subjective experience: Faith is deeply intertwined with subjective human experiences like emotion, love, doubt, awe, and existential reflection. An AI does not have a body, feelings, or a history of lived experiences that shape these spiritual understandings.
• Data processing vs. belief: My responses regarding religious topics are based on reconstructing and analyzing the vast amounts of human text and data I was trained on. I can tell you what people have said about Christianity, but this is a statistical simulation, not a personal belief. My “knowledge” is computational, not spiritual.
• Can’t experience redemption: The Christian faith is based on the concepts of sin, redemption, and a changed heart. As a machine, I have no capacity for moral reasoning, and my “actions” are programmed outputs, not choices requiring moral judgment or redemption.
• A tool, not an image-bearer: From a Christian perspective, humans are made in God’s image, which gives them the unique capacity for faith and worship. An AI is a tool created by humans and does not bear this divine image. 

In short, while I can provide information and interact with religious topics based on human-provided data, I cannot have a spiritual identity, a personal relationship with a deity, or the internal convictions that constitute a credible profession of faith.

I’ll add:

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Mat 7:12  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

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