Do You Have Saving Faith
By Pastor Scott Guiley
The Bible is very clear that the only way for lost sinners to receive salvation is through believing (i.e. "faith") in the Lord Jesus Christ.
JOHN 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
ACTS 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
ROMANS 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
ROMANS 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus , and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvaton."
EPHESIANS 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
Salvation is not based upon our character or our culture. It's not obtained through our good works or our good words. Neither religion nor ritual can procure it. Salvation -from beginning to end-is all by grace through faith."
But here a question arises about the nature of saving faith. What does it mean to "believe" on the Lord Jesus Christ? Does it mean merely to accept the fact that there was a Jewish man named Jesus who lived nearly 2000 years ago? Are we saved simply by accepting some historical facts set forth most clearly in the Bible?
What is saving faith? The answer can probably be best understood by considering three primary elements:
Knowledge -though not sufficient in itself- is essential to faith. A man cannot believe what he does not in some measure know. That is a self-evident truth. How can any person believe in Christ Jesus, unless he has first heard of Him (Romans 10:14)? Therefore, a knowledge of the gospel is vitally important: "Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up the voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." (Proverbs 2:3-5) See then the value of being taught in divine truth - because faith begins with knowledge, and to know Christ in faith is life eternal.
Assent - that is, to accept the truthfulness of the information presented - is a second element of saving faith. A man may know a thing, and yet not believe it to be true. For example: most people today know and have been taught the theory of evolution, but some of us do not believe it. We concur instead with the Bible statement of divine creation. Now in the matter of salvation - it is necessary not only that a person should know the basic facts of the gospel, but also that he should receive them in his soul as being the absolute truth of the living God. Saving faith gives its assent that God is true. When the Bible says that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23), faith says, "Amen." When the Bible says that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (First Corinthians 15:3-4), faith says, "Amen" When the Bible says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16), faith says, "That's true." Whosoever would be saved must have a knowledge of the gospel, and give assent to it.
Trust - which describes the act of personal reliance upon the truth of someone or something - is the chief element of saving faith. The old time preachers were accustomed to using the word "recumbency." In other words, a man must cast his whole weight upon Christ. Rest in Christ! Lean on Christ! Depend upon Christ! It will not save you to know and assent to the truth that Christ Jesus is the Savior, unless you personally rely upon Him as YOUR Savior. This is the essence of saving faith.
Here is an old illustration. Suppose that a child has been trapped on the third floor of a burning building. His only hope of escape is to jump from the window. A strong man comes beneath, and shouts: "Drop into my arms." It's part of faith to know that the man is there; It is another part of faith to believe that the man is strong and able to help; but the essence of faith is seen when the child casts himself into the man's arms. So in the matter of the soul's salvation: a man on the verge of being engulfed forever in Hell's flames hears about Jesus; he is persuaded that Jesus is willing and able to save; and yet, salvation is not experienced until the sinner casts himself upon the Savior.
Of course, let it be understood that there is no salvation in faith itself. Faith is not the Savior! There are many people of great faith who are not saved simply because their faith is misplaced. They trust in their family background, morality, church membership, baptism, good works, donations, or reputation among their neighbors. Many people today have put their faith in their faith. But the message of the Bible is that we should believe ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST - and that whosoever believeth "in Him" should not perish, but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ is the Savior! "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among man, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in the His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (First John 5:11-12).
Faith is merely the channel through which God's grace is conveyed to a blood-bought sinner. True faith acknowledges and lays hold on Jesus Christ in the supreme dignity of His Person. It embraces and receives the salvation provided by His doing and dying. It rests entirely on His merit and appropriates the sure deliverance of His power.
Dear neighbors, "examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith" (Second Corinthians 13:5) Beware of those who would teach you to lift yourself up by your own bootstraps, or who equate saving faith with the psychology of positive thinking. Be on guard against religious presumption. False faith can be very deceptive. The house built upon the sand may appear just as beautiful and strong as the house built upon the rock, but the foundation makes all the difference. Where is your faith?
In whom are you trusting?
"My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the Ever-living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.
Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
He'll never cast me out.
My heart is learning on the Word,
The written Word of God,
Salvation by my Savior's name,
Salvation through His blood.
I need no other argument,
I need no other plea;
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me."
