Saving Faith: What is it?
The word believe in the Bible when it comes to believing in the
Gospel actually means to trust, to rely. This is not just a mental
assent to facts. This involves the mind and the will. This is
commitment of ones salvation to what Christ has done in Calvary.
Faith is taking God at His Word. God says: Christ Jesus died for
our sins and resurrected again for our salvation. Saving Faith is
just being completely satisfied with that, being completely
satisfied with what Christ has done for us on the cross for our
salvation.
The Elements of true saving faith:
a) Knowledge of the facts about Christ's saving work on the cross.
How can you trust in Christ if you havent heard of what He has
done for you?
b) Assent to the truth presented. This is acknowledgement of the
facts about Christs saving work on the cross. How can you trust in
Christ if you dont agree and concede to the fact that Christ died
on the cross for our sins and resurrected again?
c) Reliance and trust to the facts known and assented. This is
resting and depending completely in what Christ has done for
you.
You have knowledge about the fact that there is a place in America
called New York City. You assented and acknowledged the veracity of
its existence but it is understandable that you dont trust and rely
in New York City. I mean what would you trust New York City for
right? The place doesn't even know you. It is lifeless, mindless,
listless and indifferent.
But it is altogether different with the Savior. You knew about the
Savior probably for gazillion of years now. Probably you are one
who acknowledges and concedes to the fact of His death and
resurrection on the Cross of Calvary. Question is: "Have you relied
on Him and His work on the cross for salvation? Have you trusted in
Him alone for the forgiveness of all your sins?"
One time in the town of Rock City, torrents of fire poured out from
heaven. People here and there were burned to ashes. In the midst of
that city there stands a huge Rock standing strong and mighty like
Gibraltar. You knew that the Rock would keep you safe.....you
believe that it could withstand the onslaught and the downpour of
fire from heaven. But here you are with your umbrella on, just
standing there doing nothing.
Within seconds you were turned into a heap of ashes. You knew about
the Rock. You acknowledged and assented to the truth that the Rock
could keep you safe. But you did not trust in it. If you did..you
would have had thrown away your umbrella and hid safe under the
mighty Rock.
Have you trusted in Chirst and His work alone in the cross for your
salvation?
How do we know if we have true saving faith?
Faith is only true or false depending on the object your faith is
anchored on. Some speak of faith as if faith is the Savior. Faith
is just the spiritual hand that accepts the free salvation of
Christ which He wrought in Calvary. Faith is not the Savior. Even
if you have the strongest faith in the world, but if it is not
anchored on the Savior, it saves you not. Even if you have the most
stable and the most firm faith in the world but if the Savior did
not die on the cross for our sins, no salvation avails us.
How do we know if we have true saving faith? If my faith is in the
right object who is Christ the Savior, then my faith is true. If my
faith is anchored on my good works, my own character, my own
religiosity then that kind of faith is false, no matter how strong
it is.
Asked yourself: When I prayed the sinners prayer
did I trust in the prayer I made to Christ for salvation or did I
trust the Savior through that prayer?
Why is it only through faith are sinners saved? Why not
faith plus good works? Why not faith and good
character?
The answer to this question depends upon the nature of the saving
work of Christ on the cross. The reason why salvation is by faith
alone is because of the perfect saving work of Christ on the cross.
Christ's work on the cross was eternally complete and perfect. And
that work was for you and me. Since, it is eternally complete and
perfect, the only logical thing helpless sinners can do is to rely
on it, have faith on it. You see, we dont add to anything to that
which is already complete and perfect, we remain satisfied with it
in simple faith. As one man said concerning the work of Christ: "We
don't improve on perfection."
Question: If God the Father was perfectly and
eternally satisfied with the work of God the Son on the cross for
our salvation, why cant we be satisfied with it by simply relying
on it? The work was done, the work was complete, the work was
perfect and eternal, the work satisfied God completely, perfectly
and eternally so that the only thing that remains for a helpless
sinner to do is to have faith in it, depend upon it for salvation,
appropriate it by faith.
If it sounds so simple, then you got it!!!!! Its simple because it
was not you who died on the cross for your sins. It was done on the
ground of pure grace and mercy by God to sinners like you and me
who cannot do absolutely anything to save ourselves. Praise God who
is soo good, merciful and gracious!!!!!!
What is the difference between saving faith and positive
thinking?
Faith always has an object [which is Gods reliable Word] to latch
on]. While positive thinking has nothing stable and solid to stand
on than cobweb presumptions, suppositions and personal ideas. Faith
is standing on the Rock [the Word of God] while positive thinking
is walking on cobwebs of our own making.
True, there is positive thinking in faith so long as the Word of
God allows you to. But not all positive thinking is the result of
faith.
Supposing you enroll in a positive thinking class, you havent
heard about the Savior because you dont read the Bible in the
first place. You dont know the truth that Christ died for our
sins and resurrected again for our salvation.
However, you believe that there is a place called Hell and a place
called Heaven in the after life. You want to go to heaven and so
you inquired your guru about it. And your guru tells you: Ah, you
want to go to Heaven?!!?, okay, its quite simple actually. What you
need to do is to always think that after you die you will go to
heaven. Do not entertain doubts that you will be in Hell when you
die. Do it everyday of your life and your on your way to
Heaven.
Question: If you take the advice of that guru, do you think you
will go to heaven when you die?
If your answer is NO. Then the next question would be: But you
really, really believed that you will go to heaven? After 40 years
of thinking that you will go to heaven when you die, you have made
yourself believe that you will go there, why wont you go to
heaven?
The answer: Because you did not trust or have faith in the saving
work of the Savior. You placed your faith in positive thinking not
in the Savior and what He did on the cross for you.
No one gets saved by saying to himself every single day of his
life: I am saved
.I am saved
.I am saved
.. I am saved
I am
saved. You get saved by placing your faith [or trust] in what
Christ already did for you. About the work of salvation, the Savior
said: It is finished
When I say: I am saved
.I am not saying that out of the cobweb of
my own presumptuous ideas, I am saying that because the Word of God
says: who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised
because of our justification. Ro 4:25
The Word of God says that because of the death and resurrection of
Christ for my sins I am justified or saved, placing my faith on
that Word, then I can positively think: I am saved.
Positive Thinking killed Johnny
3 A.M, Wednesday. A fire broke out in the neighborhood. Johnnys
neighborhood block was ablaze in a great conflagration, a great
fire was ravaging the houses and in a minutes time his house would
soon be in ablaze as the others. Johnnys brother bellowed to him
to get out of the house and scamper out of harms way. Johnny
refused to heed his brothers warnings because he believed that God
would spare their house from the raging fire. And so, even though
fearful for his life, Johnny stayed in the house. In no time, the
fire burned up the house and destroyed it completely. That was the
last time Johnnys brother saw him alive.
Why? What went wrong? Did Johnny not believe and had faith that
God would spare him. Actually, what went wrong was that Johnny
presumed that God would spare him from the conflagration. It was
not faith it was positive thinking. He had no word [promise] from
God that God would spare him from the fire. In fact, what Johnny
did was sinful. He was tempting God [he had no Word from God that
God would spare him]. He should have moved out of harms way and
have faith that whatever happens everything is under Gods
sovereign control and that God would take care of their needs etc.
since God promised in the Bible that in everything: I will never
leave you nor forsake you.
But God never promised us [Church Age people] in the Bible that our
houses would never be burned, or that we will never be injured or
that our health would always be intact etc. To expect such things
without the solid basis of Gods Word is presumption. However, I
can look all things that happen to me this way: Whatever God
allows to happen in my life, I know that this will be for my good,
that this will conform me to the image of Christ because God said
so [Romans 8:28-29].
What is the opposite of faith? If you have doubts does that mean
that you dont have faith? Is doubt the opposite of faith?
The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is
unbelief. You can have doubts and still have faith
read below you
can see faith and doubt is found in one person at the same
time:
Mt 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught
him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?"
You can even have unbelief and still have faith!!!!!!!
Mr 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with
tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
[See also Mat. 17:20, the apostles of the Lord Jesus had some
moments of unbelief] This is possible because a saved man has two
natures: a) sinful and b) divine.
