What is Saving Faith?
A young Muslim man in Bandung, Indonesia, was discussing with me the problem of ISIS in the Middle East. He thoroughly disapproved of them, adding:
“There are seventy-two groups in Islam, and only one of those are going to be saved!”
I then asked him:
“Which group are you in?”
“Oh, I’m in the group that is going to be saved.”
So many people think like that. They think that because they are Roman Catholics or Anglicans or Methodists or Baptists or Evangelicals or Pentecostalists or some other organisation, that they are in the right group that will be saved. The Bible is clear however that God does not look at which group a person is in but at the individual themselves. God reminded Samuel:
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
Similarly he says to the church at Thyatira that God’s judgment awaits those members of that church who do not live as God wants.
“Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay you each according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:23
Am I saved?
What a vital question this is. There are many in churches of all denominations who never ask this question. They assume they are saved because they believe in the doctrines of their church. Yet Paul reminded church members:
“Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” 2 Corinthians 13:5
Obviously the apostles recognised that there is a form of faith that will not result in our eternal salvation. John’s gospel was written for a specific purpose:
“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31
Believing in Jesus is a repeated theme in John’s gospel
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12
“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” John 2:11
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
The stakes are high:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” John 3:36
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24
“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’” John 6:29
“Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. “ John 6:47-48
Jesus taught us that the only way to be saved, to be made right with God, is to believe in him but what does this mean? Jesus does give more information later about what he means by ‘believe’. It more than acceptance of doctrines about him nd membership of an organisation, however good that is..
“. . . he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
“If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples.” John 8:31
“Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.” John 8:51
Jesus describes himself as the ‘good shepherd’
“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” John 10:4
So ‘belief’ cannot be nominal or just an intellectual assent, saving belief involves a deep personal commitment to the Lord Jesus because of a certainty over who he is. This commitment will result in obediently following him, not to rules. but to please him. This is why the Christian faith is so often portrayed in terms of a happy marriage
Jesus was deeply concerned that many of his Jewish contemporaries possessed a form of faith that was insufficient for salvation. The Jewish people were God's chosen people but Jesus taught that salvation required deep personal faith in himself as the Messiah. Neither a genuine family line going back to Abraham nor a strict adherence to the law will result in eternal salvation.
How can we be sure?
Jesus gave us ample instruction for how we can know for sure that we have eternal life. The first epistle of John was actually written for that purpose,
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:13
This short book contains a series of tests that we can use to examine ourselves and our faith. No-one will keep all these requirements perfectly but they will be the inclination of our hearts.
We share the gospel
We long to share the news about Jesus with others:
“. . . we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, . . . “ I John 1:2-3
This has always been a mark of those who love the Lord, it is a means of being blessed by God:
“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” Psalm 89:15
“I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” Psalm 91:14
We feel close to other Christians
Belonging to Christ means we belong to a new family and as in any family we have to work at maintaining relationships. We can seldom be effective in promoting the news about Jesus on our own. We need to be members of a team.
“. . . so that you also may have fellowship with us” 1 John 1:3
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,” 1 John 1:7
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” 1 John 2:9
“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.” 1 John 3:11
“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.” 1 John 3:14
We have a personal relationship with God
This is fundamental.
“And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3
Jesus warned religious leaders that it is still possible for them not to be in God’s kingdom:
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Matthew 7:22-23
We live to please Jesus.
“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” 1 John 2:3-4
“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” 1 John 1:5-6
“If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.” 1 John 2:29
“All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3
We experience a deep joy as we live for God
“We write this to make our joy complete.” 1 John 1:4
We recognise how sinful we are
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1 John 1:8
We love and obey God’s Word, the Bible
We love what God teaches us in his word. We love to feed on what God teaches us there.
“But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them.” 1 John 2:5
We love pleasing God rather than things of the world
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:15-17
“No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.” 1 John 3:3
Persistently doing things that we know Jesus hates must mean that we do not know him. When we go wrong Christians turn back to Jesus and ask for his help in the future. No-one is without sin but our love for Jesus means that we see the damage our sin does. This refers to not continuing in sin as a way of life, not a total absence of sin.
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” 1 John 3:9
We remain in the Bible centred church whatever the problems
“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” 1 John 2:19
We live sacrificially
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16
“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18
We try to maintain a clear conscience
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God.” 1 John 3:21
Christians determine to live with integrity, doing what is right in God’s eyes. Those who forsake integrity will find that their own lives begin to disintegrate, their family lives will dis-integrate and eventually their society and nation will begin to crumble. Are we not seeing this in the west today? In my Bible reading this morning I read that the righteous man Job had made a covenant before the Lord:
“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” Job 31:1
We discriminate against teaching that is not of Christ and his Apostles
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Do you experience victory in your Christian walk? 1 John 4:1
These features are all the fruit of the Spirit and indicate true salvation. Jesus said that it is by our fruits that we are known as His disciples:
“Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:20
Branches of God’s vine that do not produce fruit are cut off and thrown into the fire
“If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” John 15:6
These are those who claim to be Christian but who do not produce fruit for Christ. A genuine faith is one that not only believes in God or even who Jesus is, but one that is full of love for their Saviour which itself leads to an admission of sin and obedience to Jesus’ commands. Even demons believe the theory but it has not resulted in Jesus becoming both their Saviour and their Lord:
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.” James 2:19
We are saved by by faith in the Lord Jesus, it is only because of who he is and his sacrifice of himself for us that we are saved. How we live cannot contribute anything to our salvation. However a genuine faith always produces a change in how we live.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. . .” Ephesians 2:8-9
Christians have become God’s people because we have turned to Christ and now we are his representatives on earth. How we live should display should display the reality of our salvation:
“ . . . For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” James 2:17-18
A genuine saving faith will always produce a changed life that gives glory to the Lord Jesus; a faith that is perpetually without works for Christ is no faith at all and saves no one. It is therefore the responsibility of every christian to work hard at changing in the way he wants.
The problem all Christians have is that we all fail to live as our Lord wants. He said,
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48
Reassured
No-one can live perfectly just as people in the Old Testament who were given God’s law couldn’t reach that holy standard. That is why they needed to off animal sacrifices. So we also remain dependant on Jesus sacrificing his life for us.
When we are in Christ, he promises that he will keep us into eternity. His promises to us are thrilling. Our salvation depends on the promises of God to those who believe in him. Look again at the reassuring promises in the verses this article started with. If we are listening to what Jesus says and following him we have eternal life
“Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:27-29
If I listen to and obey the voice of Jesus, then I are one of His sheep, and He will never let me go. We are safe, just as a sheep rescued from a fearsome foe and being carried home by a loving shepherd is.
The following are some reassuring verses that if we persevere in believing in Christ and therefore in serving him we will be saved for eternity:
“. . . and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved”. Matthew 24:11-13
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Philippians 4:6-7
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them”. John 3:36
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children”. Romans 8:16
"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life". 1 John 5:13
“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
"Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.” 1 John 3:18-22
“That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12
"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14
“. . . being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”. Romans 8:1
“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realised.” Hebrews 6:11
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. Romans 5:1
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life”. John 5:24
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. John 3:16
To live our whole lives in a personal relationship with Jesus, living as he teaches us in the Old and New Testaments is not only so satisfying but it is also the guarantee that he knows us and that we are indeed part of the family of God.
The great Victorian preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon wisely said:
“If Christ is not all to you He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Saviour of men. If He be something He must be everything, and if He be not everything He is nothing to you.”
BVP
