The Faith That Saves

Introduction

I. We are going to talk on the subject: "The Faith That Saves"

A. This is a fundamental subject, yet there are some
misunderstandings
regarding a few points pertaining to this subject.

B. We intend to discuss three main points:
1. The definition - that world has given as opposed to scriptural ...
2. How faith comes,
3. and that True Faith - (opposed to dead faith) - Is Obedient -
Working- Active

Body
I. Webster gives the present day meaning of the word FAITH as:
"Belief in God, in revelation; trust in God; that which is
believed".

A. If my faith is my belief in God, and my belief in the Bible as the
revelation of God, it must follow that "belief" and "faith" are the
same thing.
1. But now, there is a technical difference in the meaning of
these words according to present day usage.
2. Webster - "Belief and faith differ chiefly in that belief, as a
rule, suggests little more than intellectual assent; faith implies
also trust or confidence."
a. But the New Testament does not make this distinction
between the meaning of these words.
b. In fact, the N.T. has only one Greek word for our words
"Faith" and "Belief".
1) Sometimes this one Greek word is translated "belief",
but in the majority of its occurrences it is translated by
our word "faith".

B. Scriptural Definition
1. God defines it as recorded in Heb. 11:1: "Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." a. In the KJV it reads: "Faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen."
b. The expression "things hoped for" refers to things in the
future, such as heaven and our association with Jesus, the
redeemed, and the angels.
c. This verse tells us that our faith is our assurance that these
things exist and that we will be privileged to enjoy them.
1) If someone asks what assurance we have of eternal life in
heaven, we should reply: My faith in God and in the Bible
as the word of God is sufficient assurance.
2. But again, our text tells us that faith is the conviction of things unseen.
a. The expression "things unseen" is a wider expression than
"things hoped for".
1) "Hell" is included in things unseen, but certainly is not
included in the things hoped for.
2) Men and events of the past such as Abraham and his
sacrifice of Isaac, and Moses and his experience with
Jehovah on Mr. Sinai are included in the things not seen.
3) So, my faith is the conviction as to the reality of Abram,
Moses and other great characters of the past.
b. My faith is my conviction of the reality of heaven and hell.
c. To many people faith is not sufficient assurance of things
hoped for, nor sufficient conviction of things not seen.
1) But to the Christian, faith is what demonstration is to the
scientist.
2) The scientist can demonstrate that the proper mixture of
hydrogen and oxygen will produce water.
3) After performing this demonstration a few times, the
scientists has absolutely no doubt what ever that this
mixture of hydrogen and oxygen will produce water every time, but his conviction
is no more solidly established than is the conviction of the Christian
with reference to things unseen.
4) Nor is the assurance of the scientist any more solidly
founded than is the Christian's assurance of things for
which he hopes.
5) The Christian's faith is just as satisfying to him as is the
scientist's demonstration to the scientist.

II. How Faith Comes

A. By hearing the word of God.
1. In Rom. 10:17 we learn that, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" a. In this verse the KJV uses the word "faith" while the ASV
uses the word "belief".
b. Some people have the idea that belief comes from hearing the
word of God, but that faith comes as a special and direct gift
from God.
1) But the "belief" or "faith" of this verse which comes by
hearing the word of God is that which saves the soul.
2. In verses 13 and 14 of this same chapter, we are told that,
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have
not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they
have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" a. Here we learn that there must be someone to preach the
word of God, and someone to hear the preaching of the word.
b. When one has heard this preaching he may believe, and
when he has believed he may call on the name of the Lord
for salvation.
1) So, the belief that comes from hearing the word of God
enables one to call upon the Lord and be saved.
2) In Jn. 17:20, we learn that Jesus prayed not only for his
apostles, but, as he said, "But for them also that believe on me through their word." a) In this verse, Jesus teaches that our faith comes by
hearing the word as preached by his apostles, and in
Acts 15:7, Peter said that, "God made choice among you, that by my mouth the
gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe." b) From Acts 10, we learn that Peter went to the home of
Cornelius and preached the gospel of Christ.
i. When Cornelius heard that gospel and believed, he
had the faith that saves.
ii. This is not to say that he was saved at the point of faith.

B. Faith Comes by Reading God's Word
1. Preaching the gospel by word of mouth is not the only means of
enabling people to believe on the Lord unto salvation.
a. In John 20:30-31, we read, "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples,
which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might
have life through his name." b. There are some who make a distinction between "saving faith"
and "historical faith".
1) They say that historical faith comes from believing the things
revealed in God's word, but that saving faith comes as a
direct gift from God.
2) If there is any possibility of a historical faith as distinguished
from saving faith, it seem that this passage would furnish us
with the evidence.
3) John wrote a history of the life of Jesus Christ.
a) If there can be any such thing as historical faith, it will
come from believing the history written of Jesus Christ.
b) But in verse 31, John tells us that one may have life in
the name of Christ by believing the things which he
wrote about Jesus Christ.
c) This life cannot be physical life, for that does not come
through believing what John wrote about Jesus.
d) It can refer only to spiritual life, and that is the same
thing as salvation.
i. So, salvation comes by believing the history of the life
of Jesus.
ii. We conclude, therefore, that there is no distinction to
be made between historical faith and saving faith.
4) We learned in Rom. 10:13-17, that saving faith comes
from hearing the preaching of the word of God, but a
preacher who preaches the same gospel which the apostles
preached will preach the things that they learned from
reading what John and other Bible writers have written.
a) So, the faith that comes from hearing the preaching of
the word of God is the same faith that comes by reading
the word of God as written by John and other Bible
writers.
b) Hence, the faith of John 20:30-31, is the same faith as
that of Rom. 10:13-17.

C. In talking about how faith comes, Faith Is Not A Gift From God.
1. In Eph. 2:8-9, we read, "For by grace have we been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God." a. In this passage, we learn the following:
1) We are saved by the grace of God;
2) We have been saved through our faith;
3) Salvation is not of ourselves;
4) Salvation is the gift of God;
5) Salvation of not of works.
b. Those who think that this verse says that faith is the gift of
God are mistaken.
2. There are three things said in this verse about something:
1) that something is not of yourselves;
2) that something is the gift of God; and
3) that same something is not of works.
a. Whatever Paul had in mind when he said it is not of works
is the same thing he had in mind when he said it is the gift
of God.
b. No one doubts that Paul intended to teach that salvation
is not of works.
1) Consequently, Paul meant to teach that salvation is the
gift of God.
2) So, this verse does not teach that faith is the gift of God;
it teaches that salvation is the gift of God.
3) God gives salvation to the believer who has gained his
belief by hearing the word of God preached and by
reading the word of God as revealed by Bible writers.

III. True Faith Is Obedient Faith - Working - Active

A. Faith may be dead or alive.
1. In James 2:26 we read, "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith without
works is dead also." a. By the word "works" in this verse we are to understand that
the writer means "obedience to God's commandments" and
not meritorious works designed by man to save himself.
b. In proof of this James offers Abraham, who obeyed the
commandments of God to offer up Isaac as an example of
faith being made perfect by his works.
c. If Abraham had refused to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, his
faith would have been a dead faith.
1) Faith is one thing and the works prompted by that faith are
something else.
2) One may have the faith and never perform the works.
3) In proof of this James suggests that demons believe, but
they do not work or obey the commandments of God.
2. If other examples are needed, one may learn that Agrippa
believed in God but he refused to obey God (Acts 26). His faith
was a dead faith, because it was faith without works.
3. In John 12:42, we learn that many of the rulers of the Jews
believed in God, but because they were afraid to confess him
they had no works.
a. Their's was a dead faith because it was faith without works or
obedience to the commandments of the Lord.
b. A living faith is different from a dead faith: One saves, the
other doesn't.

B. The word of God works in the believer.
1. In I Thes. 2:13, we read where Paul commended the people of
Thes. because they received his message as it was in truth the
word of God.
And he said: "Which also worketh in you that believe".
2. From this passage we learn that the word of God works certain
things in the believer.
a. The word of God works obedience to the commandments of
the Lord.
1) If the word of God is given free course in the life of the
believer, that believer will become obedient to the
commandments of God.
2) But, if the word of God is hindered by prejudice or by a
love of the world and the things that are in the world, it
may fail to work obedience in the life of the believer.
a) In this case, the faith becomes a dead faith.
b) The word of God will work repentance in the life of the
believer, because the Lord commands all believers to
repent, or turn to God.
c) The word of God will work the confession of Christ in
the life of the believer, because the word of God
teaches us to confess Christ unto our salvation (Rom.
10:9,10). (Confession as manner of life)
d) And, the word of God will cause the believer to be
baptized, because the Lord commands that people be
baptized in the name of Christ.
b. The word of God will work trust in the promises of God.
1) If the word of God is given free course in the heart and life
of the believer, he will trust all the promises of God; but if
the word of God is hindered by a fear of poverty or by
covetousness, the believer may never learn to trust the
promises of God.
2) In this case, his belief becomes a dead faith.
c. The word of God will work appreciation of the holiness of God.
1) If the word of God is given free course in the heart and life
of the believer, it will cause him to appreciate the holiness
of God and wish to incorporate that holiness to the
greatest degree possible in his own life.
2) But if the word of God is hindered by the love of immorality
and ungodliness, the believer may never come to appreciate
the holiness of God or desire to incorporate it in his own life.
3) Failing to obey the commandments of the Lord with respect
to holiness, the faith becomes a dead faith.
4) Since the faith that saves is an obedient faith, it follows that
obedience to the commands of God is the distinguishing
characteristics of those who are saved, and it also follows
that regardless of how strong one's faith may be, he is lost
if he is not obedient to the commands of God.
5) From this lesson we learn also that salvation by "faith only"
is a false doctrine.
a) "Faith only" does not include obedience to the
commandments of God.
b) "Faith only" is a dead faith which cannot save.

C. The Word Works Death in Unbelievers
1. In II Cor. 2:15,16, Paul teaches that gospel preachers brought
a message which meant death to the unbeliever as well as
eternal life to the believer.
2. And, in II Thes. 2:11,12, he teaches that God will allow the
unbeliever to be sent a working of error and be condemned
because he believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
a. So, the word of God works salvation in the believer, but it
works condemnation in the unbeliever.
b. Hence, we ought to believe God's word fervently, love it
intensely and obey it with all our heart immediately.

Conclusion
I. Some claim to believe...but they don't want to do what he said.

A. Let us suppose you fell into a well and a fellow comes along and
finds you. You are down in the bottom trying to keep head out of
water -snakes, spiders, dead animals.
1. He says, "I'll get you out if you will do what I tell you".
He drops a rope and tells you, "Tie it around you and I will pull
you up".
2. You most certainly would not cry that you want him to save you
ONLY as YOU want to be saved; but would do anything told.

B. So it must be the same way in our quest for salvation.
1. We may not know why or understand why Christ commands
baptism, yet it is not for the lost to question, but
to accept and obey.
2. If you are lost, Jesus is throwing you the rope and
telling you to tie it on: He says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved..."

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