Saving Faith
What is it really?
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.— Eph. 2:1-10
These verse in Ephesians Chapter 2 give us great insight into what happens with Grace and Faith and Works, in relation to our salvation.
Understand that the word “Quickened” means to bring to life.
The word is used because we are considered dead, before we get saved. We are utterly depraved. We are walking with Satan. We do not know God or have anything to do with Him or care. We are dead, which means separated from Him.
The verse above shows that ALL humans are in the same boat. Except for babies and young children before they reach the age of accountability. They do not understand Law, or Sin or anything else. They face death; like all humans, but not Hell. They have not committed the first sin, knowing it is a sin which condemns them and us.
We suffer Death, enslavement to Satan, a Corrupted Nature and the potential for Hell/Lake of Fire because of Adam’s sin. BUT… We actually go there because we commit the first sin, knowing it is a sin.
We all commit that first sin. We all have walked in sin, and face Hell. We all face eternal death. Which is separation from God in the garbage dump of Hell/Lake of Fire. The Bible wants us to understand this.
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,“
God came to save us from this. That is Grace.
He calls us. That is Grace.
He helps us to see our need for Him. That is Grace.
He holds back the forces of darkness for moments in our lives so we can see clearly to run to Him. That is Grace.
He gives each of us the faith to be saved. That is Grace.
Because we are saved by Grace THROUGH Faith.
This is important because there are false beliefs on the matter.
We are not saved by Faith. We are saved by Grace THROUGH Faith.
God who created us gave us this faith at birth. (Rom. 12:3)
He gave a measure of faith to every human.
Enough to be saved.
Jesus says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. (Matt. 17:20)
There is a false belief that says that God gives us faith to be saved, just before we get saved. If this is true, then God is deciding who goes to hell and who doesn’t. This flies in the face of the idea that He died for all of us and seeks to save all of us.
He gives us faith, when He knits us together in our mother’s womb. (Jer. 1:5)
That faith is what gives us hope that the sun will rise. It lets us have faith that a chair will support us when we sit down. It is faith that helps us trust that we have a job every morning we get up to go out.
That is natural faith.
That faith, as little as it might be is enough for us to believe God, and hear His call, and turn to Him. It is enough to confess Jesus as our Lord and be saved.
We can put that faith in whatever we want. Religion. Work. Money. Politics. Family. or the Eagle that lives on the yonder mountain.
But, none of those things will save us. Only Jesus Christ saves.
When we put our faith in Jesus He saves us and gives us His Holy Spirit.
From that point, the Lord starts growing us and building a relationship with us.
That is when our faith grows.
Like exercise builds the body. Seeing the movements of God, and seeing Him respond to the Truth of His Word, builds our faith.
Trusting God and seeing Him move builds our faith.
Like exercise, we build muscle by going to muscle failure. Where we cannot lift the weight but need help.
Faith is the same. God will often wait till we are spent, and cannot go any more. Then, He shows up in power, and our faith grows.
So, what is “Saving Faith?”
Saving faith; is the faith you put in the Lord to believe and trust in Him, at His call.
We can look at the Parable of the Sower in Matthew Chapter 13 to get some idea.
The sower goes forth to sow, the Word of the Kingdom.
This is the Gospel or the Word of God. It is the promises of God or a Word he gives us to wake us up to Him.
Some people get this Word, and do not understand it or believe it. The devil immediately comes and wipes it away. Demons whisper into the mind. “That’s not true.” “What about this…” “Those people are hypocrites, remember what they did to you…”
This does not mean God quits trying. He never quits. Love doesn’t quit. But, that doesn’t mean you have time to hear again.
Some people hear the Word, and agree. They like what is said, and they try to live it. But, it is by their own flesh. They did not really give themselves to the Lord and put their faith in Him alone.
So, when trouble comes or people make fun of them or punish them for trying to live right, they quit. Remember, this is a heart issue. This is a truth issue with God. It is not about appearances.
There are people living their whole life at church, in this state of half-belief. They have the “appearance of Godliness but deny the power thereof,”. They believe, but have never really accepted.
Next in the parable are people who hear the Word. They hear the call. They believe, but again never really accept it. They never confess Jesus as Lord. They try to save themselves, but “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”
A person who knows the Lord, cannot lose their salvation. Once you have it, you are saved forever. The Lord will protect you, hold you and grow you. The person above never really had faith in the Lord. They believed, at some point but that belief did not push them beyond this life. They never really accepted or confessed Jesus is the Lord.
This matters in these last days. Because as things get worse, and persecution comes knocking, these are the people who will fall away. They have claimed Christ. They attend church. But, have never really known Him. So, when the Anti-Christ rises up, they will turn from God and join the Apostate Church.
Last, is the person who hears the Word, believes it, and moves forward to accept Jesus as their Lord and receives the Holy Spirit. This person “heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
The “Understanding” is not total understanding of all things Gospel. It is an understanding of their need. It is a light shining into the darkness of their fallen state, and they leap for the Lord.
It is not a “I’m going to become a Christian” kind of faith. It is a “My life is ruined and I need God,” kind of faith.
It is a faith that God sees. It is the faith of a child to believe things, no matter what the world tells you. (Matt. 18:3-4)
Saving faith, is faith that is real. It is faith that God accepts.
This faith hears the Word, and really believes and accepts. This faith grows in the good ground prepared by God by His grace.
God prepares us to hear, by whatever means will best serve the purpose.
But, it is our faith, and where put that faith, that leads to salvation.
That salvation brings us the Holy Spirit, and He grows us and changes us. He leads us into serving God and Serving others. He grows the fruit in us. He Walks in the Spirit with us. These are the works we do.
Works from God, and through God. Works God shows us to let us know we are saved and walking with Him. (Rom. 8:16)
It doesn’t matter what anyone says.
It only matters what God says.
Listen for Him, and let your faith flow to Him.
And you will grow in the good ground of His grace, mercy and love.
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