Contents
Not all Who Believe in Jesus are Saved
Saving Faith is a Work of God, Not Man
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
The Holy Scriptures teach us that a person can only be saved by their belief (i.e. faith) in Jesus (e.g. Ro 3:21-31). But, on the other hand, there appears to be several examples in the Bible that teach us that not everyone who has believed will be saved.
The purpose of this booklet is to examine this apparent contradiction. We will search out the Scriptures to see exactly what saving faith entails. Is it simple belief or is it some other type of belief in Jesus? In looking at this issue, we will delve into the very nature of salvation to attempt to learn: what exactly is saving faith?
Not all Who Believe in Jesus are Saved
NOT ALL WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS ARE SAVED
It is important to lay the groundwork first that saving faith cannot be simple assent or the intellectual knowledge of Jesus Christ. Consider the following verse:
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble
James 2:19 (see also Mk 1:24,34,5:7, Mat 8:29, Lk 4:34,41)
The fact that men can acknowledge that Jesus Christ was a historical figure (or even acknowledge that He is God) cannot be reckoned as saving belief. In the above verse, we see an example of demons who believe. But, they are not amongst God’s elect. Rather, they are damned to an eternity in prison (2 Pet 2:4, Jude 6). Similarly, those referred to in James 2 as having dead faith are not saved:
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:14-17
Although they have exercised belief, it was not saving belief. In fact, the Scripture recognizes many examples of people who ‘believe’ in Jesus, but are not saved. The following passage is an example:
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Mat 7:21-23
Here, we see people who cry out Lord, Lord and have even done mighty works and signs in the name of Jesus Christ, but they were not saved. In fact, as verse 21 reveals, they were in reality workers of iniquity. Now, some may say that these people really did not have faith. While it is true that they did not have saving faith, they did have enough faith to call Jesus ‘Lord’ and do works in His name.
The following Scripture also testifies to the fact that some who think they have saving faith indeed do not. They may have belief enough to even share the Lord’s Supper, attend church faithfully and do mighty works, but if they do not have the faith of Christ, they are damned:
Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
Luke 13:23-30
In this passage, Jesus was questioned as to how many would be saved. He responded that we should strive to enter by the narrow gate. In other words, many will strive to enter, but it is only by the narrow gate (i.e. the minority) that we are to be saved. The illustration of the narrow gate instructs us that it is the minority of those seeking who are really to be saved. In 13:25-26, Jesus teaches that many will be knocking at the door only to find the door closed. Those outside will argue that they ate and drank in Christ’s presence and were under His teaching. In other words, they shared communion with believers and participated in all types of religious observances and sat under teaching of the word of God. But, it is fruitless. They are all told to depart. The significance to this passage for our discussion is that those who stood at the door and knocked were in their own power searching for Christ. Their defense to being shut out was that they did various works that were religious. They had believed in Christ on their own terms. However, without saving faith, they are doomed.
Another example of people who ‘believe’ in Jesus are the multitudes of John 6. In John 6:1-15, Jesus performed miracles of healings as well as the miracle of the feeding of the 5000. The multitude who saw the miracles came and wanted to make Jesus a king. But later in the same chapter we see in verse 66 that many of these departed from Him due to His teaching on eating the body and blood of Christ (which they did not understand due to their spiritual blindness). The import of this passage is that there were many who initially ‘believed’ in Jesus and His miracles but later departed and proved themselves not to be true believers (see also John 2:23-25).
The Scripture contains many more examples of people who ‘believed’ in Jesus, yet were not saved. For example, Simon the Sorcerer is recorded in Scripture as having believed. Yet, the Bible goes on to teach us that he was unsaved (see Acts 8:12-21). In the parable of the Sower and the Seed, we find that the seed that sprouted up in the rocky and thorny soils ultimately perished (see Mat 13:3-23). That is, although they initially believed in Jesus, they later proved themselves to be unbelievers by falling away.
For the sake of space, other passages that teach that not all who believe are saved are listed below but will not be looked at in detail. Rather, the reader is encouraged to carefully study the following passages. These ‘believers’ may have thought they were doing service to God. But, their works were detestable (see Mat 7:21-23):
- The seed on the thorny and rocky soil (Mat 13:3-9, 18-23, Luke 8:13)
- The Samaritans & Simon, the Sorcerer (Acts 8:12-20, especially vv.13,17)
- John’s Disciples (Acts 19:1-8)
- The Man who had his Father’s Wife in Corinth (1 Cor 5)
- Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)
- False Brethren (2 Cor 11:26, Gal 2:4)
- False Teachers in the Congregation (Jude 4, 2 Pet 2, 2 Tim 4:3-4, Gal 1:6-9, 2 John 7-11)
- Those Who Have Climbed in Another way (John 10:1-2)
- Those Who Fall Away from the Faith (2 Thess 2:3)
- Those who depart from the Faith (1 Tim 4:1-4)
- Those who are Divisive Men (Titus 3:9-11, Ro 16:17-18)
- Those who profess to know God but their deeds are wicked (Titus 1:15-16)
- Those who have believed but were not baptized with the Holy Spirit (Mk 16:16)
- Those who do not persevere (e.g. Heb 3:6,14, Col 1:22-23)
What Then is Saving Faith?
WHAT THEN IS SAVING FAITH
The Scripture is abundantly clear that man cannot be justified by the observance of the law. We have already seen that man’s self-generated faith cannot save. We must now examine the crucial question of what is saving faith?
Faith is Trust, Reliance, Steadfastness
The Greek words translated believe (pisteuo) and faith (pistis) are from the same root and convey the meaning of trust and reliance. In the Hebrew, the words translated believe and faith have the meaning of ‘remaining steadfast’. Therefore, it can be seen from the literal meanings of the Greek and Hebrew words that faith and belief mean more than just simple intellectual assent or knowledge.
Next, it is important to analyze a New Testament definition of faith:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:1
In this definition of faith, it can be seen that faith is the foundation of what we hope for in the future (see also Luke 1:45). The word translated substance literally means ‘what stands under’. Or, in other words, it is the basis to our hope. It can be seen that if faith is the belief that man has that drives his hope, then faith must mean more than simple assent. It must involve a change in mental outlook in a situation that causes one to look forward to future things. This faith would naturally result in affecting a change in a person that would affect what he did in his life. Therefore, it can be seen that if faith causes hope (which is a good work), then it is a motivating force behind the performance of good works. In the balance of Hebrews 11, we find listed a ‘hall of faith’ where many examples of Old Testament believers who, by faith, were approved by God (i.e. saved). It should be noted that in all the examples of the faithful in Hebrews 11, their faith was defined by their works that they did. Therefore, we may now begin to see the close relationship that saving faith will result in good works.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb 11:6
Here is another definition of faith from Hebrews 11. Careful examination of the above verse reveals that faith can be defined as believing that God exists and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It should be stressed that faith involves diligently seeking God. In Ro 3:11 the Scripture teaches us that no man seeks after God. Yet, faith is defined as seeking after God. Therefore, it should be evident that true faith involves some amount of effort on the part of the believer. That is, he will seek after God. Seeking after God involves exertion of the will and can therefore be viewed as a work. As we shall see later, only God can change the will of man so that he will seek after God and be saved.
Terms Used to Describe Salvation Imply Exertion of the Will
A significant facet of the definition of faith is that other terms used of salvation all imply that some exertion of the will is required of the believer. The following is a matrix of some terms for salvation:
Term Verses
| Call | Ro 10:13, 1 Cor 1:2 |
| Repent | Luke 13:3,17:30-31, 20:21,4:46-47,26:20, Acts 5:31, 11:18, 2 Pet 3:9, Heb 6:1-6, Rev 2:5,16,22, 3:3,19 |
| Confess | Ro 10:9-10, 1 John 4:2-3,15, 2 John 7, Heb 11:13, John 9:22, 12:42, Luke 12:8, Mat 10:32, Heb 3:1, 4:14, 10:23, 2 Cor 9:13, 1 Tim 2:10, 6:12-13 |
| Ask | John 4:10 |
| Come and Take | Rev 22:17 |
In all these terms, it should be apparent that to exercise saving faith in Jesus Christ takes more than simple assent or knowledge. It takes some exertion of the will to believe. For example, the term confess (Gr: homologia) literally means ‘to say the same thing’. To be able to confess the Lord means that we are in agreement with Him. This results in the fact that to be saved is to be in agreement with the Lord. Therefore, we are no longer in rebellion.
Another example is the often used term ‘repentance’ to describe the salvation experience (especially see Acts 5:31, 17:30-31, 26:20, 2 Pet 3:9, Luke 24:46-48). The fact that man must be repentant to be saved indicates that exercising faith must involve an exertion of the will. The fact that one repents results in a changed attitude and behavior. Therefore, we see that repentance also involves exertion of the will.
Faith Results in a Relationship that Produces Good Works
From the above discussion, it should be evident that belief in the existence of Jesus or even belief in His work cannot in itself be considered ‘saving faith’. What then is saving faith? Faith is a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is belief given by God that results in a change in attitude and results in good works. The good works do not merit salvation in any way, but rather they are the natural result of salvation. The following Scriptures should be sufficient to demonstrate that true faith must be accompanied with good works:
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
James 2:17-22
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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Eph 2:8-10
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
Mat 12:33
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:16-20
By studying the above scriptures, it should be seen that true saving faith will always be accompanied with good works (although the good works do not cause us to merit salvation). Therefore, we may begin to formulate a definition of saving faith as that belief that results in trust and obedience in a person. In this light, it may be viewed that faith is in itself a work. It is something that man must do in order to create an attitude of obedience. Supporting this conclusion, there are many Scriptures that equate belief with obedience:
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Heb 5:9
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
Heb 11:8-9
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Titus 1:15-16
The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luke 16:16
From the above Scriptures, we see a close link between faith and obedience. In fact, there can not be a severance of the two.
The Old Testament usage of the terms faith and belief also reveals to us that true belief always was intimately linked with obeying God. The following Old Testament Scriptures testify to the fact that believing in God was linked to doing the commands of God: Gen 15:6, Num 20:12, Deut 1:32, 9:23, 2 Ki 17;14, 2 Chr 20:20, Ps 78:22,32, 106:12,24, 119:66.
Saving Faith is a Work of God, Not Man
SAVING FAITH IS A WORK OF GOD, NOT MAN
With the foundation being laid that saving faith is more than simple assent, it is important to understand that saving faith requires exertion of the will (i.e. a work). However, the exertion is God’s work, not man’s (see John 1:12-13).
We turn now to some passages where the Bible clearly recognizes faith as a work:
Then they said unto Him, ‘What shall we do that we might work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He has sent.
John 6:28-29
In John chapter 6, the multitudes had followed Jesus to the other side of Lake Galilee. Jesus rebuked them because they followed Him to receive more food (v. 26-27). The multitudes then asked Jesus in verse 28 what is the work that they may do so that they may work the works of God. In other words, they asked Jesus to tell them what they must do to be seen as righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus replied that the work of God was to believe in Him. The important fact to be gleaned is that belief in Jesus is recorded as a work. To believe in someone, we must exert some amount of our own will to believe. It is more that intellectual understanding of facts. Belief involves exercising a change of mind in relation to the person believed on. It is therefore evident that belief (i.e. faith) is a work in itself. This is substantiated by the following verse:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:8-9
This verse is pinpointing for us exactly what the mechanism of our salvation is (i.e. God’s grace). This means that God, without regard to any of our works, has saved us. It is also interesting to note that this salvation comes through faith which is not of ourselves. In other words, the faith by which we are saved is not our own faith, it (i.e. faith) is a gift of God. The belief that we have in Christ is not our own. It is given to us. Verse 9 emphasizes this by saying that there is no work we can do to merit salvation.
An additional testimony that faith is actually a work is found in the following Scripture:
And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he gave us commandment
1 John 3:23
It is evident in Scripture that keeping the commandments of God are works. In 1 John 3:23, it is a commandment of God to believe in Jesus. Belief in Jesus is put right beside the command to love another. It is evident that one can not be saved by loving other people since it is obvious to all that loving others is a work. Therefore, it must also follow that belief in Jesus Christ is also a work.
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith…
1 Thess 1:2-3 ( see also 2 Thess 1:11)
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Gal 5:6
These Scriptures record faith as a work (see also Acts 6:7, Ro 1:1-6,16:26, 2 Thess 1:8 for Scriptures that refer to faith as work). However, it may be argued by some that this is a different faith than what was performed to merit one’s salvation. However, this argument falls short because belief is belief, whether it is before or after salvation. People may believe different things, but the act of belief is the same function. Therefore, we must conclude that faith itself is a work.
And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
Col 1:21-23
To continue in faith requires work. The faith that was given to us by God continues in us. We, as Christians, will persevere in the faith and our ultimate salvation is based on the fact that we will continue the work of faith until the day of our death or the return of the Lord. Therefore, to continue in the faith is a work.
One final passage that demonstrates that faith is a work is the following:
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
1 Pet 2:7-8 (see also 1 Pet 1:22)
It is important to notice here that it is those who disbelieve who are identified as disobedient (see also Ro 6:17). To be obedient involves the following of a commandment of God. If one does not believe the Gospel, he is disobedient and has not done the will of God. Therefore, it should be seen that believing involves obedience and therefore can be viewed as a work.
The Deuteronomy 30 – Romans 10 Connection
Just prior to entering the Promised Land, Moses prophesied concerning Israel. In Deut 30:1-2, he prophesied that Israel would once more turn to the Lord and obey Him after a period of rebellion. Israel indeed rebelled after entering the Promised Land finally culminating in the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. Although, there would be a revival under Nehemiah and Ezra, there would never be a sustained time of faithful obedience to the Lord. In the following verses, we find the prophecy of future Israel turning to the Lord.
And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work… for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
Deut 30:8-14
The interesting thing to note in this passage is verses 11 through 14 which are quoted in Ro 10:6-8. In Deuteronomy 30, these verses are referred to as a commandment of the Lord. However, in Romans 10, they are summarized in verses 8 and 9 as the word of faith being preached: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Therefore, by studying the relationship between Deuteronomy 30 and Romans 10, we see that faith is a commandment of God. These passages serve as another strong proof that the exercise of faith is a work. Since Christians are not saved by their works, we should understand faith as that divine work done by God in changing the believer’s will in order that he will exercise faith. Saving faith cannot be generated by man. Otherwise, man is saved by works.
Mankind is Not Saved by Works
MANKIND IS NOT SAVED BY WORKS
The Scriptures teach us that man cannot be saved by man’s works. It is only the work of Christ that can save people. Although there are many Scriptures that could be quoted to prove that man is not saved by his works (e.g. Ro 3:27, 4:2,6, 9:11, 11:6, Gal 3:2,5,10, Titus 3:5, Eph 2:8-9), the following two Scriptures will be presented:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 2:16
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
2 Tim 1:9
Galatians 2:16 is a beautiful statement of our salvation (i.e. that we are not saved according to any works of the law that we may do, but it is the faith of Christ that saves us). No flesh could ever be justified by the works of the flesh, because all have sinned (Ro 3:23). Therefore, it takes the faith of Christ to save us. In 2 Tim 1:9, it is clear that it is not our work that saves us, but it is God’s grace according to His purpose that saves us.
An objection that could possibly be raised is that Christians are not saved due to their works of the Law, but their work of faith can save them. The issue being raised is that we cannot be saved by the keeping of the Mosaic Law including all the ceremonial laws, but man’s own faith in Christ can save him. This objection fails miserably. First of all, we just saw that faith is indeed a work and is commanded by Scripture. But, more importantly, it is an invalid interpretation of Scripture to separate the ‘Mosaic Law’ from the rest of the Bible. All the commands of the Bible comprise the Law of God (see 1 John 3:4, Ro 7:15-24, 8:4, Gal 4:21-22, 2 Tim 3:16-17, 1 John 2:4-5, John 14:24, 17:17-19). Additionally, the Bible has many commands to trust and believe in God and His Christ (see e.g. John 6:28-29, Acts 16:30-31, Ps 4:5, 9;10, 13:5, 22:4-5, 25:2, 31:6, 32:10, 33:21, 37:3,5, 40:3, 52:8, 56:4-11, 84:12, 86:2, 91:2, 112:7, 115:8-11, 125:1, Pr 3:5, 16:20, 28:26, 29:25, Is 26:4, 36:7, Jer 17:7, Zeph 3:2, Deut 10:16, Rev 22:17, etc, etc). Therefore, it can be seen that man’s belief in Christ is a command of Scripture and, therefore, part of the law of God. If we say that man is saved by his own faith, then we are teaching error.
Others may argue that faith cannot be a work since the Scripture seems to draw a contrast between faith and works. Therefore, faith and works must be fundamentally different entities. Why then does the Scripture make the distinction between faith and works if man’s faith is essentially a work? The answer can be seen in that the works of the law are clearly things that man must do on his own to merit salvation. Faith, on the other hand, can be seen as that belief that God gives to man in order for him to become a disciple. Therefore, the faith that a man is saved by is not a work of man, but it is the work of God. In this sense, it is appropriate to draw the distinction between faith and works since the faith that man is saved by is not his work.
The Bible clearly teaches that the faith that merits our justification is the faith of Christ (Gal 2:16, Phil 3:9, Eph 2:8, John 6:37, Ro 4:3-5, etc). It is given to the elect (1 Cor 1:4) in order to justify them as righteous before God. It is hoped that it has been shown that man cannot save himself in any work that he does and that man’s own belief (faith) does not make him righteous unless it is saving faith that is given to him by God. Man’s self-generated faith is a work that cannot merit salvation. It has no effectual working in it to produce good works. In short, it is spurious, dead faith.
No Man Can Come to God
NO MAN CAN COME TO GOD
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:44
But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
Ro 10:6
It is important to observe in the above 2 verses that man can not truly come to God for salvation. Oh yes, he can say that he is a Christian and go to church. He can even do some great things in the ministry (Mat 7:21-23). But, true salvation only exists when the person has been divinely drawn by God to be a Christian. A Christian should never think that he has come to Christ on his own. He can never ascend into heaven to meet Christ. God must condescend to the plane of man and revive that spiritually dead soul.
Mankind is Spiritually Dead
MANKIND IS SPIRITUALLY DEAD
A powerful illustration that man in unable to make a decision to believe in God is that of spiritual death. There are many scriptures that picture mankind as being dead in his natural state and, therefore, unable to do anything that could merit his salvation. This must necessarily also include his exercising saving belief:
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 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: 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. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)
Eph 2:1-5 (see also Col 2:13)
As can be seen from these Scriptures, man is unable to respond to God since he is dead to spiritual truth. All the analogies of the unsaved man being ‘dead’ would be pointless if it was possible for man’s faith to save him. For example, Jesus would have had to ask Lazarus or Jarius’ daughter if they wanted to be raised from the dead. Asking a dead person whether he or she would want to be revived violates the illustration of being dead in our trespasses and sins. For now, it is only important to understand that spiritual deadness is a significant picture of man’s inability to exercise saving faith.
Faith Given to Believers
FAITH IS GIVEN TO BELIEVERS
The fact that it is faith that saves a Christian is a basic premise of Christianity. It is the clear teaching of Scripture (Ro 4:25, 3:21-30, 5:9-11, Gal 3:8, etc). But, the question at hand is whether this faith that saves Christians is their own faith or is it the supernatural working of God in the believer that causes him to believe. That is, does God work in the heart of the unbeliever to change his will such that he will believe? This is not to say that God forces an unsaved man to believe against his will. God works a supernatural work that changes the unsaved man’s will such that he will exercise faith in Christ. God causes the man to exercise saving faith:
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Pet 1:1
In this Scripture, Peter addresses his second epistle to those who have obtained like precious faith. This faith was not their own, but was received. In other words, their own faith did not result in their salvation, but they received a faith that saved them. This faith is through the righteousness of God and Jesus Christ. This faith was not generated by man. It was through God that these believers obtained a like precious faith.
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.
Eph 2:8-9
This is one of the most quoted Scriptures that is used to teach salvation. Careful examination of this Scripture reveals that these verses do not teach that man’s faith saves, but are a testimony that the faith that we are saved by is not our own. It is not our faith that saves, but the faith that we have obtained through the righteousness of God. Pure and simple: it is the precious gift of God. It is the belief that is given to us so that we may be justified. In no way, is this belief of works, lest any man should boast. In other words, the faith that we are saved by is not due to the work of man. If it were, man could say that he has done something to merit his salvation.
It is sad to say, but this is exactly what is being taught in the vast majority of Christendom today. People are being taught that it is their own self-generated faith that saves them. In other words, much teaching on salvation today appeals to the flesh. It teaches that man can perform some work in order to be saved. We must realize that we are unable to exercise saving faith and are totally depraved. Then we can understand that it is only by God’s grace that we are saved.
For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
Phil 1:29
In the context of Paul’s teaching on Christian suffering, we find an important statement. The belief we have is given to us. It is not ours. It is a faith that God graciously gives to us so that we may be justified by the law of faith. Could there be a clearer Scripture than this?
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
John 6:65
In John 6, Jesus is teaching that one would have to eat His body and drink His blood to be saved. This saying offended many because they did not understand that Jesus was teaching spiritually as He normally did (John 6:63, Mat 13:10-16, Mark 4:33-34). The fact that many did not truly believe on Him (see verse 66) was predicted by Jesus in verse 65. Only the ones that it had been granted to come to Him were to be saved. In other words, in the natural flesh, no man will come to Jesus for salvation unless it was given to him by God the Father. Many may superficially believe and make decisions for Christ, but only the person who is drawn to Christ by God will be saved. Therefore, we see that it is God who grants the faith by which we must be saved. Man in his own ability can not do it.
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
John 3:27 (see also 1 Cor 4:7)
In this Scripture, evidence can be found that saving faith can not be of man’s self-generated variety. If it were, these Scriptures would be contradicted and man could say that it was his work of faith that caused him to be saved. Oh yes, they will agree that it is Christ who saves through His death. They will also agree that they are sinful and depraved. But, they will not fully accept their depraved state. They reserve a spark of goodness in themselves to claim that they generated their own decision to accept Christ. However, the above Scriptures (as well as many, many others) teach us that our own self-generated faith is nothing outside of the saving faith that is given to us.
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:2
Why would the Scripture record that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith? This serves as one more testimony to the fact that Jesus is altogether related to faith. He is the prime example and He is the source of all saving faith. Therefore, it must follow that saving faith is from God. We see that this verse closely corresponds and harmonizes with the above verses previously studied. This brings us to a very important point concerning the Gospel.
Christians Receive the Faith of Christ
The Scripture is clear that when a person becomes saved, he receives the faith of Christ to be saved. In other words, the believer’s heart is affected by the Gospel such that He actually receives Christ’s faith. He then becomes a believer and is justified by his faith. God supernaturally works in the believer’s heart such that the believer’s spiritual eyes are opened and he now has the faith to believe. It is not his self-generated faith that justifies him, rather it is the faith of Christ that is given to him and becomes his own.
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 2:16 (see also 3:2,5,7)
This is a very popular verse to teach that a Christian is not justified by his works but rather by faith. But, what oftentimes gets overlooked is the source of the faith that justifies (i.e. the faith of Christ). There is good reason it gets overlooked at times though. In most modern translations of the Bible, the second phrase ‘the faith of Christ’ is changed to ‘faith in Christ’. By studying the original Greek for the term translated ‘of’ in the King James Version, it is quickly seen that the term should most definitely be translated of. The Greek term is ek which always carries the meaning ‘of’ or ‘out of’. Another interesting fact is that the first phrase ‘the faith of Jesus Christ’ should be translated ‘faith through Jesus Christ’. Taking these facts into consideration, the verse in the original reads that man is not justified by the works of the law but rather by faith through Jesus Christ. Our belief in Jesus, therefore, comes through Jesus Christ. The last part of the verse teaches us that it is the faith of Christ that justifies us. In outlined form, this verse teaches us the following:
- Man is not justified by works of the law
- Rather, man is justified by faith through Christ (see also 1 Pet 1:20-21)
- Christians, therefore, believe in Jesus Christ
- But, they are justified by the faith of Christ, not by works
In other words, this verse is teaching us that Christ gives His faith to man to be saved and, therefore, man believes. But, it is the faith of Christ by which we are justified and not man’s own free will choice. Otherwise, if man is saved by his own faith, this would amount to being saved by works.
It is important to note as we review the verses associated with the faith of Christ being given to the elect that we cannot understand in our human finite mind how this actually occurs. How is it that God gives the faith to man to believe? How is it that God causes our own will to be changed to believe in Jesus. We do not believe contrary to our will. Rather, God changes our heart such that our wills are changed to believe in Jesus. It is none of our own effort, but it is the work of God.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:20
A few verses later in Galatians, we find another testimony to the fact that the life Christians lead is not done in their own faith. Rather, it is the faith of Christ. Christians were crucified with Christ, but have been raised with Christ in order to live an overcoming holy life.
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Phil 3:9
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Ro 3:22
In these two verses, the words translated ‘of’ are proper translations contrary to what many modern translations teach. Paul testifies to the fact that the righteousness that believers have is due to the faith of Christ and not their own faith. The Scripture teaches us that when one is saved, God comes to dwell in that believer (Ro 8:9, 2 Tim 1:14, etc). It is the supernatural union/communion of God with our spirit that saves us and causes us to exercise faith in Christ. But, it is important to understand that it is the faith of Christ working in us that leads to righteousness, not our own self-generated faith.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Ro 1:17
This verse has been an enigma to many students of the word of God. However, when the Gospel is properly understood, this verse interprets itself. When it is understood that God gives people the faith of Christ to be able to exercise saving faith, the meaning becomes evident. The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. In other words, the faith of Christ is given to us to change our wills to exercise faith. And it is by this faith operation that the Christian is made righteous. He can never be made righteous by his own attempt at faith.
Belief is a Work of God
BELIEF IS A WORK OF GOD
It is important to review at this time the fact that faith is in itself a work. In John 6, we saw:
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 6:28-29
This Scripture informs us that the work of God is that we believe in Jesus Christ. It should be evident that faith in itself is a work. In Gal 2:16 and many other verses in the Bible teach that man can never be saved by works. Therefore, if we insist that we are saved by our own self-generated faith, we are essentially teaching a works salvation. As we previously saw, faith requires some amount of exertion to be genuine. There is a dead faith that is generated by man and does not save. Faith has to be more than intellectual assent – it must involve repentance and a will to change one’s outlook.
Consider the following Scripture that teaches that our faith is the working of God:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:11-12
We find in verse 12 that the faith that saves us is the operation or working of God. It is not our own self-generated faith that saves us. It is the working of God in the lives of those who He chooses to circumcise the hearts of. The faith of Christ is given to us and our will is changed to exercise saving faith. We are saved from faith to faith! We are the clay in the hands of the Great Potter (Ro 9:21-23). It is God who works and molds us into His image. He gives us the ability to believe. Nothing pertaining to eternal life is from ourselves (John 3:27, 1 Cor 4:7). It is by the working of God by His grace (Eph 2:8-9).
Justified by Grace
JUSTIFIED BY GRACE
Another proof that our saving belief (i.e. faith) is given to us by God is found in the fact that there are several Scriptures that teach us that we are justified by grace (Titus 3:5-7, Ro 3:24-26, Eph 4:7) and several Scriptures that teach us that we are justified by faith (Ro 3:21-22,28-30, 4:5-7,25, 5:1, 2 Cor 5:19, Acts 13:39, Gal 3:8, etc). Consider the following Scriptures that teach us that we are saved by grace:
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:5-7
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Ro 3:24-26
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Eph 4:7
We see in the above verses that Christians are justified by grace (i.e. the free gift of God). A gift is something that is freely given to us without any work or effort on our part. Therefore, we should understand that the faith that we are justified by is a gift and not necessarily our own faith. In the following verse, we see that we are justified by the faith of Christ:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 2:16 (see also Phil 3:9)
Therefore, it should be understood that the faith that we are justified is given to us by grace. That faith is the faith of Christ. Our belief that we are saved by is given to us and, therefore, the result of God’s irresistible and sovereign working in the Christian. The believer has his heart circumcised by God in order that he will exercise saving faith (Deut 30:6, Ro 2:29).
What About Simple Faith? (top)
An objection that may be raised by some is that the Scripture teaches that we are saved by simple faith alone. Therefore, anyone can believe and it is our own faith that saves us. Consider the following Scriptures:
And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Acts 16:30-31
And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
John 4:42
Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
1 John 5:1
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1 Cor 1:21
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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:16-18
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 3:36
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 8:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 6:47
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Ro 3:26
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Ro 4:24
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.
John 20:30-31
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Rev 22:17
These verses are truly beautiful in their simplicity of salvation. We find that all one has to do is believe and be saved. We can freely come to receive the water of life freely. All these Scriptures clearly state that salvation comes by man’s simple faith. But, unless we understand the full context of the Scriptures, we could easily be misled into believing that it is our own faith that saves us. As we have previously studied, it is not our own attempt at faith that saves us, but the powerful working of God that causes a person to believe.
Returning to the above verses, it should be realized that it is true that we are saved by simple faith alone. But, understanding the context of the whole Bible, it is found that this simple faith is not our own. It is the faith of Christ that is freely given to us. All the above verses can be easily harmonized. It is true that all we have to do to be saved, is to believe. Man in his depraved condition will not do this though. He is rebellious towards God (Ro 3:10-11, Is 53:6, Col 1:21). The ‘whosoever’ that will come and take freely and believe are those who are caused by God to have saving faith.
What About 1 Cor 15:14?
WHAT ABOUT 1 COR 15:14?
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
1 Cor 15:14
Some use this verse to teach that it is truly a person’s own faith by which he is saved because it refers to the faith as being ‘yours’. But, this reasoning falls short. It needs to be clearly understood that we are indeed saved by our own faith in that it is the saving faith that was given to us. That is what grace is all about. When we are given a gift, it becomes our own. So, in this sense, we are saved by our faith. But, it needs to be remembered that without receiving the circumcision of the heart and by being given the faith of Christ, we would never have believed in our own power. There is no contradiction in this verse. The faith we are saved by is truly our own once it is given to us by God.
Summary
SUMMARY
It has been seen that faith is a gift of God. The faith of Christ is given to each one being saved. This faith becomes his or her own.
Many more people than who are truly saved believe in Jesus. In fact, there are on the order of 1 billion people in the world that claim the name of Christ and in this sense believe. However, it is only the small minority, the small flock who are really saved. Many people have convinced themselves that since they made a decision for Christ, they are therefore saved. This is far from the truth.
True saving faith will always be evidenced by humbly crying out to God for his mercy. Saving faith will result in an inner relationship with God. The relationshipship will be evidenced by good works. Perhaps you reading this have made a decision for Christ, but do not have the witness in your life that you are really saved. Can you cry out to God for his forgiveness and mercy:
The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Ps 34:18
Seek the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:6-7