Faith is the heartbeat of the Christian life! The love of God is fantastic because it is the basis with which God sent His Sent to die for our sins. Grace and mercy are wonderful because they show the motivation for God’s love, but saving faith, what’s that one all about? Faith, just like everything else in the Christian life has a beginning and ending. Maybe a better word for “ending” is completion or perfection because our spiritual lives never end, they just mature and become more complete. Hebrews 12:2 says: “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The words in that verse are necessary when speaking of faith because they say that Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith which means that he starts the faith process, and he will finish that same process in glory. Our requirement as believers is to keep our eyes focused on Jesus.
Where does faith start? It begins at salvation. Saving faith is the faith that is given by God as a response to the Holy Spirit drawing us to Himself. It is the faith that “…comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Warren Wiersbe says, “…it is the Word that creates faith in the heart of the hearer.”[1] Saving faith is a child-like faith that trusts without any reservations. It is a faith that is humble and unpretentious as Jesus spoke about in Matthew 18:3-4 "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” “Greatness in the kingdom was not based on great works or words, but on childlike humility of spirit.”[2]
Saving faith is a gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Saving faith is not something that we have within us because then our salvation would be a work. “Faith is not a “work.” It does not merit salvation; it is only the means by which one accepts God’s free salvation.”[3] Saving faith is not something that we activate within us because then we could boast in our sovereignty. “Our response in salvation is faith, but even that is not of ourselves [but is] the gift of God. Faith is nothing that we do in our own power or by our own resources.”[4] Saving faith is a gift of God given to us by His grace (His unmerited favor) that is basedin His love for us. The value of this wonderful gift is based inJesus Christ.
What is the content of saving faith? In answer to that question many right away refer to Acts 16:31 where Paul and Silas tell the Philippian Jailer to “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” However, what does it mean to believe? Many say they are Christians because they believe but have no idea what it means to believe. Many believe about God, many believe in different Gods, many believe in different ways to God and many don’t know what to believe. More than two hundred times in the New Testament,salvation is said to be conditioned solely on the basis of faith, but faith in what? Faithin who? Saving faith is a faith whose object is Jesus Christ. Alva J. McClain says:
“It is the object of faith, however, rather than any psychological content, that gives to Christian faith its distinctive value. “Thy faith hath saved thee” is true only because of the Infinite Object which it embraces and upon which it rests. And Scripture leaves no doubt on this point: Jesus Christ Himself as Saviour and Lord is the ultimate object of the faith which saves, for in Him the believer reaches final Reality—all the pleroma of revealed Deity.”[5]
Still the question remains as to what itmeans to believe. Some say it means: “To make a decision” or “To ask Jesus into your heart” or “To accept Jesus as your Savior” or “To pray the sinner’s prayer” or “To walk the aisle”. None of these actions bring salvation! An unsaved person can do all the things mentioned above, believe and have faith without having saving faith. There is faith that does not save. The Bible gives several examples of non-saving faith: 1. There is a mere intellectual faith thatis a dead faith that does not save. (James 2:17-20, 26) 2. There is an emotional faith that does not endure trials and does not save. (Matthew 13:20-21) 3. There is a faith that is overcome by a love for the world and what it has to offer that does not save. (Matthew 13:22) 4. There is a faith that is based on miracles and does not save. (John 2:23-25) 5. There is a faith that is deluded into thinking it saves but will one day be shown to be false and does not save. (Matthew 7:21-23) None of those above are saving faith even though faith is absolutely necessary for salvation.
Salvation has always been through faith. Those under the Old Covenant were looking ahead in faith to the coming of the Messiah who would “…save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) and those under the New Covenant are looking back at God’s gift of Jesus “…who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) What evidences saving faith? Since salvation is not a work of man, but a work of the Spirit, each of the components of saving faith, will be manifest. Saving faith not only will be evidenced by knowledge, acknowledgment and trust in the truth, but it will be evidenced throughout the whole being of the saved sinner.
A knowledge of the truth must be evidenced in saving faith. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) Knowledge of the truth includes an understanding (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) and confession (Romans 10:8-10) of the facts of the person and work of Christ. “Salvation and its attendant righteousness are appropriated by confession and by faith.”[6] …but… Knowledge alone does not save! There must also be an acknowledgement of the truth. It is not enough to just know the truth; the sinner must embrace the truth. “Until a person acknowledges his own unrighteousness in light of divine and perfect righteousness, he will see no need for a Savior to liberate him from sin and provide him with God’s own righteousness.”[7] Saving faith includes embracing who God is and what He does. (Hebrews 11:6) Knowledge and Acknowledgement together do not save because the sinner must commit to the truth! Saving faith includes a confident trust that when a sinner receives Christ he/she is a child of God (John 1:12) who has eternal life (John 3:36) with a full understanding, acknowledgement and trust that Christ’s work on the cross was sufficient.(John 6:53-58) This trust is so confident and so strong that the new believer knows Christ will keep and enable them to persevere until the last day. (John 15:4-5)
Saving faith requires the whole being. It requires intellect so that we can know the truth. It requires our emotions so that we can acknowledge the truth, and it requires our will so that we can commit to the truth. Hebrews 11:1-3 shows how these three components work together. “1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for (acknowledgement), the conviction of things not seen (trust). 2 For by itthe men of old gained approval. 3 By faith we understand (knowledge) that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things whichare visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)
The content of saving faith is belief in the person and work of Jesus Christ with our whole being by knowing, acknowledging and committing to the truth. However, we must never forget that salvation is a magnanimously wonderful gift. We are savedthrough faith which is merely the channel of God’s grace. Everything associated with our salvation is by grace because through it we are saved from God’s wrath, made alive in Christ, raised in Christ, seated in the heavenlies with Christ and granted the opportunity to exercise our new found faith. The grace of God just gives salvation to fallen, sinful, people like you and I who deserve wrath, destruction and damnation! Charles Spurgeon gives an excellent reminder:
Right well remember this; or you may fall into error by fixing your minds so much upon the faith which is the channel of salvation as to forget the grace which is the fountain and source even of faith itself. Faith is the work of God's grace in us…Grace is the first and last moving cause of salvation; and faith, essential as it is, is only an important part of the machinery which grace employs. We are saved "through faith," but salvation is "by grace."… Faith occupies the position of a channel or conduit pipe. Grace is the fountain and the stream; faith is the aqueduct along which the flood of mercy flows down to refresh the thirsty sons of men…Still, I again remind you that faith is only the channel or aqueduct, and not the fountain head, and we must not look so much to it as to exalt it above the divine source of all blessing which lies in the grace of God.[8]
There has been a hot debate as to what the exact content of saving faith is all about. There are minimizers who take away from the Gospel. Such as Zane Hodges, who claimed that “Neither explicitly nor implicitly does the Gospel of John teach that a person must understand the cross to be saved. It just does not teach this.”[9] Hodges also said
Without the name of Jesus there is no salvation for anyone anywhere in our world. But the flip side of the coin is this: Everyone who believes in that name for eternal salvation is saved, regardless of the blank spots or the flaws in their theology in other respects. Another way of saying the same thing is this: No one has ever trusted that name and been disappointed. In other words, God does not say to people, “You trusted my Son’s name, but you didn’t believe in His virgin birth, or His substitutionary atonement, or His bodily resurrection, so your faith is not valid.” We say that, but God’s Word does not.[10] The simple truth is that Jesus can be believed for eternal salvation apart from any detailed knowledge of what He did to provide it.”[11]
Another large debate in the Christian world is whether or not repentance should be included in the content of saving faith and what true repentance is. Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote:
It is asserted that repentance, which is a change of mind, enters of necessity into the very act of believing on Christ, since one cannot turn to Christ from other objects of confidence without that change of mind. Upwards of 150 texts—including all of the greates gospel invitations—limit the human responsibility in salvation to believing or to faith. To this simple requirement nothing could be added if the glories of grace are to be preserved.[12]
Dr. Larry Moyer states in his book, Free and Clear, “Repentance is inseparable from salvation. When used in a soteriological context, “repentance” means to change your mind about whatever is keeping you from trusting Christ and trust Him alone to save you. However, in light of the fact that the gospel of John emphasizes believing in Christ, and the Old Testament as well makes faith the issue in eternal salvation, we too ought to make that our emphasis.”[13]
So is repentance a part of saving faith? Yes,it is! Piedmont International University’s Statement of Faithsays: “Since the natural man is dead in trespasses and sins, at enmity against God, and blinded by sin and Satan to his own condition, it is only through the operation of the Holy Spirit using the Word that man is brought to repentance and faith.”[14] Repentance is not a work it is the result of a work that the Holy Spirit does in the heart of man. “Repentance is a heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.[15]
There are three main Greek words used in the New Testament for repentance.
1. metamelomai—μεταμέλλομαι is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to Judas in Matthew 27:1-5. Judas was sorry and he felt remorse because His actions proved it when he returned the thirty pieces of silver. He even saw his sin by saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." (Matthew 27:4) He threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary went away and hanged himself.
2. metanoeo—μετανοέω means to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge such as in Acts 2:37-38. “37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" 38 Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The people after hearing Peter’s Pentecost message were pierced to the heart. Peter’s message demanded a response and they wanted to know how to respond in verse 37 "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter’s answer was for them to change their mind and their purpose—Repent!
3. metanoia— μετάνοια is used of true repentance it not only means a change of mind but also of purpose and life. This is the repentance leading to salvation which is shown in 2 Corinthians 7:8-12.
Repentance is ABSOLUTELYNECESSARY for salvation! The essence of repentance is turning from sin to God. Repentance means changing one’s mind so that one’s views, values, goals, and ways are changed, and one’s whole life is lived differently. Repentance involves the whole being – intellect, emotions and will! Those who come to Christ are transformed. There is a radical change because sin no longer reigns! Repenting means starting to live a new life. “Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) “Genuine repentance knows that the evil of sin must be forsaken and the person and work of Christ totally and singularly embraced.”[16] George Whitefield said: “…true repentance will entirely change you; the bias of your souls will be changed, then you will delight in God, in Christ, in His Law, and in His people…”[17]
Repentance is preached quite heavily in the New Testament. John the Baptist preached repentance. Matthew 3:2 ~ "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus preached repentance. Matthew 4:17 ~ "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The twelve apostles preached repentance. Mark 6:12 ~ They went out and preached that men should repent. Peter preached repentance. Acts 2:38 ~ Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul preached repentance. Acts 17:30 ~ Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, Acts 20:21 ~ solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 26:20 ~ but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 ~ For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. Repentance was part of Jesus’ summary of the gospel that was to be taken to the world. Luke 24:46-47 ~ and He said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
What must be recognized is that repentance is a gift from God and not a work. 2 Timothy 2:24-25 says “The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant (δίδωμι—didōmi— to give something to someone; to bestow a gift) them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth” To say one does not have to repent to be saved is to say the apostles, the prophets and Jesus Himself were wrong because repentance is a fruit of faith, which is itself a fruit of regeneration. It is inseparable from faith and both are necessary for salvation as demonstrated in Scripture. Repentance is a turning from sin and faith is a turning to God. One cannot work without the other. The idea that there can be saving faith without repentance, and that one can be justified by embracing Christ as Savior while refusing him as Lord, is a destructive delusion. True faith acknowledges Christ as what he truly is, our God-appointed king as well as our God-given priest, and true trust in him as Savior will express itself in submission to him as Lord also. To refuse this is to seek justification through an impenitent faith, which is no faith at all.
The content of saving faith believesin the person and work of Jesus which means that the sinner wholly understands who Jesus is and what He did on man’s behalf as well as acknowledgesthose facts and commits to them by repenting from sin and turning to Christ for salvation which is all a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in his/her heart.
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 548.
[2] Louis A. Barbieri, Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 61.
[3] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 624.
[4] John F. MacArthur Jr., Ephesians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 60.
[5] Alva J. McClain, “Christian Faith-Its Nature, Object, And Intelligible Medium,” Biblotheca Sacra 090:358 (April 1933), 152-153.
[6] John F. MacArthur Jr., Romans, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1991).
[7] Ibid.
[8] Charles H. Spurgeon, All of Grace, (Chicago: Moody Press, n.d.), 41-42.
[9] Zane C. Hodges, “How to Lead People to Christ, Pt.1,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 13 (Autumn 2000): 7.
[10] Ibid., 9.
[11] . Zane C. Hodges, “How to Lead People to Christ, Pt.2,” Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 14 (Spring 2001): 12
[12] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Volume Three (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1953), 372.
[13] R. Larry Moyer, Free and Clear, Understanding & Communicating God’s Offer of Eternal Life, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997), 95.
[14] “Statement of Faith”, Piedmont International University, Last modified 2014, accessed April 25, 2015, http://www.piedmontu.edu/faith.
[15] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishers, 1994), 713.
[16] John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1637.
[17] George Whitefield, Sermons of George Whitefield, Christian Classics Ethereal Library, 149.
Tim Bergen
