The Christian Graces — God’s Gift of Faith

There has been a long standing controversy over whether saving faith is a gift or not.  If faith is a gift, that implies that a person is not able to believe the gospel until God grants him the ability, and when He grants it the individual believes and is saved.  The real controversy, of course, is not whether this is possible or pleasant or acceptable, but whether it is Biblical.

There are at least two passages that indicate that saving faith is indeed a gift from God.  Philippians 1:27-29 reads,

Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you…for it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.

Though the statement almost escapes notice, what Paul is saying is that it has been granted to individuals to believe in Christ.  Faith has been given to those who will be saved.

Repentance is an aspect of faith.  With this in mind, 2 Timothy 2:25-26 offers more support,

Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

This passage is particularly enlightening since it explains why it must be that faith is a gift.  Unbelievers are “taken captive to do” the devil’s will.  They cannot do anything else.  In theological terms this is called total depravity.  The unbeliever is “dead in transgressions” (Ephesians 2:5) and follows “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (v.2), Satan.  He or she cannot respond to God in any way but unbelief.  But God’s love and grace opens our hearts to believe (Acts 16:14).

This does not mean that the faith exercised is not our own.  It is I who am believing, an act of my will, but it is God who enabled my will to act.  Those who don’t believe don’t have an excuse that God didn’t give them faith.  God still holds them accountable for their unbelief (Romans 9:15-21).

Saving faith, then, is as much a gift of God as the salvation it procures, so that we may gratefully say with the Scriptures, “My salvation comes from Him” (Psalm 62:1).

The Christian Graces — The Content of Saving Faith

To ask, “What must a person believe to be saved?”, is at the same time to ask, “What is the message of the gospel?”  If the content of what we preach is not sufficient, when believed, to result in conversion, then we are not preaching the gospel.  What are the essential facts that one must be convinced of to be saved?

The only place where we see an actual presentation of the gospel (though some would argue that it is an abridged version of what was actually said), is the book of Acts.  A comparison of Acts 2, 3, 10, and 13 (typical gospel presentations) reveals the following common elements:

1.      A declaration of Jesus as the Christ, that is, the promised redeemer of Israel.

2.      A reference to Jesus’ uniqueness, that is, He is Lord, God’s Servant, the Holy One, the Prince of Life, the only name under heaven by which people are saved, Lord of all, and Savior.

3.      Forgiveness of sins is available through Jesus on the basis of repentance and/or faith.

What is fascinating about these gospel-preaching accounts is not only what is emphasized, but what is not emphasized.  Missing from each is any attempt to explain the sacrificial and substitutionary nature of Jesus’ death.  Rather, His death is mentioned in order to emphasize His resurrection.  Also missing is any attempt to explain the deity of Christ.  Rather, what is emphasized is that only through this unique individual is there forgiveness of sins.

Forgiveness of sins is represented as the basic need for entering into a relationship of faith in Jesus, rather than the need for purpose in life, real happiness, or success.  And above all, faith is the only means of acquiring forgiveness.  In fact, Paul emphasizes in Acts 13:38-39 that faith frees one from sin and its consequences whereas obeying the Law cannot.  We don’t have it in us to meet God’s standards.  That’s why forgiveness must be a gift.

So, what must a person believe in order to be saved, rescued from the penalty of one’s own sin, which is separation from God forever?  One must be persuaded of and rely upon the fact that only in Jesus the Christ, whom God raised from the dead, is there forgiveness of sins.  “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:43).

Is this what you are trusting in for eternal life?  If not, tell the Lord right now that you want to give up trusting in your own means of getting to heaven.  You want to accept His provision in Jesus for forgiveness.  Ask Him to forgive you all your sins based on what Jesus sacrificed for you, and then thank Him for answering your request.

The Christian Graces — Saving Faith, Living Faith

The difference between saving faith and living faith might be described as the difference between the past tense and the present tense.  Saving faith is past tense, “I believed and so was saved or rescued by God from the penalty of my sins,” while living faith is present tense, “I am believing still in God’s goodness and ability to make me what He wants me to be.”

 The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians, “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13).  And he says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 

The Scriptures make clear that saving faith always leads to living faith.  In 1 John the apostle focuses on the tests of a genuine Christian, because some had proven not to be genuine and had left the church.  One of those tests is whether an individual continues to believe what he once confessed concerning Christ.  Those who left  denied their original faith and bought into a false teaching that had come to their community.  John’s readers demonstrated their genuine saving faith by continuing to follow the apostles’ teaching.  “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God” (1 John 5:1).  It is not “whoever once believed” but “whoever now is believing and continues to believe.”  Saving faith always leads to continued living faith.

This same theme is taken up in Hebrews.  For this writer there is no such thing as an initial faith that is not followed by an enduring faith in the promise of God.  So he warns,

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.  But my righteous one will live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”  But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. (Hebrews 10:36-39)

On this heels of this follows Hebrews 11, the great chapter of encouragement to a persevering faith.

It is not too distant a thought from this that James expresses when he writes, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?” (James 2:14)  Works are faith in action, living faith, giving evidence of the fact that you believe in God and are letting His life flow through you.

Faith, then, is the basis of our everyday life.  It is the constant attitude of confidence that God’s Word is true and reliable.  It becomes, for the most part, a habitual way of thinking about life.  It is constantly being tested by what life brings our way.  True believers always come around to passing the tests.  Our faith is thus never stagnant but always growing in amazement at the grace and glory of God.