Saved Through Faith
The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
16:16)
The book of Hebrews
has a great chapter dealing with faith. It is chapter eleven and begins
with this sentence. "Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (vs. 1). Faith is NOT a feeling - it a motivating principle
to life. It is NOT an experience that is indescribable. Faith is the
substance of all our hopes and dreams. Think of how miserable the world
would be without faith. First, there would be no hope, for faith is the
thing that gives substance to hope. Second, there would be nothing one
could know other than that which comes through the “five” senses.
All studies of
history, geography, astronomy, medicine, and the arts would be
impossible. How, you ask? If faith did not
exist, there would be no way one could believe in a historical figure,
for such a person exists only on the basis of written records that are
accepted as factual. How would you know there
ever was a person named Napoleon, or Caesar, or Alexander the Great? Only by faith, based on credible evidence. We
use the principle of faith in so many, many different aspects of our
lives. But the most important aspect of
our lives is our faith in God.
Read on with us in
Hebrews 11. When we come to verse 6 we read, "But without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He
is, and that
He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." No
faith means not pleasing God. Furthermore, faith
is the real proof there is a God. Some who deny the existence of God
Almighty, or who doubt whether He does, in fact, live, have never come
to directing their faith toward God. The
evolutionist has faith in the theory that somewhere in an assumed
primeval mud certain conditions prevailed to produce a simple life
form, but that faith is based on a straw man - not credible faith in
God. It is faith nonetheless.
We mentioned
"assumed primeval mud" for there is no concrete evidence to support the
evolutionists' hypothesis. They guess - but
offer no credible evidence for the elements they assume to have been in
existence when life formed on this planet. However,
the evolutionist feels he has sufficient evidence to believe that man
today is the evolutionary product of a simple and lower life form that
gradually evolved into a more complex one. But
again, that kind of faith has no real solid
or credible basis in fact. "Faith comes by
hearing,
and hearing by the word of God"
Faith in God is
based on credible and irrefutable evidence. Verse 3 of Hebrews 11
reads, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word
of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which
are visible." God spoke all solar systems into existence. Do you
believe that? Without that kind of faith it is
impossible to please the all powerful Being who was capable of this
verbal creation of all things in the entire expanse of the universe.
The message of
Hebrews 11 affirms that such a faith has rewards. God
Almighty is a "rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (vs. 6). Remember that we asked you earlier what you thought
of when the term faith is mentioned? Possibly,
and we are not trying to read anyone's mind, you thought, "Faith is the
thing that people get when they get saved." So
many people think of faith as nothing more than some sort of experience
that they have been told is salvation. There are
some very obvious reasons why that just cannot be true.
Certainly faith
saves and we are saved through faith, but were you listening carefully? The Hebrew writer said that the faith that pleases
God, the faith that He richly rewards is the faith that diligently
seeks Him. It is not merely a passive effort in which one says, "I
believe." Faith is work and diligent effort. Faith requires the very best effort one has. Effort means obeying God's commands. The
faith that pleases God is the faith that is active, not passive, in
working His works.
We realize
instantly that
upon the very mention of the word “work,” some almost automatically and
unconsciously
blank that out. They feel works are no part of salvation. To them
salvation
in Christ is “totally” separate from any kind of works – even works of
obedience! They repeat the time worn
expressions, "You cannot work
your way into heaven" - "We are saved by grace through faith and that
not
of works."
These are
expressions commonly heard when faith and works are mentioned together. What is interesting about it is that these
statements are true, up to a point. The point is that works of human
merit, boastful accomplishments, and works of the Old Testament law
certainly are excluded from anything that brings salvation. But loved ones, you must not throw the baby out with
the bath water. Works and faith are like the wind and
the windmill, or electricity and an electric appliance. Faith is not
faith
without works.
Listen very
carefully to the apostle James. He spoke of
Abraham and his faith and said, "Was not Abraham our father justified
by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do
you see that faith was working together with his works and by works
faith was made perfect?" (James 2:21-22). Notice
that faith is made perfect by works. Perfect is
often used to describe something that is complete, has all its basic
parts, and the parts are all properly related to each other and
adjusted to each other. So it is with faith –
“works” perfect one's faith in Christ.
Again, these are
NOT boastful
works, or works of a legalistic system – but works of God.
Now here is an
interesting and important fact. Notice that they
asked about
works (plural) and His answer dealt only with work singular. The
question
dealt with what they, as believers, were required to do – the answer
reveals
what God expects all men to do. The work (singular) of God includes all
acts of obedience to the will of God. All the works of God which He
commands are encompassed within the basic work which Jesus said is
“faith.” If works have nothing to do with
salvation, faith is eliminated also, for faith, according to Jesus, is
the WORK God expects us to accomplish. Please
notice that the work of God is what Jesus intended for His disciples TO
DO rather than something God says He will do for us.
Now, let's take one
more quick look at James 2. In verse 24 he wrote, "Ye see then that a
man is
justified by works, and NOT by faith only." The only place where
"justification
by faith ONLY" is mentioned in the Bible is here – and here it is
denied.
Justification can never be accomplished and realized by faith only –
faith
without works – faith that is not perfected by works. And what kind of
works
perfect faith? The answer should be clear – the works of God – the
commands
God has revealed to sinful man by which He has promised to make them
new
in Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).
When Paul traveled
to Athens, he found idolatry rampant. When he was given opportunity to
preach, he made the following statement. "Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to
repent" (Acts 17:30). God commands
repentance – repentance is a WORK of God all
men must do in order to be saved (Luke 13:3, 5).
Jesus said,
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I also
confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny
me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in
heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33). God commands confession of Christ (Rom.
10:9-10). Confession is a WORK of God all men must do in order to be
saved (cf. 1 John 2:22-23). There were some among the Jewish chief
rulers that BELIEVED on Jesus. But being afraid of the Pharisees (who
had the power to put them out of the synagogue) they would not confess
Jesus (John 12:42-43). Did their faith save them?
When Jesus was
about to
be taken up from Mount Olivet, He paused long enough to say, "Go teach
all
nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have
commanded you..." (Matthew 28:19-20). Baptism is a command for penitent
believers
– it is a WORK of God, and without it faith is not made perfect, does
not
save, and cannot justify.
Faith is so
beautiful, so important, so simple to grasp. Dear friend, think about
your faith. Is it in God? Do you believe Jesus is truly His only
begotten Son? Has this belief caused you to lay
aside all except the plain
teaching of scripture and repent and be baptized for the remission of
your
sins? If not, please don't delay any longer. Obey the Lord today and be
saved
by grace through faith.