Title: True Saving Faith
Date: Sep 24, 2008
Topic(s): Faith/Trust
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1, John 1:11-13, 1 John 5:11-12, Acts 4:12, John 3:16
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An old friend used to tell me, "You know, if you just have faith, that's all that matters."
It was one of the most misleading tidbits of spiritual advice anyone could ever dish out. Sadly, it's a false hope millions of people cling to.
Why is it false?
It is not true because faith has no meaning unless it rests upon something or someone. Faith requires an object. You cannot simply "believe." You must believe something. You cannot merely trust. You must trust some object, some philosophy, some fact, yourself or some other person.
It follows, then, that the "something" you believe or the "someone" you trust is of supreme importance. If you have faith in a fraud, a religion, material wealth or an untrustworthy person, you'll suffer the consequences of your badly placed faith. My friend was naively saying, "Just have faith in your faith." What a costly illusion!
Let's look at John 3:16 because it states exactly where you must place your faith if you are to be eternally saved: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (ESV).
Read also John 1:11-13.
In addition, read 1 John 5:11-12.
If you looked carefully at the above verses, you saw that the object of saving faith is God's gift--His Son. Salvation from sin comes "packaged" in the person of Christ Jesus, and in no other way. You may ask, "But then why doesn't God save people whether they believe or not?" The answer: Because faith (belief, trust) is the only way through which you can obtain God's gift of His Son. God gave His Son, but you must receive Him. If you don't receive the gift of His Son, you won't have eternal life and salvation because that comes only in Him.
Christ's victorious bodily Resurrection from the dead proved His authority and power to be the sole object of effective faith. First Corinthians 15:14 (ESV) says, " And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." Faith placed in any other person, system, ideal or power is totally unacceptable to God, the One to whom we must answer to. He has excluded all other faith-objects and persons when it comes to the business of salvation.
Don't tinker with your eternal destiny! Examine your faith. Ask yourself what you are really trusting. Make sure it is God's Gift, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Here is a verse worth memorizing: Acts 4: 12 (ESV) "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
What Does God Say?
My Thoughts
My Part