FAITH, SAVING FAITH, AND HOW MUCH FAITH?
March 26, 2019
ETERNAL SECURITY — PART 6
READ TIME — 2-3 minutes
Here are three related questions regarding the gospel: (1) What is faith? (2) What is saving faith? and (3) How much faith do you need to be saved?
“What’s faith in relation to the gospel?”
This type of faith involves receiving the gift of eternal life.
Faith is the persuasion or inner conviction that something is true and trustworthy. Faith is being convinced or sure of something (Heb 11:1). A person must believe or be persuaded, that the promise is true and true for himself.
The terms “faith,” “belief,” and “trust” (along with their corresponding verb forms) are synonymous, referring to “the assurance or confidence in some stated or implied truth.” The basic concept of “faith” or “believe” is taking people at their word, trusting that what they say is true.
Faith means exactly that we can do nothing for our salvation. We can only receive salvation as a gift. Faith is like an empty hand that simply accepts a gift.
Faith is passive because it means that one is convinced that something is true or trustworthy. It is not a work in the sense of actively doing something, thus it is non-meritorious.
What is saving faith?
Saving faith entails faith in a person—Jesus Christ—coupled with faith in what Jesus Christ offers. It occurs when faith meets the right object—the gospel. The saving power resides exclusively, not in the act of faith, or the attitude of faith, or the nature of faith, but in the object of faith. It’s the simple acknowledgment that what God has said is true and that what Christ has promised is sure.
“How much faith do you need?
The amount of faith is not the critical issue; rather, the issue is the object of faith. The smallest amount of faith is sufficient for salvation if the object of that faith is worthy. Since it is God’s grace that saves us in Jesus Christ, any amount of faith in Him will save. For example, someone who is drowning might have strong faith in a leaky boat that can not save her, or she could have weak faith in a seaworthy boat that can save her. The weakest faith is enough to save if it is in a worthy object. Some people have an enormous amount of faith in a false religion or a false religious leader, but they will not be saved. The believer with the smallest amount of faith in the worthy Son of God will be saved because salvation does not depend on the strength of one’s faith, but on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ to do what He promises. The issue is not how much we believe, but what we believe in. We either believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, or we don’t.
Sources Used
Bing, Charles C. Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages (p. 19). Grace Theology Press.
________. GraceNotes #30, #38, #40, #42, #46, #48, #73.
Hixson, Whitmire, Zuck. Freely by His Grace: Classical Grace Theology. Gospel Press. Chapters 3 & 7.