Sometimes people ask, “is faith enough for salvation?”, or, “do you have faith?”
…Faith in what? There is nothing special about faith in itself.
Every thinking man is a man of faith, but faith in what?
Every false religion has men of faith, but faith in what?
Every Bible ignorant churchgoer says they are people of faith, but faith in what?
It is the object of our faith that makes a weak faith or strong faith.
Faith not based in reality is powerless.
Faith in the wrong thing is unacceptable.
Faith without content is not faith at all, but ignorance.
Merely having faith is pointless, unless it is faith in the right thing. The right thing is always what God provides as the object of faith.
The Justifier of the Ungodly
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” – Romans 4:5
Most every religion teaches that to be counted righteous before God, we must prove ourselves righteous.
The faith of every religious man is in vain if they believe that ungodly men cannot be justified before God.
Of course, ungodliness is wrong and is rightly condemned by God and man, but God has provided a means to justify ungodly people without their good works.
If your faith squirms at this admission then your faith is entirely unacceptable to God, and you have no faith in the gospel that saves.
Evaluate the content of your faith, you may find it is faith in yourself and your own godliness, instead of God’s provision.
God can justify the ungodly who place their faith in the blood of Christ as paying for their sins.
Faith in the Death and Resurrection
“But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” – Rom 4:24-25
If your faith does not include the resurrection of Christ on your behalf, which constitutes the finished work of Christ, then your faith is in vain.
“And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain;…” – 1 Cor 15:17
However, righteousness can be imputed to you if we believe in God, who delivered Christ for our offences, and raised him up for our justification.
Many “people of faith” claim ignorance about how God saves them, or that their faith is found in circumstances, or “every day miracles”. This is not a faith God respects.
Faith comes from hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). Even then, when the Bible says to have faith, we must ask, “faith in what?”
Not all men in the Bible had faith in the same thing. Faith in a covenant, the law, the kingdom come, or even the name of the Son of God is not the content of the gospel today.
Faith in Christ’s work on your behalf is what has been offered for your belief. It is not faith in any thing that matters, it is faith in the right thing: faith in the gospel for today.
Believe the Gospel
“By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” – 1 Cor 15:2-4
Without Christ’s death and resurrection Christian faith is blind, impotent to save, foolish, and unacceptable to God. This is why Paul places so much emphasis on the preaching of the cross as the object of your belief.
If this doctrinal faith makes you uncomfortable, or conflicts with what you think God should accept, then your faith is not based on the Bible, and is not based in reality.
People believe miracles, and can be condemned when they die.
People believe in angels, and good deeds, and karma, and will be guilty on judgment day.
People have faith in humanity, good will, and charity and will not be saved because they have rejected God’s provision.
We are saved by trusting the gospel of our salvation, not by faith in feelings, churches, popes, religious systems, good works, hard work, church going, angels, miracles, or any of the millions of things people of faith believe.
The gospel of our salvation is the finished work of Christ on our behalf (Eph1:13).
One thing saves. Only one faith is acceptable. Only one faith was taught by Paul as the gospel. That is faith in Christ’s death for our sins, his physical burial, and literal resurrection for our eternal life.
Christ’s cross work is what saves. Is your faith in that?
Article Index Published: March 16, 2013
Last Modified: February 7, 2018