By Faith Alone - Part IV

If you have been following this series, you will know by now that Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone.

Perhaps the reason why there is such controversy over the matter of salvation by faith alone is semantics. Maybe some people think that when we say you are saved by faith, they assume it is a moment in time. Well, it truly begins at a moment in time, as we have seen in the preceding parts of this series.

Paul did teach that there is a time when we are first introduced to the faith. He wrote: “Through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.” (Rom 5:2). But it must continue throughout our lives.

In this last part of the series, we'll look at the Scriptures that teach us to continue in the faith. We'll see the importance of ongoing faithfulness in the life of a believer. And we'll find out what the source of our faith is.

Continue in the Faith
Paul taught that we must continue in the faith. “If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” (Col 1:23)

“But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.” (1Ti 2:15)

Paul was “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Act 14:22)

Faith is something we must stand firm in. “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1Co 16:13)

Paul himself had kept the faith throughout his life and to the end. As an old man, he could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2Ti 4:7)

Faith must be kept. It’s our responsibility to keep it in order to avoid being shipwrecked. “Keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.” (1Ti 1:19). This is how we keep from falling away from the faith. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” (1Ti 4:1)

The Importance of Faithfulness
The Greek word for faith is often translated into the English word faithfulness, depending on the context. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” (Gal 5:22). This describes the ongoing aspect of our faith.

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Mat 23:23). Do you see how he told them that they should not have neglected faithfulness? Jesus considered this a weighty provision of the Scriptures.

We are called to continue to have faith, even in the midst of persecutions. “Therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.” (2Th 1:4)

So we see that Paul always taught that saving faith must continue throughout our lives to the end.

Source of Faith
Finally, there is a source of all our faith. It doesn’t come from within us. So it’s important that we know who the author of our faith is and who can make it perfect. “Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2). Jesus authors our faith and He is the one who will perfect it, so focus on Him.

We actually get faith from hearing the Word of Christ. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

Putting it All Together
We begin our walk with Jesus the moment we put our complete confidence and trust like this in Him. It's at that moment that we are given the gift of God's righteousness. We are justified. It happens instantly, and we are completely forgiven. We are saved by faith in Christ alone. But then we must continue in our faithfulness to Him throughout our lives. We need to keep the faith.

In this series, I mentioned that having faith in God is similar to when we have complete confidence in an elevator to take us to the top of a tall building, or when we trust an airplane to take us across the ocean to another continent. You wouldn't do that without being persuaded that you will be safe.

If faith in God is like that, then we could say that faithfulness is like continuing to travel by plane on a daily basis throughout your entire lifetime. Faithfulness would be like continuing to trust the aircraft day after day, even though there are times when there's very bad turbulence on your flight. Faithfulness is like continuing to travel by air, even though you hear news reports of other planes crashing. Faithfulness is like staying on the elevator all way up to the top of the skyscraper, and not getting off at the third floor out of fear that you won't be safe. Faithfulness is like taking a job on an upper floor of a skyscraper, and trusting the elevator not just once but on a daily basis.

But every analogy falls short at some point. And these analogies are no different. You see, unfortunately planes do sometimes crash and elevators do sometimes fail. But Jesus never fails. He is worthy of your complete trust, not just for a moment or a day, but forever. It's essential that we remain faithful to Jesus Christ unto the end. Don't stop trusting Him when times get difficult or other things distract you.

Therefore, since faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ, we should spend time reading the Bible, talking about what it says, and listening to others speak God's Word. This will increase our faith. And of course, we should be doing what it says. We need to be doers of the Words of Christ, not merely hearers.

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, I want to encourage you to keep the faith with a sincere heart and a good conscience. I want to encourage you to remain faithful to the Lord to the very end.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you have not yet read the other parts to this series, you can find them at these links:

By Faith Alone - Part I
By Faith Alone - Part II
By Faith Alone - Part III

You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

If you have not yet put your faith in Christ, I urge you to do that today. He loves you and wants you to know Him personally.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part III

One of my hobbies used to be going to the tops of the world's tallest buildings. I've been to the tops of the World Trade Center in New York City, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and other high buildings. But each time I went up, I had to trust the elevator to do what it was intended to do. If I didn't trust it, I would never go up in the first place.

Faith in God is a bit like that. Faith is not simply giving mental assent to something. It's not simply agreeing theoretically with an idea or concept. It is the kind of confidence you have when you take an elevator to the top of a 100-story building. You absolutely trust the elevator to do what it is supposed to do. You step out and take action to demonstrate your trust in the object of your faith.

Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone. Some people disagree with that notion and say that a person is saved by his good works or by a combination of good works and faith. In this study, we’ll look at this controversial topic to see what the Bible says about it.

In this third part of my series on "By Faith Alone", we'll see the difference between faith and works. Then we’ll look at living by faith. We'll also see what the test should be to determine if you are in the faith, and we’ll discover how you receive the Spirit.

Difference Between Faith and Works
When it comes to being righteous, Christ has fulfilled the Law in perfect righteousness, so once you put your trust in Jesus, look no further. Paul said, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”(Rom 10:4). Once we have faith in Christ, we no longer need to try and fulfill the Law.

“However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, ‘HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.’” (Gal 3:12). You see, if you want to work for your salvation, then you need to live according to everything written in the Law. That’s quite a heavy load to carry. Then it’s no longer about trusting Jesus to save you, but it’s about working to attain righteousness. This is quite the opposite of faith.

Paul was a trained Jewish rabbi, who studied under one of the best rabbis. But when he came to know Jesus Christ, he knew that faith expressing itself through loving acts was all that mattered now. He said, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6). It no longer makes any difference whether a person has obeyed certain aspects of the Law or not, such as circumcision.

So does this mean we no longer need to do any works at all? No, it doesn’t. As Paul wrote, faith will express itself through love, and love is not a feeling but an action. So when you have true, saving faith in Christ, you’ll be serving Him out of love. James the brother of Jesus Christ, eventually came to know the Lord himself and became His bond servant. He wrote: “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (Jam 2:14)

James emphasized the need for works, but did not teach that we need to work to earn God’s righteousness. The works James spoke of were works that one does when he already has true saving faith. As James saw it, any faith that doesn’t produce works is a dead faith. He said, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (Jam 2:17) “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (Jam 2:20). “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (Jam 2:26)

His main concern was that there be evidence in our lives of the saving faith in Jesus. He tried to show that it is not possible to say you have faith, yet not have any works. He said, “show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (Jam 2:18)

James even went so far as to say, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Jam 2:24) This message of James about works is not emphasized elsewhere in the New Testament. For this reason, church leaders were at one time unsure whether to include it in the canon of Scripture. On the surface, it seemed to contradict Paul’s message of faith alone. But it has nevertheless been included, because it is inspired, it is true, and it’s not inconsistent with the rest of Scripture.

If you just read this last verse in James 2:24, it may appear to contradict the apostle Paul’s gospel of salvation by faith alone. But when you read the entire epistle and read the entire New Testament, you come to see that it is merely emphasizing the fact that true believers need to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. As James said, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22).

This is consistent with Jesus’ teaching. He said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers.'” (Mat 7:21-23). Jesus taught that we must do the will of His Father in heaven.

Jesus also taught about the person who builds his house on the rock by acting upon His Word. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:24-27).

So we are justified by faith alone, not by our works. But once we have been made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ, there must be evidence of that faith through our actions. We will desire to act upon Jesus’ words. This is really a continuation in the faith we began to have the moment we were justified.

Living By Faith in Jesus
It’s by faith in Jesus that we live our lives. Paul said it like this: "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20).

And in the book of Hebrews, we learn that the righteous shall live by faith. “BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” (Heb 10:38-39)

It’s impossible to please God without faith. “And 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 those who seek Him.” (Heb 11:6)

All the righteous people throughout history lived by faith:

By faith Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his household. (Heb 11:7)
By faith Abraham obeyed by going out to a place that he was to receive for an inheritance. (Heb 11:8)
By faith Sarah received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life. (Heb 11:11)
By faith Abraham offered up Isaac, his only begotten son. (Heb 11:17)
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau. (Heb 11:20)
By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph. (Heb 11:21)
By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the future exodus. (Heb 11:22)
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents. (Heb 11:23)
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. (Heb 11:24)
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. (Heb 11:27)
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood. (Heb 11:28)
By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though through dry land. (Heb 11:29)
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down. (Heb 11:30)
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. (Heb 11:31)
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (Heb 11:32-34)

So it’s very clear from Scripture that it is by faith we live victorious lives that are pleasing to the Lord.

Test to See if You Are in the Faith
In all of the preceding Scriptures, it’s abundantly clear that we are saved by faith alone. Since that is so crucial, how do you know if you are in the faith? There is a test you can give yourself.

“Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?” (2Co 13:5). The test is this: Ask yourself if you recognize that Jesus Christ in you. If you do not, then you fail the test. Does He live in your heart? He wants to.

Paul said, ‘So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph 3:17) You see, He dwells in our hearts by faith. You must believe.

Receive the Spirit by Faith
As believers in Jesus, we have a promise from Jesus that He would send the Holy Spirit. Even this is received by faith. “This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal 3:2)

“So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Gal 3:5)

You see, the Gentiles receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. “In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3:14)

Putting it All Together
There's a clear distinction in Scripture between faith and works. We know that we are saved by faith alone through grace. As Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Eph 2:8-9).

You see, it's not by works, so that no one can boast. It's the gift of God. It's based on His unmerited favor toward you. We need to really get that into our spirit. It's not something we can work for or try to earn.

When someone gives you a gift, you simply receive it. If you don't receive it, then it will remain in the hands of the one giving it. God's righteousness is a gift. He wants to give it to you. But you have to receive it by faith. Everything is by faith. But it's not mere mental assent to the truth. It's the kind of confidence you have in an elevator when you ride it to the top of a tall building. Elevators may fail, but Jesus Christ never fails! You can completely trust Him to save you.

All the righteous people recorded in Scripture lived by faith and pleased God that way. That's how you receive the Spirit of God. It's by faith, not by works.

And there's a test you can give yourself to see if you're in the faith. Ask yourself whether Jesus Christ lives in your heart by faith. If you answered yes to this, then you pass the test. If not, then you need to know Him.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: Don't miss the final part of this series at By Faith Alone - Part IV.  You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part II

During my lifetime, I've had the privilege and the pleasure of traveling to various countries, including Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, and Hungary. I personally enjoy flying. Anyone who has traveled at all knows that when you board a passenger plane to travel, you trust that the plane will do what it is designed to do. You are persuaded that it is airworthy and will carry you across the country or over the ocean to your destination.

Faith in God is a bit like that. Faith is not simply giving mental assent to something. It's not simply agreeing theoretically with an idea or concept. It is the kind of confidence you have when you board an airplane to cross the ocean. You absolutely trust the plane to do what it is supposed to do. You step out and take action to demonstrate your trust in the object of your faith. Of course, as a Christian, you should be praying and putting your trust in God for safe travel, since accidents do happen.

Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone. Some people disagree with that notion and say that a person is saved by his good works or by a combination of good works and faith. In this study, we’ll look at this controversial topic to see what the Bible says about it. We’ll find out how faith is a key to answered prayer.

Everything we receive from the Lord we receive by faith. Let’s look at some examples in Scripture.

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” (Jam 1:6). When you pray to the Lord, be sure you ask in faith believing.

“And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.” (Jam 5:15). When we pray for someone to be healed, it’s the prayer of faith that heals.

“But Jesus turning and seeing her said, ‘Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.’ At once the woman was made well.” (Mat 9:22) It was the woman’s faith in Jesus that instantly made her well.

“Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘It shall be done to you according to your faith.’” (Mat 9:29). The blind man received his sight by faith.

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.” (Mar 10:52)

“Then Jesus said to her, ‘O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed at once.” (Mat 15:28). Jesus delivered this woman’s daughter from demons, because he saw her faith in Him.

How much faith do you need? “And He *said to them, ‘Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.’” (Mat 17:20). All you need is a little bit to move a mountain.

“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” it will happen.” (Mat 21:21)

When the apostles were asked how they healed the lame man, here is what they said: "And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.” (Act 3:16). They healed the lame man by faith in Jesus Name.

Putting it All Together
You may wonder what this has to do with our main topic of “by faith alone”. It has everything to do with it. Jesus spoke to a lame man one time, whose friends had brought him to Jesus to be healed. When He saw their faith, He said to the man, “Take courage. Your sins are forgiven.” But certain religious people watching this were thinking He was blaspheming by claiming to forgive sins. They knew that only God can forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “’Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’--then He *said to the paralytic, ‘Get up, pick up your bed and go home.’ And he got up and went home.” (Mat 9:5-7).

Jesus demonstrated at that time that He has power to forgive sins when a person has faith in Him. Since we cannot see whether the person’s sins are forgiven, He demonstrated it by also healing the man instantly from lameness. It was all based on their faith.

So whether you need salvation, healing, miracles, deliverance from demons, or an answer to your prayers, faith is the key. It’s all by faith alone in Jesus’ name.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: We'll study more about faith in the rest of this series. So I hope you will follow it at the following links:

By Faith Alone - Part III
By Faith Alone - Part IV

You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

By Faith Alone - Part I

When I was an Infantryman in the US Army, I went to Airborne School at Fort Benning, GA and earned my wings. It was exhilarating to jump out of a plane at 2,000 feet with nothing between me and the ground but air. I know from experience that when you jump from a plane, you are trusting the parachute to do what it is supposed to do. You have confidence in it.

Faith in God is a bit like that. Faith is not simply giving mental assent to something. It's not simply agreeing theoretically with an idea or concept. It is the kind of confidence you have when you jump from an airplane. You absolutely trust the parachute to do what it is supposed to do. You step out and take action to demonstrate your trust in the object of your faith.

Sola fide is a Latin phrase, meaning "by faith alone". The early reformers used it to describe the fact that our salvation is by faith alone. Some people disagree with that notion and say that a person is saved by his good works or by a combination of good works and faith. In this study, we’ll look at this controversial topic to see what the Bible says about it.

First of all, we know there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph 4:5) So in Part One of this series on Faith Alone, we’ll study that one and only faith, and we'll see what it actually is, whether we are saved by faith alone or not.

Faith Defined
In the letter to the Hebrews, we read: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1). Hope is the expectation that something good is going to happen. And faith is being sure of things hoped for. So faith is being sure that the good thing you are expecting to happen is actually going to happen. And it’s being sure about that before you can see it. So what’s that have to do with receiving forgiveness from God?

Saved by Faith
Faith has everything to do with receiving forgiveness from God. In fact it’s the key. In Luke’s gospel we read that a woman who was a sinner came to Jesus when she found out that he was reclining in a man’s house in that town. She began to pour perfume on his feet and kiss them, and wet them with her tears of repentance for her sin: “Then He said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven’…And He said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’ " (Luk 7:48-50). Jesus forgave the woman right there on the spot, and told her it was her faith that saved her. So Jesus Himself taught that we are saved by faith alone. He didn’t say, “Your faith will save you in the future, as long as you do the following things.” He didn’t say, “I will forgive you after you do this, this and this.” In fact, he put it in the past tense, when He said, “Your sins have been forgiven,” and “Your faith has saved you.”

Faith is from the Greek word pistis, which means persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; assurance, belief, faith, fidelity. This word comes from peitho, pi'-tho, which means to convince; agree, assure, believe, have confidence, obey, persuade, trust, yield.

The apostle Paul taught the same thing like this: “But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.’” (Rom 10:8-11). So we need to believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and confess with our mouth Jesus as Lord, and we shall be saved. That’s it. Nothing else added.

The word for believe here is from the Greek word πιστεύω, pisteuo, pist-yoo'-o, meaning to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), that is, credit; by implication to entrust (especially one’s spiritual well being to Christ): - believe, commit (to trust).

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph 2:8). There it is again that we are saved through faith. It’s all by grace, meaning a gift to you from God. Just believe it and it’s yours.

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25). He taught that if we believe in Him, we shall live.

“You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (2Ti 3:14-15). So it’s a salvation through faith.

“Obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.” (1Pe 1:9). That’s easy to understand, too. When you have faith, the outcome or end result is your soul is saved.

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’" (Rom 1:17). This is a key verse, so go back and read it again. It says that the righteous person shall live by faith. That means if you want to be a righteous person, you will live your life by trusting the Lord for that righteousness. How do I know? Because it says that God’s righteousness, which is perfect, is revealed from faith to faith.

"By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin." (Rom 3:20)

“Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” (Rom 3:22). Here again, all those who believe receive the righteousness of God.

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." (Rom 3:28)

“And may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Phi 3:9). Which one would you rather have – a righteousness of your own or the righteousness that comes from God? I think I’d rather have God’s righteousness. Well, it comes on the basis of faith, not faith plus something else.

“Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Gal 2:16). Just in case you still thought there must be some mistake, we see here that we are not justified by doing everything written in God’s Law. Rather it is through faith alone. In fact, it’s impossible to be made righteous by the works of the Law.

Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (Gal 3:11)

Let me ask a question: Who are the sons of Abraham? “Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.” (Gal 3:7) Did you see anything there besides faith?

“The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.’” (Gal 3:8). Here it says that God justifies the Gentiles by faith – period.

“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Gal 3:22). There’s a promise from God in Scripture that was given to Abraham. That promise is given by faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Gal 3:24-25). The Law is pictured metaphorically as a tutor. A tutor usually helps you learn things. So the Law helps you learn that you are a sinner and need to be saved by Christ. Once you get that, you don’t need the Law to do anything else for you. You simply need to put your faith in Christ and He justifies you.

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:26) This really needs no explanation. Jesus is God’s Son, and you become a son of God, too, through your faith in Jesus.

At one point, this issue of circumcision arose in the first century church. Up to that point, disciples of Christ were mostly all Jewish, so they had all been circumcised. But as more Gentiles became believers, some Jewish leaders taught that they must be circumcised. In other words, they taught that salvation was by faith in Jesus plus circumcision. So this matter was brought before the Church elders in Jerusalem. They concluded that circumcision was unnecessary, saying, “And He [the Lord] made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.” (Act 15:9) They acknowledged that God cleansed the hearts of Gentiles the same way He cleansed the hearts of Jews, and it was by faith.

Paul had been a Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians. And on the day he came to know Jesus, the Lord spoke to him directly about his mission to the Gentiles, which was “To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Act 26:18). This is powerful. It means the Gentiles have an inheritance among all those who have been sanctified or made holy. So how are those people sanctified? The Lord told Paul they were sanctified by faith in Jesus Himself.

Paul described his ministry as one where he was “Solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Act 20:21). That was his mission. He told people to repent toward God and put their faith in Jesus Christ. He did not preach that they must join a certain religion or that they must do certain works to be saved. The message was simply repent and believe.

While Paul was held as a prisoner, he had a chance to share the gospel with rulers. “But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.” (Act 24:24). As we see here, the message he shared with Governor Felix and his wife was one of faith in Christ Jesus.

“But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.” (Rom 3:21-22). Has a righteousness apart from the Law been manifested? Yes! We get credit for the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus – whether we are Jews or Gentiles. “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Rom 3:28)

In all of these passages, notice one very consistent thing: God is the Justifier. It’s all possible through Jesus, “Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Rom 3:25-26).

“Since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” (Rom 3:30) One and the same God justifies both the circumcised and uncircumcised the same way – through faith.

“Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Rom 3:31). Our faith does not nullify the Law. Instead it establishes the Law.

“For what does the Scripture say? ‘ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ‘BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.’" (Rom 4:3-8). Why not be like Abraham? Believe God and He will give you credit for His righteousness. Not a bad deal! Simply believe in Him who justifies the ungodly, and your faith is credited as righteousness.

“Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, ‘FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.’" (Rom 4:9). Paul is saying here is that it was not because of circumcision that Abraham was considered righteous. It was because of his faith.

“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them.” (Rom 4:11). Paul speaks here of the faith which Abraham had while uncircumcised, and he calls Abraham the father of all who believe without being circumcised.

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith.” (Rom 4:13). So when God promised Abraham descendant as numerous as the sand of the seashore, it was not through the Law but through the righteousness Abraham had by faith alone.

“For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified.” (Rom 4:14). It would, in fact, make our faith void and cancel out the promise of God to Abraham, if the only way to inherit the promise to Abraham was by obedience to the Law.

“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.” (Rom 4:16). The promise of God to Abraham is guaranteed to all who are of the same faith as Abraham. It’s one and the same faith.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1) This is as clear as it can be. We have been justified by faith. As a result, we enjoy peace with God and He is no longer angry with us who believe in Jesus.

“What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith.” (Rom 9:30). It’s a righteousness that is by faith, and Gentiles attained it. In fact, the Gentiles attained it without seeking it through any kind of attempt to observe the Law.

“Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.” (Rom 9:32). Paul explains why the Jew did not receive righteousness, even though they did seek to attain it. It’s because they pursued it by works, not by faith. This means anyone who pursues righteousness by works will not attain it.

The Jews were the original olive braches growing from God’s vine. But God removed them. “Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear.” (Rom 11:20). The reason they were broken off was they did not have faith. And since Gentiles are enjoying God’s righteousness completely by faith, it should humble us and cause us to stand in the fear of God, because we could be removed from God’s vine for the same reason.

When you hear the good news, you have to mix it together with faith. “For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.” (Heb 4:2)

Putting it All Together
From the Scriptures, it is abundantly clear that we are saved by faith alone. It's so crucial that we understand this, because so many people think they need to add something else to be saved. For some it is faith in Jesus plus circumcision. And for others it is faith plus their good works. But if we add anything to faith in order to be saved, we nullify our faith. Then it is no longer by grace.

As the apostle Paul wrote: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you." (Gal 5:1-2). If you add anything to faith in Jesus alone, then Christ is of no benefit to you.

Some people think that they simply give mental assent to the gospel. But true faith is more than that. It is the same kind of trust you have when you jump out of a plane or fly across the ocean, or ride an elevator to the top of a tall building. You have absolute confidence in Jesus Christ to save your soul.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: We'll study more about faith in the rest of this series. So I hope you will follow it at the following links:

By Faith Alone - Part II
By Faith Alone - Part III
By Faith Alone - Part IV

You may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page of this blog. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.