THE most important question that anyone can ask is the question posed by the keeper of the prison in Acts 16:30... “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”.
The answer to this question is more valuable than gold, silver and all the wealth this world has to offer. This answer will reveal to us the path that leads to the forgiveness of our sins, the receipt of the indwelling Holy Spirit, fellowship with the Only True and Living Creator, and eternity in paradise with God Himself. Our very spiritual life and eternal destiny rely upon finding the answer to this question.
This question is of such importance we will be taking several blog entries to carefully answer this question...
Blog Entry #1 Salvation
Blog Entry #2 Repentance
Blog Entry #3 Faith / Belief
Blog Entry #4 What about good works?
Blog Entry #5 What about baptism?
Blog Entry #6 What about the Lord's Supper?
Blog Entry #7 What about church membership?
We now begin our study with blog entry #3.... Faith (or Belief) ....
THE SCRIPTURES:
Acts 16:29-34 (KJV)
29) Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32) And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33) And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed [
their] stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.
34) And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Acts 13:36-39 (KJV)
36) For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37) But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38) Be it known unto you therefore, men [
and] brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
John 1:10-14 (KJV)
10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11) He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [
even] to them that believe on his name:
13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 3:14-17 (KJV)
14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:35-36 (KJV)
35) The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 6:32-47 (KJV)
32) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33) For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34) Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35) And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36) But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37) All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38) For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39) And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40) And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
41) The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42) And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?
43) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44) No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45) It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46) Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 11:25-27 (KJV)
25) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26) And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27) She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
John 20:30-31 (KJV)
30) And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31) But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Rom 4:23-5:1 (KJV)
23) Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
1) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Eph 2:4-10 (KJV)
4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6) And hath raised [
us] up together, and made [
us] sit together in heavenly [
places] in Christ Jesus:
7) That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [
his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [
it is] the gift of God:
9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
1 John 5:10-13 (KJV)
10) He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11) And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12) He that hath the Son hath life; [
and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
THE STUDY:
What is faith? The Biblical term “faith” carries with it the idea of “reliance”, “persuasion”, “conviction”, or “trust”. To believe or to trust are other Biblical terms for the same idea.
When we speak of faith, or belief, or trust, in Christ... we are saying that an individual is persuaded, and becomes thoroughly convinced of the Bible teachings about the person and work of Christ. This conviction leads him to totally rely upon the work of Christ as the basis of the forgiveness and salvation from his sin. This is a Biblical faith in Christ.
A Saving faith is centered on the work of Christ on the cross.John 3:14-17 (KJV) - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Following the plague of the serpents that fell upon the Israelites, they were told to look unto the brazen serpent on the pole to receive healing. This was a wonderful picture of the salvation that comes through faith in Christ and his work.
Just as mankind is facing eternal spiritual death due to the “bite” of sin in their lives... by looking to Christ and His work on the cross by faith, they can receive forgiveness and healing from the wounds of sin. (Psa 41:4, 1 Pet 2:20-24, Isa 53:4-6)
Saving Faith is a necessity for salvation and therefore, it is a part of the great commissionMark 16:15-16 (KJV) - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Here, we find the authority to proclaim the gospel message (the great commission) being handed down from Christ to His assembled believers. Please note that belief, and the lack thereof, dictates the gain, or loss, of salvation. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” In other words, He that believes with a sincere belief (displayed publically through the act of baptism) shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (John 3:14-19, John 8:21-24, 1 Pet 1:18-23)
Please note in these verses, baptism, in this context, is a distinguishing mark of a genuine belief. Anyone who believes in Christ, and is willing to declare that belief publicly, shall be saved. Anyone who claims to believe, but is not willing to make a public profession, for fear of ridicule, harm or rejection cannot be certain of salvation. Why? A true saving faith will trust in Christ to handle any adverse results of a public profession of faith.
Please note that this verse does not say... “but he that is not baptized shall be damned”. The lack of baptism is not even mentioned as a cause of remaining under the damnation of God.
This verse, and the entire subject of the role of baptism in salvation, will be covered in great detail in blog entry #5 of this series.
A Saving Faith results in…The removal of God's wrathJohn 3:35-36 (KJV) - The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
In the prior verse, faith was said to be necessary to be removed from the damnation of God. Here, it is said to deliver us from God's wrath. “Damnation” carries with it the idea of “a judicial judgment”, “condemnation”, or a “just decision rendered”. “Wrath” involves the idea of “hot anger”, “vengeance according to justice”, “passionate fierceness”.
When these ideas are put together, we find that a saving faith removes the sinful man from God's just sentence of punishment against sin. The punishment He has decreed against our sin is a fierce punishment flowing from His fervent anger. (Psa 2:12, Rom 1:16-20)
The gift of eternal lifeJohn 11:25-27 (KJV) - Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
John 20:30-31 (KJV) - And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Death involves separation. Physical death is the state of separation between the body and the soul (spirit). Spiritual death is the state of separation between the individual and God due to the sin of the individual. Eternal death is the never ending state of separation from God. The individual eternally dwelling in theLakeofFireunder God's punishment, while God is eternally dwelling on the New Earth in eternal bliss. (Rev 20:12-15, Rev 21:1-8)
A saving faith in Christ undoes the spiritual results of sin on mankind. Once saved, a man's communion with God is restored and when he enters eternity, he will dwell with the Lord in heaven and later on the New Earth. (Hebs 11:16, Rev 21:, Rev 22:)
Being declared innocent of the sin we have committedRom 4:23-5:1 (KJV) - Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 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. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Although guilty of the commission of sin, man can find forgiveness and the removal of sins guilt through faith in Christ. As the shed blood of Christ is applied to our account washing away our sin, we then can be declared innocent of the very sin that before had condemned us. (1 John 1:5-10, Rev 1:4-6)
The presence of saving faith in our life can be a certainty.1John 5:10-13 (KJV) - He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; [
and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
It is through a lifestyle of trusting in Christ that we can find assurance of our salvation experience. Trusting in Christ is not simply a one time act, it is an act repeated every day many times a day under the leadership of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Once we are genuinely saved, a part of our changed life is a continuous looking to Him, believing His Word and relying on Him during all our day to day issues of life. (Rom 1:17, Hab 2:4, Gals 3:10-14)
Salvation is given to sinful man by faith not keeping the works of the lawActs 13:36-39 (KJV) For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men [
and] brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Eph 2:4-10 (KJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised [
us] up together, and made [
us] sit together in heavenly [
places] in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [
his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [
it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
The sinfulness of mankind can never be covered, nor outweighed by a man's morally good works. The Bible makes it plain that a man cannot merit salvation through his good works. This principle is so important we will be devoting blog entry #4 in this series to an in depth study of the Bible teachings concerning the relationship of good works to salvation.
In the above two verses, we can clearly see that neither the keeping of the Mosaic law, nor good works of any kind can merit salvation. This teaching eliminates many good works that are falsely taught to merit salvation... baptism, church membership or partaking of the Lord's supper. Again, as our series progresses, each of these false teachings will be examined in detail. But for now, suffice it to say that good works cannot merit salvation. Salvation comes by grace through faith upon the people of God. (Roms 3:23-28, Roms 4:1-8, Roms 10:1-10, Titus 3:3-8)
Saving Faith comes to mankind via the will and grace of GodJohn 1:10-14 (KJV) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [
even] to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 6:32-47 (KJV) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
Faith and repentance are very similar in many aspects. One of those aspects is the fact that mankind is unable to repent nor believe apart from Divine intervention in his life. Please notice in the above verses, we find explicit teaching on this truth...
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [
even] to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
“But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”
“Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Although mankind is responsible to repent and believe, because of their fallen nature and sinful condition they cannot come to Christ apart from the gracious intervention of God. This is one of the greatest displays of God's love and grace.... to intervene in the life of a rebellious, sinful, helpless man and open his sin blinded eyes, convict him of his sin, lead him to Christ and grant him repentance and faith. (James 1:17-18, Roms 8:29-31, 2 Tim 1:8-12)
Faith and Repentance are two sides of the same coinMark 1:15 (KJV) And saying, The time is fulfilled, and thekingdomofGodis at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Matt 21:28-32 (KJV) But what think ye? A [
certain] man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [
go], sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of [
his] father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen [
it], repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
You cannot have repentance with faith and faith without repentance. This is what I mean by the phrase, “faith and repentance are two sides of the same coin.” For a person to come to faith in Christ, he must experience a change of attitude and heart concerning God's Word, Christ and His work, and his own sinful condition. This change is repentance. Without it genuine faith in Christ cannot be experienced. Likewise, without a new set of beliefs existing in the heart, no real change can take place in the lives of man. Truly, in the mind of God repentance and faith are inseparably linked.
Clearly, both repentance and belief are necessary in the experience of salvation. Note in our verses above.... “repent ye, and believe the gospel” and “and ye, when ye had seen [
it], repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” Although both are necessary, many times only one or the other is mentioned as a necessity for salvation.... Here are two examples...
Luke 5:31-32 (KJV) And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Acts 16:31 (KJV)
31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
In these examples only one or the other is mentioned not both.... Why does this take place?
Because, they are so closely related that when the Bible mentions one, it is automatically implying the other. We CANNOT believe without experiencing repentance that leads us to that belief. Likewise we CANNOT repent and turn to Christ without becoming convinced of Bible truths about ourselves, our condition and Christ and His work.
In this blog entry we have seen the very basic principle of the necessity of faith (or belief) in the salvation experience... In the following blog entries we will continue to study, in detail, the answer to the question “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
If you have any questions about your condition or the salvation that the Lord so graciously offers, you can look to several sources for further information: A local Bible-teaching church in your area, or you are welcome to email me at
settledinheaven@gmail.com, or you can refer to my blog page entitled “
How to have a relationship with God” for more teachings on the subject of salvation.
May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
