Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 10
March 12, 1959
NUMBER 44, PAGE 12-13a

The Faith That Saves

Hoyt H. Houchen, Lufkin, Texas

People who accept the Bible as the word of God do not deny that we are saved by faith. The point of disagreement upon the matter of faith is what faith is and at what point does faith save.

Faith is the need of the hour. We read in I Jno. 5:4, "For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith." We need to have faith in ourselves. Mental patients are in hospitals all over the country because they do not have faith; they are afraid. Their fears are in the absence of faith. Jesus said to his disciples when they were afraid of the storm, "Why are ye fearful, 0 ye of little faith?" (Matt. 8:26.) Our attention is called at this time to a consideration of faith in God, or the faith that saves.

Many are the scriptures that teach that we are saved by faith. The inspired writer tells us in Heb. 11:6, "and without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him." Other scriptures that teach that faith is a necessary condition of salvation are Mk. 16:16; Acts 16:30,31; Rom. 5:1; Jno. 3:16, and also verse 36.

As to what faith is, we usually think of it as the belief of a proposition that is supported by testimony. We have not seen Napoleon Bonaparte but we have the facts of history that he did live and so we believe that there was a Napoleon Bonaparte. There are cities that we have never visited, yet we believe that they do exist because we have evidence that they do. But faith includes more than this. Faith means trust and confidence. Faith in a physician is to have confidence in him by doing what he prescribes. So faith is more than belief in the invisible God; it is confidence in God that leads us to obey His commands. In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews we read the epitaphs of God's unforgotten heroes. Heb. 11:4 reads: "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." Abel had conviction of an invisible God and he offered the sacrifice in hope of receiving a reward from God. That faith is both conviction and confidence is made clear in Heb. 11:6. Here the inspired writer declares: "and without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him." In believing that God is, we express conviction; in believing that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him is confidence of our future blessing, a confidence that leads us to please God by doing His will.

Whenever faith is demonstrated in the Bible, it is manifested by bodily acts. It is said of Noah in Heb. 11:7, "By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." What did Noah do? He built an ark. He did this by faith; it was his faith manifested. Of Abraham we read in Heb. 11:8, "By faith Abraham when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Abraham obeyed. It was by faith that he obeyed. What kind of faith was it? It was an active, obedient faith. This is the kind of faith that saves.

But how does faith come? The faith of a jury in the guilt or innocence of a defendant in court is dependent upon the evidence that is presented, oral, written, or both. Our faith, as a condition of salvation, comes as a result of evidence, the written word of God, or oral evidence when that written word is preached. (Acts 17:11,12; Rom. 10:17.)

As to what men are to believe, they are to believe in Christ. After the Jailor in Acts 16:30 asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul and Silas replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house." They did not tell this man to believe only, but they told him to believe and they told him the object of his belief. They then preached the word of the Lord to him so that he could believe. (Rom. 10:17). With reference to the object of our faith, John wrote in Jno. 20:30,31: "Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; that believing ye may have life in his name." Paul wrote in Rom. 10:9, "because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt he saved." We must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and we must believe the word that He taught.

Some think that there is a contradiction between Paul and James on the matter of faith. Paul says in Rom. 4:5, "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness." James says in Jas. 2:24, "Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith." There is no disagreement between Paul and James on faith. Paul on the one hand is showing that justification by faith is apart from the works of the law of Moses and he cites Abraham as an example, whereas James on the other hand is showing the kind of faith by which we are justified. James is declaring that faith will not justify unless it works and he gives both Abraham and Rahab as examples. (Jas. 2:20-25.)

The Bible does not teach that we are justified by faith only. James tells us in Jas. 2:24 that we are not justified by faith only. The only time that the expression faith only appears in the Bible is in Jas. 2:24 and here we are told that we are not saved by faith only. Those who believe have the right to become children of God. (Jno. 1:11,12.) If we are saved by faith only, the very moment that we believe, and without any further acts of obedience, then we can be saved without the new birth. But Jesus teaches that one must be born again in order to enter into the kingdom of God. (Jno. 3:3-5.) If we are saved by faith only, we are saved by a dead faith for James teaches that faith apart from works is dead. (Jas. 2:26.) If we can be saved by faith only, then we can be saved without confessing. The rulers in Jno. 12:42,43 were believers but they did not confess Jesus Christ. One cannot be saved without confession. (Rom. 10:10.)

The issue on faith is not are we saved or justified by faith, but what is faith and when does faith save? Faith is more than conviction or an assent of the mind to the invisible God. It includes confidence or trust that will lead us to obey God's commands. God's message produces faith in our hearts (Rom. 1:17; 10:9,10,17; Gal. 3:26.) That faith motivates us to repent (Acts 17:30), confess Christ (Acts 8:37), and be baptized for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:27.)

Have you obeyed God? Why not come to God in simple, trusting, child-like faith, now, while you have this opportunity?