Faith Resulting In Salvation

The New Living Translation Bible (NLT) defines faith in this manner: “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see” (Heb. 11:1). The King James version (KJV) defines faith this way: “NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). This is what theologians call “saving faith.” In the law of evidence (in our Philippine legal system), evidence is something we can see with our naked eye, touch or read or hear. If not, it is no evidence at all.

In the spiritual realm, the Bible tells us “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). Faith is the blind obedience to the Word of God. Thus, faith is the exact opposite of evidence in the legal sense or parlance as defined above, for faith believes as true and will certainly happen something not yet seen by the naked eye. For example, we have not yet seen by our naked eye heaven or hell, but by faith we believe that there are such places that exist as described in the Bible.

Faith as defined above is that something has not actually happened yet, we are still hoping that it will happen, but we are confident that it shall certainly come to pass. In the KJV, though the things we are hoping to happen has not yet come to pass, yet NOW (present tense) we act as if the thing we are expecting to happen have happened already or will surely happen.

For example, in the middle 60’s, I told my father who resided at Kapalong, Davao del Norte, Philippines, some 70 kilometers away from Davao City where I have my law office, to roast (lechon) a pig because I will be attending the special occasion our family was going to celebrate. In those days, there were no telephone lines yet in our farm (in fact, even to this day), and cellphones were yet an unknown gadget, so there was no means for me to communicate to my father that I would be delayed because of an unavoidable urgent emergency appointment on that appointed day. Usually on all our previous family occasions that I tell my father I would visit him in our farm, I would arrive not later than 8:00 A.M. However, on that particular day, I arrived at past 12:00 noon, but my father roasted the pig. Upon my arrival, the lechon was already done and everybody was just waiting for my arrival. I remarked to my father, “it was good Papa that you cooked the lechon even without my presence or advise that I will be late in arriving”. His answer was: “There was never a time you told me you will come home and you failed to arrive.” He expressed his full faith in my commitment to him. How much more when God makes a promise or commitment?

It is important that we understand clearly the nature of faith. There are many who believe that Christ is the Savior of the world, that the gospel is true and reveals the plan of salvation, yet they do not possess saving faith. They are intellectually convinced of the truth, but this is not enough; in order to be justified, sinners must have that full trust and confidence or faith that Jesus Christ is the only savior of their own soul. The Bible tells us, “thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19 KJV); but their belief does not bring them justification, neither will the belief of those who give a merely intellectual assent to the truths of the Bible bring them the benefits of salvation.

In genuine, saving faith, there is FULL trust in God’s promise in the atoning (or substitutionary) sacrifice made by His only begotten Son Jesus Christ on Calvary. In Christ, the justified believers behold their only hope and deliverer. Belief may exist without trust, but confidence born of trust cannot exist without faith. These two always go together in the spiritual realm.

The words of the great Apostle Paul shed light upon what constitutes genuine saving faith. He said, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10 KJV). To believe with the heart is more than conviction, more than assent to the truth. This faith is sincere, earnest, and engages the affections of the soul; it is the faith that works by love and purifies the heart, and that saves the soul of man. It is a saving faith.

The Bible says: “But 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 diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). The reward is the salvation of the believing soul.

When through repentance and faith as defined above, we accept Christ as our only Savior, the Lord pardons our sins and remits the penalty prescribed for the transgression of the law of God. The sinner then stands before God as a just or justified person, and is thus qualified to enter heaven. Then there is yet another work to be accomplished, and this is of a progressive nature. The soul is to be sanctified or purified daily through the truth - - the Word of God. And this also is accomplished through faith. For it is only by the grace of Christ, which we receive through faith, that the character of man can be transformed. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9 KJV).