A living faith

One can hardly begin to speak of the subject of Christianity without bringing up the topic of faith. There is no doubt that faith plays an important role in the salvation of man in this Christian age. Now, some try to make a distinction between “faith” and “belief”, but there is none. It is the same Greek word that is translated for both, most often depending upon the part of speech of the word at the time. “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” (John 3:16), is a mainstay for those who demand faith for salvation. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1), is another, and many, many others can be sited. It would be hard to find anyone who would argue that faith is not mandatory to salvation. However, one might ask, “what kind of faith is it that we must have?” Not all faith is saving faith!. James wrote, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). Matthew records of Jesus, “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:28-29). They clearly believed in Jesus. John recorded, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43). Jesus, Himself, clearly stated that any that would not confess Him before men would be denied before God by Him (Matt. 10:32-33). So again, we ask, what kind of faith is it that we must have?

We read many times of God being a living God (Deut. 5:26; Matt.16:16; John 6:69; Rom. 9:26). But, we can also read in the Bible of gods that are not living. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the folly of cutting down a tree and using part of it to warm by or cook on, then take another part of that tree and fashion a god and fall down to worship the stock of a tree, a dead god (Isa. 44:14-20). The apostle Paul exhorts Christians to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). We all are aware of the Old Testament offerings and sacrifices, most of which were burned on an altar, they being dead sacrifices. Peter speaks of our hope as a lively or living hope (I Pet. 1:3). A hope that is based upon false promises or false information would be a dead hope, for there would be no actual reception of that hoped for. In like manner, the faith that we must have in order to be saved is a living faith.

There is not a passage of scripture that specifically uses the words, living or lively faith. But, there are scriptures that dictate that our faith must be a living faith. Three times James makes the statement that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17; 20, 26). James defines what a dead faith is, it is a faith that is not coupled with obedience to God’s word. We can know that the “works” James speaks of is obedience to God, by way of the example that he uses. James says, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without words is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God” (James 2:20-23). Abraham’s willing obedience was proof positive that his faith was a living faith. When God stopped his hand from taking Isaac’s life, He said, “…now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen. 22:12). The Hebrew writer stated that Abrahm had offered his son by faith (Heb. 11:17), “accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure” (Heb. 11:19).

One does not obtain salvation by any meritorious works of good deeds toward man, but the works of obedience to God are mandatory works that must be done in order to be saved. Christ is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him” (Heb. 5:9). The gospel of Jesus Christ must be obeyed if one is to be saved (II Thess. 1:7-9). Jesus asked, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). One who doubts that the promise of the Lord is true, must admit that He lacks faith in the Lord. Jesus said that “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). Multitudes reject the need for baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), into Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:3-4; Gal. 3:27) as promised by the Lord to result in salvation, and yet say they are saved by faith. “What doeth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?” (Jam. 2:14).