Saving faith is transformative
God is looking for people who have faith. Faith is the main feature of the Christian life. Without it, we cannot be saved, and through it, we experience God’s power to be witnesses.
But here’s the thing: there are several kinds of faith that people confuse with true saving faith.
The first is what we call head knowledge. We can understand that God loves us and that our sin prevents us from having a relationship with Him. We can acknowledge that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, so that we can experience a relationship with God.
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Many people know about God. They believe He exists. They may even go to church and read the Bible. But merely knowing about God is not enough. James 2:19 reminds us that even the demons believe that God exists. There must be more.
The second is temporary faith. People can trust God for a lot of things. They have faith that He will heal them, that He will provide for them financially, or that He will cause something to happen. But these are all temporary. They require a faith that is also temporary. Once the need is met, faith is no longer necessary. Again, that is not the kind of faith that saves us for eternity.
True saving faith only happens when we put our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our eternal life. That kind of faith is a decision (a step of faith) to transfer our trust from anything we can do to earn our way to Heaven to what Jesus has done for us on the cross. “Believe [trust] in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31, NIV). That is saving faith.
Eternal life is so much more than just a ticket to Heaven. We can experience eternal life every day here on Earth. The same saving faith gives us hope, it gives us peace, and it gives us a purpose — to share that hope with others.
Every day, we walk in that same faith, and every time we share the Gospel — the Good News of what Jesus did for us on the cross — we step out in faith. We have faith that God has heard our prayers for those who are lost, we have faith He is already at work in people’s lives before we speak with them, and we have faith that the Holy Spirit will go with us and give us the words to say.
“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV). The amazing thing is, when we see someone make the decision to put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, our faith grows as well.
Are you ready to step out in faith?
Rev. John B. Sorensen, D.D. is the President/CEO of Evangelism Explosion International, headquartered in Arden, N.C. EE has been a leader in equipping Christians to share their faith for more than 55 years. For more free tips and resources, visit evangelismexplosion.org.
