Last week’s article ended with mentioning of the gift of eternal life that is available through Jesus Christ. This gift is received through faith. There are many inadequate and false concepts of faith. It is a very important biblical truth. We should not be confused about what faith is. Faith is the key to receiving eternal life. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "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." There is only one door to eternal life. Jesus said, "I am the door." There is only one key to that door, and that is the key of faith. But not any kind of faith, one kind of faith, what the Bible refers to as saving faith.
So, what is biblical faith? First, consider what faith is not. Faith is not mere head knowledge. In other words, it is not merely agreeing with certain historical facts. Some people believe in Jesus Christ the same way they believe in Abraham Lincoln or Julius Caesar. This is the same sort of faith the Bible says that demons have. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19).
A faith that saves is not merely looking to God at times of temporary needs and crises. This is of course nothing wrong with doing this. We should look to the Lord at all times. During times of sickness or surgery we look to the Lord, or if we are going through a financial problem we look to the Lord and when we are traveling we look to the Lord. All of these have one thing in common. They each are each temporary in nature.
A faith that saves is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. The Bible says in Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." There are three factors of saving faith. The first is the intellectual factor, knowledge. There are some things one must know intellectually. These are that Jesus Christ is God who became a man, he lived a sinless life, he died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, he rose again the third day which declares that God accepted his death as a full and final payment for the sins of humanity. The second factor is assent, agreement with what God says concerning salvation.
The final element is the reliance factor. A person must trust in Jesus Christ. Trust means that I am relying upon Christ and Christ alone. I can walk into my living room and believe that the chair sitting there exists. I can believe the chair would hold me up if I sit in it. But that chair would not be holding me up unless I actually sit down in it.
Apply this illustration to trusting Jesus. A person can believe that Jesus lived, died on the cross, and rose and is living today. Furthermore a person can believe that Jesus could save them. But unless that person actually transfers the weight of themselves, placing their faith in Jesus Christ and him alone for salvation, they do not have saving faith. When a person repents of their sin and trusts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior they receive eternal life. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in their heart and begins providing peace, power, and purpose. The Holy Spirit gives assurance that when they die they will go immediately to heaven.
Have you trusted in Christ as your personal Savior? If you do not know for sure that you are saved and that you will go to heaven when you die I invite you to trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord right now. God loves you and so does First Baptist Church.