To be saved by faith is a truth undeniably taught in the Scriptures. Eph 2: 8-9 states
'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.'
From Hebrews 11:6 we also learn,
'Without faith it is impossible to please him (God).'
It must be said that the doctrine of faith is completely misunderstood in the modern age, the word faith being used loosely and erroneously. When people say I have faith in God, what is actually meant is they have a belief that there is a God, this is not the character of biblical faith. It is true that if one truly "accepts" Christ as his Saviour, he has an assured inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, but many who do "accept" Christ don't realise the full implications of this accepting.
Biblical faith, received by the grace of God, changes the Christian's life radically. This faith fixes our eyes on Jesus at the centre of our lives and determines how we live our lives. It is a way of life. Biblical faith trusts in the Lord whatever the adversities or troubles; it puts to death one's former Godless life in pursuit of a Godly one. It opens our eyes to our sin but simultaneously makes us rejoice at the victory of Christ on the cross so that we are forgiven. Only through this gift of faith can we receive forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, regeneration, answer to prayer and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
One sign of true faith is the fruitfulness of the believer, true faith teaches us to say no to ungodliness but to hold unswerving to works pleasing in God's sight. It puts to death our old self and makes us productive in Christ. Using Abraham as an example, when he offered Isaac at the altar, James notes,
'You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.' (James 2:22)
Abraham's actions show us his true faith, but James also issues a warning to all those who claim to believe but don't act upon this "faith". He says,
'Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.'
True biblical faith is a faith that transforms every aspect of a Christian's life, his motives, mindset and actions. This type of faith is a saving faith.
