Saving faith

[Hal]

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Saving faith

I like to discuss the subject of faith. Faith in the Bible is expressed not only with the word faith, but words like trust and belief. Faith is necessary for salvation, and even minor things like prayer requires faith to be effective. Trust is the act of faith. “Faith in God is like believing a man can walk over Niagara Falls on a tightrope while pushing a wheelbarrow. Trust in God is like getting into the wheelbarrow! To believe God can do something miraculous is one thing; to risk his willingness to do it in your life is another.”
James C. Dobson

We see faith explained in Hebrews 11 so I won't go into making are discussing a definition of the word. But let's look at the phrase Saving Faith, we see that faith in John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes (4100 Greek Lexicon: to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith) in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Acts 16:31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

The word believes could be replaced with the word trust, or the word faith. And that faith or trust is in the gospel of Christ. To trust his word of eternal life through the love of his father in the sacrifice made by his son, is the saving faith. Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”   Psa 7:1 O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust : save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me:  As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried : he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psa 18:30 ; Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Psa 32:10

There are those that have faith in their own works, there's no salvation in this faith and it will lead to their own destruction.
So there is a difference of faith and saving faith. The Muslims believe that Christ existed and was sent by God as a prophet, but they do not believe that the salvation offered through the blood of Christ is powerful enough to warrant the grace that God has given to us as He offered to us in the gospel. That is the difference between faith and saving faith.


Some others thoughts on faith:

Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God.
John R. W. Stott


Faith is a higher faculty than reason.
Philip James Bailey

[Fat]

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True that trust comes from faith as does belief, all comes from God. Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe ; help my unbelief."
As works also come from faith.
James  24:2  You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
But it all stems from Grace and Grace alone saves us! Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

SAVING GRACE

Titus 2:11  For the saving grace of God was manifested to all men, (YLT)

[Hal]

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Hi Fat and thanks for the input.

I'm looking at Dobson's statement and wondering if trust is not a sign of a higher or should I say strongest form of faith. I like his wheelbarrel analogy, you can have faith but does it manifest it's self in trusting the outcome to your own situation.

[Fat]

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That's interesting, so your supposition is that trust is a level of faith, a higher level of faith. You may be right, however it's hard to imagine having faith minus the ability to trust in it. I don't know if I'm making sense here, I'm not real good at this abstract philosophy. I just have a hard time seeing any form of faith without some trust to go along with it. Now there may not be enough trust to get in that will barrel, but I could say the same thing about not having enough faith to get in that wheelbarrow. And I would also like to remind you that in your first sentence of your post you spoke as if trust, faith, and belief were one common meaning.  So are their levels of faith, definitely just as there are levels of trust, they go hand-in-hand they are one in the same.

[JB Horn]

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That's interesting, so your supposition is that trust is a level of faith, a higher level of faith. You may be right, however it's hard to imagine having faith minus the ability to trust in it. I don't know if I'm making sense here, I'm not real good at this abstract philosophy. I just have a hard time seeing any form of faith without some trust to go along with it. Now there may not be enough trust to get in that will barrel, but I could say the same thing about not having enough faith to get in that wheelbarrow. And I would also like to remind you that in your first sentence of your post you spoke as if trust, faith, and belief were one common meaning.  So are their levels of faith, definitely just as there are levels of trust, they go hand-in-hand they are one in the same.

  I think what he (and you) are saying is kind of like James says about works. It's all tied in so close together that it can't be looked at separately for it is one.

Yea, a man may say , Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.