3. Scriptural References: James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
4. What is saving faith? It is a faith from the heart. Faith means belief and trust. It is the assent of the mind and the consent of the will. Intellectual faith is not sufficient (James 2:19; Acts 8:13, 21). A person may give intellectual assent to the gospel without committing his life to it. Belief in the heart is essential (Romans 10:9).
5. Intellectual vs. Heart Faith Intellectual faith means the acknowledgement that the gospel facts are true; Heart faith means the willing dedication of one’s life to the obligations which these facts involve.
6. Faith as trust implies also an emotional element; thus saving faith is an act of the entire personality involving intellect, emotion and will.
7. The faith that saves is a living faith that works. It is not just a mental assent. It is a faith unto obedience. Without repentance, it is impossible for a man to believe to the saving of his soul. Likewise, without obedience, it is impossible to believe.
8. Faith Repentance Obedience are all necessary and essential, and you cannot have two of them without the third. This truth clearly explains many things which could not be understood otherwise. The story of the conversion of the Philippian jailer makes this plain.
9. B. THREE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF FAITH 1. Knowledge 2. Assent 3. Appropriation
10. Knowledge Scriptural References: Psalm 9:10 “And they that know thy name wiIlput their trust in thee.” Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearingby the word of God.”
11. Faith rests upon the best of evidence, namely the Word of God. Faith is no blind act of the soul, it is not a leap in the dark. Such a thing as believing with the heart without the head is out of the question. A man may believe with his head without believing with his heart; but he cannot believe with his heart without believing with his head too.
12. Assent Scriptural References: Mark 12:32 .And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he.. In order to possess saving faith, there must be an assent in the heart to the Word of God.
13. Appropriation Scriptural References: John 1:12 .But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.. Ephesians 2:8 .For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God..
14. A man may know Christ as divine, and yet reject Him as Saviour. Faith is the consent of the will to the assent of the understanding. Faith always has it in the idea of action movement towards it object. It is the soul leaping forth to embrace and appropriate the Christ in whom it believes. Faith connects the grace of God and the sinner. Faith is the hand which takes what God offers.
16. Divine Scriptural Reference: Romans 12:3 .. . But to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.. Galatians 5:22 .But the fruit of the Spirit is ... faith.. I Corinthians 12:9 .To another faith by the same Spirit.. Hebrews 12:2 .Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith..
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18. God wills to work faith in all men, and will do so if they do not resist the Holy Spirit.
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20. b. Faith may come through prayer: The disciples prayed for faith and the Lord said that He prayed that His disciples might have faith. Many times faith will come directly in answer to prayer. References: Luke 17:5; Luke 22:32; Mark 9:24.
21. c. Faith grows by the use of faith: Faith will increase and grow stronger if faith is put to work. We must exercise the measure of faith that we have if we desire more faith. References: Matthew 25:29; I Peter 1:7.
22. D. THE RESULTS OF FAITH Salvation with all of its aspects and phases is a result of faith. Our whole salvation with its fruits is dependent upon faith.
23. E. THE PROPER ORDER Fact, faith, feeling-this is God’s order. Satan would reverse this order and put feeling before faith. All goes well as long as the proper order is kept. Feed faith with facts, not with feeling. Steam is of main importance not for sounding the whistle but for moving the wheels. If there is a lack of steam, blowing the whistle will not help; we need more water and more fire under it. So it is the faith.
24. F. STEPS IN RECEIVING FULL NEW TESTAMENT SALVATION It might be profitable to consider the steps a man takes in order to receive full New Testament salvation. This embraces all of the following steps and none of them can be deliberately and willfully omitted.
25. Read from the bottom to the top: 8. Resurrection and Rapture. 7. Live a Holy Life, Holiness. 6. Receive the Holy Ghost. 5. Be baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus. 4. Repent of sin, confession, restitution, etc. 3. Believe on Jesus Christ, faith. 2. Be convicted of sin, realize the need of salvation. 1. Hear the Word of Life, the Gospel.
