Faith

“What saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3).

What ought to be for our unmitigated comfort can often become a quagmire of confusion because religion makes man’s faith a contribution to his own salvation. But how does the Bible define faith?

First, we must ever keep in the forefront of our thinking that faith is the gift of God. All things are of God. Do you doubt it (Rom. 11:33-36)? No man understands or receives the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore, faith must come from God. God’s word clearly states that it is so: we believe through grace (Acts 18:27; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Pet. 1:21-22; 2 Pet. 1:1; Heb. 12:2; Gal. 5:5; Rom. 12:3; Php. 1:29; Acts 13:48).

Second, scripture says “By faith we understand…” (Heb. 11:3). Faith is God’s gift that enables us to perceive, to understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14; John 3:3-15).

Third, scripture says that faith is God-given persuasion of the truth of His testimony of His Son, that is, of the Gospel of Christ (1 John 5:9-13; Heb. 11:13). Abraham was “fully persuaded” (Rom. 4:21). Paul was “persuaded” that the Lord Jesus Christ was able to keep all that he had committed to Him (2 Tim. 1:12). Faith is God-given sight. It is God-given persuasion. It is the glad embracing and confession that Christ is all of my salvation (Heb. 11:13; Jer. 23:6; Heb. 10:14-23).

Fourth, faith is God's gift of grace that enables us to “receive” the things freely given to us of God (1 Cor. 1:12). Faith is grace to believe Christ, to receive Him as God has convinced us, that He is all of my salvation. “As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). Only the one born of God has faith. Where does this sight and persuasion and glad reception come from (Heb. 11:13)? From the sovereign Christ, "the Author and Finisher of our faith" (John 1:13; Acts 3:16; Heb. 12:2). Saving faith is God’s sovereign allotment to His elect, redeemed people. He gives it out of His free grace (2 Pet. 1:1; Eph. 2:8-9).

But the main thing to realize about saving faith, which is the only faith I am interested in, is that Christ is the sole object of saving faith. Christ is upheld to us by the Spirit of God in the Gospel. Through this, He gives us precious faith (Isa. 53:1; Rom. 10:16-17; Gal. 5:5; John 12:32; John 3:14-15; James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23-25). Christ, not our act or attitude of believing, is the object of our confidence. Faith did not die for our sins. Faith did not fulfill God’s law. Faith does not intercede for us. But faith ascribes all of these things and all virtue to Christ alone. In the conviction that Christ, by His blood and righteousness, is my access to God, faith comes to God by Him (Jer. 23:6; Luke 18:13; Heb. 10:19). Therefore, not Abram’s attitude or act of believing was imputed to him for righteousness, but the object of his faith: Christ’s blood and righteousness was imputed to Abram for righteousness. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 10:4). “As by one man’s disobedience, many became sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). “He hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

Christ is the only foundation and comfort of every believing sinner (Isa. 32:17; Rom. 15:13; Heb. 10:14-23). We cannot fall if Christ is our foundation (1 Cor. 3:11). We cannot be condemned if Christ is our sin-atoning propitiation (Rom. 8:34; 1 John 4:10). We shall be justified if Christ is our law-fulfilling righteousness (Rom. 10:4). We are perfected forever by Christ’s one offering of Himself to God (Heb. 10:14). The Gospel of God’s saving grace is faith’s testimony and confession (Rev. 12:11). Faith says what God says about Christ: “Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation” (Luke 2:30; Ps. 35:3)!

Therefore, Abram’s attitude and act of faith was not imputed to him for righteousness, but the One to whom Abram looked, the One God  made him trust, Christ, the Lamb of God, took away Abram's sins and clothed him in His own righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 61:10; Rev. 19:7-8; Zech. 3:3-4).

Now, all of this glorious news was not written for Abram's sake alone, but for us also, to whom Christ’s righteousness shall be imputed, if we, like Abraham, believe Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead (Rom. 4:16-17, 23-24). Oh, what grace to have an all-sufficient Redeemer! What grace to be given this precious faith to know that He is mine and I am His! Would you know your justification before God? Then you must believe as Abram did. He believed the Gospel (Gal. 3:8). He believed Christ (John 8:56; Heb. 11:14-18). He believed God's testimony of His Son (Gen. 12:3; Gal. 3:2, 8-9, 16-29). He believed this when in himself there was no reason to expect life (Rom. 4:18). He had God's word alone, mixed with precious faith, by the grace of God (Acts 18:27; 16:14; Heb. 4:2). His faith was his present possession of the future, promised blessing. Whether God's promise is future or past, His testimony is the only ground of saving faith, and Christ and His accomplishments in our salvation is the only object of saving faith (Rom. 3:24-26; Acts 13:38-39). Believing God's testimony concerning Christ, we believe God. Believing God, we believe His testimony. There is no difference in believing the truth of Christ declared to us in scripture, and believing Christ whom scripture declares.

Rick Warta