Why Faith?

We may wonder why God designed that we should be saved through faith. There are many reasons. But one reason is the suitableness of faith to the glory of God. Faith takes God at His word. Faith rests on the word of God. When sight and sense see and detect nothing, faith rests in joyful satisfaction and contentedness on the bare word of God. God accomplishes all things by His word (Psa. 33:6, 9; John 1:1-3). And faith is God’s gift of grace that enables us to see that His work of our salvation is by Christ and in Christ, the Essential, Living Word of God (John 1:1-3). God’s word is the power by which all things are upheld and the foundation on which all things consist (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:16). Faith is God’s gift that enables us even in the midst of trouble to rest on His word as the unmovable, unchangeable foundation of all things (Rom. 8:31-39; Psa. 46:1-3). Thus, there is a perfect suitableness in faith. God does all in Christ. Faith rests its all on Christ. Faith rests its all on all that God has spoken in His word of Christ and His work.

We cannot separate a man from his words. Out of the abundance of the heart we speak (Matt. 12:34). Much more, we cannot separate God from His word. Out of the abundance of His heart, He has spoken. He has magnified His word above all His name (Psalm 138:2). Scripture is the written word of God. He whose vesture is dipped in blood, created all things by His word and washed us from our sins in His own blood (1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5). He is The Word of God (Rev. 19:13). God gave to Christ all of His will and promises to do them, and Jesus Christ our Lord faithfully finished what our God and Father gave Him to do (Heb. 3:5-6; 10:5-14; John 17:4; 19:30). Our Lord Jesus Christ said that His word shall never fail. All that Jesus Christ said shall come to pass (Matt. 24:35). By His word He called all things out of nothing in creation. And Christ, the Living Word of God, brought to pass all of God’s thoughts, all that was in His heart (Gen. 1; Isa. 46:10-11; Acts 13:22). His word is Spirit and it is life (John 6:63). His word upholds all things. “For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to Thine ordinances: for all are Thy servants” (Psa. 119:89-91; Heb. 1:3).

Therefore, the first reason why salvation is through faith, and the first reason we live by faith upon Christ, is because faith perfectly agrees that Christ has done all in our salvation according to God's word (Hab. 2:4; Gal. 2:20; Heb. 10:5-18). Faith stands upon and rejoices in the word that God has spoken of His Son. Faith thus glorifies God (Rom. 4:20).

The second reason why salvation is of faith is that it might be by grace. “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed” (Rom. 4:16). This teaches us about the nature of faith. It is not our work for God. It is not our work to get God to work for us. It is seeing and resting on God’s  finished, saving work in Christ for sinners who can do nothing to help themselves (Gal. 3:12; Heb. 4:3, 10). Faith necessarily abandons all that may be called mine and lays hold of Christ all that is His. Faith especially excludes itself, owning that these eyes of faith and this persuasion of faith and the embracing hand of faith are ours by the gift of God’s grace (Rom. 11:6; Heb. 11:13; Rom. 4:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:10; Acts 18:27; Eph. 2:1-10). Faith is ours by the Spirit of Christ. He directs us to Christ and His work for us, to His accomplishments on the cross that obtained our eternal salvation outside of our own personal experience (Heb. 1:3; 8:1; 9:12; 10:10, 14). Christ is both the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).  And He is the sole object of our faith, the One in whom we find all of our salvation and rest in Him for all (Isa. 45:22; John 14:6-9; Gal. 2:16). To believe in Jesus Christ necessarily means we abandon all else and believe Him alone as everything in our salvation (Gal. 2:16).

Salvation is of faith that it might be by grace (Rom. 4:16). Salvation is by grace, through faith, and that faith is not of ourselves. Faith is not ours by our works. Faith and all of our salvation is by the free gift of God's grace lest any man should boast in himself (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 9:11). We can only be saved if salvation is all of grace, for there is not only nothing in us to influence God to save us, but there is every reason in us to cause Him to reject us! We do not understand what is necessary to make our peace with God and we cannot supply what God requires. If salvation is all of grace, then it is all of God. If salvation is all of God, then it is not of us in any part or in any way. If salvation is all of grace, then Christ, the Word of God, accomplished all that God gave Him to do for us, and we look to Him alone for all.

Because salvation is all of grace, it is certain that all of God’s elect will be saved to the uttermost (John 6:37-40, 44-45; 10:11, 15, 17-18, 27-29; Eph. 1:4-23; 1 Cor. 3:21-23). Thank God for this precious grace of faith that is ours because Christ shed His precious blood for us (1 Pet. 1:7, 19; 2 Pet. 1:1; Rmo. 5:10; 8:32)! Thank God that Christ is all of our salvation, and that He is so by grace alone! I am so glad that the God of all grace determined to save us by His grace alone!

We see these things in the life of every believer. At the end of his life, Jacob looked upon all God had spoken to him. He looked in trust at all God said of Christ. He looked on the work of God’s grace in his life that had been a life struggle, trouble and evil. Then, in the presence of his children, he spoke by prayer to his God and Savior in the hearing of his children. For what was all-important to him, Jacob expressed His hope and prayer to His God and Savior: “I have waited for Thy salvation, O LORD” (Gen. 49:18)! And so it is also said of all of God’s saints, the Body of Christ, the Church of the Living God, the true Israel of God: “It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isa. 25:9).

Rick Warta