The Nature of True Faith
“The Nature of True Faith”
John 5:24
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Introduction:
Listen to today’s typical gospel presentation. You will hear sinners entreated with such phrases as “accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior”; “ask Jesus into your heart”; “invite Christ into your life”; or “make a decision for Christ.” You may be so accustomed to hearing those phrases that it will surprise you to learn that none of them is based on biblical terminology. They are the products of a diluted gospel. It is not the gospel according to Jesus.
The gospel Jesus proclaimed was a call to discipleship, a call to follow him in submissive obedience, not just a plea to make a decision or pray a prayer. Jesus’ message liberated people from the bondage of their sin while it confronted and condemned hypocrisy. It was an offer of eternal life and forgiveness for repentant sinners, but at the same time it was a rebuke to outwardly religious people whose lives were devoid of true righteousness. It put sinners on notice that they must turn from sin and embrace God’s righteousness. It was in every sense good news, yet it was anything but easy-believism.
Our Lord’s words about eternal life were invariably accompanied by warnings to those who might be tempted to take salvation lightly. He taught that the cost of following him is high, that the way is narrow and few find it. He said many who call him Lord will be forbidden from entering the kingdom of heaven (cf. Matt. 7:13–23).
Present-day evangelicalism, by and large, ignores those warnings. The prevailing view of what constitutes saving faith continues to grow broader and more shallow, while the portrayal of Christ in preaching and witnessing becomes fuzzy. Anyone who claims to be a Christian can find evangelicals willing to accept a profession of faith, whether or not the person’s behavior shows any evidence of commitment to Christ. A few years ago the national media reported on the spectacle of a notorious pornographer who claimed to be “born again” yet continued to publish the worst kinds of smut. A well-known sports figure professed faith in Christ and was baptized in a highly publicized ceremony, then weeks later was accused and later convicted of rape. Another celebrity who claims to be a Christian is renowned for the profligacy of his lifestyle. What troubles me about all these is that many Christians insist such people really are born again and should be embraced by the rest of the church as true believers.[1]
One segment of evangelicalism even propounds the doctrine that conversion to Christ involves “no spiritual commitment whatsoever.”1 Those who hold this view of the gospel teach that Scripture promises salvation to anyone who simply believes the facts about Christ and claims eternal life. There need be no turning from sin, no resulting change in lifestyle, no commitment—not even a willingness to yield to Christ’s lordship.2 Those things, they say, amount to human works, which corrupt grace and have nothing to do with faith.
The fallout of such thinking is a deficient doctrine of salvation. It is justification without sanctification, and its impact on the church has been catastrophic. The community of professing believers is populated with people who have bought into a system that encourages shallow and ineffectual faith. Many sincerely believe they are saved, but their lives are utterly barren of any verifying fruit.
Jesus gave this sobering warning: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ ” (Matt. 7:21–22, emphasis added). Clearly no past experience—not even prophesying, casting out demons, or doing signs and wonders—can be viewed as evidence of salvation apart from a life of obedience.
Our Lord was not speaking about an isolated group of fringe followers. There will be “many” on that day who will stand before him, stunned to learn they are not included in the kingdom. I fear that multitudes who now fill church pews in the mainstream of the evangelical movement will be among those turned away because they did not do the will of the Father.
Contemporary Christians have been conditioned to believe that because they recited a prayer, signed on a dotted line, walked an aisle, or had some other experience, they are saved and should never question their salvation. I have attended evangelism training seminars where counselors were taught to tell “converts” that any doubt about their salvation is satanic and should be dismissed. It is a widely held misconception that anyone who questions whether he or she is saved is challenging the integrity of God’s Word.
What misguided thinking that is! Scripture encourages us to examine ourselves to determine if we are in the faith (2 Cor. 13:5). Peter wrote, “Be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling and choosing you” (2 Peter 1:10). It is right to examine our lives and evaluate the fruit we bear, for “each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:44).
The Bible teaches clearly that the evidence of God’s work in a life is the inevitable fruit of transformed behavior (1 John 3:10). Faith that does not result in righteous living is dead and cannot save (James 2:14–17).3 Professing Christians utterly lacking the fruit of true righteousness will find no biblical basis for assurance of salvation (1 John 2:4).
Real salvation is not only justification. It cannot be isolated from regeneration, sanctification, and ultimately glorification. Salvation is the work of God through which we are “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29; cf. 13:11). Genuine assurance comes from seeing the Holy Spirit’s transforming work in one’s life, not from clinging to the memory of some experience.[2]
I. It is a Hearing Faith (vs. 24a)
Jesus is very plain with His words; He does not “beat around the bush”. He is straightforward in the realities of the nature of true faith. Jesus first of all says that the nature of true faith is resembled in the fact that someone hears His words. Now, do not misunderstand; this is more than just plain listening only. For the Greek is clear in this point. We read the English word “hear” and then make the mistake of reading into the inspired word the meaning of our English word. For in the inspired text, the treatment of this word is far more extensive. It is the Greek word “ἀκούω” and carries a meaning that is far beyond just simply listening.
In the Greek mysteries and oriental Gnosticism2 great stress is laid on the fact that man apprehends God by seeing. It is not as though there were no religious hearing;3 but the phenomena of sight are the more essential. For Philo the interrelation of hearing and seeing is strikingly determined by the fact that the former can lead astray and deceive as distinct from the latter.[3] In other words, the philosophy of the Greeks is the old slogan “seeing is believing” because to them, I could misunderstand what was heard, but I could not misunderstand what I saw. For the Jesus Christ, that was the case. For with Jesus neither seeing nor hearing means anything if it does not lead to obedience.
The Greek word hears carries with the idea of listening with the intent on obeying. Listen to me carefully, if someone claims to be born again, but their claims are not coupled with a determinative obedience, there is no saving faith. Your faith is a fraud, it is a sham. Listen, to be true faith is always coupled by obedience.
Now, just so we are clear and you so not think that I am making salvation harder than it is or that I am reading into this something that is not there, I want us to follow this Greek word through some of its usages in the NT and in the OT. But first let me say this; I saw a sign the other day that flashed up prices of different expensive items, then after that it flashed up “salvation FREE” let me say to you, listen to me please, that is the biggest lie of the Devil. Salvation was not free for the Son of God and it is not free for us. Have you ever thought about salvation costing you? Christ did.
Luke 9:62
62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Luke 14:26
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 9:23
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
The important part about the passage in Luke where Christ speaks about the cross is that He was speaking to a group of people that would have know exactly what Christ was talking about. Because they saw the cross as an instrument of death. Jesus says that if you are going to come after me and become one of my disciples than you had better be ready to die. Some say, “well that means death to self”, although that itself would be a price to pay, I don’t think so because death to self was covered in denying yourself. This current trend of cheap grace is sending millions to Hell.
Let’s follow this idea of “ἀκούω” throughout the OT and the NT to get and understanding to its meaning. Follow me:
Notice how the Scriptures are said to be a sufficient source for the way of Grace:
Luke 16:29
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
Remember how the rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazurus back to warn his brothers and Abraham answers in the above way. Why? Moses and the prophets were already dead, how would they have been able to hear the prophets. Through the Scriptures. Abraham, through the misery of this just punished sinner, that the Scriptures are an all-sufficient source to the way of Grace.
John 8:47
47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
Now, understand that there is something else going on here but simply the act of hearing. If just audibly hearing the Word of God was all that would be required to be saved, then God would be forced to resurrect millions of people ready for eternal punishment and give them eternal life, because they heard the Word of God. These people are not of God because they refuse to obey the Word of God. They hear it, audibly, but they do not hear it in obedience; which is the essence of true saving faith.
John 18:37
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
Again, there is something deeper than just hearing going on here. If only listening audibly to the Word of God is all that is required than God would have to reverse punishment. Literally, Jesus is saying that the ones that are of the truth are the ones that obey my voice.
Genesis 3:17
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
The Greek word “ἀκούω” is the same word here in the Septuagint, the OT in Greek. Was mankind plunged into Hell because Adam heard the voice of Eve. Not at all! But because he obeyed the voice of his wife.
Matthew 11:15
15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
With all those verses above giving us a clear understanding of this word, Matthew 11:15 could be literally said, He who has ears to hear, Let him obey.
The facts of true saving faith are not just listening to the Word of God, it is proven in obedience to the Word of God. Jesus is speaking to the unsaved Pharisees, who heard the Word of God many times, when He said:
John 8:43
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Arthur Pink, in his work “Studies in Saving Faith” carries on a mock conversation between two people. The, whom he simply calls “the writer” has just written an article on the nature of true faith. The second party involved he calls “Mr. Carnal Confidence”, the person who challenges him on His article, insinuated that the writer is making salvation harder than what it needs to be. I believe that this was probably a real conversation that Arthur Pink was involved in but he changed the names to protect the guilty.
Mr. Carnal Confidence: “I consider that in your articles you have made a very difficult and complicated matter out of what is really very simple. According to your ideas a person has to go to a lot of trouble in order to discover whether or not he is saved, whereas if a man believes God’s Word he may be sure in a moment.” The Writer: “But are all those who believe God’s Word really saved? Did not the Jews of Christ’s day believe implicitly in the Divine authorship of the O. T.? Do not Russelites (“Jehovah’s Witnesses”—Ed.) and others today insist loudly upon their faith in the Divine inspiration of the Bible? Does not the Devil himself believe the same?” Mr. Carnal Confidence: “That is not what I meant; my meaning is that, if I rest upon some verse of Holy writ as God’s promise to me, then I know He cannot disappoint me.” The Writer: “That is just the same in principle: does not the Romanist rest with full confidence upon that declaration of Christ’s ‘this is my body’? Saving faith is not faith in the authenticity of any verse of Scripture, but rather faith in the Person of Him who gave us the Scriptures, faith in the Christ who is made known in the Scriptures.”
Mr. Carnal Confidence: “Yes, I know that, and I do believe in God and in His Son, and I know that I am saved because He says so.” The Writer: “Where in Scripture does God say that you are saved?” Mr. Carnal Confidence: “In John 5:24, in Acts 16:31, and many other places.” The Writer: “Let us turn to these passages, please. In John 5:24 the Lord Jesus describes one who has ‘passed from death unto life.’ He tells us two things about that individual, which serve to identify him. First, ‘he that heareth my word.’ That is definite enough. But of course it means far more than simply listening to His Word with the outward ear.” Mr. Carnal Confidence: “Ah, right there you want to mystify what is simple, and perplex souls with what is quite clear.” The Writer: “Pardon me, you are mistaken. I only wish to rightly understand the words God has used, and to do this it is necessary to carefully compare Scripture with Scripture and discover how each word is used by the Spirit.” Mr. Carnal Confidence: “I object; that may be all right for you, but common people do not have the leisure for deep study: God knew this, and has written His word in plain language that ordinary folk can understand: ‘Hear’ means ‘hear,’ and that is all there is to it.”
The Writer: “I believe you are quite sincere in what you have said, and you have expressed the view which a great many hold today; but, if you will allow me to say so, it is a very defective one. God places no premium upon laziness. God has so ordered things that nothing is obtained without diligence and industry. Much work and care has to be devoted to a garden if anything is obtained from it. The same holds good every where else: what time and trouble is required to keep our bodies in working order! Can, then, the eternal concerns of our souls be more lightly dismissed, or more easily secured? Has not God bidden us ‘Buy the truth’ (Prov. 23:23)? Has He not plainly told us ‘If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God’ (Prov. 2:3–5)?”[4]
The Writer: “Thus it is in connection with the obtaining of a right understanding of any verse of Scripture: pains have to be taken with it, patience has to be exercised, and prayerful study engaged in. Returning to John 5:24: the one who has passed from death unto life, says Christ, is ‘he that heareth My word.’ Let us turn then to other passages where this term is found: ‘they are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words’ (Jer. 11:10); ‘because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ etc. (Jer. 25:8, 9); and see 35:17; Zechariah 1:4; Matthew 7:24; John 10:27. In all of these verses, and in many others which might be given, to ‘hear’ means to heed what God says, to act upon it, to obey Him. So he who ‘hears’ the voice of Christ heeds His command to turn away from all that is opposed to God and become in subjection to Him.”[5]
II. It is a believing Faith (vs. 24b)
Continuing, briefly, our conversation:
Mr. Carnal Confidence: “Well, let us turn to Acts 16:31, that is simple enough. There is no room allowed there for any quibbling. God says ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved’: God says that to me; I have believed on Christ, and so I must be saved.” Writer: “Not so fast, dear friend. How can you prove God says that to you?
Those words were spoken under unusual circumstances, and to a particular individual. That individual had been brought to the end of himself; he was deeply convicted of his sins; he was in terrible anguish of soul; he had taken his place in the dust, for we are told that he ‘came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas’ (Acts 16:29). Now is it fair to take the words of the apostles to such a man and apply them indiscriminately to anybody? Are we justified in ignoring the whole setting of that verse, wrenching it from its context, and giving it to those who have not any of the characteristics which marked the Philippian jailor?”
Mr. Carnal Confidence: “I refuse to allow you to browbeat me, and move me from the simplicity of the Gospel. John 3:16 says, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Now I have believed on the Son, and therefore am fully assured that I possess eternal life.” Writer: “Are you aware of the fact that in this same Gospel of John we are told ‘Many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them’ (John 2:23, 24)? There were many who ‘believed’ in Christ who were not saved by Him: [6]
There is a believing in Christ which saves, and there is a believing in Him which does not save; and therefore it behooves every sincere and earnest soul to diligently examine his ‘faith’ by Scripture and ascertain which kind it is. There is too much at stake to take anything for granted. Where eternal destiny is involved surely no trouble can be too great for us to make sure.”
Mr. Carnal Confidence: “I am sure, and no man can make me doubt.” Writer: “Is your faith purifying your heart (Acts 15:9)? Is it evidenced by those works which God requires (James 2:17)? Is it causing you to overcome the world (1 John 5:4)?” Mr. Carnal Confidence: “O I don’t claim to be perfect, but I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” Writer: “We did not ask if you were perfect; but have you been made a new creature in Christ, have old things passed away, and all things become new (2 Cor. 5:17)? Are you treading the path of obedience? For God’s Word says, ‘He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him’ (1 John 2:4).”
Mr. Carnal Confidence: “I am not occupied with myself, but with Christ; I am not concerned about my walk, but with what He did for poor sinners.” Writer: “To be ‘occupied with Christ’ is rather a vague expression. Are you occupied with His authority, have you surrendered to His Lordship, have you taken His yoke upon you, are you following the example which He has left His people? Christ cannot be divided: He is not only Priest to be trusted, but is also Prophet to be heeded, and King to be subject unto. Before He can be truly ‘received,’ the heart must be emptied of all those idols which stand in competition with Him. It is not the adulation of our lips, but the affection of our souls, which He requires; it is not an intellectual assent, but the heart’s surrender to Him which saves.”[7]
Many people are trapped in the same religious lie that our Carnal friend is above. Not understanding the fact:
James 2:19
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jesus is not speaking about a belief that simply admits the existence of something. He is speaking about a belief that puts full confidence in, whose heart and mind are given as a surrender vessel to the Lord. Belief, here, is not just admittance, but is confidence in and surrender too His claim on our lives. Listen to me please, any profession that does not include a surrender and an obedience to the commands of Christ is not a true profession according to the words of our Lord in this text. There are people everywhere that are deceived into believing that some kind of verbal or mental assent is all that is required. You know, the old “I believed in God, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and I have accepted him as my savior”. Listen to me, please, if that is where it stopped, then you did not get salvation. True faith leads to true obedience. Not perfect obedience, but a desire for perfect obedience. If there has not been a surrendering of your life to the Lordship of Christ, to obey Him as your master; if all you have to show for your faith is a prayer that prayed or a baptismal pool or some other kind of verbal repetition, then you do not have the true nature of saving faith. Jesus is very clear with these words and His words are inescapable.
III. It is a Persevering Faith (vs. 24c)
The dread sentence of the law, “Thou shalt surely die,” cannot in justice be executed upon the sinner’s Surety and also upon himself. Hence by a necessity existing in the very nature of moral government, it must follow that the believing sinner be freed from all condemnation, that is, so cleared of the same that he is raised above all liability to punishment. So declared our blessed Saviour Himself, in words too plain and emphatic to admit of any misunderstanding: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). He, the habitation of whose throne is “justice and judgment,” has sealed up this declaration forever, by affirming “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” Sooner shall the sword of justice cleave the helmet of the Almighty than any Divinely pardoned soul perish.
But not only are the sins of all who truly come to Christ eternally remitted, but the very righteousness of the Redeemer passes over to them, is placed upon them, so that a perfect obedience to the law is imputed to their account. It is theirs, not by promise, but by gift (Rom. 5:17), by actual bestowment. It is not simply that God treats them as if they were righteous, they are righteous and so pronounced by Him. And therefore may each believing soul exclaim, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels” (Isa. 61:10). O that each Christian reader may be enabled to clearly and strongly grasp hold of this glorious fact: that he is now truly righteous in the sight of God, is in actual possession of an obedience which answers every demand of the law.[8]
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[1]MacArthur, J., F. (1997, c1988). The Gospel according to Jesus : What does Jesus mean when he says "follow me". Includes index. (Electronic ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Academic and Professional Books, Zondervan Pub. House.
1 Zane C. Hodges, The Gospel Under Siege (Dallas: Redención Viva, 1981), 14.
2 Charles C. Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life (Chicago: Moody Press, 1969), 169–70.
3 James asks the rhetorical question, “What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14). One branch of contemporary theology seems to be saying yes. Cf. Hodges, The Gospel Under Siege, 19–33. Nevertheless, James’s message seems clear. Even the demons have faith enough to grasp the basic facts (v. 19), but that is not redeeming faith. “Faith without works is useless” (v. 20) and “faith without works is dead” (v. 26). Putting those three verses together, we must conclude that this is a description of ineffectual faith, not faith that was once alive but now has died. (See further discussion on p. 187, n. 5.)
[2]MacArthur, J., F. (1997, c1988). The Gospel according to Jesus : What does Jesus mean when he says "follow me". Includes index. (Electronic ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Academic and Professional Books, Zondervan Pub. House.
2 Cf. esp. for what follows v. Dobschütz, 396 ff. Concerning healings by “direction in dreams” amongst the Greeks and Romans, cf. O. Weinreich, “Antike Heilungswunder,” RVV (1909), 110ff.
3 Cf. e.g., the very dramatic representation by ἀκοή demonstrated by Zingerle (→ 222).
[3]Theological dictionary of the New Testament. 1964-c1976. Vols. 5-9 edited by Gerhard Friedrich. Vol. 10 compiled by Ronald Pitkin. (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley & G. Friedrich, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (1:217). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
[4]Pink, A. W. (2002). Studies in Saving Faith (electronic ed.). Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group.
[5]Pink, A. W. (2002). Studies in Saving Faith (electronic ed.). Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group.
[6]Pink, A. W. (2002). Studies in Saving Faith (electronic ed.). Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group.
[7]Pink, A. W. (2002). Studies in Saving Faith (electronic ed.). Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group.
[8]Pink, A. W. (2002). The Doctrine of Justification (electronic ed.). Escondido, CA: Ephesians Four Group.