Salvation By Belief, Faith, & Obedience
Fundamentals 2021 • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
We have been studying the theme “Fundamentals,” based off of 1 Peter 2:2, with the desire to know and understand the basics or milk of God’s word so as to “grow up into salvation.”
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
Today we continue that theme by looking at the third lesson, within the sub-theme, concerning God’s Plan of Salvation based off of Ephesians 2:8.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
From this text we have, up to this point, examined…
Salvation by Grace:
Wherein we studied how grace, the gift of Christ by the Father, has been given to all (Titus 2:12).
We also studied how grace, as a that free gift (Romans 6:23), must be accepted through faith.
This led to last weeks lesson on…
Salvation by Study:
Here we investigated how we no one can know the “real Jesus” nor “have faith” in God without studying God’s word (Romans 10:17) and we are the ones responsible for studying with those “outside of Christ.”
This brings us to our lesson today, “Salvation By Belief, Faith, & Obedience.”
All three of these requirements are vital to one’s salvation and yet it seems that they are often very misunderstood in various forms and fashions.
So, today we are going to examine what each of these mean and their relationship with salvation, specifically for those “outside of Christ.”
In other words, what those outside of Christ need to know concerning each of these.
With that in mind let’s examine our lesson for today.
Salvation By Belief
Salvation By Belief
Belief & Faith?
Belief & Faith?
There is a strong desire, by many, to combine the word “belief” with the word “faith” because they come from very similar words.
However, a quick look at how the words are translated shows that they only have this by way of man’s desire to combine them.
The Greek word for belief is “πιστεύω” and is found 241 times in the New Testament.
In the ESV it is translated as belief, believe, believers, etc., 231 times and only twice as faith.
In the KJV & NKJV it is translated as belief, etc., 240 times and never translated as faith.
In the NASB it is translated as belief, etc., 233 times and only one time as faith.
Why do I point this out, because it is obvious that this word does not mean faith but belief.
Why is that significant, because it allows us to focus on what it really means.
The Facts On Belief.
The Facts On Belief.
Here are the facts, or biblical truths concerning what we need to know concerning belief in God.
Biblical belief is the recognition of existence concerning God the Father, Son, and Spirit.
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Belief is a divine work.
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
Belief in God does not equate to salvation.
It “should” lead to it, but it doesn’t always.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
Belief is the “precursor” to faith.
In other words, one cannot have faith in God without first believing that God exists.
Summary
Summary
In order for one to be saved they must first “believe that God exists.”
Without this truth one cannot be saved much less develop faith.
That does bring us to our next point however.
When one does believe in God this should spur them on to learning about him.
This, as we discussed last week is where “salvation by study” comes in.
So, when one believes, and they start studying God through this word they will indeed develop faith.
Therefore, let’s now examine…
Salvation By Faith
Salvation By Faith
The Facts On Faith.
The Facts On Faith.
Before we go into the biblical facts concerning faith and what it is I want to first point out how faith, like belief, is not translated as such much in our Bibles; to show how they, again, are not the same thing.
Faith is the Greek is “πίστις” and is found in the New Testament 243 times.
In the ESV it is translated as faith, etc., 241 times and never as belief.
In the KJV it is translated as faith, etc., 239 times and belief 3 times.
In the NKJV it is translated as faith, etc., 240 times and belief 2 times.
In the NASB it is translated as faith, etc., 241 times and never as belief.
So, again, they are not the exact same thing.
Let’s now look at the biblical facts or truth concerning faith.
Faith in God is based completely on what we learn from God’s word.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The word conviction means, “evidence that makes someone fully agree, understand, and realize the truth or validity of something; especially based on argument or discussion.
In other words, faith is not based on a leap in the dark but empirical knowledge based on the study of the perfect law of liberty.
Faith as the byproduct of belief is trust in God.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
When we “know” God exists and not just “wish it true” we then cannot help but put our trust in God to keep his word and save those that “obey his will.”
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”
Summary
Summary
When one learns that God does in fact exist and then starts studying his “perfect i.e., divine word,” that one will find themselves trusting God more and more.
They will go from “realizing God exists” to trusting him to save their soul.
This faith or trust then “should” turn to obedience.
So, let us examine lastly…
Salvation By Obedience
Salvation By Obedience
Faith Without Obedience Is Dead.
Faith Without Obedience Is Dead.
The half-brother of Jesus couldn’t have made this point any clearer.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
So then faith alone cannot save anyone.
Not the Christians James is writing to nor the non-Christian who needs their sins washed away.
This leads us then to discussing the…
Facts On Obedience.
Facts On Obedience.
Obedience is the natural byproduct of faith.
If one trusts in God’s word that “should” lead them to obeying God, but how does it do that?
Our faith i.e., trust in God is based on God’s love for us and thus our trust in him.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.
Summary
Summary
When our faith turns to obedience, it is only then that we can actually “love God” and fulfill the requirements of taking hold of the gift of God, salvation by grace.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Brethren, when we “know that God exists,” “put our trust in him,” and then “are willing to loving obey his will” it is then and only then that we can move toward salvation.
Without any of these three we are lost and cannot be loyal to him who offers salvation by grace “through faith.”
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.