SALVATION BY FAITH
By grace ye are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8)
Grace (the undeserved favor
of God) is the source of salvation. Faith is the condition of salvation.
But what faith is it that
saves us? Faith that God exists will not save you. Nor will faith in the right
set of doctrines. Indeed, not even genuine and positive interest in the person
of Christ will save you. It is faith in Christ that saves you. Most
specifically, it is faith in the purpose of his death and the power of his
resurrection. And it is not just mental assent, but also a hearty trust in him.
What, though, is meant by the
term salvation? We are saved from sin. We are saved from the guilt that it
brought upon us and from the power that it has on us. We are so saved from the
power of sin, in fact, that a person of faith ceases to continually sin, to
willfully sin, or to desire sin. The faithful person is free from sin.
There are all sorts of
objections one could make against this doctrine. Doesn’t it make works too
unnecessary? Doesn’t it make salvation too easy? Only misunderstood versions of
the doctrine are subject to such critique.
In the end, salvation by
faith is the root of our Reformation faith. The enemy hates this truth and
tried to stifle those who revived it, but to no avail. Thanks be to God for
salvation by faith!
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