Baptists for Africa

Discipleship Lesson 9 (John) – Salvation by Faith

Discipleship Lesson 9: Salvation By Faith

Romans 10:8-9 “8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

  1. Biblical Proof For Salvation By Faith
  2. Sufficiency of Faith: Faith is SUFFICIENT for salvation, which means that faith is enough to save us, or that faith is the one thing we must have to be saved. Believing in Jesus Christ is sufficient to take us to heaven. Only belief in the gospel has the power to save us (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18).

Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (See also John 3:16, 18; 5:24; 6:40; 6:47; 20:31; 1 John 5:13)

  1. Exclusivity of Faith: Faith is the EXCLUSIVE means of obtaining salvation, which means that faith is all we need to be saved, or that we are saved by faith alone. Salvation is not of or by works.

Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” (See also Galatians 2:16).

  1. Necessity of Faith: We are NECESSARILY saved by faith, which means that faith is the necessary way of salvation, or that salvation must be by faith. It is impossible for our works to save us.
  2. A works-based salvation cannot save us, because we cannot be saved by our own works.

Romans 3:19-20 “19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (See also Galatians 3:10-11, 21-22).

  1. A works-based salvation allows us to boast. If we are saved by our deeds, then we can be proud in God’s presence (see 1 Corinthians 1:30-31), and “have whereof to glory” (Romans 4:1-2; see 3:27).

Ephesians 2:9 “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (See also 1 Corinthians 1:25-31).

  1. A works-based salvation would mean that Jesus died in vain. There would be no need of Christ if salvation could have been by the law.

Galatians 2:21 “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

  1. Faith-based salvation is the only way that salvation can be by grace. The Bible declares, “by grace ye are saved” (Ephesians 2:5), which can only be true if “by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). Salvation is a gift (Romans 5:15-18; 6:23), and one does not have to earn a gift.

Romans 4:16 “Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace…” (See 11:6).

  1. Identity of Faith: Faith is the scripturally IDENTIFIABLE cause of salvation, which means that faith is how people have always been saved, or, the example of every saved person is that they believed in order to receive their personal salvation.
  • Abraham: “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness” (Romans 4:3).
  • The Thief on the Cross: “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43).
  1. The Definition Of Faith/Believe

Believing means to trust in, depend upon, or confide in another person. To believe in Jesus Christ means to trust in him as our savior (Ephesians 1:13). Just as a child trusts that their parents will provide for them, so we must have child-like faith which entrusts our salvation unto Jesus Christ (Mark 10:15), and have no confidence in our works (Philippians 3:3-9). Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

We do not believe with our head: by agreeing with spiritual facts or by believing that Jesus exists or is the Son of God. Even the demons believe that God exists (James 2:19) and that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:41), and they are not saved. We do not believe with our mouth, by confessing our sins or anything else (see, “many will say to me…” Matthew 7:22). We do not believe with our hands: by serving or loving God, by working or keeping his commandments. The Jews attempted to keep the law, but were not saved (Romans 9:30-33). We believe with our heart: by believing in him, or by entrusting our eternal salvation unto the keeping of God (2 Timothy 1:12).

Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

It is easy to be saved, not hard. Believing is like unto resting (Hebrews 4:3, 10-11), eating (John 6:54-57), drinking (John 4:10), entering a door (John 10:9), coming to another person (John 6:35), and receiving a gift (John 1:12). One only has to hear and believe (John 5:24), and receive salvation by “the hearing of faith” (Galatians 3:1-2); see the son and believe on him (John 6:40; see also Isaiah 45:22).

Believing in Jesus does not mean obeying the commandments of God, because, it is “without works” (Romans 4:6), and salvation is for him that believes and “works not” (Romans 4:5). We are saved by obeying the gospel, not by obeying the law (Romans 16:25-26; 10:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). Jesus is the savior, not Moses––“For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Obedience to the law for salvation is contrary to the essence of salvation by faith

Galatians 3:12 “And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.”

Believing in Jesus does not mean following Jesus Christ. A mere believer and a disciple are two different kinds of people (John 8:30-32). Some of those who followed Jesus did not believe in him (John 6:64). We do not get saved by giving our life for Christ or by loving him, but by his loving self-sacrifice for us.

1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (See also Galatians 1:4; 2:20).

III. The Blessings Of Salvation

  1. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

Justification is the act of declaring someone as righteous (Romans 3:26). According to the Bible, we are justified in God’s sight by our faith. There are two forms of righteousness: our own righteousness, and the righteousness of Christ (Philippians 3:9; Romans 10:3-4, 5-8).

The righteousness of the law is attained by obeying all of God’s commandments, “living by them” (Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12). If one fails to obey any single command, they cannot be justified in this way (James 2:10), because they are a “debtor to do the whole law” (Galatians 5:3). Therefore, no one’s righteousness can ever justify them (Isaiah 57:12; Job 35:7-8), because “all our righteousness are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

The righteousness of faith is attained by believing in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:26), “freely” (Romans 3:24). Someone who is justified by faith is not actually righteous by their deeds, but counted as righteous by God (Romans 4:5). The righteousness of faith is imputed, reckoned, or counted to the one who believes (see Romans 4). Abraham was counted as righteous by his faith (Romans 4:3), before he obeyed God in circumcision (Romans 4:9-11). David was counted as righteous by God, even though he had committed grievous sins (Romans 4:6-8).

God sees Christ’s righteousness on the account of those who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21), as a white robe covers a person (Revelation 19:8; see also Revelation 7:9-14 and Zechariah 3:1-5). Thus, once we are justified by faith, we cannot be condemned (Romans 8:1), or declared guilty.

  1. REGENERATION BY FAITH

Regeneration is the act of giving life to someone. Regeneration includes the concept of being made a “new creature,” (2 Corinthians 5:17), or, being “born again” (John 3:3-8). Upon believing in Jesus Christ, we are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). Because one who believes is “risen with Christ” (Colossians 3:1), their spirit possesses eternal life (John 6:47). God causes someone to be spiritually born when they believe in Jesus Christ (1 John 5:1). “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We are born of God by the word of God itself (1 Peter 1:23-25; James 1:18), and by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6), not by our works.

Titus 3:4-5 “4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (see John 1:12).

  1. REDEMPTION BY FAITH

Redemption is the act of buying someone or something back. It can also refer to the idea of deliverance or salvation from sin or hell. The redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24) has several aspects to it.

  1. Reconciliation means restoring good relations between two parties. The Bible says that the saved once “were enemies” (Romans 5:10), “enemies in your mind by wicked works” (Colossians 1:21). We can only be made at one with God, or have peace with God (Romans 5:1), through belief in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:20-21)––“by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:11).

Romans 5:10 “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

  1. Expiation means making amends for guilt or some wrongdoing. Due to our sin, we have a conscience of sin with guilt (Hebrews 9:14; 10:22), and are transgressors of God’s law. The blotting out of our sins (Colossians 2:14) can only be had through faith in the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace”

  1. A ransom is the sum paid to release one which is held captive. To ransom another is to release them by payment. In some sense, sin takes captive the unsaved person, seeing he is called “the servant of sin” (Romans 6:16-20). Jesus Christ “gave his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). The Bible states that we are “bought we a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).

1 Timothy 2:6 “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

 

  1. PROPITIATION BY FAITH

Propitiation is the act of appeasing or satisfying the wrath of another. God has a holy wrath against sin (Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:5-6), he is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11; see also, Psalm 5:4-5). Because all have sinned (Romans 3:23; 5:12), God is wroth with the whole world (Romans 1:18).

The only way to be saved from the wrath of God is to believe in Jesus: “we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9; see vv.6-10). This is because Jesus Christ has borne and died for all of our sins in order to propitiate, or appease, the wrath of God (1 John 2:1-2; 4:9-10). It is only by the perfect sacrifice of Christ that we can be delivered “from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Unfortunately, for he who does not believe in the Son, “the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”