Study 8: Saving Faith
We have seen the Father’s electing love, the Son’s redemptive work, and the Holy Spirit’s task of applying that work to us. We now need to look at the effects on us. Faith is the chief gift of the Holy Spirit, and by faith we are united to Christ.
Becoming a Christian has far-reaching effects. It is often called conversion. This study helps us think carefully about conversion, repentance, saving faith, and the great gift of justification by faith alone.
Before you begin
It is important to look up the Bible references and think carefully about what they say, so that you can see for yourself the Bible’s teaching. This study is very practical, because it asks what happens when God saves a sinner and what it means truly to believe in Christ.
We are not looking here at vague spirituality or mere religious interest. We are looking at the kind of faith that unites a sinner to Christ and brings all the benefits of His saving work.
This study at a glance
Conversion is a real turning
Becoming a Christian involves God-given change, including repentance and faith.
Saving faith rests on Christ alone
Faith receives and rests upon Christ alone for salvation as He is offered in the gospel.
Faith brings great blessings
By faith we are united to Christ and justified before God.
Conversion
Conversion means a change or turning. To help us understand this, the Bible splits it up into different components, a cluster of transforming events which occur together. During this process a person is brought to life by the Holy Spirit, and then consciously turns to God in repentance and faith.
Read Ephesians 2:5, John 3:1-4, and Acts 15:3.
Examples of conversion in the Bible
Scripture gives us many real examples of people being brought to God.
Manasseh
Read 2 Chronicles 33.
The jailer
Read Acts 16:31.
Zacchaeus
Read Luke 19:8-9.
Cornelius
Read Acts 10:44.
Lydia
Read Acts 16:14.
Paul
Read Acts 9:5.
Two elements in conversion
Let us look at two elements in conversion: repentance and faith.
Repentance
Repentance is a real turning from sin to God, with sorrow for sin and a purpose of new obedience.
Faith
Saving faith receives and rests upon Christ alone for salvation as He is offered in the gospel.
Repentance
The word in the Bible means a change of mind or purpose, a turning back, a returning. In this change there is also sorrow for the past life.
Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby the sinner, out of a true sense of his sin and an understanding of the mercy of God in Christ, does with grief and hatred of sin turn from it to God, with full purpose of and endeavour after new obedience.
Knowing before God you are a sinner
Read Luke 15:18.
Feeling sorry for that sin
Read Psalm 51:2-4, 14. See also 2 Corinthians 7:9-10.
Turning from sin to God
Read Acts 2:38 and Romans 2:4.
Saving faith
Saving faith is defined like this: Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, a gift of God, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the gospel.
One simple way of remembering it is this: Forsaking All others I Trust Him.
You know the truth
Read Hebrews 11:1, 6.
You see it to be true
Read John 3:16, 18, 36. See also John 6:40, Acts 10:43, and Romans 3:22.
You trust your whole person to Christ
Read Romans 10:9-13. See also John 5:24 and Acts 16:30-31.
This faith is God’s gift
Saving faith is not something we manufacture out of our own strength. It is God’s gift.
Main texts
- Philippians 1:29
- Ephesians 2:8
Helpful supporting texts
- Acts 13:48
- John 10:25-26
What happens as we place our faith in Christ?
We are united to Christ
Read Romans 6:1-8.
There is a radical break with sin
Read Romans 6:1-8. This is taken up further in the next study.
We are justified
God declares the believer righteous in His sight because of Christ.
Justification
Justification is an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight only because of the righteousness of Christ imputed, or reckoned, to us and received by faith alone.
This is a legal term. God the Judge declares the sinner not guilty and righteous in His sight on the basis of what Christ is and has done. Christ’s work and righteousness are reckoned as being in our account.
What justification includes
- The pardon of all our sins
- Acceptance as righteous in God’s sight
- Christ’s righteousness reckoned to us
How it is received
By faith alone. Read Romans 3:21-26. See also Romans 4 to 5, Galatians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 10:3-6, and Zechariah 3:1-4.
You may be wondering
Is faith simply believing certain facts?
No. Saving faith includes knowing the truth and seeing it to be true, but it also means trusting your whole person to Christ.
Is repentance only feeling sorry?
No. Repentance includes sorrow for sin, but it also means turning from sin to God for pardon and cleansing.
What does “faith alone” mean?
It means that we are justified before God not by our works, efforts, or religious performance, but by Christ alone, received through faith.
Can I be united to Christ without real change?
No. Where there is true faith there is union with Christ, a real break with sin, and the beginning of a new life.
Reflection and response
Take time over these questions and answer them carefully from Scripture.
- If you are a Christian, write out your own conversion experience. Look for the biblical elements of repentance and faith in it. If you are not a Christian, describe a biblical example of conversion.
- What is saving faith? Give a biblical illustration.
- How would you explain to a friend justification by faith alone, telling them why it is important and what its benefits are?
A simple prayer before moving on
Keep going
Having considered saving faith, the next study turns to living the Christian life and the work of holiness in those who belong to Christ.
