Saving Faith

I've struggled with what it means to know you are saved at times. What is it that the men of the Bible who were considered faithful possessed? What does it look like to have a saving faith? Looking at the patriarchs, they all had a faith in God's promise- even though they hadn't seen it, and the revelation was incomplete. They trusted God to be faithful. Our faith also needs to be in God's promise- though we have seen the fulfillment of that promise. However, it's not just belief that there is a God and He has sent His son as a sacrifice and atonement for our sins. It is a belief that He, and He alone is worthy of our worship and adoration. A belief that were were created for the purpose of glorifying God. A belief that we are totally reliant on Him for every breath we take. There has got to be an understanding of the God we acknowledge, not just a flimsy belief in something greater than ourselves.

I see a lot of people confess Christ with their lips and then go on trusting in their own power. I'm not saying that as Christians we won't have times where our faith wanes and we trust in our own understanding, but saving faith is a reliance on Christ. Just saying you believe in Christ or confessing Him during an alter call at 5 and then going about your life with no visible fruit is a big red flag to me that someone isn't saved and they are trusting in themselves. It's easy to have faith in one's self, it's far harder to trust in something outside yourself. However, God is absolutely faithful and He loves us even more than we can love ourselves. Therefore trusting Him isn't really a risk at all, but it's hard to give up control of your life.

I think the biggest evidence that someone it truly saved is a visible pursuit of God. Works do not produce faith, but they are certainly evidence of faith. If someone's life is not reflective of an understanding that God is the only thing worth pursuing, and that otherwise our lives are forfeit, then they really don't have a grasp on who God is. Relationships take time to grow and develop, so I wouldn't expect a child's faith to look anything like that of an 80 year old man who had walked with God from childhood. However, relationships require that we invest time and energy, they don't get stronger if we don't nurture them. And one sided relationships are not very strong. The more I read about God and His character, and grow in understanding of who He is, the more I realize my need for Him and my complete emptiness apart from Him.

Think about other relationships: If you trust another person with your life it is probably because you know them (and their character) well, and you expect that they will look out for your best interest. So, transfer that idea over to a relationship with God. You must know who He is, and what His character is in order to bring yourself to a place of trust. Only then will you believe that you should surrender your life to His will. Without spending time in His word and continued prayer one is unlikely to get to this place. Self-reliance is an easy default, but it is ultimately self-destructive.

I've started memorizing a verse this week: Isaiah 40:28 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable." The meat of this verse gives us a small glimpse at the nature of God, His unchanging and everlasting presence, His complete and utter understanding of all things -including our own feeble thoughts. That's the God I have FAITH in; it's the God I will choose to serve because He is deserving.