The Gift of Faith

(Article for publication week of 2-27-AD 2013)

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God saves sinners in such a way as to exclude all human boasting. All the glory for salvation is to God Alone Who saves men graciously from first to last. Every part of salvation, from first to last is all of the Lord. You can claim no credit for your own, or another's salvation. Our text says that salvation is all of God's free and sovereign grace.

It is interesting, delightful, and enlightening to note that salvation is said in this place to be "by" grace, "through" faith." We have been considering in our Narrow Way articles for about a year now the doctrine of justification, the "heart of the gospel" (Elder Jimmy Barber). Having shown the ground of justification as the Imputed Righteousness of Christ, and the procuring Cause of justification as God's free and sovereign grace, we are now considering the Instrument of justification, as being faith alone. It is not the sinner's faith which saves him, but rather it is the object of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ that saves. The justifying righteousness of Christ is received by faith alone. There is no other way that it comes to us. The Imputed Righteousness of Christ comes to us through the channel, or conduit of faith, so our text here in Ephesians says that we are saved "by grace", "through faith".

Now I will ask you who are believers, "why did you believe in Christ, while others refuse so to do?" Well our text gives us the Biblical reason- God gives the grace of faith to some, and withholds it from others. Our text plainly says that faith is a gift of God. The lost sinner, being "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1) has no power to believe, repent or comply with gospel terms, or do anything to save himself or help save himself. By nature it is true of all men that they "have not faith" (II Thessalonians 3:2). If you are believing in Christ for your Whole and Sole Righteousness, it is not because you are a smarter sinner than some others, but because God in mercy drew you to Himself. Our Lord Jesus Christ plainly declared in John 6:44, "no man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw him." God makes His people willing in the day of His power (Psalm 110:3) to repent and believe and so they come to Christ most freely. If you have come to Christ as a poor sinner trusting in Him Alone for salvation, it is because the Lord drew you to Himself.

You see how the Bible way of salvation excludes all boasting by sinners? You can claim no credit for any aspect of salvation, including your faith in Christ, for even faith itself is entirely of God's grace. If God had not shown mercy to you, you would still be in unbelief, and apart from the Saviour. Salvation is a free gift, including the faith to believe in Christ. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!

Faith and Grace

(Article for publication week of 2-20-AD 2013)

"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace;" (Romans 4:16). To say that a sinner is justified by faith is synonymous with saying he is justified by grace, as our text this week plainly shows. When a poor sinner trusts in Christ Alone for salvation, he simply receives what God has graciously provided in His Eternal and Coequal Son. Believing in Christ for salvation is all of God's sovereign grace.

First of all, please note well that our text this week opens with "therefore." In other words Paul is summarising all he has written up to this point in Romans. The pronoun "it" in our text refers to the scheme of justification which is the major theme and argument of the Roman letter. Justification is of faith, that it might be by grace.

Believing in Christ for salvation is the very opposite of trying to earn salvation by your own works as Paul plainly says in Romans 3:28 ("Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."), and in Romans 4:5 (" but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness"). You see in these two verses that faith and works are contrasted, as grace is contrasted with works in places like Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 11:6; and II Timothy 1:9.

Furthermore, faith may be shown to be all of grace by the fact that faith itself is the gift of God, as Ephesians 2:8-9 so plainly shows. No one has faith in and of himself. Faith is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Faith is produced by regeneration, and necessarily follows it, but never precedes it (John 1:12-13). It is all of grace that any sinner is able to believe in Christ for salvation.

When a sinner believes in Christ for his whole and sole Righteousness, he does not contribute anything to his own salvation. God furnishes everything; we furnish nothing. I want you to get this straight now; faith is not man's part in his own salvation. You have no part in salvation, for it is all of the Lord (Jonah 2:9). Salvation is not brought about by anything that a sinner does, but it is the production of the Triune God. God does not justify a man by doing most of the work, and then leaving it up to sinners to finish what he Himself has begun. A thousand times no! Salvation is all of the Lord from first to last. Salvation is by the electing love of the Father, the Imputed Righteousness of the Son, and the converting power of the Holy Spirit. We have nothing we can offer to God but sin. If we tried to add anything to what God has done through His Son, it would only defile it.

Saving faith is an empty hand that simply receives what Christ has done. Augustus Toplady expressed justification by faith in the hymn "Rock of Ages" when he wrote "nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling." Have you ever come to Christ like that? Have you ever thrown yourself on the mercy of God and just cried out, "Lord have mercy on me the sinner"? Have you come to the end of yourself to see that all your efforts and pretended self righteousness was all in vain? Well, I have good news for you! There is salvation free and full for such. This is saving and justifying faith, to see yourself as utterly lost and ruined, and flee to Christ for your only Refuge. May the Blessed Spirit Who moves like the wind work in your hearts this very moment and grant you grace to believe in Christ Alone for everlasting salvation.