Articles
What Kind of Faith?
Most, if not all, professing believers would agree that we are saved by faith; but do we realize not every kind of faith saves us? Consider, for today, some different kinds of faith and the kind that saves us.
A ‘Little’ Faith? Once, when Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, “a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves,” but Jesus was asleep. The “disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’” to which Jesus replied, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” and then rebuked the winds and the sea until there was a great calm. Not surprisingly, “the men marveled, saying, ‘Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’” (Matt. 8:23-27) I think we would all marvel at such a display of power!
Let us note that the disciples, with this “little faith,” were fearful. This is not a faith that will save anyone, for it does nothing because of fear — fear of what others might say or do, fear a promise will not be fulfilled, fear one will not know the 'right' answer to a question, and many other paralyzing fears. One with a “little faith” needs more than just a “little” faith to be saved! Just as in the case with the disciples in the boat, we must have faith enough in Jesus to believe we will survive whatever storms may come because Jesus is with us.
On another occasion, when Jesus came walking on the water to them, the disciples were afraid, but Jesus said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” Peter then said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water,” and Jesus said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began walking to Jesus, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!‘” Jesus stretched out His hand to Peter and prevented him from sinking, and then said to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:25-31)
Wait…Peter — the one who got out of the boat and walked on water for a while — had “little faith”? Yes, but only because he took his eyes off of Jesus and lost the faith that allowed him to get out of the boat and walk on water. He let the boisterous waves cause him to doubt what he was already doing, and he began to sink.
The lesson and admonition for us is (1) we can lose faith, and (2) a “little faith” will cause us to doubt in difficult situations. This kind of faith will not save us because we will fear and doubt just when we need to have courage and confidence. Remember, “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1, NASB). Without the assurance [confidence] of those things we hope for, we will only have doubt — not the faith that will save us.
A Dead Faith? (Jas. 2:14-26) James speaks about the kind of faith that pleases God, and it is not one that merely believes in God and Christ; saving faith is a faith of action. James plainly says, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (v. 17), “faith without works is dead” (v. 20), “a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (v. 24), and, “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (v. 26). Clearly, a faith that is in word only but does nothing to prove trust and belief in God and Christ is dead — useless. To make the point about a faith without works, James asks, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ’Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” He then concludes, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (vv. 15-17).
Saying, "I believe in God," or, "I believe Jesus is the Christ," is not enough! James notes, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (v. 19). Will we argue for demon salvation because they believe God is real? Surely not! Belief is not enough, if we have no actions proving our belief. A dead faith does not save us!
A Genuine Faith? It is a shame modern dictionaries define faith as 'belief without evidence'; as noted earlier, that is not true faith at all! True, saving faith fits the Divine definition (cf. Heb. 11:1) in that it is a faith that is based on evidence, and conviction of the truth though what we believe is unseen. Paul could find joy in genuine faith, telling Timothy, “I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you” (2 Tim. 1:3-5). Paul would not rejoice because Timothy was faking it, but because he knew Timothy was convicted of the truth of God's word.
Peter would write to assure the early disciples that though they had “been grieved by various trials…the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:6, 7). In the end, their genuine faith would bring reward. If we want a faith that saves, it must be genuine!
A Steadfast Faith? Finally, let us consider that the kind of faith that saves us is one that does not quit. Paul reminded the brethren at Colossæ that Christ would find them “holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” in the end “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard” (Col. 1:19-23). Notice the qualified statement of Paul; they would be counted blameless in the end if their faith was steadfast and grounded in the gospel message they had heard and believed!
This is the very meaning of faithfulness, for one cannot expect to receive praise or a reward from the Lord in the end if we are found unfaithful. It is the one who does not desire the things of the world anymore, the one who does not set his mind on material things, and the one who is determined to “Resist [the devil], steadfast in the faith” (1st Pet. 5:9) who will be rewarded.
Jesus said to the church in Smyrna, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Faithfulness is demanded of us if we seek the same reward, and this requires a steadfast faith that does not give up in even the most trying times.
So, what kind of faith do you have? If you know and believe we are saved by faith, make sure it is the right kind of faith. Anything else is not good enough.
—— Steven Harper
