Saving Faith

Abundant Life

Abundant Life Episode 35 In this episode Saso and Ben discuss saving faith and why this is foundational to all Christians. Freedom That Lasts definition Saving faith is believing that Jesus Christ is my only Savior. Many believe that there are many ways to get to heaven but there is no saving faith in that. Webster’s 1828 FAITH - is a firm, cordial belief in the veracity of God, in all the declarations of his word; or a full and affectionate confidence in the certainty of those things which God has declared, and because he has declared them. There is a lot to unpack with that definition of faith but it is saving faith that allows us to say that there is one God and that we take Him at His Word. Jesus Christ is the only Savior! Key verse Acts 4:12 What is saving faith? Saving faith is what cleanses a sinner of sin and sets his/her eternal destination. We call this justification and sanctification. When you place your faith in Christ, you are justified and set apart, sealed as a child of God. To have faith in Jesus simply means you trust Him and Him alone that He is God in the flesh and that died and resurrected to atone for our sin. Obviously this trust must be authentic. Often times the Bible uses the word believe, in fact John uses "believe" in the Gospel of John and it turns out its there 100 times within 86 different verses. The new testament found 248 times within 220 verses (all KJV). The greek word pist-yoo’-o means to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in John 1:1 It is extremely important to identify that Jesus is God. Jesus is the second person of the trinity, co-equal with God the father. Some religions will tell you that they believe in Jesus, but the "Jesus" they identify with is either not God, or is not eternal. John 1:14 Another huge point is that Jesus became man, God in the flesh. Jesus is the keeper of the law, he never sinned once and is the reason that we can have salvation. Romans 10:9-10 Salvation requires that you place your faith or your trust in Jesus, the correct Jesus, and that you are trusting in his death and resurrection for the forgiveness of your sin. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 John testifies that those who have placed their faith in Jesus are sons and daughters of God. 1 John 5:1 This foundational saving faith is the key to becoming and living as a Christian, if you miss this, then you may have a false hope. Is Jesus the only way? There is no other way to get to heaven, only one way, and that is through Jesus. People look to a lot of things in this world as their savior but there is only one way. Matthew 7:13-14 Matthew 7:22-23 People look to a lot of things for their Savior, but they miss out on the one true Savior. The one who died for you and seeks to rescue you from your condemned condition. John 19:30 John 14:6 Acts 4:12 Once saved always saved! Jesus knew all of the sin we would commit but He still loved us with an everlasting love and there is nothing that will separate us from this great love. Romans 8:35, 38-39 Every Christian at some point doubts their salvation. Typically when you are in sin, or perhaps just not reading your bible, or maybe it’s just that Satan is whispering lies in your ear, it’s inevitable that you will experience doubt. John 10:28-29 Ephesians 4:30 There are some Christians that believe you can lose your salvation. However, it really wouldn’t make sense. When you get saved you are granted eternal life. It wouldn’t be eternal if it can be broken or haunted. The scripture is clear, we are sealed and sanctified even until the day of redemption. Once saved, it’s very likely that we will sin, but the beautiful thing is that God does not throw us away like some broken piece of trash. When we sin, we definitely cause a rift in our relationship with God, but the solution is simple, repent and confess. Sins brings about doubt of in our lives,