What is Genuine Saving Faith?

For most of my faith journey I didn't really know what salvation entailed. I just knew that if I “accepted Jesus into my heart” then I was saved and was going to heaven. I never really thought of it any further until about a year ago. I just finished reading a book called “Stop asking Jesus into your heart: How to know for sure you are saved” by JD Greear. Pretty provocative title if you ask me, part of the reason I wanted to read it so badly. But man it was so hard to get through. Lots of praying. Lots and lots of processing. Lots of questions. This book does a wonderful job at walking you through what it really means to be saved. Greear takes time to address specific myths about salvation that are commonly believed. He also goes into detail about what salvation actually looks like biblically. After reading this, my heart really hurt. For me, I clearly see how the concept of salvation has been manipulated and changed in order to fit the mold of this world.

Salvation is such a serious issue and this idea of people having “false assurance” that they are saved terrifies me. My heart has been heavy for months now because of this. I don’t really have the words to match how I'm feeling, but scripture has made it clear to me what true salvation looks like. I’m not here to talk to you about my feelings or my opinions, I’m here to tell you what the Bible says about salvation. Know that I’m telling you all of this out of love, for if I kept silent, that would be the unloving thing to do. This is too important not to take time to address. There needs to be some light shed on the darkness of false doctrine that you may have been believing your entire life! I’m well aware that a lot of times we fall into religious patterns simply because of what we were taught when we grew up, therefore a lot of times we don’t know what we don’t know. That’s where I was. I was so blind to the reality of what really needs to take place in order to be saved. It’s time we stop settling in what we think is correct and start speaking the truth where it needs to be spoken.

Here’s some hard truth. We are all slaves to sin and deserve to burn in hell without the blood of Jesus. John 3:3 tells us that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Meaning that our first birth gives us physical life and a new spiritual birth gives us spiritual life and access to the family of God. The only way someone can come to God and experience what it means to be “born again” is through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus.

I know it can be easy to think that we are “good enough” to earn God’s approval. But JD Greear responds to this question in saying that the truth is, if we could have been “good enough,” would Jesus really have to die in order to save us? What kind of God would have done that to Jesus if there were another way? An easier way? If we had any good in us at all, Jesus would not have been beaten and crucified on a cross. Romans 6:11 tells us that we need to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

I think this is where we see the root of confusion when it comes to salvation. People misunderstand the deadliness of sin and the holiness of God which leads to a misunderstanding of our desperate need for repentance. But Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin are death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Whoever does not place their faith in Jesus will receive the wages or a form of payment for sin which is death. But the person who chooses Christ receives eternal life.

I briefly want to go into what salvation is and what it is not in accordance with the Bible to bring some clarity and give more applicable examples.

What salvation is:

Repentance: The terms “believe” and “repent” are interchangeable according to Mark 1:15. Therefore, you must do more than simply believe in order to receive true salvation. Repentance is a result of true belief. Saving faith without repentance is impossible. Repentance is more than merely confessing to God what you have done wrong, it is an active decision of turning away from a specific sinful behavior of ours and choosing the ways of Christ. It is a change of our heart about sin. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In contrast, John 3:36 tells us that Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life but whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Denying yourself: Luke 9:23 tells us, If anyone would come after me (Jesus), let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” What this practically means is rejecting the sinful delights and pleasures of this world that do not line up with what scripture teaches us. It means choosing Christ as your fulfillment instead of the world, because at the end of the day, we cannot fill ourselves with Christ, but Christ fills us with Himself. It means understanding how sinful you are and how holy God is and choosing to lay down your own life in order to find life in Christ. It’s an active choice that we need to make every single day. Romans 12:21 also talks about this. Paul urges us, in view of God’s mercy, to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. We cannot be selective with what we choose to give to God and what we keep. He is either Lord over all or not Lord at all.

Relationship, not religion: In the end, there is only one thing that can define true salvation: knowing Jesus and being known by Him. One of my favorite commentaries, Enduring Word puts it nicely: “It is our connection to Him – by the gift of faith that He gives to us that secures our salvation. Connected to Jesus we are secure” To simplify it some more, let’s compare it to a normal relationship. If you and someone else only spoke once a month, or once a year, would there be any foundation to that relationship? Would you know them well enough to be welcomed into their house at any time? Probably not. The same is true with a relationship with God. God is very real and very personal, you just need to give Him a chance. If you aren't reading your Bible everyday, how will you know God better? If you aren't praying at all and talking to Him, how will you build that relationship? If you don’t spend your time on earth worshiping God and seeking Him out, it wouldn't make much sense to join Him in heaven where we get to worship and seek joy in the Lord all the time.

Faith producing works: I want to be careful saying this because I don’t want anyone to misunderstand it. Faith without works is dead and works without faith is not even a thing. What I mean by this is that in order for one to develop saving faith, you will see results of that in the way they live their life, James 2:17 tells us exactly that: Faith without works is dead. Furthermore, John 15:5 says "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” When we abide in Jesus (the vine), we will produce good Godly fruit, and if we are not really abiding in the Lord, then we won’t be.

What salvation is not:

Just believing: As I mentioned earlier, the words “believe” and “repent” are interchangeable, therefore you need to have more than just a conscious thought of God every now and then in order to be saved. James 1:9 tells us that even demons believe in Jesus and shudder. This is demonstrating the differentiation between genuine saving faith over mental agreement that God exists. Even demons believe that God exists, but they don’t have any sort of relationship with Him. These words in Matthew 7:21-23 were spoken by Jesus and they further explain the importance of repentance: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” This is a lot, let me break it down for you. This is a warning to people who say Lord Lord and their spiritual life has nothing to do with their daily life. For example, they may go to church or do some good deeds but never really take time to repent and continue to sin against God and man just like anyone else. Further, without a connection to God, all the miracles and great works listed prove nothing. Because these people didn’t have an actual relationship with Jesus, He said these heartbreaking words: “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Based on the things you have done: Let me first say that works are not a bad thing. As I mentioned before, faith without works is dead. Therefore, good works that take place are a result of genuine saving faith. (Ephesians 2:10) So things like church attendance, volunteering, going on mission trips, being kind to people, etc. are not bad things, but they are not what saves, they are a result of God’s changing work within us. When we fix our eyes on Christ, our desires will start to shift to loving what He loves and hating what He hates. Ephesians 2: 8-9 tells us that it is only by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. This means that even the act of choosing Christ is not our own doing, for He has chosen us first while we were still sinners. Titus 3:5 tells us that He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Christ died for sinners!! If we had any ounce of good within us, then the gospel would be inefficient.

Friends, please know that I said all of this out of love. I know it’s a lot to take in and process but I pray that you are not passive about this. False assurance of salvation is a very real thing and common problem and that's why Jesus speaks these words in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.” You don't want the wide way that leads to destruction, you want to be one of the few who enter through the narrow gate. God loves us so much that He gave us His written word in order to teach us what true salvation looks like. He doesn't want us to burn in hell. He doesn't want to speak the words “depart from me.”

God just wants you. He wants all of you. Give God a fighting chance.

You are so loved.

Morgan