FAITH IS ESSENTIAL

HEB 11:6

When we begin talking abut faith, we must emphasize the importance of hearing (Rom. 10:17). Unless we hear, we cannot have faith. The essentiality of faith is emphasized in Heb. 11:6. Our study of faith today will have a narrower fact than simply stating a principle or rule of life. The Bible speaks of walking by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), a keeping of faith (Rev. 14:12), a building of faith (Jude 20) and faith as a part of fruit of the Christian graces (Gal. 5:22). Then entire response one makes to God is the process of faith. Today, I want to look at faith as one of the steps in the plan of salvation.

Faith is essential, vital, necessary, and without it there can be no salvation. We must see it in its proper order, or arrangement. That sequence is vitally important for other steps proceed from faith. If the faith is not present, the other steps in God’s plan just cannot take place.

I) Faith—What Is It?

A) Faith defined.

1) Firm persuasion, conviction, trust, confidence.

2) The same basic word for faith gives us also the word “belief.”

3) Romans 10:17

4) That tells us that faith—real, biblical faith, that which is acceptable to God, must be based upon the word of God.

5) It is not something merely felt or something imagined, it is not something read or heard that is not the truth of the Bible.

(a) Many people may speak of having “faith” in this or that, but it may only be something imagined, something they desire to believe.

(b) This is not the faith spoken of and honored in the Word of God.

6) Notice an example given book of Hebrews (4:2).

(a) There is the Word preached, but to no profit unless the hearers have faith in it.

(b) There must be persuasion, conviction and confidence that the Word is true, and that it is from God, and then . . .

(c) There is that trust in it, reliance upon it, and application of oneself to it.

7) What is needed on the part of man can be seen by looking at what is not pleasing to God

(a) A faith that merely says “I believe,” but has no persuasion toward obeying, is not acceptable to God.

(b) James made this point in James 2:19

(c) Thou “doest well” is irony, for James is showing what is unacceptable before God.

(d) Satan and his host indeed know that God exist, and that Jesus is the Son of God, but these do not act to obey God.

(e) Mark 5:7—acknowledged Him but did not obey Him.

8) Acceptable faith is obedient faith (James 2:24; Gal.5 :6).

B) Faith –Always in Right Response to God.

1) II Thess. 2:10—some will perish

2) Love of God and then love of the truth (John 17:17), is that foundation whereupon one can ground proper faith.

3) It believes what God has said and ALL of it (Psa. 119:128), and is obedient to God in ALL He requires (Gen. 6:22).

4) The faith that God requires, having to do with reliance upon what God has said, and of such reliance that the person complies with God’s will for him, has been a constant thing in every dispensation.

(a) Evident in Heb. 11…

(b) Faith hears, believes and moves in obedience to the will of God.

(c) This has always been the situation concerning faith.

C) Faith as a Response to Christ’s Gospel.

1) We know that faith has always been required of God in every dispensation.

2) We know that merely to hold something in mind without obedience is not acceptable faith.

3) We need to focus on that which applies to Christian dispensation—the gospel.

4) These points should aid us:

(a) Jesus authorized a gospel, a message of “good news.”

(1st) He, as the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2), has placed the needed information designed by God and for man’s good, in a message known as the “good news of salvation.”

(b) Jesus has commanded that all men hear the message.

(1st) The Great commission requires that the gospel be preached to every creature (Mk. 16:15,16).

(2nd) Man can only be saved through the Christ (John 14;6)

(3rd) The demand of God is that men hear His Son (Heb. 1:1-2).

(4th) All is related to faith, for the Romans epistle the purpose of the gospel message is said to be for obedience to the faith (1:5), and for obedience of faith (16:26).

(c) Man, then, is to make a response to that message.

(1st) He, having freedom of will, can indeed mock it (Acts 17:32), thrust it from him (Acts 13:46), and thus reject it…

(2nd) Or he can have faith in it.

(3rd) Note that Paul, to those rejecting the message, said that they judged themselves “unworthy of everlasting life” (Acts 13:46).

(d) The man making obedient response to the message, acquire faith—faith in which God has decreed.

(1st) He has now, belief in God, belief in the Word, belief in the Christ, belief in what Christ has provided for him, belief in his own sinfulness, belief in a change that can be made in his status with God, and belief in the promise of God to bless him eternally.

(2nd) He has acquired faith, and now faith is in action, taking him through the remaining steps in God’s plan for his salvation.

D) Faith Noted in the Cases of Conversion.

1) Acts has been called the “book of conversions,” and it will be of aid to us to see how faith entered into the record of the men and women converted as the apostles began to carry out the Great Commission.

2) Those on Pentecost. (Acts 2:14, 37, 41, 47). Faith preceded other acts of obedience.

3) Those in Samaria. (Acts 8:4, 6, 12). Faith in the word preached led to further acts of obedience.

4) The eunuch from Ethiopian (Acts 8:28, 35-38). Again, the preaching of the word produced the faith whereby other acts of obedience followed.

5) Lydia, seller of purple (Acts 16:14, 15). It was faith in the Word that brought about her further obedience.

6) Jailor (Acts 16: 31-33). The word was proclaimed, proper faith was had, and that lead to further acts of obedience.

E) Faith Then, Is An Essential. (CONCLUSION)

1) Man is justified by faith (Rom. 5:1), but we must hasten to point out that man is not justified by faith only (Jam. 2:24).

2) Always the faith that pleases God is that which is obedient to the will of God.

3) Faith must be there in the steps of salvation, otherwise the other steps cannot follow.

4) If you try to conform to the remaining steps (R, C, B), without the proper faith, the action would be useless.

5) The faith is based on the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), and then the rest of the gospel message is thereby believed.

6) Based on that faith in God, in the Christ, and in the Word, one complies, by faith to the demands of THE faith, and his repentance, confession and baptism follows.

7) Faith is absolutely essential (Heb. 11:6)

8) Without faith, there is no salvation!