Through Faith in Jesus Christ

About this sermon

Introduction: The Bible is clear that there is more than once kind of faith. ESV James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith abut does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 aIf a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 aand one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good1 is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith aapart from your works, and I will show you my faith bby my works. 19 aYou believe that God is one; you do well. Even bthe demons believe-- and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 aWas not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that afaith was active along with his works, and faith was completed bby his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ab"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"-- and he was called a bfriend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also aRahab the prostitute justified by works bwhen she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. These verses have confused many people throughout the years. Is this a contradiction of the teaching that we have in Romans? Does Paul teach justification by faith and James justification by works? Are they talking about the same kind of justification? Are they talking about the same kind of faith? The answer is that James is talking about justification from a different vantagepoint. James is talking about justification in the sight of men. He’s talking about a demonstration of genuine salvation in the world of men. And when he talks about a faith that cannot save, when he talks about a faith that is without works, a faith that is useless and dead, he is talking about the faith of demons, not the kind of faith that belongs to those who are saved. The Bible is clear that there is a faith that saves and there is a kind of faith that doesn’t. There is a faith that characterizes the redeemed and there is a kind of faith that characterizes some who are religious but lost. This is important to remember as we study the doctrine of justification in Romans. Our text is clear that the righteousness that saves comes to a man by faith ALONE. But that raises a very important issue. What kind of faith is the channel through which salvation comes? What kind of faith brings salvation? That’s what we’ll consider today. I. SALVATION IS BY FAITH ALONE The first thing that we want to affirm is that salvation comes to someone on the basis of faith alone. It is simply BELIEF in Jesus Christ, in the gospel as God has revealed it, that is the condition for salvation. ESV John 6:27 aDo not work for the food that perishes, but for bthe food that endures to eternal life, which cthe Son of Man will give to you. For on dhim God the Father has eset his seal." 28 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing athe works of God?" 29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, athat you believe in him whom bhe has sent." ESV John 8:24 I told you that you awould die in your sins, for bunless you believe that cI am he you will die in your sins." ESV John 11:25 Jesus said to her, a"I am the resurrection and bthe life.1 Whoever believes in me, cthough he die, dyet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me ashall never die. Do you believe this?" ESV John 20:31 abut these are written so that you may bbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, cthe Son of God, and that by believing dyou may have life ein his name. ESV Acts 16:31 And they said, a"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you band your household." ESV Romans 10:9 because, if ayou confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and bbelieve in your heart cthat God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. ESV 1 Corinthians 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach1 to save those who believe.

Topics

• Faith
• Jesus Christ