Saved Through Faith

C. Craig Wells

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.

And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” Eph 2:8 (ESV)

The above verse is a well-known verse; however, have you ever asked why it states that salvation is “through faith” and not “by faith”? The New Testament has the words “through” and “faith” in the same sentence thirty-three times. They are side-by-side, as “through faith” fifteen times. The majority of those fifteen verses deal with salvation.

The reason why I bring attention to this is due to my browsing a book by Loraine Boettner. (1) He wrote, “A man is not saved because he believes in Christ; he believes in Christ because he is saved”. Did that get your attention! I had read this book several years ago and had even underlined the sentence. It did cause me to rethink through it again.

Boettner does qualify his statement by identifying faith as the instrumental cause verses the meritorious cause. He further states that Paul never states in the scriptures that faith is on “account of faith”, which would indicate merit.

This is what brought me to Ephesians 2:8. Even after that, I remembered reading another book, which made a similar statement. I finally found it after digging through my books and it was in John Murray’s book “Redemption Accomplished and Applied”. (2) He states, “It is to be remembered that the efficacy of faith does not reside in itself. Faith is not something that merits the favour of God. All the efficacy unto salvation resides in the Saviour.”

Murry goes further when he says, “it is not faith that saves but faith in Jesus Christ; strictly speaking, it is not even faith in Christ that saves but Christ that saves through faith”. That is another hard statement. These men are not fly by night theologians. What are we to make of this? Can we back this up with Scripture? Does Ephesians 2:8 describe these statements or at least to some degree?

I have always believed that faith was simple and yet complex. What do I mean by that? Well, Faith is simple, simple enough so that a child can have saving faith. However, it is complex by how we describe faith. For example, knowledge is necessary in saving faith, for we cannot trust one with such importance as life and death hanging over us without knowing that person, which we have entrusted for our safety. That trust is dependent on the amount of that knowledge. (3)

Knowledge is necessary for faith, but it is not sufficient in itself for faith unto salvation. We can know the truths concerning Christ and His work done on the cross. We can know the scriptures in its entirety concerning God’s redemptive plan in Christ, but still not trust our very souls to Christ.

Assent is also necessary for faith. We can know the principles concerning God; however, there must be conviction that that knowledge concerning Christ is true. Assent is necessary for faith, but it is not enough for salvation on its own.

I have all ready alluded to trust above. Trust is the component necessary of faith that is foremost. Trust is what makes faith, faith. Trust is what completes knowledge and assent of the principles of redemption in Christ.

Our faith is nothing that can merit favor from God. No matter how much knowledge and assent we have to the truth, the efficacy of faith unto salvation is in Christ alone. It is by His merit that we have favor from God. We have to come to the realization that within ourselves, we are nothing, have nothing, and hope in nothing. We must totally look away from ourselves and turn our whole being over to Christ. We cannot trust in Christ partially. He demands all. You commit idolatry anytime you put anything before God. You commit idolatry anytime you trust in yourself or in anything else before trust in God for providing for your needs. Of course, we have to know what truly our need is!

The greatest and second commandment encompasses this fact. (4) We are to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul and at the same time, love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus said that all the law and prophets depend on those two commands. We are not to love anyone or anything above God. We are not to love ourselves above anyone else or to say it another way, not love anyone else less than the love of ourselves. If you love or depend on anything else other than God for your pleasure, joy, rest, peace, health, finances, family, love, and affections, it is idolatry. If you do not have these in your life, you at least covet them.

God commands us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is not the case when it comes to our fallen nature. Our ambitions are selfish. (5) We are lovers of self. (6) We are just plain selfish. (7) Even deeds done in benevolence are due to seeking selfish desires when the act of benevolence is outside of the love for neighbor and God.

God has not commanded anything that is not the best for us. You want joy, peace, love, and security, seek God first and all these things will be given you. (8) What are our goals in life? Our goal in life is not to lay up treasures for ourselves here on earth, but to strive for treasures in heaven. (9) Jesus tells us that we cannot serve two masters at once. (10) So, all we have to do is seek God. It is simple. It may be simple, but not easy.

It is not easy because, the scriptures say that man does not seek after God. (11) This is because of man’s fallen nature. Adam had communion with God even though God is spirit and Adam was man. Adam was spiritually able to commune directly with God. Since the fall, Adam and his decedents after him do not have the spiritual ability to know God, much less commune with Him. (12)

The scriptures also tell us that the Spirit of Truth reveals the truth pertaining to God. However, it says that the world cannot receive Him. (13) The scriptures say that the natural man cannot accept the things of the Spirit because they are foolishness to him. (14) Ephesians 2:1 says that we are dead in our trespasses. (15) If that is the case, how can anyone know God, if we are accustomed to do evil and we cannot change our nature as the scriptures state? (16)

The scriptures say that we are dead, and we all know that cannot mean physical death, and therefore need a resurrection. There needs to be a spiritual resurrection to make our dead spiritual nature come alive. Once that happens, we then come to see God and His glory, His holiness. Once we see God for how He truly is, we then look inward as comparison and can only see how inadequate and unholy we really are.

This is what causes us to cry out in mercy. This is how we are able to respond to the gospel message. It is in this state that we can respond to the call for redemption through the cross of Christ. We can only see hope of being right with God through the sacrificial atonement made by the blood of Christ. The scriptures say that the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but it is the power of God to those that are being saved. (17)

All of the above detail to explain saved through faith. It is the work of God that we believe in the gospel. (18) Our trust is not in our faith, but in the blood of Jesus. Christ saves us through our faith. We have nothing to commend ourselves to God to merit His favor, not even our faith. Our merit is strictly in the merit of Christ. Our trust is only in Him. The Spirit made us alive so that we can believe. The only way we can see the holiness of God and trust in Christ for our redemption, is by the work of the Holy Spirit regenerating our hearts, making us spiritually alive to be able to see the things of God.

Our faith is all-important for salvation. Just remember that we must make sure that our faith is just not knowledge alone or assent alone. We must put our full trust in Christ and Him alone. This is not a partial trust either. It is all or none! Jesus tells us what will happen to those that do not put their full trust in Him, no matter how much knowledge we have of Him or how much we agree to the principles of redemption through Christ. (19)

”But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” 2 Thess 2:13-15 (ESV)

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(1) The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, Loraine Boettner, pg 101

(2) Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murry, pg 112

(3) Ephesians 1:17

(4) Matthew 22:36-40

(5) James 3:14-16

(6) 2 Timothy 3:1-5

(7) Philippians 2:3-4

(8) Matthew 6:33

(9) Matthew 6:19-21

(10) Matthew 6:24

(11) Romans 3:11

(12) Romans 5:12

(13) John 14:17

(14) 1 Corinthians 2:14

(15) Ephesians 2:1

(16) Jeremiah 13:23

(17) 1 Corinthians 1:18

(18) John 1:9-13

(19) Matthew 7:21-23