Can We Lose Our Salvation? Part four...

Our Condition: Faithful

What is faith? Can we lose it? Essentially, it seems that losing salvation equates losing faith. To answer this question will almost be to answer all. My hope concerning this part of our condition is to show the grace of God, and to cause believers to glorify His name in the light of the beauty of our faith. For truly it is a beautiful thing.

The origin of faith is something that has often been confused. We tend to elevate ourselves and diminish God in the question of our faith. We are very protective of the idea that we are responsible for trusting in Christ. Yet in doing so we lose something of the wonder of our faith – we lose the fascinating detail of Christ’s direct and active presence in and with us from the beginning. Our Saviour has always been concerned and involved in our relationship with Him.   

For 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)        

This is a passage of Scripture that is both fascinating and controversial. There are, no doubt, as many interpretations of this text as there are words in the verses. I will attempt to explain what I see of the beauty of our faith in God.

First, it is not my intent to suggest we have no part in our faith – certainly it is our own faith, and we cultivate and keep it. And yet, when the emphasis is placed upon our doing God is left out entirely, and this is wrong. We must understand that salvation through faith is by grace, and this grace is a gift of God. Paul brings this up again so that we may not boast – so that the one who boasts will boast in the Lord. We are the workmanship of Christ, created in Him for a purpose – good works for the glory of God. As we see, God does not leave us floundering in confusion trying to figure things out for ourselves – He actively enables and leads us to perform those works. Christ is deep in this relationship with us. He is irrevocably involved in our lives.

1 Corinthians 12:9 says that the Spirit gives faith. If we believe that the Spirit gives greater faith to some than to others, as this passage would suggest, then is it so unreasonable to believe that the Spirit is active in all true faith? Being His workmanship means we are His art, His poetry, His project. He is concerned with every detail and shade, even the detail of our faith. He does not leave us alone in any part. Would you want Him to? (Note: There are other passages of Scripture which talk about God’s involvement in faith. See Romans 12:3, Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Thessalonians 1:11, and 1 John 5:4.)

The Greek root of the word translated “faith” is interesting. Permit me to delve into that for a moment. The word is “pistis” and means faith, trust, confidence, belief, etc. The root of the word is peithô, which means “to be persuaded” or to come to trust. Faith (pistis) is always a gift of God, not produced by us. I believe we are persuaded by God to trust Him and place our confidence in His power. This faith does involve our belief, but it has a distinct part, that of God’s persuasion. Pistis also historically has meant a warranty or guarantee. In light of that, we can see that the faith given by God as His gracious gift goes along with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is Himself our guarantee (2 Corinthians 1:22; cf 2 Corinthians 5:5, Ephesians 1:14). The gift of faith is given with the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This given faith enables us to understand and obey God’s revealed will. Faith and God’s will are undeniably related in the Bible.

Do you see the grace in this? Hallelujah, what a Saviour! That the omnipotent Creator and Master of the universe should be so inclined toward us, so involved with us, and take delight in us! It is a mysterious and overwhelming grace.

In Christ we have the gift of faith that perseveres and is preserved by the persevering God. He does not give up or let go. Christ is the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He leads us in faithfulness and perfects our conviction, solidifying our assurance. He shows and reveals more and more of Himself as our journey toward the Celestial City progresses. He leads us, and we know Him. The more we know Him, the more we trust (have faith in) Him. The more He reveals about Himself, the greater our confidence in Him. As Christ has said in the book of John, His sheep know His voice. His voice never changes. His presence never wanes. His preparation in and for us never ceases – great is His faithfulness!

You see, when it comes to faithfulness it is not just our own in the equation, but God’s as well. Is He faithful to His promises? Is He true to His word? He has promised that He will never lose a single one whom He holds. Can we trust His promises?

Finally, I believe faith has two parts. The first is that God is knowable. He has made Himself knowable. Faith rests on what is known and assured about God. Faith finds conviction in God’s word and trusts His declaration. The second part of faith, the one most often emphasized, is the idea of “blind faith” – acting despite lack of certainty regarding events. Trusting, moving forward, without knowing all the answers in all the circumstances. Things are often unknown, but faith is not interested in these. Rather, it is interested and focused on the Lord, and loves and knows and believes in Him. He remains known and unchanging throughout unknown, blind situations. Faith is not blind belief. It is more than belief. It sees the Lord, and trusts His word. So our faithfulness is not singularly dependent upon our decision to trust what is unknown. Our faithfulness is dependent upon the God who has proved Himself eternally, unchangingly faithful.