Saving faith

[IsItLove?]

Nine conditions that prove genuine saving faith.

1. Love for God

First of all a deep and abiding love for God is one of the supreme evidences of genuine saving faith. This gets to the heart of the issue. Romans 8:7 says "the carnal mind is enmity [hostility, hatred] against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." Thus, if a man's heart is at enmity with God there is no basis for assuming the presence of saving faith. Those who are truly saved love God, but those who are not truly saved resent God and His sovereignty. Internally they are rebellious toward God and His plan for their life. But the regenerate person is set to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. His delight is in the infinite excellencies of God. God is the first and highest affection of his renewed soul. God has become his chief happiness and source of satisfaction. He seeks after God and thirsts for the living God.

By the way, we must be careful to distinguish the difference between that kind of true love for God that seeks His glory from the kind of self-serving love that sees God primarily as a means of personal fulfillment and gain. True saving faith doesn't believe in Christ so that Christ will make one happy. The heart that truly loves God desires to please God and glorify Him. Jesus taught that if someone loved their father and mother more than they loved Christ, they were not worthy of Him. In Matthew 10:37-39 Jesus put it like this: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39)

The question then is this: Do you love God? Do you love His nature? Do you love His glory? Do you love His name? Do you love His kingdom? Do you love His holiness? Do you love His will? Is your heart lifted when you sing His praises-because you love Him? Supreme love for God is decisive evidence of true faith.

2. Repentance from Sin

A proper love for God necessarily involves a hatred for sin that leads to repentance. That should be obvious. Who wouldn't understand that? If we truly love someone we seek their best interests. Their well being is our greatest concern. If a man says to his wife, "I love you but I could care less what happens to you," we would rightly question his love for her. True love seeks the highest good of its object. If we say that we love God, then we will hate whatever is an offense to Him. Sin blasphemes God. Sin curses God. Sin seeks to destroy God's work and His kingdom. Sin killed His Son. So when someone says, "I love God, but I tolerate sin," then there is every reason to question the genuineness of his love for God. One cannot love God without hating that which is set to destroy Him. True love for God will therefore manifest itself through confession and repentance. The man who loves God will be grieved over his sin and will want to confess it to God and forsake it.

In examining our faith we should ask: "Do I have a settled conviction concerning the evil of all sin? Does sin appear to me as the evil and bitter thing that it really is? Does conviction of sin increase in me as I walk with Christ? Do I hate it not primarily because it is ruinous to my own soul or because it is an offense to the God I love? Does the sin itself grieve me or am I only grieved over the consequences of my sin. What grieves me most-my misfortune or my sin? Do my sins appear to me as many, frequent and aggravated? Do I find myself grieved over my own sin more than the sins of others?" Genuine saving faith loves God and hates what He hates, which is sin. That attitude results in real repentance.

3. Genuine Humility

Saving faith is manifested through genuine humility. Jesus said blessed are those who are poor in spirit, and those who mourn [their sin], and those who are meek, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:3-6)-all marks of humility. In Matthew 18 Jesus said that "unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). True saving faith comes as a little child-humble and dependent. It is not the man who is full of himself who is saved, but the man who denies himself, takes up his cross daily and follows Christ (Matthew 16:24).

In the Old Testament we see that the Lord receives those who come with a broken and contrite spirit (Psalm 34:18; 51:17; Isaiah 57:15; 66:2). James wrote: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). We must come as the prodigal son, broken and humble. Remember what he said to his father-"Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son" (Luke 15:21). Those possessing genuine saving faith do not come boastfully to God with their religious achievements or spiritual accomplishments in hand. They come empty-handed in genuine humility.

4. Devotion to God's Glory

True saving faith is manifested by a devotion to God's glory. Whatever believers do, whether they eat or drink, their desire is to see God glorified. Christians do what they do because they want to bring glory to God.

Without question Christians fail in each of these areas, but the direction of a Christian's life is to love God, hate sin, to live in humility and self-denial, recognizing his unworthiness and being devoted to the glory of God. It is not the perfection of one's life but the direction of a life that provides evidence of regeneration.

5. Continual Prayer

Humble, submissive, believing prayer is mark of true faith. We cry "Abba, Father" because the Spirit within us prompts that cry. Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon titled, "Hypocrites are Deficient in the Duty of Secret Prayer." It's true. Hypocrites may pray publicly, because that's what hypocrites want to do. Their desire is to impress people-but they are deficient in the duty of secret prayer. True believers have a personal and private prayer life with God. They regularly seek communion with God through prayer.

6. Selfless Love

An important characteristic of genuine saving faith is selfless love. James wrote, "If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well" (James 2:8). John wrote, "Whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17). If you love God you will not only hate what offends Him, but you will love those whom He loves. "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death" (1 John 3:14). And why do we love God and love others? Because this is the believer's response to His love for us. "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Jesus said we will know that we are His disciples by our love for each other (John 13:35).

7. Separation from the World

Positively, believers are marked by a love for God and for fellow believers. Negatively, the Christian is characterized by the absence of love for the world. True believers are not those who are ruled by worldly affections, but their affection and devotion is toward God and His kingdom.

In 1 Corinthians 2:12 Paul wrote that "we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." In 1 John 2:15 we read: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15). True saving faith separates one from the pursuits of this world--not perfectly, as we all fail in these areas, but the direction of a believer's life is upward. He feels the pull of heaven on his soul. Christians are those whom God has delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of His Son. The believer is marked by the absence of love or enslavement to the satanically controlled world system (Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:13; James 4:4).

8. Spiritual Growth

True believers grow. When God begins a true work of salvation in a person, He finishes and perfects that work. Paul expressed that assurance when he wrote in Philippians 1:6, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

If you are a true Christian, you are going to be growing-and that means you are going to be more and more like Christ. Life produces itself. If you're alive you are going to grow, there's no other way. You'll improve. You'll increase. The Spirit will move you from one level of glory to the next. So examine your life. Do you see spiritual growth? Do you see the decreasing frequency of sin? Is there an increasing pattern of righteousness and devotion to God?

9. Obedience

Obedient living is not one of the optional tracks given for believers to walk. All true believers are called to a life of obedience. Jesus taught that every branch that abides in Him bears fruit (John 15:1-8). Paul wrote that believers "are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). That speaks of obedience. We are saved unto the obedience of faith (see 1 Peter 1:2).

How can we know our faith is genuine? Examine your life in the light of God's Word. Do you see these characteristics in your life? Do you have a love for God, hatred for sin, humility, devotion to God's glory, a pattern of personal and private prayer, selfless love, separation from the world, the evidence of spiritual growth and obedience. These are the real evidences of genuine saving faith.

[notuptome]

Good but salvation is an event not a process. Sanctification is a process. I don't want to knit pick its a good post.

Love the brethren. Love those who hate you and despitefully use you.

Faith come from the hearing of the word of God.

Desire to see men come to a saving knowledge of Christ.

Good things to dwell upon. Fill your mind and heart with things that are a delight to Christ. Things of virtue.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

[Sirus]

Good but salvation is an event not a process. Sanctification is a process.

Sanctification is 'an event' just as justification is. Jesus said "sanctified by faith".

[IsItLove?]

Sanctification is 'an event' just as justification is. Jesus said "sanctified by faith".

Yet faith is something that requires perfecting.
From faith to faith

It is a process, that in the end hopefully consumes us completely.

[Sirus]

Yet faith is something that requires perfecting.
From faith to faith

It is a process, that in the end hopefully consumes us completely.

Well, Romans 1:17 doesn't mean that and our faith is tried but it does not mature (perfected). It is absolutely completed (perfected -same word used for the resurrection) by works, but where might I find a progressive faith in scripture?

[IsItLove?]

Well, Romans 1:17 doesn't mean that and our faith is tried but it does not mature (perfected). It is absolutely completed (perfected -same word used for the resurrection) by works, but where might I find a progressive faith in scripture?

Not sure what you are trying to say.

Progressive faith you will find in James.
Justified by the works of faith like Abraham and having your faith perfected by the works of faith.

We see some with little faith, some full of faith, some with belief and unbelief at the same time, others who had great faith so as to walk in the miraculous and doubt the in middle of the miracle, we see God giving each man a measure of faith, and people asking to have their faith increased.
Mar 9:24 Mat 8:26 Mat 14:31 Acts 6:5 Rom 12:3 Luke 17:5

[Sirus]

Not sure what you are trying to say.

Progressive faith you will find in James.
Justified by the works of faith like Abraham and having your faith perfected by the works of faith.

That's what I was referring to here
faith
"is absolutely completed (perfected -same word used for the resurrection) by works"
That's not progressive faith.
That's faith, action= perfect faith
as opposed to
fatih, ............................still imperfect............................still imperfect............................still imperfect............................still imperfect........................

We see some with little faith, some full of faith, some with belief and unbelief at the same time, others who had great faith so as to walk in the miraculous and doubt the in middle of the miracle, we see God giving each man a measure of faith, and people asking to have their faith increased.
Mar 9:24 Mat 8:26 Mat 14:31 Acts 6:5 Rom 12:3 Luke 17:5

these are all just the same faith. It's not a weak faith vs a strong faith. Little is not weak here. A lot is not strong. That was Jesus' point. Little is not weak. It's still the same faith.

[IsItLove?]

That's what I was referring to here
faith
"is absolutely completed (perfected -same word used for the resurrection) by works"
That's not progressive faith.
That's faith, action= perfect faith
as opposed to
fatih, ............................still imperfect............................still imperfect............................still imperfect............................still imperfect........................

these are all just the same faith. It's not a weak faith vs a strong faith. Little is not weak here. A lot is not strong. That was Jesus' point. Little is not weak. It's still the same faith.

Cant agree, week and little are just that and it was great faith in action that resulted in Abraham being considered righteous.
Abraham acted in faith in many other situations but is was the faith that required his everything, trusting his all in this life, that resulted in God's statement about him.

Every act of faith in God, is faith in God, no doubt.
But faith is seen in the life of the seed that sprang up, but later died because it had no depth to it's root.
Some teach the faith of the size of the mustard seed, rather then the faith of such a little seed to become such a large plant.

What is required to be Jesus disciple?
Is it just a little commitment of faith in Him or a commitment of faith that supersedes everything and everyone else in this world?

[Sirus]

I'm not speaking of incredulous (lacking confidence) faith, which is no faith at all. I am speaking of faith like a mustard seed. Little is some, as in, it (faith) is present. You cannot disagree....
unless you want to deny the words of the Lord. I was wrong to let you slip the word little in there, then to turn around and use it myself.

[IsItLove?]

I'm not speaking of incredulous (lacking confidence) faith, which is no faith at all. I am speaking of faith like a mustard seed. Little is some, as in, it (faith) is present. You cannot disagree....
unless you want to deny the words of the Lord. I was wrong to let you slip the word little in there, then to turn around and use it myself.

First you are not clear in what you are saying.
Second, I did not slip anything in, little faith is what the bible says many times over.

Third, I may deny your understanding, but without the words of the Lord Jesus in question being identified how can anyone respond to your thoughts.
Are you referring to NASB ©
biblegateway Luk 17:6
And the Lord said, "If you had faith like (note size of is a poor translation) a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you.
Mark 4 The Parable of the Mustard Seed (faith to go from the smallest to being the greatest)
4:30 He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? 4:31 It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground – 4:32 when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade.

Lastly you never bothered to respond to my questions, and one sided conversations are not very productive.

[Sirus]

little faith is what the bible says many times over.

It is used for those that do not have faith and that is not what we are discussing.

[IsItLove?]

It is used for those that do not have faith and that is not what we are discussing.

Really, so Jesus disciples did not have faith?

Mat 16:8
When Jesus learned of this, he said, “You who have such little faith! Why are you arguing among yourselves about having no bread?
Mat 8:26
But he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.
Mat 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

How is it that one is strong in faith?
NASB ©
biblegateway Rom 4:20
yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,

How is it that one is full of faith?
Act 6:5 The proposal pleased the entire group, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit

How is it that some may be lacking in faith?
Th 3:10 We pray earnestly night and day to see you in person and make up what may be lacking in your faith.

What is meant by proportion to his faith?
Rom 12:6 And we have different gifts 1 according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.

What is meant by having all faith?
1Co 13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Does faith grow?
2Co 10:15 Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you according to our limits,

Is this not a progressive faith?
2Th 1:3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, 1 and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater

2Co 8:7 But as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you – make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.

[Sirus]

Really, so Jesus disciples did not have faith?

Mat 16:8
When Jesus learned of this, he said, “You who have such little faith! Why are you arguing among yourselves about having no bread?
Mat 8:26
But he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm.
Mat 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

These are not about salvation.

How is it that one is strong in faith?
NASB ©
biblegateway Rom 4:20
yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,

Made strong can be one of the meanings of that Greek word -endunamoō. The KJV says 'was strong'. There's no reason either in the OT accounts or the text here to choose a progressive faith.

How is it that one is full of faith?
Act 6:5 The proposal pleased the entire group, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit

Good report. Blameless in all areas. Trustworthy.

How is it that some may be lacking in faith?
Th 3:10 We pray earnestly night and day to see you in person and make up what may be lacking in your faith.

Still had things to learn.

What is meant by proportion to his faith?
Rom 12:6 And we have different gifts 1 according to the grace given to us. If the gift is prophecy, that individual must use it in proportion to his faith.

Everyone will not accomplish the same things.

What is meant by having all faith?
1Co 13:2 And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Can anyone understand all mysteries, and have all knowledge? Of course not. The point being made is that faith w/o words is dead.

Does faith grow?
2Co 10:15 Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you according to our limits,

He needs to move on to take the gospel to others but not until they are established in the faith. When they understand the faith better, he can move on (v16).

Is this not a progressive faith?
2Th 1:3 We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, 1 and rightly so, because your faith flourishes more and more and the love of each one of you all for one another is ever greater

No.

1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
.....................
1Th 1:7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
1Th 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

1Th 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1Th 4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

2Co 8:7 But as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you – make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.

I don't know why you posted this one.

[IsItLove?]

Everyone will not accomplish the same things.

Honestly, this is not an answer to the question.
The idea here is our works are in proportion to our faith.
If our faith is lacking, so are the works.

Can anyone understand all mysteries, and have all knowledge? Of course not. The point being made is that faith w/o words is dead.

Of course, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Granted that would require a great faith, to believe God for such a great thing.
Don't forget, regarding our capacity for good, we have God!

Makes me think, if all anything took was faith without regard to proportion I would have to believe almost no one has faith.
Otherwise I expect we would be seeing at least a few mountains being picked up an thrown into the sea.

He needs to move on to take the gospel to others but not until they are established in the faith. When they understand the faith better, he can move on (v16).

OK, so they continue to grow in faith until established in faith.
Makes sense to me.
But if it was merely about knowledge why would he not just say they need to grow in the knowledge of the faith, so they might have the faith (or an established faith)?
Are you implying that faith grows in proportion to knowledge (could it be)?
Or that those lacking the full knowledge of the faith are lacking the faith, some how not established?

No.

1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
.....................
1Th 1:7 So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
1Th 1:8 For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.

1Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

1Th 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
1Th 4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;

Well yes, our works should flourish when our faith flourishes.
They must be together to bring about life.

I don't know why you posted this one.

Because it says you are to excel in faith, just as in knowledge and love.
The word for excel means: to abound, to overflow, beyond measure also like a bud opening into a full blown flower ( a statement regarding the maturity (perfection) or full to overflowing of faith)

I believe what you are arguing for is a qualitative view of faith, that faith in God through Jesus Christ is the faith.
I am looking at the quantitative, where we must grow, excel and increase in that faith until all doubts, all shrinking back is gone.

[Sirus]

Honestly, this is not an answer to the question.
The idea here is our works are in proportion to our faith.
If our faith is lacking, so are the works.

It is an answer. The answer is that Romans 12 does not speak of a growing or lacking faith. It does not say if all you can do now is x, it's ok, grow and you can do y, grow some more and you can do z. That's not what it says at all. What it says is...

Rom 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Rom 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
Rom 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

Makes me think, if all anything took was faith without regard to proportion I would have to believe almost no one has faith.
Otherwise I expect we would be seeing at least a few mountains being picked up an thrown into the sea.

Happens all the time. Maybe there's a reason you don't see it?

OK, so they continue to grow in faith until established in faith.
Makes sense to me.
But if it was merely about knowledge why would he not just say they need to grow in the knowledge of the faith, so they might have the faith (or an established faith)?
Are you implying that faith grows in proportion to knowledge (could it be)?
Or that those lacking the full knowledge of the faith are lacking the faith, some how not established?

No, 'in the faith' not 'in faith'.
He did tell the church at Corinth it was about knowledge.
Faith doesn't grow. Knowledge does. Take any relationship. As your knowledge about an individual increases you can trust the person more. Trusting more doesn't mean the trust has grown, just that your ability to trust them has grown because of knowledge. The trust remains the same.

Well yes, our works should flourish when our faith flourishes.
They must be together to bring about life.

Their faith did not flourish in themselves to cause their works to flourish. You need to read it again. Their works cause their faith to be known regionally -flourish.

Because it says you are to excel in faith, just as in knowledge and love.
The word for excel means: to abound, to overflow, beyond measure also like a bud opening into a full blown flower ( a statement regarding the maturity (perfection) or full to overflowing of faith)

abound in faith says nothing about faith growing

I believe what you are arguing for is a qualitative view of faith, that faith in God through Jesus Christ is the faith.

I didn't say anything about quality.

I am looking at the quantitative, where we must grow, excel and increase in that faith until all doubts, all shrinking back is gone.

This sounds strange to me. Doubts and shrinking back? What do you mean? Doubts and shrinking back concerning what?