You may be asking the question, “Do I have faith in God?” Often people in the southern United States, where I am from, believe that they are saved but they live worse than unbelievers. They live their lives as if they do not know God and may go to church twice a year on holidays or maybe even weekly but do not live as if God is real. The Bible says that faith without works is dead. How can these people be saved if they do not have works and therefore can not have faith? I would love to help you better understand the Bible. I have read it six times and have a master’s in divinity. Please contact me at any time at johnjr@steeplelesschurch.com. Read about having childlike faith here. There also is a sermon that relates to this topic, if you are interested in watching it please click here.
How is Someone Saved in the Bible?
Salvation comes from belief in God and putting your faith in God. Notice that the person must put their faith in God, not just have intellectual belief alone. Many people intellectually believe in God, but they live their life as if they do not. The people we see in the Bible are often an example of the people we are meant to emulate. Paul, Jesus, almost all the disciples, and many other people were killed for their faith.
That certainly is not the average calling of the Christian in modern-day America but not even changing your lifestyle or being a non-repentant sinner is clearly showing that you do not have faith, or you have so little faith that you will be saved but will be the lowest in heaven. We are not saved by obeying a list of do’s and don’ts, but by grace through faith in Christ. Our salvation is in God’s hands. However, faith without works is dead.
What is Faith?
Faith in the Bible is when a person acts on their belief. You believe that you are a sinner, and that God is the only one that can save you from your sin. The faith that the Christian is called to have is a radical faith. When the person receives salvation, they are to forgo their desires for the desires of God. Faith is much more than intellectual belief, and this is why so many people believe they are saved but are not. The actions that are committed by the Christian are called works in the Bible. Christians are called to do morally good works so that others will see your faith and they will be saved too. This will bring glory to God which is one of the ultimate goals for the life of the Christian. Find out how you can be saved here.
Can I Be Saved by My Actions?
Many times, people feel as if they can be saved if they are a good person or they do enough morally good things. The problem is that the Bible never even suggests that this is possible. I find in my experience that this is a misunderstanding of the holiness of God and putting expectations based on the western culture on the Bible. God is presented in the Bible as perfectly holy in all respects. This means that He is morally right in everything He does. This leads to a problem when humans use their free will to sin.
What Happens When You Sin?
When humans sin they separate themselves from God because He cannot tolerate sin. When sin is committed, it is committed against God; and therefore there must be a punishment or God would not be just. The justice of God requires sin to be paid and therefore no matter how many morally good things are done, the sin must still be paid. Furthermore, many of us in the western culture believe that people are born good and generally most people are morally good. Therefore, good people should be able to go to heaven by default. However, this is not what the Bible says.
The Bible claims that when humans sinned against God they changed and are now in a “fallen state”. This means that they are morally bad because they sin against God. Only through the grace of God can someone be saved. When a person is saved the Holy Spirit is inside of them and the person will do good works because this will be the new nature of the Christian who has put their faith in God. When a person is saved, they become a new creation and by default will do good works.
How Can I Strengthen My Faith?
Certainly, no human is perfect and even after we are saved, we will sin and disobey God. However, we are called to repent of our sin and continue to love God above all else, and love others as ourselves. The life of the Christian is a life of servanthood to others. We are called to serve so everyone will see the love of God and believe. We can strengthen our faith by praying, being in a community, singing worship to God, and reading the Bible. There are more ways than this, but this should be something that all Christians do regularly. Doing these things can help us better understand and encourage us to have more faith. Without praying, the local church, and reading the Bible, almost always the person is not growing in their faith.
How Can I Find a Church?
SteepleLess Church is a church that meets online on zoom and in-person in their own house. This church is a house church movement, and the point is so people can invite their friends and family to learn about God and have community with each other after hearing the sermon on zoom. In this way, the person can learn from a pastor and have a community in their own homes. They can all learn about God together and of course, those who are not Christian are welcome. Anyone from anywhere is welcome. We know that God loves you and we will do our best to love you and show you what the Bible says. If you have any questions, concerns, need prayer, need help, need a friend, etc., please do not hesitate to contact me. johnjr@steeplelesschurch.com
