PRACTICAL LESSONS for UNDERSTANDING the WORD of GOD

A Saving Faith
KEY PASSAGE: Mark 4:35-41 | SuPPorTINg SCrIPTurE: Matthew 6:30; 8:5-10; 16:5-10 | Luke 22:31-32; 24:45-47 John 16:30-31; 20:25-27 | Acts 2:36-38 | Romans 1:28, 32 | Philippians 2:10-11 | James 2:18-19

SUMMARY:
One of the greatest things God has given us cant be bought with money.
We use this gift from Him continually, and the more we exercise it, the better we do with it. What is this great, precious, and powerful fruit of the Spirit? It is faithand God provides it to every person who is rightly related to Him through Jesus Christ. There is so much to learn about trusting our heavenly Father. We are not born knowing how to rely upon Him or understanding the importance of depending on His wisdom and strength. Therefore, we must discover how to do so as we mature spiritually.

Godly faith. This is the condent conviction that whatever the Lord has promised to do, He will absolutely fulll. He has never failed to keep His word, and that will never change. Saving faith. This is dened as trusting in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as the One who provides us with the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of everlasting life. This type of faith involves having a personal relationship with the Lord, renouncing sin, and turning our lives over to Him.

The Grades of Faith

Because of the opposition and persecution they would face, it was important for the disciples to understand what true saving faith was so they could serve God and allow Christ to work through them. Thats why Jesus spent a great deal of time teaching them what it meant to believe and trust in Him. The same is true for us. Thankfully, we can study the different grades of faith Jesus identied to better understand where we are in our relationships with Him. Believers can have:
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SCrIPTuraL PrINCIPLEs:
Three Types of Faith
In order to comprehend what it means to truly trust the Lord, one of the rst things we must do is clarify the meaning of intellectual faith, godly faith, and saving faith. We often hear these terms used interchangeably, but they are not the same. It is crucial for us to understand the distinctions that separate them.
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Intellectual faith. Also commonly referred to as natural faith, this is a type of faith that both Christians and unbelievers can have. It is dened as believing something to be true without proof or commitment. For example, a person can intellectually believe Jesus was a real person who walked the earth, helped others, and performed miracles but not accept the fact that He was the God-man.

No faith. In Mark 4:35-41, we read about a storm that arose one evening as the disciples traveled on the sea. Jesus was sleeping in the stern of the ship, but it the tempest was so terrible that the disciples woke Jesus and exclaimed, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? (v. 38). The question revealed their lack of trust in God. Accordingly, Christ responded, Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? (v. 40). Like them, when we question whether or not God cares about us at all, we demonstrate our lack of faith.
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Little faith. We see this weak trust in God demonstrated in Matthew 16:5-10. The Pharisees and Sadducees had asked Jesus for signs. This is why He told the disciples, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (v. 6). The disciples thought He told them this because they had forgotten to bring food. Christ responded, You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread?(v. 8). Although the disciples had seen Jesus feed 5,000 people and then 4,000 more (vv. 9-10), they were still concerned about their physical provision. In other words, we have little faith when we are focused only on signs and earthly worries instead of learning the greater spiritual principles God wants to teach us. n Great faith. When Jesus met the centurion, it became the perfect opportunity to teach the disciples about great faith (Matt. 8:5-8). The centurion asked Christ to heal his paralyzed servant, and he trusted Jesus word that it would be done. The centurion didnt need signs or evidence of Christs power. This is the reason why Jesus said, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel (v. 10). Like him, when we take Christ at His word and trust Him so completely that we dont require proof that He will fulll His promises to us, we exhibit great faith. n Failing faith. Unfortunately, all of us falter at one point or another. Jesus prophesied that even Simon Peter would experience a faith failure. In Luke 22:31-32, Jesus said, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. In other words, there are forces challenging our faith, and sometimes we will fail to trust God. But even when we do, we are welcome to return to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. Our heavenly Father will even allow us to teach others about His unfailing faithfulness.
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in proportion to how much we trust Him. If we have strong faith, He can entrust us with assignments that will have a greater impact for His kingdom.

Saving faith must come first.

However, we cannot even begin the journeys God has in mind for us if we do not have saving faith. There is a terrible gap between intellectual belief and true trust in God, and that chasm can only be bridged by an intimate relationship with Jesus. When you receive Him as your personal Savior, from that moment, the Holy Spirit will direct and empower you. Also, an individual does not exhibit saving faith if he or she refuses to repent. If a person truly believes that Jesus is his or her Savior, he or she will want to turn away from anything that is inconsistent with who Christ is and how a believer should live. Repentance and faith go hand in hand, and both acknowledge God is sovereign over all things and that He has the right to govern our conduct.

CONCLUSION:
Have you accepted Jesus as your Savior and gained a saving faith, or is your trust in Him merely intellectual? Have you truly repented of your sins and turned away from the actions and attitudes that do not t who you are as child of God? If not, you can trust Jesus as your Savior right now. Just tell Him, Lord Jesus, I believe Youre the Son of God, the One who died on the cross to pay my sin debt in full. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins and empowering me to live a life that honors You. The moment you do, you can be certain youre saved. You will enter into a relationship with Godthe One who always does exactly as He promises.

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A Saving Faith

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The primary reason the Father wants us to have great faith is because we respond to Him

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