7. Saving Faith

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We would direct our correspondent “Tre” to one or two passages of the Word, which, we think, would remove his difficulty. “By Him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:3939And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)). “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God” (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)). The idea of persons believing what God says, and yet having “no interest in the blood,” involves a manifest contradiction. All who believe are justified, and have peace. It does not say, all who believe, “in a certain sense;” but all who believe. The Apostle James says, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith?” (James 2:1414What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? (James 2:14)). He does not ask, “What doth it profit though a man have faith?” An empty profession, a mere head belief, is worth nothing. It is “with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” (Rom. 10). We quite agree with our correspondent, that it would be wrong to say to empty professors, “whose whole walk, temper, spirit, and habit contradict their assertion, ‘Believe that you are saved.’” It would be more charitable to tell them to fear they were very unsafe. But we do not find that a sinner is called upon to believe that he is saved. Paul did not say to the jailer, “Believe that you are saved;” but, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” It is believing the truth concerning the death and resurrection of Christ that saves me, and not the believing something about myself. This distinction is not sufficiently attended to in dealing with souls.