Ask most preachers what their main goal or purpose in preaching is, and the vast majority would agree that it is leading the lost to find true salvation in Christ. They will go to great lengths to try and attain this goal; however, all their Bible studies, witnessing programs, and other evangelical methods continually fall short. I remember all those years of hard work and religious labors, as well as the frustration which accompanied my futility. I finally came to realize that something must be missing. Although today's 'method' of salvation has many missing ingredients, one in particular seems to be often misunderstood by most preachers of today - that is, the necessity of a preacher being sent by God. In order to illustrate the true necessity of being sent by God, we will need to focus on five points from our text: Salvation, Faith, Hearing, Preacher, and Sent. The first four topics will serve as a foundation to help set the focus on being sent by God; therefore, I do not intend to delve into them as much as I would like.
 

As I stated earlier, salvation is our main goal or purpose. To reach that goal, we must first understand that it is the gift of God.

'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' - Romans 6:23

Why is it so important that we understand salvation is the gift of God? The answer lies in the key words 'gift,' - something that is given, and 'of,'- indicating source, origin, or possession. From this we can conclude that not only is salvation something that is given to sinful man, but also that it comes from God, meaning that He has it in His possession. It is important to note this possession, because one can not give something that is not his to give. Therefore, the preacher must operate as an agent under the power and authority of God.

'Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?' - Ecclesiastes 8:4

The preacher may be a great orator, and he may present great truths in a well prepared and organized sermon, but if he is not following the words or commands of the king - that is God, the Possessor of Salvation, then salvation will continue to be just out of reach.
 

If salvation is a gift which is from God, then how does one receive this gift?

'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.' - Ephesians 2:8

The word 'through' here may be pictured as a road, a pathway, or a bridge; it is a way of getting from one place to another. According to the Scriptures, faith is that pathway from lostness to salvation.

'But without faith it is impossible to please him.'
 

Faith is crucial, for without it one cannot receive the gift of salvation from God. So then, what is faith?

'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' - Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not empty words, nor is it sincerity; instead, it actually has substance, or material. It also focuses on hope which may be defined as an expectation of something that is desired. Without hope, faith would not exist. The very presence of faith provides evidence, or proof, of things not seen as yet (see Romans 4:17). Before one can call on God for the gift of salvation he 'must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' Hebrews 11:6

Faith is the substance which gives the lost person the ability to call out to God. Referring back to our text, Romans 10:14, we see that one cannot call on God without first believing. One may possibly see his need for salvation and may even have a desire to obtain it, but without believing that it may be obtained from God, he will not see a need to call out to Him.
 

In order to be saved, one must obtain faith.

'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' - Romans 10:17

Faith comes from hearing. This word 'hearing' in the Greek is 'akoe,' which means not only the sense of hearing with the ears, but also the thing heard, specifically the message of the gospel. Many times we take our hearing for granted and allow things to 'go in one ear and out the other.' However, that is not the way to gain faith. It takes an intense listening, a desire to soak in and understand what is being said.

Many times Jesus started his teachings by saying, "He that hath an ear, let him hear." He would call their attention to what he was about to say. He was not talking about literal ears because all men have them, but that does not mean they wanted to listen to his teachings. Instead, Jesus was calling out to those who had a desire to listen and learn by saying, "Hey, pay attention. What I'm about to say will help you believe!"

Notice that the definition also refers to the thing which is spoken, especially as it relates to the gospel. So then, faith does not come by just paying attention and understanding, but by paying attention and understanding the Truth. It is also worth noting that it is not faith in what is heard, but faith that comes about by what is heard. Remember that faith is the 'evidence of things not seen,' therefore, one can see the importance of hearing.

Our text in Romans reads, 'How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?' The word 'how' means 'in what way or by what manner,' and the word 'not' in the Greek is 'ou,' which is the absolute negative. Together they mean there is absolutely no other means by which one can obtain faith other than through hearing.
 

'How shall they hear without a preacher?' - Romans 10:14.

Here the word 'how' is coupled with the word 'without.' Although it portrays the same idea as the combination of 'how' and 'not' as stated above, the word 'without' in the Greek means 'apart from' or 'besides.' The Scripture is saying that besides the means of preaching, how else can one hear the Gospel? This is not a literal question, but rather one of a rhetorical nature. This means that the writer was not asking if there was another way; instead he was persuading the reader to come to the same conclusion that there was no other way. I am sure that many would argue that there are other ways to hear.

There is a group of people who believe that one may hear and understand simply by reading the Scriptures; after all, they are the Word of God. They focus all of their efforts on getting copies of the Bible in the hands of as many people as possible all around the world. Although I believe it is a good thing for people to have a copy of God's Word in their possession, we must not allow the idea that reading is sufficient to save! In our text, Romans 10:14, the word 'hear' in the Greek is 'akouo,' which means 'to actually hear with the ears what is announced or voiced in one's presence, as well as the thing that comes to one's ears- not one's eyes.'

I am not saying that God can not illuminate the Scriptures and cause one to see his need to repent and be saved. What I am saying is that one must have, at some time or another, heard with his ears the preaching of the Truth, for understanding comes through hearing.

Take a look at Acts 8:26-38. Here we see the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch. Notice in verse 27 that he was a man of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure. This tells us that he was a man of wisdom; otherwise, he would not have been given charge over all of the queen's treasure. Yet with all his wisdom and authority, he still needed to hear the Truth in order to understand it.

'And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.'
 

He was reading from Isaiah and could comprehend enough to know that this was something very important, but he could not get an understanding of it without the preaching of Philip.

'Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.' - Acts 8:35-37

Once the eunuch heard preached the very scriptures he had just read, he soon believed and was saved.

There are also those who believe that you can hear the Truth through music. They often only attend Sunday evening service for the 'Fifth Sunday Singings.' I would also say that most, if not all, of the Christian music industry would fall into this group.

I once visited a large Southern Baptist church for Sunday Morning Worship and felt like I was at a concert with the half-hour show and all the fanfare put on by the music department which left the preacher only fifteen minutes to present the gospel. This is a very large group and easy to fall into, but we must not think that based on the size and the height of emotion that God must be using this to save the lost. In fact, you never see music taking the lead role in the Scriptures; it is always an aid to worship. Instead, God has chosen the 'foolishness of preaching to save them that believe,' according to the apostle Paul in I Corinthians 1:21
 

So, God has chosen to use preaching in order that the lost may hear the truth and believe in Christ that they might be saved. The world seems to be flooded with a multitude of preachers, so why do we not see multitudes of people finding true salvation? The answer is often overlooked, for an overwhelming desire and ambition to help the lost tends to blind preachers and cause them to try and 'attack the fires of Hell with a water pistol.'

I am trying to be optimistic by blaming a desire and ambition for souls, when the sad truth is many preachers will compromise the truth in an effort to 'up their baptism stats,' and make them look more successful among their colleagues.

'Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.' - Matthew 9:38

Looking at the great harvest, it is easy to want to run ahead of God. But notice that Jesus said we should pray that God would send forth labourers. For years I understood this verse to mean that we should pray for God to call more men into the ministry. However, the verse says send, and calling and sending are total opposites. When God calls one into a ministry, he is calling him out from where he is so that he might come under God's teaching and be prepared to be sent. This is evidenced by Jesus' actions while here on earth. He called his disciples to come and follow him. He then spent about three years teaching them and preparing them before He sent them forth with a specific calling or commission (see Matthew 28:19&20.) Therefore, one must wait on God to give a personal commission specifically to him. Verse 15 of our text communicates this same idea by stating, 'How shall they preach, except they be sent?'

Often the word 'preach' is taken too lightly, whereas here it is the Greek word 'kerusso,' which means 'to herald, to publish, and to proclaim, especially as pertaining to the Gospel of Christ.' So far that sounds like the commonly understood definition of the word preach. However, when this particular Greek word for 'preach,' or 'preacher' is used, it is 'always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed' (Thayer's definition.)

So this verse implies that preaching with power and authority which must be listened to and obeyed comes from being sent. By using the word 'except' which is simply defined as 'unless,' it implies that there is no other way. In other words, one cannot preach with power and authority unless he is sent.

Take for an example Paul who was saved and called to preach to the Gentiles in Acts 9 but in chapter 13 we find him as a member of the church in Antioch. As they ministered unto the Lord in verse 2, we find God speaking through the agent of the Holy Ghost and saying, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." First they were called, then, after years of preparing and ministering unto the Lord, they were sent by God to do that which he had called them to do.

Soon they came across a sorcerer named Elymas who tried to thwart the work of God. In verses 9 through 12, we see Paul preaching in the power of the Holy Ghost which resulted in Elymas being blinded and Sergius Paulus believing unto salvation. That is a great display of the power of God which came as a result of a called man of God waiting to be sent by the word and power of the Holy Ghost.

In conclusion let us look back on what has been discussed. Salvation is the gift of God. Since God is the only one who has possession of salvation, he is the only one with the right and ability to give it. Therefore, one must call on God to receive that gift. However, one cannot call on someone unless he first believes that someone can actually help. That belief or faith comes by hearing; not necessarily belief in the thing heard, but by what is heard. In other words, hearing that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him helps to produce faith that diligently seeking God will lead to the reward of salvation.

Also, we have seen that it is impossible for one to hear the Truth of the Gospel without a preacher, for God has 'chosen the foolishness of preaching' instead of reading or singing 'to save them that believe.'

Finally, we found that preaching which produces saving faith is not merely presenting a message, but it is presenting the message with power and authority which must be listened to and obeyed. This powerful preaching comes as a direct result of being sent by God through a specific and personal sending as seen in the lives of Paul and Barnabas in Acts. There is no other way or means by which one can preach with power and authority which leads to real salvation unless he is sent by God. - Mark Fuqua
 
 

Today in the wide scope of our Baptist denomination there is a battle that is raging that no physical eye can see. In our so-called Christianity many have forsaken the truths of the Bible. The question is, 'Do we hear the truth of salvation proclaimed in its authenticity?' It seems that in the realm of religion all seems right and none speak lies. However, the reality is, some people are wrong. Salvation is being twisted by men thinking like men. They are watering down the gospel and not seeing what God thinks about it.

The big misconception about salvation is the fact that it is being looked on at a fleshly level. Salvation cannot be based upon appearance. The experience itself is an intimate transaction between the sinner and the Savior. In viewing the witness's testimony, one can only look for the ingredients in the working of the Spirit, having hope that this person has truly met the God of salvation. Ingredients meaning the things in which God, not man, has worked by his Spirit. Bible salvation requires an act of repentance, faith in the Lord Jesus, and the Savior's manifested presence made known, all being a work of God through the Spirit.

For repentance to work there must first be an act of sorrow brought on of a godly sort. The work called godly sorrow is one of the most misunderstood processes of Holy Spirit conviction and sometimes is not even recognized as a work God must do to help a person to the point of repentance. Looking to God's word, let us bring out this part of the work of salvation and see what God has to say about godly sorrow. Human effort tends to lean toward the physical side too much in examining one's so-called salvation experience. Things like a public profession, walking an aisle, or actions indicating that one has experienced salvation are examples of human effort. The most noted are the sorrowful person wanting to make it right or the one who cried for hours in agony. Paul describes sorrow and its work in salvation in II Corinthians seven.
 
 
 
 
 

The message to the Corinthians by Paul
 

In the first letter to the church of Corinth, Paul is straightening them out on certain issues. In the time between the first and second letter, he receives word by his messenger on how they received his first letter. Now we can understand what he says in the second letter to the Corinthians in the seventh chapter.

In the first few verses he reminisces of old times when he and others preached unto them the gospel. He went on to say that they received it. Then he talks about the first letter and the work it did in their hearts. He says that they desired to take heed to what he had to say to them. He goes on to say that he rejoiced over the sorrow they had and he was not sorry to have grieved them, yet in some degree he did. The greatness of the letter was the effect it had on them. They got right by sorrowing to repentance over what they had done wrong.
 

The meaning of godly sorrow contained in the text
 

In this statement by Paul in the II Corinthians we can set a stage for a word study and look at this ingredient missing in salvation called godly sorrow.

II Corinthians 7:10 says, 'For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.' The scripture says godly sorrow works repentance and that worldly sorrow brings death. There are two different sorrows and only one is true. The worldly sorrow in the Greek is the word lupe which means sadness, grief, and heaviness. It is made different when adding worldly or godly to the word sorrow. It is better to deal with worldly sorrow first and end with the better, godly sorrow.

The word 'worldly' comes from the Greek word 'kosmos,' which means 'decoration.' This worldly sorrow would have to be fleshly sorrow. Flesh is always dealing with the outward appearance, like decorations. Jesus was always preaching on the kingdom of heaven and would often bring out the world being an opposing view. So, you cannot bring flesh into spiritual matters like Romans 8:5-9 where it says, 'For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.'

An example being one who was so excited to tell how a person they knew just got saved. The other person, who more carefully judges the experience of salvation, questions the ingredients in salvation. The joyful person, with good tidings and a softened voice said they were broken. The next question brought up to the joyful individual by the careful person is what were they broken over? Was this a brokeness over the sin in their like, the gap between them and the God of Heaven, or just the fear of death without forgiveness? The question noted is, what brought on the work and did it really yield the blessed fruit of repentance?

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth about their sinful condition. The Corinthians had sinned and Paul laid those sins out before them in his letter. The reason that Paul could say they had done well is because of the impact it had on them. The response which Paul rejoiced over was godly sorrow. If they did not get right, they would have responded with worldly sorrow, which would not have been good.

The scripture says the flesh has no good in it. Worldly sorrow, or the sorrow of the flesh, does not bring about repentance. The mind set of this world is to go in one's own direction. To be told to follow is losing one's own will to do their own thing. To inherit eternal life one must turn from their own ways - you lose your life. Worldly sorrow is a cry baby wanting his way plus fire insurance.

When an alarm goes off, in a building full of people, there can be several responses given. Some may plead for escape, some may freeze in fear, some may not even hear the warning, and others may try escape in their own ways. If instructions were to come giving directions for the escape, the people in desperate need would follow the instructions given to escape. The others would burn in their own self efforts or the lack of effort.

We have an example of a response given in every gospel, except John, about a rich young ruler who came to Christ seeking the way to inherit eternal life. He asked the Lord how to inherit the Kingdom. Christ asked if he had kept the law. He righteously proclaimed that he had kept it since his youth. Jesus said that is great, but you lack one thing - give all you have to the poor and come follow me. His response, in Matthew, was that he went away sorrowful because he had great possessions. In Mark, he became sad at the instructions given by Christ and went away grieved because he had great possessions. When he heard the way of salvation in Luke it is recorded that he was very sorrowful for he was very rich.

This man wanted to know how to receive eternal salvation. With pride he could answer boldly to Christ that he had fulfilled all the demands of the law, but when Christ asked him to forsake all to follow he could not accept the task. With the instruction given his response was of sorrow, but it got him nowhere with Christ because he did not sell all to follow. Even when instruction has been given and sorrow follows, if one is not willing to respond by asking for help upon the instruction given then there is no evidence that the sorrow was of a godly sort. Had it been godly sorrow the person would have responded to the instruction given and repentance would have occurred. Worldly sorrow can look identical to godly sorrow, yet it has no given fruits of repentance.

Now there is another sorrow that brings repentance and that is the sorrow of a godly sort. The word godly in the Greek has two different words, 'theos,' and 'kata.' 'Theos,' meaning 'godly or godward,' has more intensity when adding' kata,' which means 'more excellent, far more exceeding.' When we say godly sorrow it means 'sorrow toward God, or godward to the intensity beyond measure.' It is not a simple sob story or tear-jerking experience. It is an in-tensive sorrow toward the God of salvation.

Jesus describes in John sixteen the same type of sorrow, but compares it to the birth pains of a mother in labor. He began to tell of His departure in John sixteen and around verse seventeen the disciples began to talk among themselves of the thought of Him leaving. He knew about the reasoning among them and spoke up about their thoughts. This is when he began to describe what would happen when he left. He said the disciples would weep at His departure and the world would rejoice. He then went on to say that their sorrow will turn to rejoicing. Questioning thoughts arose to why their hearts would be in sorrow and then turn into joy.

In June of nineteen, ninety-eight, I set off to Blue Mountain College in hopes of fulfilling my dreams which God had put in my heart. The desire was to preach and help others to desire the love of Christ.

In going that direction, I ran into a wise man who pointed out my failures that would hinder me from accomplishing my desire. I needed Christ in my own life to help others. I later realized that I was lost and I began to seek after God. In December of 1998, I met the God of my salvation.

When I came to the reality, during my time of lostness, that I did not have God, a hole in my heart became deeper and deeper. Just as the disciples, the thought of not having Christ with me was something I could not live with.

The night I got saved I remember God showing up and telling me about the deep empty hole in my life. With all my heart I began to weep and lament. This was not a sorrow that was of this world, but was godward. From the depths of my heart came a sorrow toward God for Him to fill the empty hole with His love.

The disciples lived in a hard time of transition. They were with Christ, but they were about to lose Him. John 16:7 says, 'Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.' Through Christ's leaving, it became possible for Him to live in the hearts of all men who repented and believed. So Christ Himself also described the sorrow that was toward God as being the need for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We see this sorrow is directed toward God due to a need for Him, as in the hands of a child reaching out to be held. The words 'worldly,' and 'godly,' show two very distinct differences when adding them to the word sorrow.
 
 
 
 
 

The motivation sorrow had to repentance
 

In further examination the better sorrow of a godly sort, we can see the outcome of having godly sorrow. When we look back at II Corinthians, we see Paul's heart - he wanted the Corinthians to get right. As a result of his letter, they had an obedient attitude, sorrowing with a heart like Christ's. They wanted to get right and Paul, upon hearing of their sorrow, knew they had an obedient attitude. II Corinthians 7:7 says, 'And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more.'

There is another reference from the Romans who once were sinners, but after they were called to repentance they obeyed being made free from sin.

Romans 6:17-23 says, 'But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'

There was an active response given by them not only hearing truth, but receiving truth that was given. You will find that obedience is the attitude that will get you to where you can repent. You must have a broken and contrite heart. In order to get you to a point of sorrow, there must be reproval that occurs to show you who you really are.

Hebrews 12:11 says, 'Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.'

We can tell by the person's reaction to the reproval whether they truly had godly sorrow and repented. After receiving truth, did one obey and respond to repentance or did they cry after being disciplined because they had been caught?

A personal experience can better explain this work of obedience. In my marriage, God has, on occasions, promptly reminded me of my accountability. In an argument, I had 'weasled' my way out of the blame to say, 'I am sorry, but...'

My wife tried to show me that I was doing that, but it was God who had to break me of this. God one day said, 'Son, I do not remember you, on the day you repented, saying, I am sorry but...' I fell to my knees and asked God to break me of my fleshly stupidity.

As a child, I had always shifted my accountability somewhere other than my own self. There are times we must grow up and accept the responsibility. You have sinned and with that you must sorrowfully take the blame. Just as I needed help to be obedient so is help needed in salvation. Salvation is of God not of man and it is not in man to repent.

Jeremiah 10:23-25 says, 'O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. O LORD, correct me, but with judgment; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name: for they have eaten up Jacob, and devoured him, and consumed him, and have made his habitation desolate.' It takes obedience to the truth to be sorry and repent.

Sorrow is not only an emotion made godward, it also works certain things. Sorrow can be seen outwardly or inwardly. In either case, on the inside there are things at work.

II Corinthians 7:11 says, 'For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.'

We see godly sorrow at work on the inside of a person. Paul said, "behold..." In other words, 'look at this. When you sorrowed, see what it worked in you.' Carefulness is a good thing that worked in the hearts of the people at the church of Corinth.

This word in the Greek is funny when looked at. It means 'speed or diligence.' To hear the word carefulness you tend to think it would be something slow and calm. May I remind you that we are dealing with the spiritual and not physical. This is your soul, and godly sorrow is working diligence. When you hear the instruction that there must be carefulness worked in you, you must say to yourself, "I have to get this thing right." It should put you seeking for answers for your helpless estate.

On the day of Pentecost God was setting the stage for a mighty day of salvation. The disciples were waiting on God. When God moved on them, they were obedient. They then preached with power from on high like they never had before. People of different tongues, proselytes (religious folks,) and others that saw Jesus, heard the instruction of the disciples preaching the blessed truth that Jesus saves. Out of this instruction came carefulness from those who heard and out of their mouth came the question, "What must we do to be saved?" Godly sorrow brings a carefulness that is diligent.

Not only did it work carefulness, but the clearing of a person. The word 'clearing' is the Greek word 'apologia,' which is where we get the word 'apology.' It also carries another meaning which basically is 'to give an account, as legal terms.'

In the work by the Spirit in godly sorrow, there will be a time for you to give an account. You will stand in defense on the charge of Adam's fall. You will become a convicted felon to the God of heaven. You will find out that there is no way out of this charge. You are found without excuse and must face the verdict of the righteous judge. Clearing of self is to bring you down to reality that you are not worthy of life. This clearing is coming to judgement before actually being judged.

I Peter 4:5,6 says, 'Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.'

You receive instruction from God's preached word, godly sorrow starts its work, you wake up to the matter, you are accused and then the indignation sets in. Indignation is to be displeased. Displeased with the way you are and what you will become. This is a good work to make you needy for God's help in your life. A person cannot get saved being pleased with their self. That is to say that a person filled with pride cannot get saved. Be as the thief hanging with Jesus on the cross. Be numbered with the transgressors and be who you are, a miserable mess that only God can save.

Luke 5:32 says, 'I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'

There is more to godly sorrow than hating yourself. There also comes fear. It is not the fear, as in the movie, of being left behind when the rapture takes place, nor is it the fear felt after going to a play where people died who did not have the opportunity to make a decision for Christ.

This fear comes after you have woken up, been accused, and seen you unworthiness. This fear is seeing that you cannot inherit eternal life based on any goodness on your part.

Romans 9:15,16 says, 'For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.'

After fear comes a vehement desire, an intensive craving. After godly sorrow has worked all these things, there comes a craving to have God. You cannot go through the other things worked and stop after fear. There will come a vehement desire as did on the woman to get to God for help.

Mark 5:27,28 says, 'When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.'

In Corinthians, Paul goes on to say that godly sorrow worked zeal and revenge. Before it was over, the people of the church at Corinth wanted to get it made right.

Lately God has taught me some things that were very evident in my life. One is that it is through grace that I was born in a God fearing and God believing home, it is through grace I heard the preached word, and it is grace that God would work in me to get me to godly sorrow where I could repent.

There are several different denominations, beliefs, ideas, philosophies, and theologies on how one must be saved. Some of their methods are different, and some are the same. Taking this one ingredient that God must work, we see that many sects of the realm of religion can have differing opinions, or no opinion at all on godly sorrow.

The truth of salvation is that you must be shown by God you are lost and seek after His presence. After godly sorrow works in you to repent, He then can manifest Himself, and there you can fall, in faith, on His manifested presence. To repent is to turn form all aspects of you own ways and turn to God for help. You are to believe that He is and a rewarder to them that diligently seek Him. God must help you to repent because it is not in man to repent. That is why God sends His Spirit to convict you (show you that you are lost) and fully persuade you to sorrow to repentance. It is not an emotion brought on by easy-believism or decisional regeneration. Godly sorrow is God's work that helps you see your need for help that you would cry out for mercy, trusting in Him to cleanse you and make you a new creature. - Phillip Cox
 
 

The purpose of this paper is to approach, and attempt to explain, the subject of repentance in salvation from a simple man's point of view.

To begin, I would like to look at what 'repentance' means. Repentance simply means 'a change of mind,' and, in reference to salvation, 'a change for the better.' You know that you probably change your mind every day. For example, take a diabetic who is thinking about eating a hot fudge sundae. As he is considering eating it he begins to think about how miserable he will feel after he eats it as well as the physical damage it will do to his body. After considering these things, he changes his mind, or repents and decides to eat a sugar-free yogurt instead. He repents from something bad for him, the sundae, unto something better, a sugar-free yogurt.

Repentance in salvation is like this example except that it deals with the spiritual instead of the physical. Acts 2:38 puts it this way, "Repent . . . and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (or salvation)." So, in both cases repentance is a change of mind from one thing to another thing, salvation.

Now let's look at what you repent from (the hot fudge sundae), since we see that you repent to salvation (the sugar-free yogurt). Ultimately what are you thinking that you need to change your mind about? To deal with this question let's go to the scriptures.

In Matthew 3, John the Baptist is dealing with basically two groups, publicans and sinners, and scribes and Pharisees. Let's look at the scribes and Pharisees, who had similar thoughts about God. In verse eight of this chapter John asked the Pharisees to 'bring forth fruits meet for repentance.' A good definition for fruit here is 'that which originates or comes from something, an effect or result.' The result, or fruit, of an apple tree is an apple. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:16 that 'ye shall know them by their fruits.'

In Matthew 3:7 John does this by examining the Pharisees' fruits. He calls this group a 'generation of vipers.' In other words, he says they are the offspring of snakes. 'Snakes' denotes cunning, wicked, and dangerous men.

Remember that repentance is a 'change of mind.' The Pharisees needed a change of mind - their thoughts, the hot fudge sundae, needed to be changed.

According to Matthew 3:9, they thought being Jews made them worthy because Abraham was their father. If you think that you are worthy of salvation because your parents or grandparents are saved or because of who they are - you definitely need a change of mind. The Bible clearly states in I Corinthians 15:50 that '... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God...'

In John 5:39, we find this same group thinking that their knowledge of the scriptures granted them eternal life. Jesus tells them in this same verse to, 'Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.' Life comes from a person, not from word only. If you take pride in your knowledge of the scriptures be careful, you may need a change of mind.

This group also thought that man's work of righteousness merited salvation. They taught it as well. They were the teachers of the law. Jesus, however, came in Matthew 23:3-4, and told them they were teaching the law without doing it themselves. He also said they were adding to the law things that were impossible for any man to do and that they were not even attempting to do them themselves. They were talkers and not doers.

In verse 13, Jesus calls them hypocrites. They should have heeded Isaiah's words of chapter 64:6, when he said, 'but we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.'

Back in Matthew 23:5, Jesus told them that their motives were wrong, 'but all their works they do for to be seen of men...' They did it all to be seen of men, not really caring what God thought of them. If you think that your many works, church attendance, teaching, or even preaching merits you anything with God you need to repent, or change your mind. Be careful here, you may be like the ones Jesus was talking to in Matthew 7:22-23, who will say, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?"

"And then (the Lord says) will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity."

Paul says it well while talking to this group in the book of Romans. In Romans 9:31-32 we read, 'But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? (or why?). Because they sought it not by faith (work of God) but as it were by the works of the law.'

In Matthew 23:6 we also find this group loving their life instead of God's life. It states, as in other verses such as Mark 12:38, and Luke 11:43, that they loved the uppermost seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets. They loved their self-righteous lives, because it puffed them up with pride.

In John 11:44 we see them wanting to do away with the Lord, because they feared He would take away their place. They loved their place, or lives. My friend, if you are in a place of religious leadership, make sure you do not love it more than God Himself. John 12:38 says, "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."

Now let's take a look at the publicans and sinners. These also needed a change of mind over the same things. Their sins were different in that they are not as religious as the other group. They did not attend church and some did not even claim to know God. However, I believe they did not see the seriousness of their sins.

Look at Galatians 5:19-21, where it says, 'Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.'

Romans 6:23 says this, 'For the wages of sin is death...'

A sinner out in the world must repent, or change his mind, about his sin. Just as I expect my wages due for the work I do, so can a sinner expect death for the wages of his sin. Be sure, if you continually live a lifestyle of sin, you will just as surely receive the wages of it.

Galatians 6:7-8 says, 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption...'

Now let's recap so we can be sure what the hot fudge sundae represents or what exactly one repents from. First, we talked about how you may need to change your mind about thinking that you have salvation because of who your parents are. Second, we saw people thinking that because they knew the scriptures so well, they must be saved. Third, we looked at man's good works to be saved. Fourth, we saw the Pharisees thinking wrong again. They thought their places of religious leadership guaranteed them salvation. Then, finally, the publicans simply thought they could sin and get away with it. Well, here are at least five things we can see that one needs to repent of, or turn from.

Did you notice that all these were things that they thought? Let's go over our definition again. Repentance is simply a change of mind (thinking), turning or repenting from something that is bad for you to something that is good for you. Man's ways or thoughts are bad for him.

Proverbs 14:12 says, 'There is a way which seemeth right unto a man , but the end thereof are the ways of death.' We need to get in the ways of God.

Look at Acts 20:21, 'Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' What is it that is good for us? It is getting out of our ways, that seemeth right, and getting into God's ways, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, so we can enter unto salvation.

In closing, I would just like to say that repentance is an issue between God and man. Man needs to repent, or change his mind, about who he really is (wicked) and change his mind about who God really is, the Judge. John the Baptist knew this well. He said it all in John 3:30-31, 'He (Christ) must increase, but I (man) must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.'

God is not only above all but the one with whom we have to do. The scriptures say in Hebrews 4:13, 'Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.' Man must realize that he will stand before God in judgement.

Hebrews 9:27 says, 'And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement:' Somewhere man has to be humbled and realize that his thoughts and ways are wrong and find out what God has to say.

In Isaiah 55:7-9 the scriptures say, 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.'

God is higher and above all of us. I must decrease and He must increase. The disciples asked the Lord Jesus one day, who then can be saved? He said that with man it is impossible but not with God. This decreases man even more. You see, if a man ever realizes that he cannot figure it out, fears God and needs God to save him (which is a repentant attitude) it will be God who grants it to him.

Acts 5:31 says, 'Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.'

Acts 11:18 says, 'When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.'

Finally, in II Timothy 2:25-26 it says, 'In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.' Man is reduced to nothing and God is exalted as all powerful.

John the Baptist said in John 1:27, 'He (the Lord Jesus) it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.' This was the attitude of repentance John was looking for in the Pharisees that day and this is the change of mind that, if true, will produce fruit meet for repentance.

I hope you now have a better understanding of what repentance in salvation is. Let me ask you these questions now: Have you ever repented? Have you ever examined the scriptures to find God's way, abandoned your own thoughts and ways and got into His? Have you repented and had faith toward the Lord Jesus?
 

The doctrine of repentance is one of the central doctrines concerning salvation. I want to look at what repentance is, but before I do that I want to emphasize the importance of repentance. If one understands how crucial repentance is in salvation, he should be more likely to be serious in the examination of it, and the attention he gives to it. Because repentance is a fundamental element of salvation, one must be careful to make certain it is found in his own salvation experience.

To see that repentance is of the utmost importance, we need only look to the opening chapters of the New Testament where we see John the Baptist proclaiming the necessity of repentance. The fact that the New Testament opens with an emphasis on repentance, in itself, demonstrates to us the importance of repentance.

In Matthew 3:1-2, we read, 'In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

In Mark 1:4, we find that, 'John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.'

Luke 3:3, tells us, 'And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;'

Three things of significance regarding John ought to be noted which reinforce the importance of, and the necessity of repentance in salvation.

First, we know from John 1:6, that John the Baptist was 'sent from God.' This gives us confidence that his message was from God as well. God did not merely send John to preach, but sent him with a specific message and purpose. This sending alone should convince us of the significance of what John preached. Romans 10:13-15 stresses the importance of a sent preacher in order for individuals to be saved. Therefore, there should be no doubt that the message the sent preacher brings would be essential as well.

Secondly, we find that John was sent for the express purpose of 'preparing the way of the Lord.' This is seen in the same three passages presented above regarding John being sent by God.
 

Matthew 3:3, says, 'For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'

Mark 1:3, reads, 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord , make his paths straight,'

Luke 3:4, says, 'As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord , make his paths straight,'

If John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, surely we would not presume that the content of his message was not important!

Third, the scriptures make it clear that John was faithful in his work, because Jesus, the One he was to prepare the way for, came preaching the very same message as John.

In Matthew 4:17, we read, 'From that time Jesus began to preach , and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Mark 1:14-15, reads, 'Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.'

Jesus preaching the same message as John gives evidence that John did not merely preach whatever he felt like, but preached what he had been sent by God to preach: he preached repentance.

A further proof that the doctrine of repentance is central to salvation is seen in Jesus preaching the identical message to that of John as we have just set forth. In fact, Jesus' main purpose in coming to earth was, in part, to 'call sinners to repentance.' This can be seen by reading Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17, and Luke 5:32.

The scriptures clearly teach the principle that two witnesses in agreement establish the truth of what is told. Surely one cannot deny that Jesus, in preaching the same message that John had preached, verified that John was faithful in what he had preached.

Jesus also endorsed John and his ministry and message directly and plainly, when He said in Matthew 11:11, 'Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.'

Jesus also preached, according to Luke 13:3, that any who would not repent would 'perish' as a result. The importance of His statement was emphasized just two verses later when He repeats it. Since a failure to repent leads to one's doom, it would necessarily follow that repentance holds a most significant place among the doctrines of salvation.

The incentive for a sinner to repent should become even greater when he realizes that the perishing Jesus spoke of was not a mere ceasing to exist. If the grave was the end, there may a temptation for men to ask, "So what? Everybody dies, even the saved."

In His preaching, Jesus made it clear that the individual who did not repent would continue to be, in the sense that they would have a physical body and a consciousness or awareness, but they would exist in a tormented state. This would be in a place of flame, darkness, continual wailing, and eternal separation from God. This existence was referred to as the 'second death,' although individuals do not literally cease to exist. Amazingly, there would be an eternal consciousness while in a condition called death. This certainly ought to emphasize why repentance is to be considered central to the doctrine of salvation.

From all that has been set out above, we can see that repentance is of great importance, and we now look to what repentance is.

There are two main words in the Bible which have been translated 'repent,' or some variation of it, such as 'repenting(s),' 'repented,' and 'repentance.' These words are used over 105 times in the Old and New Testaments.

The main New Testament word is, in its essence, 'a change of mind, generally for the better, and accompanied by a change in actions.' This change of mind is brought on by 'sorrow,' or 'being sorry.' The predominant Old Testament word actually has two meanings, seemingly very different from each other.

The words and context of their use which concerns us most, as they related to salvation will, of course, be found in the New Testament. Repentance, while it is spoken of in the Old Testament, is different than in the New Testament. In fact, the majority of the times the word repent is used in the Old Testament, it is God who is said to repent of His intention to destroy an individual or nation.

In the New Testament is where we find emphasis placed on man's repentance. Acts chapter 17, tells us that God 'winked at,' or 'tolerated,' man's ignorance in the Old Testament times, but in our time commands 'all men everywhere to repent.' While God tolerated man's ignorance toward repentance in the Old Testament times, this certainly does not mean these individuals were right with Him, or what we would call 'saved.' It is merely that Gentiles were left to themselves or to become proselytes to Judaism.

Certainly men repented in the Old Testament times, but it was not as deep a work nor one which led to as profound a change in those who repented as in our day. Repentance did not lead to a 'habitation of the Spirit of God,' as repentance unto salvation does today. There was a change in attitude as well as actions in those who repented, but there was no 'new creature,' or 'new creation,' as is produced by salvation and regeneration. Individuals under the Old Testament economy were kept by fear of stoning or divine judgement rather than the Spirit dwelling within. There was always a danger of one 'backsliding,' or 'repenting of repentance' so to speak. This is why in the New Testament we find that 'godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of.' True salvation today leads to the Spirit of God indwelling the believer and keeping him unto the day of redemption.

A saved individual in our day cannot backslide in the same sense as those under the old covenant. He will persevere to the end. A wrong understanding of salvation has led to a wrong teaching in regards to backsliding. One may stumble occasionally, but he will not return to the old ways for extended periods of time if he has truly repented unto salvation! Space prohibits dealing in detail with this subject here.

The first time a Hebrew word is translated 'repent' in the Bible, interestingly enough, is in Genesis 6:6, where it is said that the LORD repented that He had made man. The word used in that passage is an interesting word because, as stated above, it carries differing thoughts.

In Genesis 6, the word surely means that God was grieved that He had made man because of what Adam and Eve did. In fact, the same verse tells us just that; 'And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.' Even as in the New Testament, the word implies a feeling of sorrow leading to a change of mind and which produces a change in action(s). God said he was grieved that man had been created and He decided that He would destroy His creation. Had God been a man, He would have done so. Of course, we know that God did destroy nearly all of mankind. The only reason God spared Noah, was because of His purpose to showcase grace.

The same Hebrew word was first used in Genesis 5:29, where we read, 'And he called his name Noah, saying. This [same] shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.' The word is translated 'comfort' in that verse, referring to why Lamech named his son Noah, which means 'rest,' or 'comfort.'

One might wonder how the same word can mean both 'to grieve,' or 'be sorry,' and also 'to be comforted.' I believe that this is because when one truly repents and begins to see things as God intended, it leads to comfort or rest. This is certainly true in salvation. The soul in need of repentance is at odds with God and has no rest. When individuals grieve over their sin and repent and turn to God in faith, they get salvation which produces rest. This idea will be shown when we look at 'repentance unto salvation.' Even in the temporal sense, the grieving process in us is that which God designed to lead to a rest in troubling times. The shedding of tears is a 'cleansing' and 'healing process.' We will look at this when addressing 'godly sorrow,' and 'worldly sorrow,' as they relate to salvation.

As stated earlier, the majority of times repentance is spoken of in the Old Testament, God is the One associated with the word. One of the few times repentance is spoken of in the Old Testament regarding man, is found in Jeremiah 31:19, where Ephraim said, 'Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon [my] thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.'

This actually is likely a prophetical passage dealing with Israel as a nation repenting in the last days, and not Ephraim the son of Jacob. Ephraim was long dead when this was written.

In Ezekiel 14:6, God commanded the people of Israel to repent, telling them, 'Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn [yourselves] from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.'

Again, in Ezekiel 18:30-32, He says, 'Therefore I will judge you, 0 house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, 0 house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye.'

This passage gives us the clearest view of repentance seen in the Old Testament. Upon initial reading, it might appear that repentance in the Old Testament times was a work that the individual was able to, and even expected to, perform by his own effort. If we look at how God dealt with men in the Old Testament, much emphasis was placed on the responsibility of man to perform what God had told him to do. Notice in this passage from Ezekiel 18, that God tells Israel to 'make you a new heart and a new spirit.' This sounds as if it was up to men to do this in their own strength. That is not to say that men in the Old Testament actually were expected to do so, for they could not do so any more than we are able to do so today. But it is clear that most of what we know today of God's grace was hidden in the Old Testament. This is spoken of in the new Testament as the mystery in Romans 16:25, where we read, 'Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of

Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:' Part of the mystery was that the power to establish, or enable the individual to repent and believe, was of God, so individuals struggled under the law to perform God's commandments in the flesh. They attempted to overcome sin through fleshly means. This is how they perceived serving God was to be accomplished.

It is likely that this was what was responsible, in part at least, for the Pharisees' attitudes towards others. They felt as if they had wrought some great work in themselves to get to where they were. As a result of this, they prided themselves on their own accomplish-ments and looked down on those who had not done the same. They disdained those who were still captivated by their sinful life, as if they had power to overcome it.

This presumed ability is also likely what motivated Abram to go in unto Hagar at first to produce a seed. God made a promise, but Abram felt it was his place to make it happen. The difference between Abram and the Pharisees was that Abram found out he couldn't do what God had said, and the Pharisees thought they had done it. Abram reached a point where he had to see his own inability, which made him totally dependent on God's performance. That he arrived at this place of total dependence on God is made clear in the book of Romans, where we read in chapter 16, verses 16-22, 'Therefore [it is] of faith, that [it might be] by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he \vas able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.'

From the above passage we find that although the concept of grace was not as clear to individuals in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament, they still received grace when they came to end of themselves and discovered that they could not perform what God demanded. That is why they needed a promised Saviour. This is when they actually realized the significance of the promised Messiah, and this is why the publicans and sinners gladly heard and received the words of Jesus. It was at this point they were enabled by God to repent, even as men are today.

Lest one should get the wrong idea here, it needs to be pointed out that not all of the publicans and sinners received Jesus gladly. It was those who had struggled to repent on their own and found themselves unable to do so that fell into the above category. There were times when Jesus was unable to do much in certain areas because of this. There was no faith, because there was no need for a Saviour.

Before we become too critical of those in the Old Testament, it should also be pointed out that, even today, if the truth regarding man's inability to perform is not made clear to the sinner, he will still presume he is to perform salvation himself. This will lead him to try to do so. In fact, even when the truth in this regard is preached, most will still try to repent and believe on their own. Man is by nature a worker, and has been misled throughout time that this is how it is supposed to be.

One of the main problems in the churches today with regards to this is due to the continuing influence of the preaching of Charles Finney, who believed in the ability of man to entirely obey the commandments of God. Finney preached that God could not demand from man anything which man was unable to perform. He was wrong, of course. God demanded perfect obedience to demonstrate to man that he needed a Saviour for the very reason that it was impossible for man to measure up to it on his own.

This influence is so subtle today, that most do not even realize that it is there, or where it originated. But one need only look at the practices employed at the altar when dealing with sinners to realize that there is an unspoken presumption that a sinner has a natural ability.

We know that repentance in the Old Testament did not lead to an indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God as it does today. However, it certainly must have worked faith in those who repented as seen by the fact that Abraham had faith, and he is 'the father of us all,' if we walk in his steps. That is, in his steps of following God as a result of believing what God had said to him.

While there seems to have been a veiling of the necessity of God enabling an individual to repent and believe in the Old Testament, there was no doubt even to those under the law what repentance actually was. Again, looking at Ezekiel 14:6, and 18:30-32, God told Israel to repent of 'idol worship,' 'iniquity,' 'transgressions,' and 'abominations.' Israel was to leave all that was against, or contrary to God.

Repentance has always involved a turning away from that which is 'sin' and whatsoever is associated with sin. We find from this that repentance is a directional word. If one turns away from something, they will, of necessity, turn to something else. It is impossible to 'turn away from something' while 'turning to nothing.'

When individuals turn from sin, they turn to righteousness; when they turn from disobedience, they turn to obedience, when they turn from death, they turn to life. This is seen in Romans 6:16, where it says, 'Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?'

An individual will necessarily be turned in the direction of one or the other. When one turns from darkness, he turns to light - Acts 26:18, 'To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.'

Repentance is the act whereby this turning takes place, and it is an action that is granted by God. This is seen in II Timothy 2:25, where we read, 'And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto [all] men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.'

We have shown that repentance involves turning from one thing to another. Ultimately repentance is turning from sin, which is literally disobedience, to righteousness which is in essence obedience. However, to qualify as righteousness, obedience must be perfect. Repentance does involve turning from one's own disobedience, but it is not turning to one's own obedience. As stated earlier, man cannot perfectly obey God's commandments, try as he might, yet true righteousness is wrought only through perfect obedience. One might wonder how this can be accomplished.

God has provided for this to be done substitutionally. While no man has ever been able to obey God perfectly, God's Son, Jesus Christ, has done it. Men can now obtain a righteous standing in the sight of God by getting credited for Christ's perfect obedience. This is accomplished through repentance and faith.

If we look at Romans 5:8-19, we see how this takes place. Here we read, 'But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only [so], but we also Joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as [it was] by one that sinned, [so is] the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift [is] of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one (Adam - JMG) [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Christ - JMG) [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.'

This passage of scripture tells us that men became sinners as a result of Adam's disobedience, due to his nature being passed on to us, who are his seed. Because of this adamic nature, we are compelled to sin. We also sin because it brings pleasure to this nature and to the flesh. Hebrews 11:25, tells us, in effect, that there is pleasure in sin, albeit for a season.

We did not sin in the exact manner that Adam did, but we have all sinned, as seen in Romans 3:23, and were thus found to be disobedient in God's sight. The above passage from Romans 5, further lets us know that, despite our sin, Christ has made it possible to be made righteous through His obedience.

What is amazing about the above truth, is that we were not simply condemned because Adam sinned. We received a nature which caused us to sin for ourselves, and it is our own sin which places us under condemnation. Yet to get in on Christ's righteousness, we do not have to work a single righteous act! In other words, it is because of our personal sin that we are condemned, but we do not have to obey personally to be pronounced righteous. The Scripture proclaims the warning in Galatians 6:7, 'Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' Yet when one repents and turns from their sin to God, He places our sin on Christ's account and imputes the righteousness of Christ to our account. As one of our Hymns puts it, 'We have reaped what Christ has sown.' Again, one might wonder how this can be accomplished.

On our part it is done by directing our repentance toward God. Acts 20:21 tells us that repentance is 'toward God,' and faith is 'toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' Since our sin is disobedience of God's law, repentance, which is a change of mind or attitude and actions regarding that law, must be directed to Him. In like manner, faith, which is a trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus that was performed that we might be pronounced right, must be directed toward Him.

As we have already seen, repentance is granted by God, (that is, God enables an individual to repent), but let us see how one is brought to a place where this repentance is granted by God and experienced by the sinner.

Romans 2:4 says, in part, '...despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?' This is saying that by being longsuffering to sinful man, and forbearing his disobedience. God is showing goodness to man. It is this longsuffering and forbearance that is the path leading to the place of repentance.

When the Holy Spirit of God works in a sinner to show him how sinful he is, He will also cause the sinner to see that he ought to have been destroyed because of that sin. At the same time, the sinner sees that, rather than destroy him, God has tolerated his sinfulness and even showed benevolence to him. In the sinner who has had true enlightenment in this regard, this will result in a sorrowing 'after a godly sort,' as the Scripture puts it. In II Corinthians 7:9-11, we read, 'Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, [what] clearing of yourselves, yea, [what] indignation, yea, [what] fear, yea, [what] vehement desire, yea, [what] zeal, yea, [what] revenge! In all [things] ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.'

From this we see that it is this godly sorrow which leads or brings the sinner to a place where repentance may take place. At the same time, there is a danger associated with sorrowing, and it is that one may have actual sorrow and yet not arrive at a place of re-pentance. The Scripture refers to this as 'the sorrow of the world.' It is by what is wrought in the heart of the sinner which gives confidence that he is moving towards a place of repentance.

From this passage, we find there are at least six things which sinners can look for to determine whether they are moving towards God and repentance or not.

First, there will be a 'carefulness.' The sinner must be aware that there is a sorrowing which will not lead to repentance and salvation. Any individual who has a conscience is capable of sorrowing over disobedience. Even our children do as much when we correct them, but this is not so much due to a work of God in them, as it is a natural work of the conscience. There is a capacity in all who have been raised with morals and principles to have their conscience affected over disobedience with little or no God associated with the sorrow produced. Multitudes have been sorry for what their sin has produced in their own lives and in the lives of others, and even wept bitterly over it, yet with no thought of how it has grieved God. There has been no progress toward repentance which produces salvation of the soul.

There is an even greater danger that one must be aware of and take care to prevent in their life. If one has become hardened in their heart and cares not when they sin, they run a very real risk of becoming incapable of repenting at all. In I Timothy 4:2, Paul speaks of some who have had their conscience 'seared with a hot iron.' This phrase is one word in the Greek, and it is the word from which we get the English word 'cauterized.' When one gets to this place they are as those Paul speaks of in Ephesians 4:19, who he says are 'past feeling.' This literally means they have become 'calloused.' Anyone who has had a callous on their hand, knows that they prevent feeling where the callous has formed. We are living in a time when there seems to be a great number of individuals who have no conscience at all. There is little or no hope that any of these will ever come to God in repentance and faith.

The second thing godly sorrow produces en route to re-pentance is a 'clearing' of one's self. The phrase literally means 'to give a defense,' but not in the sense of trying to prove innocence. It also means 'to fully consider,' or 'to give a full account of.' There will be a telling of the truth regarding one's true condition. All will be set forth and nothing held back. It's the same as when a witness in court promises to 'tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.'

If one refuses to be honest about their spiritual condition, there will be no repentance granted. All the dirty laundry will be on display before God grants repentance. This is not to say all will be put before the world, but the sinner will lay it out before God and take full re-sponsibility for it all or he will stay in his sinful state.

There will also be an 'indignation' over sin. The word comes from another word which means 'to be sore displeased.' It implies a grieving, or vexation over sin. The sinner will begin to hate that which he had once loved and embraced. One of the puritan writers called repentance 'the vomit of the soul.' This indignation over sin will cause the sinner to become, quite literally, 'sick of it.' His indignation will make sin repulsive to his very soul. One may dislike something and continue doing it, but when it becomes so repulsive to them as to sicken them, they will have to turn from it.

For example, a drunkard may not like the fact that he is this way, but he continues to drink. It is because he is controlled by the alcohol. He may even shed tears often and have great sorrow over his condition, yet he is held fast. This, by the way is a good example of worldly sorrow. But let drink make the drunkard so sick that it finally becomes repulsive to him, and he can escape even the hold alcohol has over him. Drug rehabilitation programs actually give alcoholics drugs to induce this sickness in an effort to help them do just that; to become so sickened that they will be able to overcome the hold alcohol has on them.

Then, too, there will be a 'fear' involved in this sorrowing after a godly sort. The Greek word is the one from which we get the word 'phobia.' That is, a fear which strikes dread or terror in an individual. A phobia will literally paralyze one who suffers from it. Godly sorrow produces a dread in an individual of what his sin will lead to. One will realize he is guilty before a holy God, and not only worthy of eternal damnation, but standing in very real danger of entering into it. A sinner who comes under conviction of sin and the resulting condemnation will have great fear. God is under no obligation to save anyone. There will be an understanding, by the sinner, that only the grace of God can avail to deliver him from the everlasting destruction he deserves.

There will also be a fear in the sinner, lest he should come short of repentance. Hebrews 4:1 says, 'Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left [us] of entering into his rest, any should seem to come short of it.' Paul goes on to tell how the children of Israel missed entering into the promised land due to not believing God. A fear of stopping short of salvation will cause a sinner to keep moving on toward God.

Another indication that godly sorrow is working is that there will be a 'vehement desire' in the sinner. This comes from a word meaning 'to pursue with love.' It means 'to yearn for,' or 'to long for.' The sinner who is experiencing godly sorrow will pursue God and salvation with a love in his heart. Not a perfect love to be sure, as one can only love as God does once they attain to salvation. Yet one cannot reach the point of having godly sorrow without a work of God having been started in them and having given them an ability to love the truth at least. II Thessalonians 2:10 speaks of those who '...received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.' This is clearly speaking of lost individuals, as it refers to them as 'them that perish,' and states that it was a lack of love for the truth which prevented them from being saved. From this it becomes clear that it is possible for a lost person to love the truth; indeed, it is necessary.

We also see from the passage in II Corinthians that godly sorrow will produce 'zeal.' The word means 'an excitement of mind,' 'an ardour in pursuing or embracing,' or 'a fervour of spirit.' Godly sorrow will cause the sinner to be 'stirred to movement.' This is what might well be referred to as 'actively seeking.' Hebrews 11:6, tells us, 'But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' There will be a diligence in a sinner who has genuine godly sorrow for their sin. They will desire to be saved and soon.

Finally, there will be a 'revenge.' The word here carries the meaning of 'meting out justice.' The sinner will be willing to suffer whatever consequences the judge sees fit to impose. The word implies also a 'resignation,' or 'giving up and giving over.' The sinner is willing to die for what he has done. He readily accepts the death penalty.

When this point is reached, and godly sorrow has worked all of the ingredients together, repentance is the natural result. It is here that repentance has come to fruition in the heart of the sinner.

It should be noted that the above products of godly sorrow are not produced in steps, but are working together in the heart of the sinner, much as when one kneads bread dough. This is why godly sorrow is said to 'work' repentance. The Holy Spirit of God is the active agent who does the kneading of the heart to produce the desired result. And the Spirit knows how to knead and how much to knead in each sinner to produce repentance unto salvation.

It should also be noted that when godly sorrow has worked repentance unto salvation, each of the ingredients will be discernable as the saint looks back on how God has worked it in them. Though there is so much happening in the heart as it occurs, and thus does not require one to recognize or acknowledge each work taking place, the saint will be able to look back and say, "Yes, I remember each of those things working in me." One does not say, "I am now going through godly sorrow, I am now repenting, I am now believing, I am now saved." They will see all of that did take place if they have truly been saved and if they have a genuine work of God which has produced regeneration. - J. M.. Grapp
 
 

What is faith? Faith is an intangible quality. You can't see it nor smell, or touch it. Yet it is real; you can feel it but not with your hand. It can't be produced by man - only produced in man. Faith has several qualities not all lead to salvation.

Before I was saved, I had intellectual faith, or that which is based on facts, but only very little of that. I always believed there was a God, and that the Bible was true. I was told to say a prayer. I did and told everyone that I had committed myself to God, but since my faith was based only on my knowledge and my feeble works, God, at that time, didn't commit himself to me. As a result, all my works were in vain.

James 2:19 goes so far as to say that even the devils have intellectual faith. 'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.'

I believed God existed with my intellect, but for a long time I never had enough faith to look for God to search out his way or truth on my own to see if what I had always heard was true as Zaccheus did in Luke 19:3. 'And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.'

Until one day, years later, by the grace of God, I heard something that sparked a new interest in me. I heard that salvation was something God did to you. My faith began to wavier and I began to seek after true faith and salvation. I know now that God wasn't pleased with me because of what Hebrews 11:6 says. 'But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.'

Until one night over eleven years ago, in faith, I called out to God. I knew he was there and I began to repent and beg his forgiveness. Just like in Matthew 14:35 I wanted to be healed (spiritually.) 'And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;'

Even though I was not saved I was trying to believe. Finally, I came to the end of myself and had no choice but to give up and trust him. God had mercy on me and granted me saving faith and I believed, and relied totally on him on March 3, 1989 and was saved. Matthew 11:28, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'

As a lost man I never liked to talk about faith. Faith would mean I had to trust someone. I trusted no one - not God, - not myself, - not family or friends. I had been hurt and disappointed too many times. But since salvation, I love to talk about faith. Now, I have faith in God, and he gives me faith as I need it to trust myself, my family and friends.

As I said earlier, what is faith?

The Random House American Dictionary says that faith is:

1. Confidence or trust in a person or thing.

2. Belief which is not based on proof.

3. The obligation of loyalty or fidelity.

According to Strong's Concordance the word faith means, 'persuasion, in other words, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation.'

The word faith appears only two times in the old testament.

It means established, trusty, and trust-worthiness. Deuteronomy 32:20 'And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.'

It also means 'firmness, security, morally fidelity, set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily.' Habakkuk 2:4 'Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.'

However I want to deal mainly with the way faith is used in the New Testament. The best way to understand what the word faith means is to go to Hebrews 11:1 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'

When I think of faith, a bridge comes to my mind. A bridge is what we use to get from where we are to where we want be. Faith also gets us from where we are (lost) to where we want to be (saved.) Without faith we can not reach salvation . It is a means to an end.
 

Ephesians 2:8 says, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:'

You can stand on the bank and see your promised land but without the bridge you can not reach the other side. Man has tried many other routes to get over the ravine of lostness, but his own works fall short of the desired mark. He may try to jump across, swim across or even to fly over, all on his own merit. Many have been fooled into thinking they have finally made it across, only to discover that they fail to reach salvation.

Let's think about the construction of our bridge. The surface of the bridge is the faith by which we walk, but what holds up our bridge? It can not span a large ravine without support. So, what supports our faith? Substance does. The word substance means support, essence or assurance. A bridge is supported by large pillars of concrete or some similar strong material. Just as a physical bridge is supported so is our spiritual bridge. The support of our spiritual bridge of faith is the word of the Grace of the Gospel. What gives us hope that when we set our feet on the bridge, that it will hold us? Have you ever noticed the signs around a bridge that tells us the weight limit? That means that particular bridge has been tested and proven to be successful in holding and carrying that much weight. In Hebrews11, we see the sign that reads all that have gone on before have crossed over on the bridge of faith and obtained salvation. They are proof that we can also successfully reach salvation by following after them.

Another definition of faith is oligopistos (ol-ig-op'-is-tos); lacking confidence (in Christ): of little faith. Like when Jesus was asleep on the ship in Matthew 8:26 'And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.' Even though God Himself was on the ship with them they could not believe.

Also when Peter was walking on the water to Jesus he took his eyes off of him and began to sink in Matthew 14:31; 'And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?'

Let's go back to our illustration of the bridge. Someone that has little faith will stand on the bank of lostness and look longingly at the other side. The man of little faith, has enough faith to get him to the edge of the bridge, but not enough faith to cross it. He reads the weight limit signs in Hebrews where it tells that the bridge has been proven trustworthy, yet he balks. He cannot see the pillars under the bridge, so he is concerned if they are really there. He questions the physical bridge the same as the spiritual man questions God. 'Did I repent enough? Did I cry enough? Maybe I should say the prayer again. Maybe it will work this time.'

He may even step out and go for a ways before fear creeps up, and he runs back the other way. So what does he do? He stands there and watches others go across and reach the promised land. He sees them rejoicing and enjoying God while he stands all alone. There may be many reasons that hold this man back but the fault never lies in the ability of the bridge or the bridge support. They lie in the man's own lack of faith. The bridge stands ready, willing, and able to carry the man across just like all the others.

Another meaning of faith is; 'to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation or confidence: faith, and hope.'

As we go back to our illustration of the bridge, we see now the same man that had little faith is now beginning to have more faith. He has heard the testimony of others and seen others cross the bridge before him. His confidence is being increased as he takes his first step on to the bridge. The destination on the other side is bidding him to come. His longing to reach the other end is overwhelming him. As he steps on the bridge he keeps his eyes on the end. He knows now after many false attempts, not to look back but to look ahead. Just as when we are heading toward salvation, once we have the faith to start on the journey we can not look back. If we take our eyes off Jesus we fail. Hebrews 10:23 'Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)'

The final definition of faith is; 'graciousness, acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality, pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).' Acts 6:8 'And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.'

It is said in Romans 4:21-22 'And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.'

Now we see the man on the bridge nearing his destination. His faith has increased to the point of near full persuasion. With his eyes still looking straight ahead he finally takes the last step. He has gotten both feet off the bridge now and is safely at his destination. He is fully persuaded. With this comes a peace and joy, the journey is finally over. He is not quite sure how he went from not enough faith to step on the bridge, to arriving at the other side. But, at this point is content to just be safe on the other side.

After a while of rejoicing the man became concerned that this journey may have to be repeated over and over. Just as he begins to doubt he is told of another road sign found just a few steps from where he is. Ephesians 1:13 'In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,'

Even though you are given saving faith only once, we need faith to walk with God. This is abiding faith for everyday living.

Colossians 2:6 says, 'As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:' We go through each day with the faith that comes from God.

II Corinthians 1:24 tells us to stand in Faith. 'Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.'

I Corinthians 5:7, 'For we walk by faith, not by sight:' Each day as well as each moment of each day we are to walk by faith no matter what our circumstances. No matter how bad things look, as long as we keep our eyes on God and let him lead we will make it through. Even though our souls have been saved and our hearts changed, we still live in the flesh. Our flesh sometimes still likes sin so that is why we need faith to continue following God. Faith is given to us by God during our time of seeking and being saved. It is also a gift from God as we continue our daily walk. Because God has mercy on us, he knows without his help we will fail.

Galatians 2:20 reads 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.'

Even though God's gift to us is free, it cost him all. All He requires in return is our love and obedience. He expects us to trust Him, and then gives us the strength to do it. Satan is the god of this world and manipulates us into his snares. Except for our faith in God, we would easily fall into his traps. He knows what our particular weakness is and uses it to trap us. Ephesians 6:16 'Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.'

God strengthens our faith daily by giving us trials. They are not made to trip us up but to test our faith and to help us call on him. After a teacher lectures on a subject, she gives her students a test. This test is for her and the student to know what they are learning. God tests us for a different reason. He already knows the outcome of the test, it is done only for our good. What good is learning if you never use what you have learned? How do we know if we have strength unless we are tested.

In conclusion, we see that faith, even though it can not be touched or seen, is real. We also find it to be something God does to us - nothing we ourselves do. There are several kinds and degrees of faith all coming from God. Faith starts small and builds as God gives us grace. Only after a man has been fully persuaded can he be truly saved. This could take a short time or a long time, all depending on the individual. God is willing and able to take us from point A, no faith, to point B, full faith, in one instant, all while working with man's will and not against it. We also learned that faith does not end at salvation, but is really just beginning. We spend the rest of our lives serving and following God - all by faith. - Dale Fuqua
 
 

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of the word faith as it is found in the New Testament. More specifically, the study will focus on the use of the Greek word pistis and its derivatives as they refer to different levels of personal belief in God. The different levels or qualities of faith will be presented, compared, and contrasted as they appear in some of the contexts in which they are found.

The order in which the paper will proceed will be first to define the word faith from the Greek definition. This will include such things as the different forms of the Greek word pistis, number of times they are found in the Scriptures, and the different ways that they are translated in the King James version of the Bible.

Then, the different levels of faith will be identified, defined and explained as they are used in context. Attention will be directed only to contexts where faith pertains to personal convictions about God and not those contexts where it is used to refer to a set of beliefs held about a religion (for example: 'the faith').

Finally, the paper will examine the relevance of each level to the salvation of the soul and conclude with a brief summary of the operation of each level of faith in salvation.
 

A. General Definition
 

God tells us throughout the Bible that salvation comes only through faith in Him. For example, Ephesians 2:8 says, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:' (See also Galatians 5:6.) Therefore, if we understand what faith is then we can understand a great deal about what is required for salvation. Conversely, if we misunderstand what faith is, then we mis-understand what God requires for the salvation of the soul. Hence, a correct understanding of biblical saving faith is imperative to the salvation of the lost soul.

To begin, consider that there is one general definition for the word faith. The Greek word that has been translated into the English word 'faith' is pistis. According to Strong's Greek Dictionary, pistis is a noun defined as a moral conviction of religious truth, the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher, and especially reliance upon Christ for salvation.

The word is also used to refer to the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself.

Unger says, in addition to this, that 'pistis' is a conviction based on hearing.

This is in agreement with what the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 10:17, 'So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' (See also Galatians 3:2&5.)

Pistis is found in the New Testament a total of 244 times. It has been translated into 'faith' 239 times, 'assurance' 1 time, 'believe' 1 time, 'belief' 1 time, 'them that believe' 1 time, and 'fidelity' 1 time.

The Greek word pistis is derived from another Greek word which is peitho and it is defined by Strong as a primary verb meaning to convince (by argument, true or false). Also, it means to rely by inward certainty. Within the King James translation of the New Testament this word is variously translated 'agree, assure, believe, have confidence, make friend, obey, persuade, trust, and yield.'

There are also Greek words that are derived from and/or related to the word pistis which are as follows:
 

Pisteuo , (the verb form of pistis) which means to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), or to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ). It is translated as believe, believer, commit (to trust), and to put in trust with.
 

Pistikos, which means trustworthy, genuine (unadulterated) and is translated as- spike- [nard].
 

Pistos, (from peitho) which means objectively, trustworthy and subjectively, trustful. It is translated as - believe, believing, believer, faithful, faithfully, sure, and true.
 
 
 

Pistoo, from pistos, which means to assure, and is translated as - assure of.
 

Thus, we can conclude that the most general definition of the word faith as the writers of the New Testament would have us understand is a strong trust, assurance or confidence in things pertaining to God which have been verbally communicated. Most frequently, the word is used subjectively describing personal conviction about God.

However, the word is used objectively as in Philippians 1:27, which reads, 'Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;'
 

Here, the word 'faith' is used to speak of the body of truth that God has revealed to man which he is to believe (such as the Gospel). This paper will be limited to the subjective use of the word henceforth as the objective use of the word has been mentioned for general information only.
 

B. Different Applications of the Same Word
 

Now, the attention will be turned to the different particular uses of the word faith in the New Testament. In order to do this the context in which the words for pistis are found must be examined. The fact is that the word faith can be found to refer to three different general levels or qualities of trust or reliance in the New Testament and they are as follows.

First, faith is used to refer to the trust or confidence in the factual or historical things of God. These include such things as the existence of God, creation, the virgin birth of Christ, the miracles of Christ, Christ's death on the cross, and Christ's resurrection.

Second, faith is used to refer to the trust or confidence in the philosophical teachings of the Scripture. These include such things as keeping the Ten Commandments, observing and adhering to religious traditions, keeping ordinances and rites exercised by those who were Christ's followers and/or Christ Himself and simply the act of seeking the Lord's presence for salvation.

Third, faith is used to refer to the trust and confidence in the person of Christ Himself as Lord and Savior. This quality of faith is separate from the first and second types of faith mentioned because it involves the emotion of love. It is also based on a personal relationship with God and not just the mental acknowledgment of His existence and acceptance of spiritual ritual. In short, the three levels can be described as accepting the facts about God, accepting the philosophies of God and having a personal relationship with God. Therefore, for one to simply affirm that he believes in God actually tells little about his relationship with God.

All three qualities of faith must be present for a person to be saved. Each one builds upon the other. For example, it stands to reason that one must believe in the existence of God before he believes His instructions. And, one must believe in the existence and teachings of the Lord before he loves the person of the Lord. The converse of this reasoning presented is also true. One may believe in the existence of God yet hate His ways and hate His person.

James 2:19 says, 'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.' In other words, the devils believe in God but they are set against Him in every way.
 

1. Level One: Factual Faith
 

Let us look at each of the qualities of faith as they are presented and differentiated in the context of the Scripture. We will begin with the most basic level of faith which is believing the facts about God.

Hebrews 11:6 says, '...for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' The Greek word here is the verb form, pisteuo. Notice how this same verb form of faith is used in a passage mentioned earlier

James 2:19, 'Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.' The words 'believest' and 'believe' are both translated from the Greek word pisteuo. Both of these verses indicate a type of faith in God that is very basic.

The writer of Hebrews said in effect that in order to come to God one must first believe that He is and believe certain things about His character.

James takes a different approach to make the same point. Believing that God exists is such a basic thing that even the devils of Hell believe this is true and they are certainly not favored by God. Surely this faith is necessary, but if this is the only kind of faith you have, then you are no better off than the demons.

Another illustration of this type of basic faith is found in John 3:2 which reads, 'The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.'

Here, even though the word faith is not used, it is implied by the words 'we know that thou art a teacher come from God.' This was a religious leader of the Jews (Nicodemus) talking to the Lord and by saying 'we' it is obvious that he was talking about himself and his associates. They believed certain facts about the Lord but their faith went no farther. There is another example of this type of faith that is obviously not the faith that saves.

We find a very revealing passage in John 2:23-25 which reads, 'Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.' The interesting part of this passage is that verse 23 says that 'there were many that believed on His name' yet he 'did not commit himself unto them.' It should be pointed out that the word 'commit' and 'believed' are from the same Greek word 'pistueo' which, again, is the verb form of 'pistis.'

Basically, the crowd was like those who we say wanted to 'jump on the bandwagon' and the Lord knew that this type of faith that they had in Him was not the faith that He wanted. Their faith was purely selfish. He did not entrust Himself to them because He knew their hearts. Real saving faith is with the heart empowered by love towards God. These folk did not have that quality of faith.

Many people followed the Lord only for what He could do for their physical well being. Christ was painfully aware of this fact. Many people today have this type of faith. They have been raised to believe in the existence of God. If you ask them 'do you believe in God?' they respond 'yes!' And although they do have a type of faith, it is really no more than believing in historical facts about Jesus. A faith so basic that even the devils have this quality of faith. There is no evidence that people with this quality of faith care about the Lord's ways or His commandments. There is certainly no evidence in their lives that they love the Lord.
 

2. Level Two: Philosophical or Temporary Faith
 

Now let us explore the second quality of faith that was mentioned above which is believing in the teachings or philosophy of the Scripture. It may also be said that it is a striving faith. This faith is much more commendable by religious people. In fact, people with this type of faith are often held in great honor by their peers because they are usually striving or working for something about God. This type of faith has a broad range of people in it. It begins with those who feel that their religious experience needs to be more than just believing in the historical facts of God. These people are seekers. Some of them are real seekers of God. And some people are only seeking more religion. These seekers begin to 'get involved' because they feel they need to put their faith into action. A person with this level of faith includes anyone from volunteers ready to help at church, to people who commit themselves to foreign missionary work. Yet, it is this level of faith that is also most temporary. Often, people have a burning zeal for a while and then no zeal later. Since this faith is a philosophical faith, it is more apt to be swayed.

Let us take into consideration the devout Jew. These people made attempts to keep the Law of God given to Moses. They studied the Scriptures. They observed all of the religious holidays. But, many of these people would not accept the Lord. Furthermore, because keeping the law is so burdensome, Israel was known for its cycling toward God and away from God. There are many examples of these people with this type of faith in the Bible.

In John 5:39-40 we read, 'Search the scrip-tures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.' Notice that these are searching or seeking people. They believed in the Scriptures to such an extent that their zeal blinded them to the truth about the Lord Jesus.

The apostle Paul writes in Romans 10:2-3, 'For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.' Notice that Paul says that they have great zeal for God but not in the right way. In fact, all their zeal will account for nothing because they have not "submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." If anyone understood how these people thought, it was Paul.

It is doubtful that anyone had the religious fervor that Saul of Tarsus had before he was saved. Paul, before he was saved, was seeking to be as zealous as he could be. He wanted to serve God with as much as was within him. Yet, after he was saved, he said that all he had done was done ignorantly and in unbelief (I Timothy 1:13).

Why did Paul use the word unbelief? He certainly believed in the existence of God. And he believed in the Scriptures. Paul used the word unbelief because he did not have saving faith when he was the zealous Pharisee that persecuted the Church.

There is the example found in Matthew 7:22-23 which says, 'Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.' It is obvious from the pleas of these people that they were appealing to the Lord based upon their religious fervor. They listed their religious accomplishments. Yet, tragically, something was missing. The Lord responded that because He never knew them they had no part with Him. Their admittance into Heaven was not based upon believing in the existence of God or accomplishments performed in His name. Their admittance was based on their relationship with Him - a relationship that comes from saving faith.

There is another example of a person having this level of faith and not being saved. The story of this man is found in Acts chapter ten. This is the story of Cornelius, who the Bible says in Acts 10:2 was 'A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.' Based upon what the Scripture says, we have no reason to doubt the validity of this man's faith.

First, it is obvious that Cornelius had faith in the fact that God is.

Second, it is obvious that Cornelius wanted to follow after God's ways. His faith went deeper than just affirming that God exists. He believed in God more strongly than that as is evidenced by his desire to communicate with God and devote his time and money to God. He also was so fervent in his convictions about God that his whole household followed him. In short, Cornelius was a very sincere man in his faith toward God. Yet, in all of his sincerity, Cornelius was not saved.

However, he was by faith a seeker of God. He had not yet experienced saving faith, a quality of faith set apart from the other two levels of faith previously mentioned, but he certainly had seeking faith. Cornelius' seeking faith eventually led him to Christ where he was able to call out in faith for salvation.

Philosophical or temporary faith is one that is founded on the conviction over a teaching or discipline. Therefore, it is possible to be a disciple of the Lord and not a child of the Lord. For example, Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples and was never saved. The Bible teaches that Jesus had many disciples beside the twelve and many of those eventually quit following Him.
 

3. Level Three: Saving Faith
 

The third level (as it has been referred to in this paper) of faith is different than those mentioned previously. True saving faith is characterized by emotion, namely unselfish love toward the person of the Lord Jesus. The Bible says in Galatians 5:6, 'but faith which worketh by love.' The Bible also says that 'For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;' (Romans 10:10.)

It is said that the heart is the 'seat of the emotions' and this is the reason that the word heart is used in Romans 10:10. In order to understand more fully the type of faith referred to here, it is helpful to understand the Greek definition of heart in Romans 10:10.

In his Greek dictionary, Thayer defines heart as the soul or mind. It is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, and endeavors. The faith that works by love (from the heart) is characterized by a passion for God, a desire for God, and an affection for God. One strives after God with a hungering and thirsting for Him and His righteousness.

This level of faith results in a relationship with God that is intimate and is described by relationships that are characterized by strong emotional attachments. These relationships include the parent/child relationship (II Corinthians 6:18), husband/wife relationship (Ephesians 5:25), sibling relationship (Matthew 12:49), and friendship (John 15:15).

Notice how these relationships are characterized by the knowledge that both sides have for the other unlike the lack of knowledge that Paul said of the Jews in Romans 10:2. This knowledge that is shared by the subjects in these descriptive relationships is based on experience and intimacy.

In John 14:21-23 the Lord speaking to His disciples describes the relationship thus, 'He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.'

The Lord explains that He intends to have a real and personal relationship with them that love Him. That relationship depends upon what He does for us. Notice in the passage above the sequence the Lord gives: a person loves God, the Lord manifests Himself to that person, the person rests in God for salvation, and the Father and the Son make their abode with him.

Consider the similarities of what the Lord said in this passage and the story of Cornelius in Acts chapter ten. Cornelius loved God, and through the preaching of Peter, whom God sent, God manifested Himself to Cornelius, and Cornelius was saved. (For more on the importance of the preached word by a sent preacher for one to believe see Romans 10:13-17).

Saving faith is in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and this faith must be given to man. The Bible says in Philippians 1:29, 'For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake,' and in Ephesians 2:8, 'For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:' Saving faith is a free gift given by Christ himself through the Holy Ghost to the lost soul. This is why it is difficult for people to understand what true saving faith is if they have never had it. Especially among those who have a zealous philosophical faith. However, close examination of a person's testimony will help him discover critical things about faith.

First, contrary to what most believe, saving faith is not something gained gradually or that one 'grows into.' Again, it is compared to a gift that is given at a point in time. One should examine his salvation to determine the time that he first believed with saving faith.

Second, saving faith requires repentance from unbelief (Romans 11:30-32.) Repentance follows conviction by the Holy Ghost, who is sent to convince people of unbelief. John 16:8-9 says, 'Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me;'

The Holy Spirit does this through the administration of the law of God. Paul describes the law as a school master that drives someone to God (Galatians 3:24.)

Third, saving faith involves rest. Romans 4:4-6 says, 'Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.'

There is a very real point in time that a person is able to do that which he has never been able to do before- rest in the love and saving work of the Lord Jesus and not his own works. Therefore, saving faith happens at a particular time and place, yet one must be brought to this place by a work of God which takes time. This is seen when we read Colossians 2:12.

Saving faith is different from any other type of faith or hope. Saving faith always follows Holy Spirit conviction over unbelief and repentance from this sin. Saving faith is from the heart; that is, saving faith is emotional and this emotion is love directed to the person of Jesus Christ. This level of faith involves resting in the Lord thereby repenting from dead works (Hebrews 9:14.) When this level of faith is tried, it strengthens and is to the 'praise, honor, and glory of Christ'(I Peter 1:7.) This faith endures (Hebrews 3:14.)

Therefore, saving faith is characterized by things that other levels of faith do not have.

These characteristics of saving faith are:

a.) the emotion of love

b.) an intimate relationship between two people

c.) a gift given by God Himself

d.) a gift that is given at a particular point in time

e.) rest and reliance in the saving work of Christ

f.) always following Holy Spirit conviction over unbelief and repentance toward God. Each one of these characteristics of saving faith require God's involvement.
 

C. The Relevance of the Different Levels of Faith to Salvation
 

Each level of faith is important to the salvation of the soul. The Bible says that the person who wants to find God must first believe that he exists (Hebrews 11:6.) This is very logical. God has given many things to help man just believe that God exists. For example, the Bible says that 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork' (Psalm 19:1.)

Although this level of faith is the most basic, it is also foundational. It is upon this level of faith that the saving faith is built.

Philosophical faith is indispensable to saving faith. It is true that many people never go any farther than this type of faith and in this sense this faith is vain. However, this level of faith is also seeking faith. God wants people to seek for Him and has promised that when one seeks with all his heart, he will find God. We see this, if we look at I Chronicles 28:9 and Hebrews 11:6.

Seeking faith honors God because it shows the value that the seeker places on the one being sought. This level of faith is where the seeker learns what God wants and what He does not wan