Nature of Saving Faith

Introduction: The Missing Note of Saving Faith

0:05 This sermon was preached on Sunday evening, June 21st, 1981, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Meditation in the Word of God to the fifth in a series of studies which I have entitled Some Missing Notes in Contemporary Gospel Preaching. Since the gospel of Christ contains God's only answer to the dilemma of human sin, and since the gospel alone is the power of God unto salvation, any distortions of, additions to, or subtractions from the biblical gospel are ruinous to the souls of men. In our previous studies in this series, we've contemplated two of these missing notes in contemporary gospel preaching. The first being the...

1:04 The note of the wrath of God, and the second being the note of true biblical repentance. For any who are not present for those expositions, they are available from the Trinity Pulpit. Now tonight, we address ourselves to the third missing note in contemporary gospel preaching, and I'm entitling our study, The Missing Note of the Nature of Saving Faith. The missing...

1:34 The missing note of the nature of saving faith. As we take up this crucial subject, let me set forth several basic biblical perspectives by way of introduction. And these perspectives, no doubt, will be common ground for almost all of us, if not all of us. The first one is this.

1:59 The Bible is clear in its statements that Jesus Christ alone... ...is the divinely appointed Savior of sinners.

2:09 Christ alone is the divinely appointed Savior of sinners. Whether we turn to His words in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man comes to the Father but by Me. Or if we turn to the testimony of apostles, such as is found in Acts 4, 12, the same truth is set forth.

2:35 And there is salvation in none other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. So in introducing this subject tonight, we must start on that common ground of the Bible's clear testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ alone is the divinely appointed Savior of sinners. Then we add to that a second basic truth of Scripture, namely, that the salvation of Christ is dependent upon the unique work which Christ accomplished on behalf of sinners. That salvation which is found only in Christ is a salvation found in Christ because of the unique work of Christ. And again, whether we turn to the words of Christ who said, I did not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give my life a ransom for many, or we turn to the words of apostles, we find statement after statement, the one who knew no sin, God made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And so we have those two fundamental building blocks. Christ alone is the Savior of sinners.

3:59 Christ is Savior only in the virtue of His unique work. Of His perfect life, His substitutionary death, and His glorious resurrection. But then there is a third crucial and fundamental truth taught in Scripture, and it is this, that faith has a unique function in the reception of the Savior and His saving work. And as surely as the Bible teaches that Christ alone is the appointed Savior, that the unique work of Christ is the salvation of sinners.

4:34 That faith is the only foundation of salvation, it teaches also that faith has a unique function in receiving the Savior and His salvation. We can take the most familiar gospel text, known by almost anyone who has had any acquaintance with the Bible. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. That is the only foundation of salvation.

5:03 That is the only foundation of salvation. That is the only foundation of salvation. That is the only foundation of the everlasting life. That is the only foundation of salvation.

5:05 That is the only foundation of salvation. Or the well-known text in Acts, when the Philippian jailer cries out, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? The answer of the Apostle and his companion is, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Likewise, when we turn to the testimony of the epistles, we have this similar emphasis.

5:28 By grace have you been saved through faith. Now, can you put those three together? those three fundamental building blocks together in your mind. Christ alone is the divinely appointed Savior of sinners. Christ saves only on the basis of his unique saving work summarized in the words crucifixion, resurrection. And thirdly, Christ in the virtue of his saving work is received by faith and faith alone. Now, these things being true, this sets before us a very vital issue which brings us directly to the subject in hand tonight. If faith has been assigned a unique place in the sinner's reception of Christ and his exclusive salvation, what is the nature of that faith?

Distinguishing True Saving Faith from False Faiths

6:29 Faith unto which the promises of salvation are made. For the same Bible that teaches us that Christ alone saves, that Christ saves in the virtue of his unique work, and Christ saves every sinner who believes upon him, this same Bible tells us that there is a faith which is not unto salvation. For instance, we read in James 2.19 that there is a faith that is no different from the faith of Christ.

6:59 From the faith of demons. Thou believest God is one, the demons also believe and tremble. So there is a demon's faith, a far cry from saving faith. Furthermore, in James 2.26, James speaks of a dead faith. And then in Luke 8.13, our Lord speaks of a temporary faith who for a while believed, and in time of temptation fall away. And then in Acts 8 in John, the scripture speaks of a deceptive faith. It says, many Jews believed on him when they saw the miracles which he did, but Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew what was in them. They went through the motions of some kind of faith response, but Jesus saw that it was deceptive. Likewise, in Acts 8, it speaks of Simon Magus, who believed and was baptized and followed with Philip. And yet a few verses later, Peter had to say to him, Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter. Thy heart is not right with God. And furthermore,

8:05 in 1 Corinthians 15.2, Paul speaks of a vain faith. So we have from the scriptures a demon's faith, a dead faith, a temporary faith, a deceptive faith, and a vain faith. Well, what is the difference then between true and saving faith and all of these other kinds of faith which are not unto salvation?

8:28 Well, if you see nothing, else I hope you see the tremendous importance of spelling out clearly the nature of that faith which is unto salvation, of not assuming that everything that passes in the notions of man as faith is indeed true and saving faith, that which the Word of God calls the faith of God's elect. Now, in attempting to set out the nature of saving faith, we have to set out the nature of saving faith. Now, in attempting to set out the nature of saving faith tonight, this missing note in contemporary gospel preaching, I have but two basic concepts from the Word of God to lay before you, and then in the light of them, three inescapable conclusions. The first is this. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the object of saving faith. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the object of saving faith. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the object of

The Object of Saving Faith: The Person of Christ

9:29 saving faith. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the object of saving faith. Most often, when the gospel is presented in our day, it's presented in language such as this. When Christ has been set before people in His death and resurrection as the only hope of sinners, the evangelist, either in print or in person, will say something like this. Now, if you will admit you are a sinner and believe that Christ died for you or that Christ died for sinners, you will be saved. You ever heard that before? You say, sure, many times. What's wrong with that? That's good, pure gospel. Is it? Is it? If you will admit you are a sinner and believe that Christ died for sinners, you will be saved. In that language, what is made the object of saving faith? Not the person of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The object of saving faith is the object of saving faith. The object of saving faith is

10:31 made one of the facts pertaining to the work of Christ. Jesus Christ died for sinners. That is a fact pertaining to the work of Christ. But that fact is not made the object of saving faith in the Word of God. It is not any facet of the work of Christ that is made the object of saving faith. But it is the person of Christ who is able to say, today, I am a sinner, saving faith, but it is the person himself who accomplished the work. Not only the crucifixion, but the incarnation, the perfect life, and the glorious resurrection and heavenly session. Now, to demonstrate this, I need only take the most familiar gospel text and quote them in your hearing and you will see it. Let's take John 1.12. All right? Familiar text to many of us.

11:29 He came unto his own, verse 11, and his own received him not. Now, notice carefully. But as many as received his finished work, to them gave he the right to become the children of God, even to them that believed in his finished work. Is that what the text says? A lot of you are shaking your head no. If you've got a version that says, that, it is a perversion. It is not an accurate version and translation. No, the text says this.

12:01 As many as received him, the person, to them gave he the right to become the children of God, even them that believed on his name. And his name means the setting forth of his person.

12:21 Now, you see, it is not believing in the one who died and rose, I'm sorry, believing in the fact that he died and rose, but it is the person who is the object of saving faith. Take John 3.16. Again, I'm taking only familiar text, so that as what may be a new thought to some of you dawns upon you, you'll be confident that it isn't because someone slipped in some obscure text and twisted it out of shape and fooled you. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, the Son of God, the Son of God, the Son of God, the Son of God, the Son of God, that whosoever believes in his death upon the cross should not perish. That's not what John 3.16 says. That's the way it's taught and preached, but that's not what it says. Look at it in your

13:11 own Bibles. It says, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, the object of the faith is the person. Whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Turn to Acts chapter 16.

13:37 When the jailer comes under conviction of sin and realizes that he stands under the wrath of Almighty God and cries out of the agony of his soul, sirs, what must I do to be saved? What is Paul's answer in Acts 16 and verse 31? Not say, believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and you will be saved. No, no.

14:05 The text says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Literally, believe upon, and the object of saving faith is none other than the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, in Acts 20, in verse 21, this text that we looked at last Lord's Day in conjunction with the doctrine of repentance, here the apostle is summarizing his apostolic preaching ministry at Ephesus, and he says that he testified, Acts 20, 21, both to Jews and to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith towards not the cross of Christ, nor the tomb of Christ, nor the maidservant, danger in which he was born, but faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, the object of saving faith being nothing less than the person of our Lord himself. And likewise, when our Lord in the days of his flesh gave in his own person and word the overtures of grace to sinners, to what did he invite sinners?

15:28 Not to place their faith in some facet of his work, but in his person. That wonderful gospel invitation of Matthew 11, 28, come unto what? Not my cross. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. Take the familiar gospel text, John 6, 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Well, I don't want to weary you with text upon text. I could do that without any effort whatsoever. But I challenge you to go to your own Bible and scour

16:22 the scriptures and see if the object of saving faith is the same as the object of saving faith. If it is any fact about Christ, or whether it is the Lord Jesus Christ himself who is the object of saving faith, you will come to the conviction, if you are honest with scripture, that the statement that the Lord Jesus Christ himself is the object of saving faith is a well-established fact of biblical revelation. Now, granted, it is not the person. The Christ, apart from his saving work, I took care of that in the introduction. You remember our three building blocks? That wasn't filler just to use up time. That was setting the framework for clarity of understanding. The person who is the object of saving faith is that unique person who is God in man, who accomplished a unique work by way of Mary's womb, his perfect life, his substitutionary death, his literal, physical, bodily, and spiritual life.

17:27 The resurrection, his session at the right hand of the Father, yes, it is not the person apart from his work, but it is the person who is the object of faith, and all the virtue of the work of Christ is bound up in the person of Christ, and if you do not have him, you don't have any of the benefits of his work. John says in 1 John 5, 12, he that hath the Son hath life, not he who has a conviction about the resurrection. In reality and factuality of the cross, there are multitudes who have that conviction who are as lost as the devil himself. It is only those who have the Son who have life. In saving faith, the sinner in the totality of his need comes into direct contact with the exalted Savior in the plenitude of his saving grace and power. No man is saved by the Lord.

18:28 No man is saved by belief in his pre-incarnate glory, in his sinless life, in his substitutionary death, in his bodily resurrection. No, no. We are saved only when we come into living one-to-one contact with the Savior himself. So then, as we contemplate the nature of saving faith, that first point needs to be clearly understood. The Lord Jesus Christ himself is the Savior himself.

The Essence of Saving Faith: Unreserved Self-Commitment to Christ

18:59 He is the object of saving faith. Now, the second point I want to establish from the scriptures is this. Unreserved self-commitment to Christ is the essence of saving faith. The object of saving faith is the person of Christ himself. The essence of saving faith is unreserved self-commitment to that person. Unreserved self-commitment. Unreserved self-commitment to Christ is the essence of saving faith. Now, the Bible nowhere gives us a formal definition of saving faith. It does give us something that approaches a formal definition of

19:45 certain aspects of faith in Hebrews 11. I'm familiar with that passage. But nowhere does the Bible attempt to give us a formal definition of saving faith. However, by the word which the Holy Spirit uses, we are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved. We are saved.

20:00 For faith or to believe, by the pictures it draws of what faith is, and by the analogies given telling us what faith is like, we can come to the safe conclusion that saving faith in its essence is unreserved self-commitment to Christ. Turn, please, to John 2 for an illustration of the use of the word for belief. Unreserved self-commitment is a belief itself. Then we'll look at one of the analogies of faith, and then one of the descriptions of faith at work. So from three standpoints now, the linguistic, the very word that is used, then from the standpoint of a picture or an analogy of faith, and then from the standpoint of a description of faith at work. And in each case we will see that unreserved self-commitment is a belief itself. The essence of saving faith. In John 2, a verse to which I alluded earlier, we read in verse 23,

21:11 Now when he, Jesus, was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed on his name, beholding the signs which he did. But Jesus did not trust himself unto them. Literally, Jesus did not. Believe upon them. For he knew all men, and because he needed not that anyone should bear witness concerning man, for he himself knew what was in man. Verse 23 says that these people who saw the miracles of Christ came to some kind of faith in Christ. But it was obviously not true and saving faith, because Jesus would not unreservedly believe. He would not unreservedly commit himself to them. He would not recognize in them his true disciples.

22:10 He would not recognize in them his true followers. He knew that that faith of theirs was a surface faith. He would not unreservedly entrust himself to them. Why? Because they had not unreservedly entrusted themselves to him. There was a kind of faith. They saw the miracles which gave credibility to what he was doing. They saw the miracles which gave credibility to what he was doing.

22:34 But that faith of theirs fell short of saving faith, which finds a beautiful description in what Jesus refused to do to them. He would not commit himself to them. Then if you'll turn back over to John 3, this very familiar picture in which our Lord himself likens his work for sinners to that lifting up of a serpent in the wilderness in the days of the Lord. He would not unreservedly commit himself to them. This very familiar picture in which our Lord himself likens his work for sinners to that lifting up of a serpent in the days of the Lord.

23:05 And remember the people had grumbled and groused, and God was angry with their grumbling. And God sent fiery serpents to bite them, and as the poison entered them, many died. And they came to Moses in the language of repentance and said, Oh, please pray to God for us. And Moses prays, and God tells him to take a serpent made of brass, and to put it up on the pole, and to hold it up in the midst of the camp, and then to assure the people that all who will look upon that serpent of brass, will live. And the text tells us in the book of Numbers that as many as looked did indeed live.

23:41 Now Jesus picks up on that and indicates that it's a beautiful picture of saving faith. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life. When someone whose body was infected with that poisonous venom, conscious that there was no hope in himself, when Moses stood in the midst of the camp and lifted up that serpent of brass and cried out, look and live, what did it mean to believe in that divine provision? It meant that a person rested the whole weight of his faith in God. And when Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man future life and health and well-being upon that which God has appointed as the means of deliverance. They had to not simply glance out of the corner of the eye, but they had to look with the look of what? Unreserved self-commitment to God's appointed means of delivering them from the malady that had come upon them. And then when we turn to a text such as Matthew 11, here we find saving faith described in its actions in relationship to Christ. Our Lord does not use

25:04 the word faith, but he is calling sinners to faith in himself. And notice what he says, Matthew 11, 28, come unto me. What is faith? Faith is a coming to Christ, not with physical feet, for he is not physically present.

25:24 Now as he speaks to us in the gospel and says, come to me, we can only come with the feet of the soul. But when one person comes to another, it's a whole person going out to meet another person. Jesus says, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Give yourself up to me to be yoked to me. My yoke upon you.

25:54 My yoke is easy. My burden is light. The yoke of the devil is a chafing, burdensome yoke. The yoke of unmortified self-will is a burdensome, chafing yoke. Come and take my yoke. Unreservedly give yourself up to me, and I will lift the burden of a guilty conscience. I will lift the crippling burden of the slavery to sin that crushes and binds me. I will house you down. Come to me. I will lift that burden. I will then place my yoke upon you. Take my yoke upon you. Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls. To what does our Lord invite sinners? Not just to

26:45 a glance at one part of his work for them, but he invites them to unreserved self-compliance. He invites them to self-commitment to his own person. Therefore, when we read, as one author has written, that saving faith is self-commitment to Christ in all the glory of his person and the perfection of his work as he is freely and fully offered to us in the gospel, there's something in us that says that's it. That's the essence of saving faith, self-commitment to Christ.

Conclusion 1: Impossible to Receive Christ as Savior Without Him as Lord

27:24 In all the glory of his person, in all the perfection of his work, as he is freely and fully offered to us in the gospel. Now, if Christ is the object of saving faith, if unreserved self-commitment to him is of the essence of saving faith, then there are three inescapable conclusions that come from those premises. And the first one is this. It is morally and spiritually impossible to receive Christ as Savior while refusing to bow to him as Lord. It is morally and spiritually impossible to receive Christ as Savior while refusing to bow to him as Lord. Now, why do I make this point? Well, for the simple reason that in the majority of the world, there is no God. There is no God. There is no God. There

28:25 is no God. But there is no God. And in the majority of our evangelical circles, this notion is not only expounded as truth, but it is believed to the damnation of multitudes of souls, that it is perfectly proper and wise and possible and everything else to acknowledge I'm a sinner on my way to hell, believe that Christ died for sinners, and as it were, snatch at the benefits of his cross while refusing to bow to the demon and the devil. demands of his crown. Now that's the subtle wickedness of making the work of Christ the object of saving faith. You can believe in the death of Christ for sinners and still go on in love with your sins, but you can't receive the Christ who died and is seated upon a throne without giving up the government of your life. And salvation is in a person, and that person not only has the marks in his hands and his feet and his side received when he died for sinners, but he is seated upon a throne and the scripture says he is king of kings and he is lord of lords.

29:38 And in saving faith you are to unreservedly commit yourself to him to come under the gracious benefits of the cleansing of his blood. Yes, to come into. that fountain open for sin and uncleanness. Yes, for the work of cleansing and pardon is bound up in his person. But my friend, if you receive that person, you come under his gracious yoke and his authoritative crown. You can't receive a half Christ. You can only receive a whole Christ. And when Paul directed that Philippian jailer to believe, he did not say, believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Where do we get that language?

30:27 Not out of the Scriptures. He said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And that jailer man knew what the word Lord meant. He lived under the Roman government. And one of the facets of that government was to say, Caesar is Lord. He sits on a throne of unquestioned authority and power. Mr. Jailer man, you want to get saved? You've got to believe in Jesus Christ. You've got to reckon with somebody who sits on a throne of absolute power. He is the Lord who came to that throne by way of a bloody Roman gibbet, who came to that throne by way of the humiliation of the cross. And Mr. Jailer man, if you're ever going to get saved, you're going to believe upon, unreservedly entrust yourself to someone sitting on a throne. And if he's on the throne, you can't be on the throne. Thank God he is Jesus. Name given to him at his incarnation. Name given to him when

31:32 the eternal word became flesh, that he might live the life we did not live, and die the death we should have died. He is God's Messiah, Christ the Anointed One, the final and true prophet, the only true and final priest, the glorious King of Grace. Mr. Jailer man, you believe upon, unreservedly commit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

32:06 We often quote the text Revelation 3.20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him. Who stands at the door and knocks?

32:23 Will you read Revelation 1? I have even read the original book of Jeremiah, where verse 16 is shown in Numbers 21. I secure that every готовing person today will become a prophet into the Book ofIV, Seth I believe. Very incredibly, very thoroughly kept, thereby the authority to hands upon, as in the New Testament.

32:40 In John 4 verse 9, the Cardinal Paul who has lots of gifts, is to stand at the door and knock. And not only his hands will open but he will stand at the door and knock. And a thousand times before coming to come came the Lord and he started seizing the camping hall. He comes and knocks, but he says, if you open the door, he will come in. Not half of me, not a third of me, I will come in. He comes in as the pierced one to forgive and to cleanse us, yes, but he comes in as the crowned one to govern us and to rule us.

33:17 And you may, as it were, in the struggles and throes of God's dealings say, oh, I don't want to perish in my sins. I don't want to go down into hell laden with the guilt of my sins. Oh, I'd love to have the benefits of the pierced one. That crown upon his head disturbs me because I've got plans of my own and notions of my own as to what I want out of life and what I want to pursue in life.

33:44 And I've got my own set of values and goals. And I know if he comes in as the crowned one, he will come to impose his gracious will and scepter, but I fear that at many points it will counter my own. So I'd love to have him as the pierced one, but I don't like this idea of the crown upon his brow.

34:05 Suppose you were to say to the Lord Jesus, Lord, let's see if we can strike a bargain. I'd love to have the benefits of your death upon the cross applied to me. I'd love to welcome you into my heart in life as the pierced one. But Lord, won't you just take that crown from off your brow?

34:21 That disturbs me right now. Won't you just lay that crown down outside the door of my heart in life? And then, Lord, I promise sometime down the road when it's convenient to me, I will then allow you the privilege of picking up your crown, placing it upon your head, and crowning you as the Lord of my life. My friend, do you think Jesus Christ will stoop to that kind of dickering?

34:45 He won that crown at the price of the blood. The agony and sweat of Gethsemane and Golgotha. The scripture says God has highly exalted him. Why?

34:59 Because he was obedient unto death. You think he's going to lay that crown aside to pander to your desire to go on sinning without any fear of hell?

35:09 Do you? Every person who says Christ is my Savior but not my Lord is saying that you got Jesus Christ to pander to your carnal desire. To go to heaven, a forgiven sinner, while still living in rebellion against the authority of Christ. And it all comes down to the crux of this matter.

35:37 What is the nature of saving faith? And the nature of saving faith is to be understood in the terms we've expounded tonight. The Lord Jesus Christ himself is the object of saving faith. Unreserved self-commitment to him is the essence.

35:55 The essence of saving faith and that being true, it is morally and spiritually impossible to receive Christ as Savior while refusing to own him as Lord. That's why the New Testament speaks very simply in the language such as Colossians 2.6. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.

36:25 Paul describes Christian experience as this, receiving Christ Jesus the Lord.

36:35 In that classic passage in Romans 10, and I'm quoting familiar verses to you. He says,

36:42 Jesus as Lord. And believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved. 2 Corinthians 4.5 We preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord.

36:57 And ourselves. Tells your servants for Jesus' sake. Romans 14 in verse 9. To this end he both died and rose again that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

37:10 That's the first conclusion you see that comes from a proper understanding of the nature of saving faith. Morally and spiritually impossible to receive Christ as Savior while refusing to own him as Lord. Second conclusion. It is morally and spiritually impossible to be made a believer while not becoming a disciple.

Conclusion 2: Impossible to Be a Believer Without Being a Disciple

37:41 In our day, a believer and a disciple are understood to be two distinct entities. A believer is one who's trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and is ready to die and go to heaven in the virtue of Christ's work for sinners. A disciple. A disciple is someone who has given himself up to Christ to accept the word and law of Christ as the rule of his life and is pursuing a life of obedience to Christ.

38:13 And we are told in our day that there are multitudes of believers who are not disciples. My friend, that has absolutely no basis in the Bible. You want to open your Bibles with me and see how in the scriptures becoming a believer and a disciple are synonymous realities. When Jesus commissioned his own to go into the world and preach the gospel, what did he tell them to do?

38:39 Matthew 28, 18. We read, Jesus came and spoke to them saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Going therefore, now notice, not get decisions of all the nations. Doesn't say make believers of all the nations.

38:59 He says make disciples. Of all the nations. Now notice, baptizing them. In other words, discipleship is not an advanced stage of Christian growth and development.

39:15 It is the initiation into Christianity.

39:20 And if you've not been made a disciple, you're not a believer.

39:24 And this is borne out by the language of the book of Acts. Look please at several sets of text in Luke's account of the early ministry. Of the Apostles in Acts chapter 5 and verse 14.

39:41 Acts chapter 5 and verse 14.

39:46 And believers were the more added to the Lord. Multitudes of men and women. Now how are people added to the Lord? When by faith they embrace the Lord who was offered in the gospel.

40:02 So Luke in describing the increase of the church describes it. As. As an increase of believers. But when he comes to chapter 6 in verse 1.

40:13 He describes the increase in different terminology. Look at it. Now in those days. When the number of the disciples was multiplied.

40:27 Now you see what Luke has done? Believers were multiplied. And now he says disciples were multiplied. Is he telling us that those who had become believers.

40:37 Back in chapter 5. Great numbers of them were now going on to a higher level of Christian experience. And from simply having Christ as Savior. They were now taking him as Lord.

40:48 From being merely saved. They now got surrendered. From merely being indwelt by the Spirit. They now became full of the Spirit.

40:56 There's absolutely no warrant for putting that construction on the meaning whatsoever. Luke is using as synonymous terms. Multiplication of believers. Believers.

41:08 Multiplication of disciples. Verse 7 of chapter 6. The word of God increased. And the number of the disciples.

41:18 Multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. And a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. He can describe coming to faith as an act of obedience. Why?

41:31 Because the call of faith is a call to self-commitment to Christ. Without resurrection. And then we turn to chapter 11. Verses 21 and 26.

41:42 And we see a similar construction. 11, 21. The word of God goes up to Antioch. As the believers are scattered.

41:52 And we read in verse 21 of Acts 11. The hand of the Lord was with them. And a great number that believed. Turned unto the Lord.

42:03 So there are a great number of believers. But yet in verse 26. We read the latter part of verse 26. Or let's start back.

42:17 All right. Verse 25. And when he went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul. And when he had found him.

42:22 He brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass that even for a whole year. They were gathered together with the church. And taught much people.

42:32 Now notice. And that the disciples. Were called Christians. Christians first in Antioch.

42:41 Luke says. There were a great number who believed. And turned to the Lord. He now describes them in verse 26.

42:49 As disciples. Who are subsequently called. Subsequently called Christians. Why?

42:55 Because their faith had brought them into living attachment with Christ. And Christ so dominated their lives. That they are called Christians first. At Antioch.

43:08 At Antioch. Now when we turn to the Gospels. The call to discipleship is very plain. Is it not?

43:14 If any man will come after me. Let him deny himself. Take up his cross and follow me. Is that a call to a level of Christian experience beyond faith?

43:25 No. It is simply a call to repentance and faith. Couched in the language of discipleship. Nothing more.

43:33 Nothing less. That's why when our Lord dealt with the rich young ruler. Whose question was. What shall I do to inherit eternal life?

43:42 He calls him to discipleship. And he says in obedience to that call. You will have eternal life and treasure in heaven. He wasn't calling him to some advanced stage of Christian experience.

43:56 He was calling him to the bare bones of true Christian experience. So it is morally and spiritually impossible. For a person to be made a true believer. While not being made a disciple.

Conclusion 3: Impossible to Exercise Saving Faith Without Regeneration

44:13 And then finally the third conclusion that is drawn. From our understanding of the nature of saving faith is this. It is morally and spiritually impossible. To exercise saving faith.

44:28 Without a miracle of regeneration. It is morally and spiritually impossible. To exercise saving faith. Without a miracle.

44:39 Without a miracle. Without a miracle. Without a miracle. Without a miracle.

44:41 Without a miracle. Without a miracle. Now often in our day people say. Well look.

44:43 Everyone has his own little bundle of faith. It's sort of a commodity you're born with. Along with the shape of your nose. Along with a certain measure of gray matter.

44:53 And intellectual endowment. Along with your heart and your lungs. And your liver and your intestines. Why you got this something called faith.

45:01 And you use it all the time. When you go and sit in a chair. You use your faith. And you prove that you have faith in the chair.

45:08 And when you get in an airplane. You use your faith. You believe that the airplane is going to fly. And land again.

45:15 And you have faith in the pilot. In the co-pilot. You have this thing called faith. And you use it in lots of areas.

45:21 Now all you need to do. Is use it with reference to Jesus. And the work he did on the cross. Whereas up till now.

45:28 You haven't put your trust in what Jesus did. Use that thing called faith. That you have natively and naturally. As part of your own endowment.

45:36 As a human being. And just put it on a different object. Namely the death of Christ. My friend that's sheer theological and biblical nonsense.

45:46 Listen to these texts. And I'll quote them without comment. But not without emphasis. Jesus said in John 6.44.

45:55 No man. Can come to me. Except the father. Which hath sent me.

46:02 Draw him. No man. Can come to me. Except.

46:11 The father which hath sent me. Draw him.

46:17 Jesus did not appeal to men. On the basis that they had. Some inherent commodity. That was just waiting to be used.

46:26 And if only they'd use it. They could come to him. He says no.

46:32 Unless the father grants something. That they do not. They'll never come. I quote the apostle now.

46:42 In 1 Corinthians 2.14. The natural man. Receiveth.

46:47 Not the things of the spirit of God. For they are foolishness. Unto him. Neither.

46:56 Can. He. Know them. Because they are spiritually discerned.

47:03 The natural man. Does not receive. The things of the spirit of God. And in the context.

47:10 The things of the spirit of God. Are the gracious provisions of God. In the gospel. Forgiveness and pardon and life.

47:17 Offered in the Lord Jesus Christ. The natural man does not receive these things. Why? The text tells us he cannot.

47:27 Neither can he know.

47:32 The faculty to discern. The beauty of Christ. In a faculty to discern. The suitableness of Christ.

47:41 To his need. The preaching of the cross. Is to them that are perishing. Foolishness.

47:48 Again I quote. From our Lord's word. In John 3 and verse 3. Except a man be born again.

47:57 He cannot. He cannot see. The kingdom of God. He can't make sense out of all of this.

48:04 How often have you and I sat. When preaching has been lucid and clear. And under the unction of the spirit. And said to ourselves.

48:12 How could anyone out of Christ. Fail to see the beauty of the Savior. The danger of his own state. How could anyone.

48:21 Do anything other than flee to Christ. Yet people have gone out. As unmoved and untouched. As though the preacher were trying to sell bananas.

48:32 To people. Dying with rotten bananas all around. Why? Because unless a man is born again.

48:40 He cannot see. He cannot perceive. He can't make sense. Out of the kingdom of God.

48:47 Romans 8 7. The carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not. Subject to the law of God.

48:54 Neither indeed can it be. You see there is this element. Of self commitment in faith. But the carnal mind is enmity against God.

49:04 God the Father. God the Son. As well as God the Holy Ghost. And Paul says the carnal mind.

49:11 Not being subject to God. Cannot be.

49:15 And the sinner will stand in his rebellion. And he will not. He cannot be subject. Unless God.

49:24 Does something. To change that rebel will. And that miracle which God performs. Is the miracle of regeneration.

49:34 He takes out the heart of stone. And the first consciousness the sinner has. That God has done that work. Is that he sees a beauty and a suitableness in Christ.

49:45 That perfectly answers to his need. And his only consciousness is. That freely and joyfully. With unreserved self-control.

49:54 Commitment. He puts himself and the state of his soul. Into the hands of Christ. To be saved from sin and its consequences.

50:04 Unto all the privileges. Of the children of God. That's why Paul can say in 2 Corinthians 4.6.

50:13 God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness. Hath shined in our hearts. To give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. In the face of Jesus Christ.

50:25 My friends in that original creation. The light did not create itself. There was nothing but darkness upon the face of the deep. And the scripture says.

50:35 God said. Let there be light. And there was light. It was a creative word.

50:42 And Paul draws that very picture. From Genesis 1 and says. That's what God does in the darkened heart of the sinner. God who commanded light to shine out of darkness.

50:54 Not in the darkness but out of it. Created light. That it should shine out of it. Hath shined in our hearts.

51:02 And when God creates spiritual light in the human heart. You know the first object that that light shines upon. Jesus Christ. The first consciousness of a quickened sinner.

51:15 Is the loveliness of Jesus. The suitableness of Jesus. The perfection of Jesus as the savior of sinners. So that for the first time.

51:25 We see in our need. And in what Christ is. And what Christ has done. A perfect suitableness.

51:34 Between us and our need. Christ in his grace. And then the heart runs out to him. In the actings of saving faith.

Call to Repentance and True Faith

51:44 My friend. Do you know anything about that? Do you?

51:49 Do you believe with a faith. That has brought you without reservation. To the feet of Christ. Resting the weight of your guilty soul.

51:59 Upon him alone. Taking his gracious yoke. With full purpose of an endeavor. After a life of obedience.

52:10 How sad it is. That the note of the nature of saving faith. Is a missing note in contemporary gospel preaching. This country has probably in all of its history.

52:23 Never had more people. Percentage. Wise who profess. To believe in Jesus Christ.

52:30 While at the same time. Being in its most sickened state. Morally. Religiously.

52:37 And in terms of vital godliness.

52:41 Why can this be? One of the answers lies right here. People have not understood. The nature of saving faith.

52:52 And if you are one. Who's been lulled to sleep. Thinking you could snatch at the benefits. Of the cross of Christ.

52:57 While refusing to bow to the crown of Christ. Thinking you could have the benefits. Of his work. While refusing to embrace his person.

53:08 In love I declare to you my friend. You've been deceived. By a defective presentation of the gospel. And I call upon you to repent.

53:18 Of that kind of faith. And to cry to God. That you may be enabled to embrace. His dear son.

53:26 As he is truly. Offered in the gospel. Let us pray. Our father.

53:40 We thank you for our Lord. Jesus Christ. We thank you for his willingness. To become.

53:48 The incarnate word. To take upon himself. The likeness of sinful flesh. To live the life.

53:57 We did not live. But should have lived. To die the death we should have died. We thank you.

54:05 That you made him. Who knew no sin. To become sin for us. That you made him to become.

54:12 What he was not in himself. That we might be made. What we would never be. In and of ourselves.

54:20 We thank you for an imputed righteousness. That in Christ Jesus. You behold us fully accepted. Before all the demands of your law.

54:31 And we pray that your spirit. Would so attend the word this night. That sinful men and women. Whether they are open sinners.

54:40 Or secret sinners. Scandalous sinners or respectable sinners. Young or old. Grant oh holy father.

54:48 That sinful men and women. Boys and girls. Will flee to Christ. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

54:56 And find the promise. Salvation in him. We pray for us as your people. That we may be well established.

55:04 And well grounded. In the nature of saving faith. That when we call others to faith. We may call them to that faith.

55:13 Which you have set forth. As the only appointed means. Of being bound. And united to your son.

55:22 Bless we pray then. The preaching of your word. Seal it to our hearts. To our prophet.

55:28 And to your own eternal praise. We ask. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.