Saving Faith

"Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'" Acts 16:30–31 This is one of the most misunderstood and misused texts in the Bible, and perhaps one that has been made to do as much work for the devil as for God. Let every believer present ask in faith for the light of the Holy Spirit as we seek to understand and apply it correctly. Let us consider: Who are to believe?

When are they to believe?

How are they to believe?

1. Who Are to Believe?

To whom does the Holy Spirit say, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved"? Notice carefully: not to all sinners indiscriminately.

Here is a serious mistake found in much of the teaching of our day. These words are often separated from their context and from many other passages that explain them. They are presented independently of the conditions that always accompanied them in the teaching and practice of the apostles. Indeed, it has only been within the last sixty or seventy years that this new approach has become common—preaching indiscriminately to unawakened, unconverted, and unrepentant sinners, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ."

It seems to me that great harm has been done to the cause of Christ by this incorrect handling of the Word of God. Apart from being unscriptural, it is also unreasonable. How can an unawakened, unconvinced, and unrepentant sinner truly believe? One might as soon expect Satan to believe. It is impossible.

Thousands of such people say, "I do believe." Only a short time ago, my dear son was speaking with a man riding on top of an omnibus who was under the influence of alcohol and using very improper language. My son was trying to show him the danger of his sinful conduct as a transgressor of God's law. "Oh!" said the man, "it is not by works; it is by faith, and I believe as much as you do."

"Yes," replied my son, "but what do you believe?"

"Oh," he answered, "I believe in Jesus Christ, and of course I shall be saved."

That man is a sample of thousands. I meet such people every day.

They believe there was a man named Jesus, and that He died for sinners—even for them. But regarding the exercise of saving faith, they know no more about it than Agrippa or Felix. This becomes evident when they come near death. Then these same people wring their hands, despair, and call for Christians to come and pray with them.

If they had truly believed, why all this fear and alarm at the approach of death? They were believers only in the mind, not in the heart. They accepted the facts recorded in Scripture, but they did not believe in the biblical sense of the word. If they had, their faith would have saved them. We maintain that it is both useless and unscriptural to preach "only believe" to such people.

Christians have not fulfilled their responsibility when they simply tell sinners that Jesus died for them and that they should believe in Him. They have a more difficult task: to help open their eyes to their true condition, so that by the power of the Spirit they realise they are sinners in need of salvation.

When people recognise that they are spiritually sick, they will run to the Great Physician. The eyes of the soul must be opened to the reality of sin and to the consequences of sin. This realisation should create an earnest desire to be saved from it. God's great instrument for accomplishing this is His law, which serves as a schoolmaster leading sinners to Christ as their Savior.

There is not one case in the New Testament where the apostles urged people to believe, or where a person is described as believing, without good reason to conclude that conviction of sin and repentance had already taken place.

The one apparent exception is Simon the sorcerer.

Like many people in times of powerful religious movements, Simon was carried along by the influence of the meetings and by the example of those around him. He professed faith.

No doubt he accepted the fact that Jesus died on the cross. He received the facts of Christianity into his mind and, in that sense, became a believer—just as tens of thousands do today. He was even baptised. But when the testing point came—whether his own interests or God's interests mattered most to him—his true condition became clear.

As the apostle said: "Your heart is not right before God." Acts 8:21 No one is converted whose heart is not right with God. That is the test.

If Simon had truly been converted, his heart would have been right with God, and he would never have imagined that the gift of the Holy Spirit could be purchased with money. Peter went on to say: "For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." Acts 8:23 And what did he say next?

Did he say, "Believe immediately"?

No.

Instead he said: "Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you."

Repent first, and then receive forgiveness.

Thus, we receive a double lesson from this passage.

Simon is the only recorded case of someone professing belief where there is not clear evidence in the passage itself that conviction and repentance preceded faith. Yet even here, the outcome proves the point.

Simon possessed the faith of the mind, but not the faith of the heart. Therefore, his profession ended in failure and despair. Some have written to me this week saying that they had believed.

They had been persuaded into making a profession of faith, but no fruit followed.

Ah, it was not heart faith. It was merely intellectual faith—like Simon's. It left you worse than it found you, and ever since you have been struggling and wandering in spiritual darkness.

But do not conclude that this was genuine faith and that genuine faith has failed. Rather, take courage and begin again. Repent, and seek the real thing.

Satan always provides a counterfeit. Therefore, do not fall into despair because the wrong kind of faith did not succeed. That failure does not make God's true faith ineffective. Certainly not!

Consider another example—the three thousand converted in a single day. Surely this is a biblical illustration. No one can call it anti-gospel or legalistic.

What was the first thing Peter did?

He drove the penetrating truth of God into their hearts and brought them under conviction.

He awakened them to the seriousness of their condition until they cried out: "Brothers, what shall we do?" Acts 2:37 They were deeply troubled. Their hearts were pierced. Their eyes were opened to the terrible consequences of their sin.

As a result, they cried out before the great crowd, seeking the way of salvation.

Peter first convinced them of sin, and in doing so followed God's appointed order.

Again, the eunuch is often quoted as an illustration of faith; but what state of mind was he in? Was he a careless, unconvicted sinner? There he was—an Ethiopian, a heathen; but where had he been?

To Jerusalem, to worship the true and living God in the best way he knew and according to the understanding he had. Then, what was he doing when Philip found him? He was not content with merely worshiping at the temple and then going back to his ordinary life without concern. He was searching the Scriptures. He was honestly seeking after God, and the Holy Spirit always knows where such souls are. So He said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” There is a man seeking after Me; there is a man whose heart is sincerely set on finding Me. Go and preach Christ, and tell him to believe. That man would have sacrificed, done, or lost anything for salvation, and as soon as Philip explained the way of faith, he received it, of course, as all such souls will.

Saul, on his way to Damascus, is another example. Jesus Christ Himself was the preacher there, and surely He could not be mistaken. His method was perfect. Where did He begin? What did He say to Saul? He saw an honest-hearted man. Saul was sincere, as far as he understood, and if in any case there seemed to be a need for the immediate reception of Christ by faith, it was in his.

But the Lord Jesus Christ did not say one word about faith. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4, ESV)—tearing away the bandages of deception from his eyes and letting him see the wickedness of his conduct.

When Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5, ESV), He repeated the accusation. He did not come with words of comfort. He did not immediately heal the wound; but He said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5, ESV). He pressed the truth even deeper, opening Saul’s eyes wider and making him more aware of his guilt. Then He sent him on to Damascus, where he spent three days before receiving healing. God sent a humble human instrument to him, and Saul had to hear and obey his words before the scales fell from his eyes, before the assurance of forgiveness came, and before the Holy Spirit filled his soul.

I wonder what Paul was doing during those three days! Not singing songs of thanksgiving and praise. That would come later. What do you think he was doing? He neither ate nor drank, and he remained in darkness. What was he doing? No doubt he was praying. No doubt he was seeking after this Christ who had spoken to him on the road. No doubt he was looking with horror upon his past life and renouncing forever his opposition to Jesus Christ and His Gospel.

Of course, he was bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance, according to the divine order (Acts 26). Then Ananias came and preached Christ to him. He believed unto salvation, the scales fell from his eyes, and his mouth was filled with praise and thanksgiving to God.

Cornelius is another example, but what was the state of his mind and heart? We know that he feared God and practiced righteousness as far as he was able. He gave generously to the people and prayed continually. That is more than some of you have ever done, even though you live in Gospel times. You have never spent a whole night praying about your soul—not even half a night, some of you. Cornelius did. He was seeking God. He sincerely wanted to know Him. He was willing, whatever the cost, to do His will. Consequently, the Lord sent him the glorious message of the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I could continue giving examples, but I must stop. We have said enough to show who are to believe: truly repentant sinners, and they only.

This text is addressed to a repenting, enlightened, convicted sinner. Some of you are enlightened, convinced, and so troubled that you cannot sleep. You do repent. You are the very people, then, to whom this text comes: Believe. You are in the very condition of the jailer.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31, ESV). Now let us consider the state of mind the jailer was in. We see from the whole account how his eyes had been opened. The earthquake had done that. Some people need an earthquake before their eyes are opened, and it has to be a powerful one. The jailer’s eyes were opened, and he made the best use of the opportunity.

A short time before, he had been cruelly treating the apostles. Talk about a change—here was a change.

Then he cried out, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30, ESV). In effect, he was saying, “I am ready to do anything; just tell me what.” When a soul comes to that state of mind, there is nothing more to do but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He came trembling, fell before them, and afterward washed their wounds. When you reach that state of mind, you will soon be saved. You will have nothing more to do but believe. You will find it easy then.

2. When is a Sinner to Believe?

When he repents.

Here again I am going to answer some of your letters. One person writes: “I am afraid I do not realise my sin sufficiently. I have no particular agony on account of sin, but I do see my whole life as one huge error and sin.”

Nothing is more common than for people to deceive themselves on this point. That person is confusing feeling with conviction. He thinks that because he has not experienced the extreme agony that some have, he is therefore not sufficiently convinced of sin. Yet the Holy Spirit has opened his eyes to see that his whole life has been one great error and sin. He is convinced that it has all been sin—not merely isolated sins here and there, separated from the rest of his life, but a perception of his true condition that causes him to see his whole life as sinful.

Surely, my friend, you are convinced. Who but the Holy Spirit could have shown you that? Now, the truly repentant soul first sees sin; second, hates sin; third, renounces sin.

Let me test you by each of these marks. Do not let Satan deceive you and cause you to deny what God has been doing in your heart. Face the facts. When you have reached a conclusion, do not allow him to start an argument in your mind. Hold firmly to what you know to be true and move forward from there, or you will never find peace. Satan is the accuser of the brethren—and, I suppose, of the sisters too.

I will be as honest and searching with you as I can. I will not avoid the examination, but once we have examined and found the truth, stand upon it for Christ’s sake, and do not let it slip from beneath your feet. Satan will try to rob you of your common sense, your conscience, and your convictions.

You see sin. A completely unawakened soul does not see sin in its true character, its seriousness, or its consequences. Such a person admits that all people are sinners. Oh yes, but he does not see the deadly and condemning nature of sin. He does not see what an evil and bitter thing sin is in itself.

Now, only the Holy Spirit can open a person’s eyes to see this. Without Him, all my preaching— or anyone else’s preaching—even the preaching of angels, if they were allowed to preach, could continue forever and never bring conviction of sin. If you see sin, it is the Holy Spirit who has opened your eyes. Thank Him and take courage, my friend. If God has dealt with you this far and opened your eyes to see the character and consequences of sin, does it not suggest that He also desires to save you from it? He has opened your eyes so that He may anoint them with eye salve and enable you to see light in His light.

Now, have you come this far? You have told me that your life has been one great sin. Others speak of one particular sin. Whatever it may be, if you are convicted of sin, it is the Holy Spirit who has convicted you. Therefore, thank God and take courage this far.

Further, the true penitent hates sin; that is, his attitude toward sin is completely different from what it was before. There was a time when you could commit sin almost without noticing it or feeling concern. People often do not realise the great change that has taken place in them in this respect because they are brought to it gradually.

Think back to your unawakened state. How did you live then? The very things that now cause you such distress were things you practiced every day without concern. The things that now horrify you, even in thought or temptation, were once part of your daily life without any sense of guilt.

You had no hatred of sin and no fear of it. You were a willing slave of Satan. Now you are an unwilling one. Then you ran toward sin; now he has to drive you toward it. When you fall, it is against your will. You hate sin.

Now, this does not mean you are already saved from it. Nor does it mean that you have the power to save yourself from it. In fact, this is the very struggle the apostle describes when portraying the unsuccessful efforts of a convicted sinner. The things you do not want to do, you find yourself doing; and the things you desire to do, you lack the power to accomplish. Nevertheless, you desire to do what is right. That is the difference.

Once, you had no desire to do those things. In fact, you may even have thought that those who did were hypocrites. Now, you feel very differently. You struggle, strive, pray, and stay watchful.

Some of you have told me so, and yet you say, “I am overcome again and again.”

Of course you are, because you are not yet saved. But do you not see that you desire to be? You hate the sin that holds you captive. You struggle against it. You watch against it. Perhaps you are not overcome nearly as often as before.

People do not realise how much they owe to the convicting and restraining power of the Holy Spirit, who helps their weakness even now, enabling them to cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye, and bringing them into a waiting attitude before God, like Cornelius and the eunuch.

Some of you, my hearers, are seeking after God. You long for deliverance and are striving against sin.

Take another illustration. I do not mean that the soul has power to save itself from its inward corruption. That is what Jesus Christ gives when He saves. But consider this: here is a man who is addicted to drink. He is a drunkard. Then he becomes convicted of sin. The Spirit of God says to him, “Will you give up the cup?” Then the struggle begins.

Now, should that man be taught to continue drinking and simply expect God to save him? Should you keep telling him, “Never mind the drink; just believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved”? Or should you tell him, “You must put away your sin. Cut off that right hand. Pluck out that right eye. Renounce that drink forever in your heart, purpose, and will. Until you do so, you cannot truly exercise faith in the Lord Jesus”?

Here is another person who is addicted to lying. When he is convicted of sin, he begins to guard his lips so that he may not sin with his mouth. He succeeds to some extent, or rather, the Holy Spirit helps him succeed, so that he does not lie as he once did. He still fails from time to time because he has not yet found full power over it, but he is firmly determined, and as far as his will is concerned, he is cutting off this outward sin and waiting in obedience for complete deliverance and salvation.

There is also the servant who regularly steals from his master's cash box. He attends a religious meeting and becomes convicted. Then the Spirit of God says, “You must stop that dishonesty. You cannot come to this meeting night after night, claiming to want salvation, while every day you continue stealing from your master. You must cut off that right hand. Give up that theft. Resolve to make restitution, and wait before Me while bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance.”

You see what I mean. Some of you are in exactly that position—you know you are. Whatever sinful habit may have hold of you, the principle is the same. Jesus Christ wants you to renounce that habit in your will, determination, and purpose. You do not have the power to free yourself from it. You may struggle, as some of you say you are doing, but it still overcomes you. He knows all about that. Yet He approves of the struggle, the effort, the watchfulness, and the determination.

When He saves you, He will give you the power, and then you will stand instead of falling, because He Himself will uphold you.

Now you know that you have come this far. You know that if you had the power right now to completely destroy the hold of that evil habit over your life forever, you would do it without a moment's hesitation. You say, “Oh yes, I would. If only I had the power.” That is repentance. That is genuine repentance.

What you cannot do for yourself, Christ meets you where you are and says, “I will do it for you. I will break the power of that habit. I will deliver you from the hand of the enemy. I will free you from that bondage. Only place your faith in Me, and I will lift you up. I will fill you with My Spirit.

You shall stand in Me and by Me, and what you are now struggling to do for yourself, I will do for you.”

Then you have come this far—that you hate sin?

“Yes, I do.”

You have written it in your letters to me, and others are saying it who have not written.

“Yes,” you say, “I desire to be saved from it. If I could save myself from sin this very moment and never sin again, I would do so.”

Would you? Is that not repentance? What else could it be?

Suppose you had a disobedient and rebellious son. He had lived in defiance of your authority, wasted your money, and trampled your commands underfoot. Then suppose he comes to see the error of his ways. Perhaps suffering opened his eyes. Perhaps poverty did. Perhaps it was something else. In any case, he sees it.

He comes home and says: “Father, what a fool I have been. How wicked I have been. I see it all now. I did not see it when I was doing it. I see my sinful course, the sins that caused you grief and brought sorrow to your life. Oh, how I hate it all. I repent in dust and ashes. Father, I forsake it all. I come home to you.”

What would you say?

Would you say, “My son, you have not repented enough. Go away and come back when you feel more sorrow”?

No. Your father's heart would reach out in love and forgiveness. You would embrace him and welcome him home.

“Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10, ESV).

There would be joy in that family over the return of the wandering child.

But suppose the son said: “Father, I truly repent and forsake my sins, but there are companions who may influence me again, and there are habits so powerful that I fear they may overcome me. Let me stay close to you. I need your strength.”

What would you say?

Would you not answer: “Then come in, my son. Stay with me, and I will protect you. I will help you. You shall not walk alone. I will be with you and uphold you.”

As far as any human father could protect another, you would protect your son. He would never lack your sympathy or support, day or night.

Your heavenly Father lacks neither sympathy nor strength. His eye never sleeps. His arm never grows weary. You need only bring your helpless weakness to His almighty strength through this act of faith, and He will uphold you, even if a legion of devils surrounds you.

Lastly, you renounce your sins—that is, in your will, purpose, and determination.

You say, “I never want to grieve Him again.”

You sing it, and you mean it.

“I do not want to grieve Him anymore.”

If you could live without grieving Him, you would count every sacrifice worthwhile. Is that not repentance? You know it is.

You renounce sin. You do not say, “Lord Jesus, save me while I hold on to this right hand and this right eye. Save me while I cling to these forbidden things.”

No.

You say, “Lord Jesus, save me from them. Make me clean.”

That is repentance. You see sin. You hate sin. You renounce sin.

Now then, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Oh, Holy Spirit, reveal the simple way of faith.

You ask, “How am I to believe?”

A troubled soul once asked me this question in large letters: “How am I to believe?”

How does a bride believe in her husband when she gives herself to him at the marriage altar? She entrusts herself to him. She believes in him. She enters into a covenant with him and then goes home and lives as though that covenant is true.

That is faith.

How do you trust a physician when you are sick and lying on your bed, whether in peace or suffering? You place your case in his hands. You commit yourself to his care. You trust his skill and follow his instructions.

Have faith like this in Jesus Christ.

Trust and obey, and expect that it will be with you according to His Word.

Instead, the faith of many people is like that of a person suffering from a serious illness. A friend tells him about a wonderful physician who has cured hundreds of similar cases and provides abundant evidence that the doctor is both able and willing to heal him if he will only place himself under his care. The sick man may completely believe his friend's testimony about the physician, yet for some hidden reason he refuses to entrust himself to him.

Many people treat Jesus Christ in the same way. They believe He can heal the disease of sin on His appointed terms. They believe that He shows no partiality. They believe that He has saved hundreds who were just as sinful as they are. Yet for some reason they do not trust Him. They hold back.

What you need to do is place your case in His hands and say: “Lord Jesus, I come as You have invited me, confessing and forsaking my sin. If I could, I would leave it behind forever this very moment. You know that I come renouncing it, yet without the power to save myself from it. And now, Lord Jesus, You have said, ‘Whoever comes to me I will never cast out’” (John 6:37, ESV).

“I do come. You do not cast me out. You receive me. Blessed Heavenly Father, I give myself to You. I place my sins upon the sacrifice of Your Son. You have said that You will receive me and forgive me for His sake. Now I roll my guilty burden onto Him, and I believe Your promise. I trust You to be true to Your Word.”

That is faith.

“But,” said a dear lady, “I do not feel it.”

No. You must trust first.

Notice carefully: you are not first to believe that you are saved, but to believe that He is saving you now according to His promise.

“Whatsoever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, ESV).

That is the principle of faith. Believe that you receive before you feel. When you receive, then you will feel. God will prove true, and every person or devil who contradicts Him will be found a liar.

Throw your arms around the Crucified One. Take hold of the hand of the Son of God. Bring your guilty soul to the foot of His cross and say: “You receive me. You forgive me. You cleanse me. You save me.”

Keep speaking the language of faith.

I have seen many souls enter into freedom while repeating these precious words personally: “He was wounded for my transgressions; he was crushed for my iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought me peace, and with his stripes I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5, ESV).

Keep speaking the language of faith all the way home tonight.

Go into your room and say: “I am determined to be saved, if salvation is truly offered to me.”

Resolve that if you perish, you will perish there at the foot of the cross, pleading for mercy. But you will not perish, for He has promised mercy to those who come.

I have never known a soul to come to this point and not soon find salvation.

Get into the lifeboat. Leave behind the wreck of your own righteousness and your own efforts.

Step fully into the lifeboat of Christ's sacrifice. Hold firmly to Him, and determine never to let go until the Spirit bears witness within your soul, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15, ESV), and you know with certainty that you have passed from death to life (John 5:24, ESV).

May the Lord help you.

Amen.