By Michael W. Gardner
Hebrews
11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those
who diligently seek Him.” That
seems simple enough but so many people have misunderstood this because
they did not know what believing faith is.
That
there are different types of belief is clear.
There is the kind of belief where we know, and thereby believe,
that something is true, like the sky is blue and the grass is green.
We believe that because we can take a look anytime to reassure us
that we remember it correctly. So
does it become faith when we believe that Jesus Christ existed and was the
Son of God? Apparently not,
James 2:19 says, “You believe that there is one God, you do well; even
the demons believe and tremble.” The
demons believe that Jesus is the son on God because they know it to be
true but that does not save them so what is it that makes it the kind of
faith, or belief, that saves us (Mark 16:16)?
What
about “faith”? Is there different kinds of faith?
James 2:21 and 22 says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by
works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Do you see how faith worked with his works, and from the works
faith was made complete?” So,
there appears to be complete and incomplete faith.
In fact, it says faith is completed with works.
In this case, it was the works of going through with the sacrifice
of his son that completed Abraham’s faith.
So it is completed faith that is being spoken of in Hebrews 11:6
that we must have to come to God.
But
what about Gal 2:16, “knowing that a man is not justified by works of
the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ; even we believed in Jesus
Christ, that we might be justified by the faith in Christ, and not by
works of the Law. For all flesh will not be justified by works of law.”?
Compare that with James 2:24, “You see then how a man is
justified by works, and not by faith only. “
One says we are not justified by works and the other says that we
are, so since the Bible does not contradict itself there must be an answer
to the conflict. We need
works to justify our faith like it did Abraham’s so there must be a
difference in the types of works just like there are differences in the
types of faith.
Take
a look at Romans 4:4 and 5, “But to him working, the reward is not
reckoned according to grace, but according to debt.
But to him not working, but believing on Him justifying the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
The difference is that one type of work is for wages or an attempt
to earn something and that type of work can never buy us grace but the
other kink is the kind that reacts to our faith and that has nothing to do
with earning anything, it is just the right thing to do.
The example I like is Noah in 1 Peter 3:20 and 21.
Noah believed there was a God because he talked to him.
He believed but he still did the work to build the Ark.
His faith compelled him to do work.
So did his faith save him or did his work? He did not want to build the ark but he did by faith.
Then when the Ark was complete he entered it by the same faith.
Even his belief would not have saved him had he not entered the
ark. So his entering the Ark completed Noah’s faith. So
what saved him, his faith or the act of entering the Ark?
We believe today and have faith but our faith is not complete unless we obey God (Romans 16:26). We do not earn our faith with the act of Baptism but we complete that faith with the justification that Baptism gives us. So the difference between “faith” and “believing faith” is whether it is complete or not. The difference is obedience and without obedience we are lost no matter how much we believe. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16)