How do we know God saves through faith?

Faith is not something that originates within us; it is a divine gift from God bestowed upon those chosen for salvation. In the sermon, the example of the dying thief illustrates this point clearly. While both thieves initially railed against Jesus, one was granted faith to recognize Jesus as Lord, resulting in his immediate admission into paradise. Ephesians 2:8-9 emphasizes that 'for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' This demonstrates that faith is part of God's saving work and not something we can contrive on our own.