How do we know that faith is essential for salvation?

Faith is central to the believer's experience of salvation because it is through faith that we accept what God has already accomplished in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.' This indicates that faith is not a work we do to earn salvation; rather, it is trusting in Christ's finished work as our only hope. The narrative of Jericho reinforces this truth, as the Israelites’ faith led them to action, resulting in the miraculous downfall of the city walls.