I want you to open your Bibles
with me this morning to the book of 1 Corinthians. I'll be speaking
from 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verses 1 through 5. Now, here's
our subject, and it's a very important subject, and I believe
you'll be enlightened and helped if you listen carefully to the
message. I'm going to speak to you on this subject, five facts
about saving faith. five facts about saving faith. And if you'd like to follow in
your Bible now, the scripture will be taken from 1 Corinthians
2, verse 1. Now, my friends, the way of salvation,
God's redemptive plan, is revealed in the Bible. It's revealed in
the plainest and clearest terms. First of all, the way of salvation,
the way of redemption, is revealed in the Bible in promise. Right
after Adam fell, in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, God said, the seed
of woman, there's only one who's ever been the seed of woman,
that's the virgin-born Son of God, Jesus Christ. And God clearly
promises to the fallen Adam and Eve that the seed of woman would
bruise the serpent's head, would destroy the power of Satan. That's the first promise of redemption
and how God redeemed sinners to be found in God's Word. And
then you go right on through the Scripture. To him give all
the prophets witness, but stop at the book of Isaiah. Chapter
7, verse 14, God said, Therefore, listen to it, the Lord himself
shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name, the name of that
son born of the virgin, Emmanuel, who is God with us. There's another
promise of God's redeeming Son coming into this world by way
of the Virgin's womb and bearing our sins in His body. That's
the promise of redemption. And then in Isaiah 9, verse 6,
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the
government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall
be called Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. In other words, all the way through
the Old Testament, God promises a Redeemer. God promises a Savior. God promises the Messiah. He promises the Christ. In promise,
redemption's plan is clearly set forth in the Old Testament.
And not only in promise, but redemption's plan, how God saves
sinners, is set forth in picture. When God delivered Israel out
of Egypt, he told Moses to have the people of Israel to slay
a lamb and put the blood of that lamb on the lintel and the two-side
post. And God said, when I see the
blood, I'll pass over you. And Israel kept that Passover
every year until Jesus Christ came, of whom the prophet said,
He is our Passover. There's a clear picture of redemption
by the shedding of Christ's blood. And then the manna from heaven,
Christ said, I am the bread from heaven. Then the smitten rock,
when Moses smote the rock and water came forth from the rock
and satisfied the people's need. That's Christ. The scripture
says, He is that rock. That rock that followed them
in the wilderness is Christ. When Moses lifted up the brazen
serpent and the people who had been bitten by the fiery serpents
looked, they lived. And Christ said, as Moses lifted
up that serpent, Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. And then the tabernacle, which
they erected in the wilderness, with its priesthood, with its
sacrifices, with its mercy seat, with its sin offering, with its
atonement, with its table of showbread, with its candlestick,
with its incense, all of these things are pictures of Christ
bearing our sins. So I'm saying this to you. all
the way through the Bible, we have God's redemptive plan set
forth in the clearest terms, in promise, in prophecy, in picture,
and then in the New Testament, in person. Paul said in Galatians
4, in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were born under
the law. Paul, speaking to the Corinthians,
said, Brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried
and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
And Peter said, We are not redeemed with corruptible things such
as silver and gold. You don't buy redemption. You
don't earn redemption. We are redeemed with the precious
blood of Jesus Christ. as a lamb without blemish and
without spot. The way is clear. It's clear
in promise. It's clear in prophecy. It's
clear in picture. And in the New Testament, it's
clear in person. Christ said, I am come that they
might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
The Apostle Paul said, this is a faithful saying, and it's worthy
of acceptation by all men, that Jesus Christ came into the world
to save sinners of whom I'm chief. And one of the clearest announcements
of the gospel to be found anywhere in the Word of God is found in
Isaiah 53, when the prophet of God, hundreds of years before
Christ died, said, He was wounded for our transgressions. He was
bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was laid upon Him. By His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.
We've turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord hath laid
on him." On whom? The woman's seed. On whom? The virgin's son. On whom? The promised Messiah. On whom? The Passover lamb. On whom? The
rock in the wilderness. On whom? Jesus Christ. He hath
laid on him our iniquity. Now there you have it. Redemption's
plan is clearly and plainly declared in God's Word, and yet Listen
to me. This is true and you know it.
And yet there is no truth against which more error and more evil
has been spoken than the way of redemption. We put it in the
church. We put it in the water. We put
it in mourners' benches. We put it in sacraments. We put
it in laws. We put it in doctrine. We put
it in works. We put it in morality. We put
it everywhere in the world where God put it. He put redemption
in the hands of His Son. He called Him the surety of the
everlasting covenant. He called His blood the blood
of the everlasting covenant. Even men who claim to believe
on Christ, even men who claim to be the friends of Christ,
sometimes confuse their heroes on how God saves a sinner. That's what prompted Paul to
write to the church at Galatia and say, I'm marveled, I'm amazed. I am astounded that you are so
soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel." Here was a church in Galatia where Paul
himself had ministered. In fact, he founded the church
and preached there for months and months and months and left
there and was cast into prison in Rome. And it wasn't long until
he had to write this letter called the Letter to the Galatians and
say to them, I'm astounded, I am amazed that I haven't been gone
but just a short time, and here you are talking about salvation
being in circumcision, salvation being in Sabbath days, salvation
being in holy days, salvation being in everything, but where
it is? It's in Jesus Christ. That's where it is, and in no
place else. God says that. It's clearly set forth in the
Word of God. There's none other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. other foundation can no man lay
than that which is laid, Jesus Christ the Lord." He said, I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father
but by me. John wrote in I John 5, this
is the record God hath given us, eternal life, and this life
is in his Son. He that hath the Son of God hath
life. He that hath not the Son of God
shall never see life. Now, can anything be plainer?
If words mean anything at all, Salvation's in Christ. He said,
I'm the door, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and go in and out, and find pasture. My friends, you can ask a dozen
people tomorrow. Ask a dozen people, how does
God save a lost sinner? Ask a dozen people that tomorrow.
How is a son of Adam, ask them this question, how is a son of
Adam redeemed from sin, forgiven of his iniquity, and translate
it into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Ask them. You'll likely
get a dozen different answers, all of them wrong. Well, the
problem's not with the Scriptures. The Scriptures are clear, and
the Scriptures are plain. Let God be true, and every man
a liar. The problem's not with the Scriptures.
The problem is with men. And Paul tells us why in II Corinthians
4. Here's one reason. He said, if
our gospel be hid, It is hid to them that are lost, in whom
the God of this world hath blinded their minds, lest the glorious
light of the gospel of God should shine in unto them." They're
blinded. Men who do not see do not understand. Not only that, but in I Corinthians
2, verse 14, Paul wrote, "...but the natural man receiveth not
the things of God, Their foolishness to Him, their sheer nonsense,
neither can He know them. They're spiritually understood.
Our Lord said to the religious people of His day, He said, I
come in my Father's name, and you receive Me not. If another
come in his own name, bearing his own message, seeking his
own glory, promoting his own program, him you will receive.
Him you will receive." Isn't that sad? Isn't that tragic?
But that's the twisted, perverted, depraved, unspiritual mind of
natural men. John 5, 39, Our Lord looked at
the Pharisees. These were the men who studied
and taught the Scriptures, who ruled in the synagogue. And He
said, You search the Scriptures. For in them you think you have
life, but they are they which testify of Me. And you will not
come to Me that you might have life. The Scripture plainly,
in promise, in prophecy, in picture, in person, sets forth God's way
of redemption. And yet there's no truth against
which more error and more evil has been promoted than against
the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's Son. But I am prepared to allow
men to preach what they choose to preach. And I am prepared
to allow men to believe what they choose to believe. That's
what you call freedom of religion. But I'm saying this, for those
who listen to this program, for those who tune in to this telecast,
I intend to set forth in no uncertain terms, in the clearest possible
way, the gospel of God's free grace in Jesus Christ, our Lord
and Savior. And I want to use Paul's words
in 1 Corinthians 2. When you look now at the text,
To set forth how I feel about this issue. To set forth, and
listen, we seek the favor of God, not the favor of men. We're
not here to please men. The Apostle Paul said, if I please
men, I am not the servant of Christ. We preach not ourselves. We preach Jesus Christ. And he
said here in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 1. Listen to it. And I,
brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellent self-speech. or of wisdom, declaring unto
you the testimony of God." That testimony is the gospel of God. That's what he's talking about.
He said, "'For I determined not to know anything among you,'
not anything, "'except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And
I was with you in much weakness,' human weakness, infirmities,
afflictions, in much fear, in much trembling, And my speech
and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,
logic, argument, debate, but in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power," watch it now, "...that your faith should not
stand in the wisdom of men, in the logic of men, in the traditions
of men, but that your faith should stand in Christ, who is the power
of God." What's Paul saying there? Well, first he tells us how he
preached. He said, I came not with excellency of speech. I
came not with words of man's wisdom. He said, I came with
simplicity, not philosophy and human logic. We're not here to
entertain. We come to you, Paul said, in
the deepest humility, knowing that our gifts are borrowed,
that what we know God taught us, what we have God gave us,
what we preach, God Almighty inspires us to preach. He said,
I come to you in fear, not fear of men, in weakness and much
trembling with total dependence on the Spirit of God. Well, what
do we preach? We have one message. We play
a one-string fiddle. We preach Christ. He is our message. We preach not ourselves, our
thoughts. Our thoughts are not God's thoughts.
We preach not our deeds, not our programs. We preach Christ.
Christ is our message. He is our message. We preach
Christ and him crucified. Paul said to these philosophers
of Corinth, he said, I am determined not to debate with you or to
argue with you. I'm determined to know nothing
among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. Well, why do we
preach this gospel? I'll tell you why, he said. That
your faith, your faith's going to stand somewhere. It's going
to stand somewhere. It's going to be in someone.
Faith's got to have an object. That your faith, should not stand
in the wisdom of men, or the logic of men, or the tradition
of men, but that your faith might have as its object Jesus Christ,
who is the power of God. Paul summed that whole thing
up in Philippians 3. He said this, Brethren, rejoice
in the Lord. To write and to preach and to
teach to you the same things over and over again, to me it's
not tiresome. Not tiresome at all. I have one
message, Christ and Him crucified. And that's not tiresome at all.
For you, it's profitable. You beware of dogs, he said.
You beware of false preachers. He said, we are the true circumcision. We are true Israel, who bear
three characteristics. We worship God in the Spirit.
We worship God not in uniforms, burning candles. We worship God
not with visual aids and statues and pictures. We worship God
in Spirit. in spirit. You know what Christ
said to the Samaritan woman? They that worship God worship
him in spirit and in truth, not in form and in ceremony, but
in spirit and in truth. They that worship God worship
him in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeketh to worship
him Paul said, we're the true circumcision. We worship God
in spirit and truth. We rejoice in Jesus Christ. Not
in ourselves, not in our accomplishments, not in our heritage. We rejoice
in Jesus Christ. He is our righteousness. He is
our redemption. He is our sanctification. He
is our wisdom. He is our holiness. He is our
acceptance. He is everything. We rejoice
in Him. And we have no confidence in the flesh, yours, mine, or
anybody else's. Our confidence is in Christ.
You get that? We're not here to please men.
We're here to preach Christ. Now, let me give you five facts
concerning saving faith. And this will help you if you
listen to them. And listen carefully. The first one is this. What is
the object of saving faith? The object of saving faith. Now,
I said this a moment ago. Faith must have an object. It's
got to have an object. Faith's got to believe someone.
Faith's got to believe in something. Well, the sole object of saving
faith is a person. It's not a doctrine or a creed.
It's a person. And that person is Jesus Christ. Listen to the Scripture. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. He that
believeth on the Son hath life. He that believeth not the Son
shall not see life. John 3, 14, As Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be
lifted up. that whosoever believeth on him."
Him. He's the object of faith. I know
that salvation is the work of the Trinity. I know the Father
purposed to save. I know the Son purchased our
redemption. I know the Holy Spirit applies
that redemption. But Christ is the object of faith. We're saved because we believe
Christ. I know that salvation's a new birth. I know that salvation's
an experience of grace. I know that salvation's a new
creature. But it's Christ who loved us and gave Himself for
us. It is Christ who redeemed us, and He alone is our object
of faith. I know that salvation produces
a new creature. I know that love and grace and
godliness produce prayer, praise, and works of love. But none of
these things can save a man. I must not look to my prayers.
I must not even have faith in my faith. Christ is the object
of faith. I ask you this morning, what
Think ye of Christ. Whose son is he? Well, you say,
Preacher, let me tell you about my experience. I'd rather you
wouldn't. Tell me about your Savior. That's
how you're saved, not by your experience. You're saved by him
who loved you and gave himself for you. But Preacher, let me
tell you about my works. Let me tell you about how long
I've been a deacon, or how long I've been a Sunday school teacher,
how long I've been singing in the choir. No, I'd rather you
wouldn't. Tell me about your Lord. Do you have a high priest? Do you have a mediator? Do you
have a sin offering? Do you have a sacrifice? Where's
the Lamb? Well, preacher, let me tell you
about my church. Let me tell you what we're doing down at the
church. We've got a school, and we've got a ball team, and we've
got this kind of program and that kind of program. Let me
tell you about our church. I'd rather you wouldn't. I'd
rather you tell me about your substitute. I'd rather you tell
me about your sin offering. I'd rather you tell me about
your Savior. You see, you've got a sin problem. You've got
a life to live and a death to die and a judgment to face and
an eternity to spend. You've got a God to meet out
yonder. And your ball team isn't going to help you, and your church
is not going to help you. You need a sin offering. You
need the blood that cleanses from all sin. You need the blood
that makes atonement for the soul. You need the blood that
sanctifies. That's what you need. My faith,
the hymn writer said, my faith has found a resting place. an
object, not in device or creed. I trust the ever-living One. His wounds for me shall plead. Enough for me that Jesus saves. That ends all my fear and doubt. A sinful soul, I came to Him. I didn't come to church or to
the front. I came to Christ. Nor to a priest, nor to a preacher,
nor to a high-pressure evangelist, nor to a decision. A sinful soul,
I came to him, and he'll never cast me out. I need no other
argument. I need no other plea. It's enough
that Jesus died, and he died for me. That's the object of
faith. Secondly, the source of saving
faith. Saving faith is something no
one understands except the man who possesses it. I guarantee
you that. Saving faith is something no
one understands except the man who possesses it. Saving faith
is not something that can be defined for a natural man. It's
an impossibility. You know why? First of all, because
saving faith is born of need. Need. That's where it starts.
It's born of need. A man will never be saved until
he's lost. A man will never be clothed until he's stripped.
A man will never be made alive until he's slain. That's right.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said it in these words, the well do not
need a doctor. They said to the disciples, why
does your master eat with publicans and sinners? And our Lord knew
what they were saying, and he said, the well do not need a
doctor, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. You go learn what that means. And that's what I'm saying. I'm
saying that faith is born of need. The woman who reached out
and touched his garment had a need. The leper who fell down and worshipped
and said, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean, had a
need. The publican in the temple who
cried, God, be merciful to me, a sinner, had a need. The thief
on the cross who cried, Lord, remember me, had a need. And
when you have a need, you'll look to Christ. When you have
a need no one can meet, you'll look to Christ. When you have
a need only Christ can meet, you'll look to Christ. I came
to Jesus, he said, as I was, weary, worn, and sad. And I found
in him a resting place, and he's made me glad." Saving faith is
the gift of God. It's the work of God. It's given
unto you not only to believe on him, but to suffer for his
sake. He says, "...thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power." He said, "...for by grace are ye saved through
faith." And that's not of yourself, it's the gift of God. It's the
Spirit of God who convinces a man of sin. It's the Spirit of God
who reveals Christ. It's the Spirit of God who leads
men to faith. Face the gift of God. That's
the source of faith, need and grace. And then the foundation
of saving faith. Now listen to me. Here's the
importance of the Word of God. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. True saving faith. Are you with
me? has no other foundation than the Word of God. Feelings, emotions,
human thoughts, they change, they fail, they deceive, but
the Word of God endureth forever. He says all flesh is grass, and
everything connected with the flesh is grass, and the glory
of man is as the flower of the field, the grass withereth and
the flower faded, but the Word of God endureth forever. There's only one solid footer
for your foundation. There's only one place for your
feet. There's only one foundation for your faith, and that's God
sent it, and that settles it. How do you know that God Almighty
will show mercy? His Word says so. How do you
know that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners? His
Word says so. How do you know that Jesus Christ
is the way of life? His Word says so. How do you
know that you'll be accepted of God if you believe on Christ?
His Word says so. How do you know He's the only
Mediator between God and men? His Word says so. There's no
other foundation. God said it. God declared it. You believe His Word. What's
the result of saving faith? Well, sins are forgiven. He said,
Thy sins be forgiven thee. Though they be red like crimson,
they shall be white as wool. We have peace with God. Therefore,
being justified by faith, peace with God. There's no judgment
to them who are in Christ Jesus. We have a perfect righteousness.
We're sons of God. Because many have received him,
to them gave he the right to become sons of God. We have eternal
life. Now last, the evidence of saving
faith. In 1 John 5, 10, the Scripture
says, He that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself. He has the witness in himself. What is this witness? You say,
Preacher, do you feel saved? Well, in a sense. Do you experience
salvation? In a sense. But there's the witness
in himself. What is that witness? Well, first
of all, it's the witness of his Spirit, the presence of his Spirit. He that hath not the Spirit of
God hath not Christ. Everyone who's saved, the Spirit
of God literally, actually dwells in that person. That's right.
He said, I'll send my Spirit, and He'll lead you into all truth.
He'll guide you into truth. He'll be your teacher, your counselor,
your comforter, and your guide. The Spirit of God dwells in you.
Secondly, it's the witness of His Word. Thy Word have I hid
in my heart. His Word is our hope. We believe
His Word. Thirdly, it's the witness of
a new life. We know we've passed from death
into life because we love the brethren. Witness of the Spirit,
the witness of the Word, and the witness of that inner knowledge
and experience of the grace of God being productive in our own
lives. Now, if you want this sermon
on cassette tape, we have two messages on this one tape. This
message, Five Facts About Saving Faith, and one I'll bring next
Lord's Day on the subject, But God, But God. Write to me. The address will be given to
you in a moment. Send $2. That's what it cost us to produce
it and get it to you. We'd be happy to send you this
tape. On the next Lord's Day at 1130, I bid you a very pleasant
good morning.