Riff's Christian Journal

But Who’s Faith Is It?

For one to become a Christian they need to be “Born Again” by the Grace of God through Faith. The question is, by who’s faith is it that we are saved?

In Ephesians 2:8, 9 we read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

So, if the faith through which we are saved is a gift then that faith must come from somewhere else. We know that God gives us this faith because of Eph. 2:8&9 and, in addition, in Romans 12:3 we read, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

Does God give us this faith just out of thin air or does this faith come from the action of someone else? The best translation of the Bible that answers this question comes from the 1622 Geneva Bible; the Bible that the Pilgrims first brought to America. Newer translations changes the wording to something else and in doing so nullifies part of the work of Christ in our salvation.

In the Geneva Bible in Galations 2:16 we read, “Know that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we, I say, have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ, and not by the works of the Law, because that by the works of the Law, no flesh shall be justified.” Newer, so called better, translations use the word “in” instead of “OF“.

In other words, it is not by faith in Christ that we are saved by by the faith OF Christ that we are saved. If we are saved by faith in Christ then it is our faith that is being used for our salvation, but we have no righteousness of our own, we are dead in our sins and there is no good in us from which to generate this faith. That is why faith must be given to us as a gift for our use in being saved.

In that case, that faith through which we are saved must come from the righteousness of someone else and the only one who can provide that faith is Jesus Himself. In fulfilling the Law, through His obedience to the Father, the faith by which He does all this is then imputed to us, that is it is given to us as a gift, so that we are then saved by the faith OF Christ that he made perfect for us.

For by grace have you been saved through the faith OF Jesus, not of our works, so that we cannot boast that we were able to come up with our own faith in order to be saved. We cannot contribute in any way to our salvation, no works are involved not even our own faith, everything is done by Jesus for us.

The Father defines our salvation, the Son completes the work of our salvation and the Holy Spirit applies that finished work. Salvation, from start to finish, is all done by the Soverign God who works all things according to His will.

Yes, we are saved by grace through faith, but the faith that saves is the faith OF Jesus. We are not saved by faith in Christ, we are saved by the faith OF Christ. Only He can provide that faith for us because only Jesus has completed the work of being faithful, and obedient, for us.

Salvation does come through faith, but it is through the faith OF Jesus that we are saved and not our own. This is the faith that is given to us, and it is by this faith, the faith OF Jesus, through which we receive salvation.

So then, the answer to the question, “by who’s faith is it that we are saved?” the answer is simple. It is by the faith OF Jesus that we are saved.