Saving faith is a mysterious and wonderful thing, and also very rare. While it is true that all religious folks have some kind of faith, and some of them have much faith or great faith; yet there are very few who have saving faith. The one who has this precious, saving faith knows that his faith is a gift of God and that it came to him through the hearing of God’s Word (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:17). He knows that his faith is sustained by the power of God and would wither and die apart from that Divine power and grace (1st Peter 1:5).

Saving faith does not lead a man to be always looking back to a time in history when he believed, but causes him to be concerned with Christ at the present. Saving faith never causes a man to look to his faith, but to God, to Christ, the origin and object of his faith; thus he doesn’t glory in self but in the Lord (1st Corinthians 1:30-31). Saving faith never causes a man to look to his attainments and experiences as a ground or basis of his safety and assurance, but to Jesus Christ and Him crucified and nothing else. Saving faith will cause a man to be obedient and submissive to the Lord, but will never lead that man to look to his obedience and submission as any part of that righteousness wherein he is accepted of God. Saving faith, as a friend and protector of our souls, stands up against that natural self-righteousness which we have and rebukes that hypocrite which dwells within each of us. Saving faith will never lead a man to measure and compare himself with other sinners, but with the Saviour of sinners, so that he may understand what the apostle Paul meant when he said, “I am the chief of sinners.” Saving faith will lead a man to say, “All of my righteousnesses are as filthy rags, but I am complete in Him.” Saving faith will bring a man to say “I abhor myself, but my Saviour and Lord is altogether lovely.” Do you have saving faith?

M. Montgomery