A Saving Faith

In The School of Faith (Part 1)

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Mark 4:35-41
I. Introduction: Of the innumerable gifts with which God has blessed us,
the greatest is often overlooked. It is something Jesus said a great deal
about and something that we use every day. This great gift is faith, and to attain
it, we must understand what it truly means to trust God.
II. Three Types of Faith

A. Intellectual Faith (Natural Faith)Believing something is true

without proof or commitment. For example, a person can intellectually
believe Jesus was a real person who performed miracles but not accept
the fact that He was God in Man.

B. Faith in God Believing in Gods existence and His abilities. A person

with this kind of faith possesses a confident conviction that God will fulfill
what He has promised.

C. Saving FaithBelieving in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, a living

person, for the forgiveness of sin and trusting Him because He provides
eternal life with God. It isnt enough to simply believe in the actions of
Jesus Christ or the abilities of God. True saving faith is more than that; it is
a personal relationship with the Savior.

III. Jesus spent a great deal of His time on earth instructing His disciples
and helping them understand what true faith is. For example:

A. When His disciples were concerned about bread, Jesus reminded them
how He fed thousands with only a handful of fish and loaves (Matt. 16:711).

B. When the disciples could not drive out demons because their faith was
little, Jesus explained how faith the size of a mustard seed can move
mountains (Matt. 17:14-21).

IV. Jesus knew what opposition they would be up against and what they
would need to minister to new believers. This is why teaching them about
faith was His priority. He knew that for them to be effective as witnesses and
servants, they had to have absolute faith in His promises and in the power of the
Holy Spirit.
V. Grading Faith. The disciples were human, and their faith went through a
process of development.

A. No FaithThey lacked it during the storm on the sea (Mark 4:40).

B. Little FaithThey were anxious about many things, not always

trusting that God would provide (Matt. 6:30).

C. Great FaithA centurion in Capernaum approached Jesus and said

that His word alone would be enough to cure a dying servant. Jesus told
His disciples, Truly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith with
anyone in Israel (Matt. 8:11). They were meant to learn from this mans
example.

D. Faith FailurePeter experienced this when he denied Christ three

times (Luke 22:31-32). These moments are inevitable in our lives;
however, God uses them to strengthen our faith and to teach others.

VI. Like the disciples, we all have varying degrees of faith in our
relationship with God, and we respond to the Father based on that amount. If
we have great faith, He can trust us with bigger challenges and do amazing
things through us.

A. Our faith grows as we study the Word, listening for His guidance
through the Scriptures.

B. It is also strengthened when we face and overcome struggles. God uses

tests for our good and to make us more capable servants.

VII. Having a saving faith is key because it determines our eternal

destiny. Many people are deceived. They think because they go to church, are
baptized, and tithe regularly, they are saved. They know Jesus intellectually, but
they dont have a relationship with Him.

A. A person who has saving faith both knows the truth of Scripture and
practices it (Rom. 1:32).

B. Even demons and the devil have intellectual faith. We must both
believe and bear fruit (James 2:18-20).

C. Jesus is addressed as Lord 185 times in the gospels. This is important

to note because it shows that the disciples recognized His lordship. This
truth is the foundation of our faith, the bedrock upon which everything
else is built.

D. Those who believe must also express repentance for sin if we truly
acknowledge Jesus as our Savior (Luke 24:45-48; Acts 2:36-38).
Repentance and faith go hand in hand.

VIII. Conclusion: A saving faith in Jesus Christ means that we accept

Him as the Son of God, the only sacrifice that could atone for our sins.
As a result, we desire to repent and to surrender every aspect of our lives to Him.
He will then transform us and conform us to His image. As we walk with God, the
more He will bless each of us with perfect assurance regarding our salvation and
our relationship with Him.