Talk with Clayton about Faith

FAITH- January 30, 2008
(John 3:16-21; John 12:11; John 1:12; ACTS 20:21)

Major Points from Last Week (Repentance)
1. Repentance is a gift from God that brings us back to Him
2. We become more like Christ only through a life of active repentance

Questions from Last Week
1. How are faith and repentance intertwined? Can you have one without the other?
-You cannot have one without the other. They are both tied together in the act of conversion, our willing response to the gospel, in which we sincerely repent of sins and place our trust in Christ for salvation. Turning from sin is called repentance, and the turning to Christ is called faith (if we agree that repentance and faith are tied together and cannot be separated, this means that people cannot accept Jesus as “Savior” without also accepting Him as “Lord”).

2. What is the difference between the belief that the demons have about Jesus (James 2:19) and the belief that saves in John 3:16-21?
-Knowledge is not enough, nor are knowledge and approval (see Nicodemus in John 3:2; he had concluded that Jesus must be from God, but still did not believe in Him). In addition to knowledge of the facts of the gospel (“How can they believe in Him of whom they’ve never heard?” Romans 10:14) and approval of them, I must decide to depend on Jesus to save me.

-Saving faith is personal trust in Jesus Christ alone as a living person for the forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God.

John 1:12- Much as we would receive a guest into our homes, John speaks of receiving Christ.

Why is it dangerous to separate faith from repentance?
(1) Offers false security to those who say they believe or have “prayed a prayer”
(2) Cheapens the power of what God has done

Acts 26:18- Just like repentance, faith is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8-10

Questions for next week

(1) Have faith and repentance remained a continuing part of your Christian life?
(2) How does God save us? From his perspective, how do we become Christians? Is there anything we could do screw it up?