Subject: Saved by belief or belief and baptism? |
Bible Note: Hi, Hank... Belief can be defined as "embracing as true and relying upon." Belief in the gospel is an act of obedience (Romans 10:16, 1 Peter 2:7). This means it is part of our salvation. Yet we are not saved by obedience (a work) but by grace through faith (Ephesian 2:8). In its simplest sense, faith is a reliance by a person on the truthfulness and power of another person. Of course, like many things in scripture, words have spiritual meanings over and above their basic meaning. In fact, definitions are difficult, which is why we have so much discussion about them. Most of the Reformation creeds and confessions, though, were based along the lines of the following: "Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God's benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed to our minds and sealed upon our hearts through the Holy Spirit." (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion) Finally, we know that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Clearly belief and knowledge are components of saving faith -- so they ARE related. Anyway, that's why I said belief and faith could not be interchangeable. In Him, Doc |