FAITH AND SALVATION
Faith is something very essential in an individual’s life. This is because faith gives an individual the purpose to successfully live and even accomplish the tasks at his disposal. Therefore, the word faith entails having complete confidence or trust in something or someone. Subsequently, salvation entails a state where an individual is protected or saved from danger or a harmful situation. According to religion, the word salvation refers to a condition where an individual’s soul is saved from sin and its effects after sinning. Notably, salvation is attained by faith, and as the scripture points out, faith comes by hearing the word of God. Abraham is believed to be the father of faith, and Paul is regarded as an apostle who made more people have faith and believe in Jesus Christ. In this regard, it is imperative to discuss how Paul used Abraham’s example in explaining his theology of faith and salvation and the evidence in various books.
According to the book of Romans 4:1-8, which says, ‘what then shall we say that Abraham, according to the flesh, has found? For if works justified Abraham, he has something to boast about but not before God… Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteous… Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.’ According to this passage, Paul illustrates that mere deeds or works will not make an individual see God since Abraham was justified by what he did, but it is not something he could boast about. Therefore, Paul further says that it is only through believing or trusting God that one counts to have faith and, consequently, be righteous. This passage also talks about David speaking of blessing on a person credited as being righteous away from the works; thus, he says blessed are the people whose fault is forgiven and their sins covered. It shows that you have to lead a righteous life for you to attain salvation. Therefore, Paul uses Abraham to indicate that faith goes hand in hand with actions that yield salvation.
Paul starts with the achievements of Abraham in the first three verses. An attention grabber is put in the form of a question, what then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather….? Notably, Abraham had the most advocated standing in the eyes of God. Remarkably Paul justifies his argument by going back to the Old Testament. This shows that there is a single path to salvation in both the Old and the New Testament; thus, none is superior to the other. The teaching takes place in the New Testament, but the explanation is made using the Old Testament for the point to come home clearly. Therefore, anybody who claims to have been saved in the history of the bible world has attained salvation by grace via faith through Christ alone.
Another critical fact to note is that it is written that ‘Abraham believed God.’ The New Testament, written in Greek, placed the word and believed first in the sentence to emphasize and call for the words’ attention. This, therefore, insinuates that Abraham believed both God and the word of God. According to the Old Testament in the book of Genesis, to be specific, God promised Abraham that a great nation would come out of his generation. It is important to note that Abraham did not have an heir at this moment, but he still chose to believe in God. Abraham did not hesitate in anything God told him, and all he did was to believe. Therefore, salvation comes in trusting and believing God and his word.
Philemon’s book gives a story of a man named Onesmus, who was a slave to Philemon. Onesmus disliked being a slave and opted to run away from his duties, but later on, he received salvation. It is worth noting that receiving Christ did not deter Onesmus from carrying out his duties as a slave to Philemon but instead went back to make things right with his master. This passage explains that Christians have moral obligations that they ought to fulfill. The fact that one has received salvation does not give him leeway to his regular duties. Therefore, in the book of Philemon, Paul explains that salvation is universal, and righteousness is attained when our moral responsibilities are delivered correctly.
Furthermore, Abraham’s common knowledge was justified by his faith and not by his deeds. Everybody is to realize this vital fact and trust Christ Jesus since he is the righteous one of God. Consequently, no one can boast of being virtuous, but the grace only attains it. While concluding his teaching, Paul uses the words, ‘look but not before God.’ These words are used to explain the fact that nobody has the mandate to brag in the eyes of God. According to Paul, salvation is attained through righteousness, but the Jews believed that the salvation of God to Abraham was liable to Abraham’s righteousness while, in essence, salvation is unconditional and is only possible by grace.
The Bible further says that Abraham was justified not by actions but by his faith. The fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, while addressing a congregation that was filled with gentiles, starts his teaching by referring to the Old Testament. Notably, the community in the fourth chapter is of Jewish Christians who are expected to be embracing the messiah and be fully engraved in faith, but this is not the case. In this case, the neighborhood is full of families who, despite seeing Jesus, still hesitate to acknowledge that he was the promised messiah. Subsequently, Paul is forced to refer to Abraham, who is the father of faith since, despite Abraham not knowing who God was, he decided to put his trust in God fully, and in essence, his generation reaped the fruits of his abounding faith. Therefore, according to Paul about Abraham, faith is the key to salvation.
To better capture the Jews’ attention, Paul resorted to bringing the point home by referring to Abraham, who is believed to be the father of Jews. Remarkably, the Jews would have required the justification of Paul’s teaching from the Old Testament; hence, Abraham’s mentioning was much welcome. Therefore, the reference to the Old Testament shows that there is a continuity of ministry from the Old to the New Testament, and this is made possible by grace. Therefore, Paul clarifies that salvation in both the New and Old Testament is less the same thing since it is necessitated by grace; hence the believers in both the Old and New Testament books get salvation through a unique covenant of grace.
In his epistle to Galatians, Paul says that the only way to salvation is through having faith in Jesus. Paul is further aggrieved because people in Galatia decided to put their trust in the Law of Moses at the expense of focusing on Jesus. Subsequently, Paul cautions them against seeking justification through human efforts and instead holds on to faith, which is manifested through acts of love. According to Paul, one is justified by having faith in Jesus Christ and not by observing the law. Furthermore, Paul says that anyone that does not adhere to the book of the law is cursed. This is a total contrast to what he had said earlier but what he meant is that the entire world is prone to sin; thus, no one is righteous before God.
According to Galatians 4:1- Paul compares people under or submerged with the law to a small baby who is yet to mature. Additionally, he depicts the law as a bond that holds people stationed between Abraham to whom God made the promise and Jesus who came to fulfill the promise. According to Paul, in this section of the epistle, people are not unable to be in the right position with God, but rather the issue emanates on the way people focus on law and lack faith, which puts people in the correct position with God. Therefore, this means that law and faith aren’t exclusive, but faith is way above the law. Moreover, Paul says that people are made just through faith in Christ and not by strict rules. The justification in Jesus Christ is evidence enough that one is a repentant sinner; thus, salvation is for everybody, whether Jews or gentiles, since even the gentiles are justified through faith.
Do we as Christians then say that the law is null and void hence unnecessary? The answer to this is no. the law is not void, but it is the path that leads people to Jesus Christ through faith. The presence of Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration of Jesus is the most substantial evidence that Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to make it complete. Jesus related with both the Jews and the gentiles who insinuates that he was not under any law but above it; hence it is paramount to say that no one is to be in bondage of law or sin. Still, all are called upon to trust and have faith in Christ, who justifies humanity fully.
What is more, Christianity, according to the teachings of Apostle Paul, is a universal faith with people who believe in Jesus forming the nation of New Jerusalem. It does not favor anyone since all are welcome, the religion is not just meant for the Israelites, but it is for all who have faith in Jesus; thus, they are, in essence, the chosen people of God. Therefore, we are all called to the communion in Jesus Christ, and all that one is called to do is to trust Jesus, for he is the key to salvation entirely.
A question then erupts on the contemporary understanding of faith and salvation. It is worth mentioning that God has made everything possible for a human being to get deliverance. Consequently, many people feel like they need to reach a certain standard to get the gospel of Christ. Notably, many people think they are not clean enough to be saved, and some go to the extent of thinking that salvation is a preserve of the chosen few who are pure and worthy of the calling. But the opposite is true. Salvation is for all human generations, and all we need to do is to wake to reality just as Paul did hearken to the call and believe that Jesus is Lord and that Jesus died on the cross for the entire human generation.
Moreover, salvation solely depends on what is found in a person’s heart and soul; it is fully reliable on what our Savior, Jesus, did. All a person ought to do is to receive Christ, believe in him, and embrace him. Therefore, salvation is a personal decision, and no one is to be compelled to receive Christ since everyone just as Paul uniquely met Christ is called differently. It only calls for faith.
In conclusion, faith and salvation are two words that run concurrently. This is because we are all saved by faith. Apostle Paul while teaching the people in Rome and in Galatia, as noted in the books of Romans and Galatians, references Abraham, who is depicted as the father of faith. The reference of faith and salvation in the Old Testament is an indication that there is no difference between the Old and the New Testament since the Old made way for the New to come into existence. Furthermore, people are not justified by the law’s works, but the only way of justification is through faith. The law only exists as the bridge that connects people to Jesus through Jesus, but Christians are not in bondage with the law. Therefore, salvations entail people being forgiven for their sins, and the main prerequisite of salvation is faith. Faith is paramount in the journey to redemption.