Faith is not something that merits the favor of God. All the efficacy unto salvation resides in the Savior. As one has aptly and truly stated the case, it is not faith that saves but faith in Jesus Christ; strictly speaking, it is not even faith in Christ that saves but Christ that saves through faith. Faith unites us to Christ in the bonds of abiding attachment and entrustment and it is this union which insures that the saving power, grace, and virtue of the Savior become operative in the believer.

Every Christian should have a robust understanding of the meaning of saving faith in Jesus Christ. Here are seven helpful quotes on faith from trusted theologians along with related Scripture passages:

1. Saving faith in Jesus Christ is God’s gift from beginning to end.

“I need not torment myself with the fear that my faith may fail; as grace led me to faith in the first place, so grace will keep me believing to the end. Faith, both in its origin and continuance, is a gift of grace (see Phil 1:29).” (J. I. Packer, Knowing God [InterVarsity Press, 2023], 136)

Related Bible Verses:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. (Philippians 1:29)

2. Saving faith in Jesus Christ is grounded in historical events, not subjective experience.

“The apostle Paul did not say that the most important stuff in religion is true regardless of whether Christ was raised; on the contrary, he insisted that if Christ was not raised, then our faith is futile, we are still in our sins, we have lied about God, and “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:12–19). There is nothing left of Christianity if Christ has not been raised and, consequently, no reason at all to be religious. The Christian faith is based not on faith—that is, on the subjective religiosity and sincerity of pious individuals—but on historical events of saving significance.” (Michael Horton, “Is Faith What We Do to Be Saved?“)

Related Bible Verses:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us… that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

3. Spirit-wrought saving faith trusts in God’s promises in Jesus Christ.

“When the Bible speaks of faith, it generally refers to faith as an activity of man, though born of the work of the Holy Spirit. Saving faith may be defined as a certain conviction, wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit, as to the truth of the gospel, and a hearty reliance (trust) on the promises of God in Christ.” (Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology [Eerdmans, 1996], 503)

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