The Heart of the Father Revealed

A question occurred to me: why are we saved by faith and why do we walk by faith? Why is faith the prerequisite to becoming God’s children? Why is it impossible to please God without faith?

Glory to God Alone

The scriptures are clear that we are saved by Faith in Jesus through grace, as a gift from God. Here are two reasons why:

1. so ‘that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his [Abraham] offspring’. If salvation depended on our works, we would fail because we are simply not able to accomplish them in righteousness. In other words, God did not leave salvation up to mankind because mankind would (and has) failed miserably. Both those who have objective knowledge of God’s moral standards and those who don’t would fail. Salvation is guaranteed to all of Abraham’s offspring (those who share in his faith) because it is solely dependent on God. (Romans 4:16-25).

2. ‘so that no one may boast’ of being something or having done something to merit salvation, appropriating the glory due to God alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Faith Like a Child

Scriptures go even deeper by saying that without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, not only is it impossible to come to God, but it is also impossible to walk in a way that pleases him. Why couldn’t God be pleased with people who simply obey him out of duty and not out of trust?

In a previous post, What is Faith?, I wrote: faith in God is a trusting, life-long reliance on him as he reveals to us his Person, his plans, his promises, and warnings. If we do not believe God’s words, we are effectively calling him a liar. How could anything done with this heart posture please him? God is not a liar. He is the Father of Light. He is Truth. Satan is the Father of lies. If one does not believe that all mankind is dead in sin with no hope for reconciliation to God apart from Jesus, how can one turn to him in repentance and submit their life to him? Without faith, God’s Kingdom would be full of people that would neither love him nor trust him because they would ultimately view him as a Sovereign liar. They would just be there, so that they are not in the other place (aka hell). Faith says to God: I believe what you say about you and about me. Even when I have doubts, I trust you enough to bring those doubts to you; I know that you are faithful to help me grow in seeing you more clearly. Truly, faith is a gift that only God the Holy Spirit can give us. No man can muster it up.

At the heart of it, God desires Children; people who are born-again by his Spirit, who love him and entrust their whole beings to Him, doubts and all, and desire to become more like Him.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. (1 John 3:1)