Un/Belief – “Faith That Saves”

In this series on faith (i.e., “living out what you believe to be true”), we’ve talked mostly about how our faith in Jesus can answer the questions, challenges and pressures of life – in other words, how our faith is a daily foundation for our lives. But the most important step of our Christian faith is actually just a moment: the moment we make the decision to embrace Jesus as Savior – our moment of “saving faith.”

1.  Saved by Faith (Hebrews 11:31; Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 17:20)

• As Hebrews 11 marches on through its “hall of fame” of faith heroes from the Old Testament, Moses has just been highlighted as the one who, “by faith,” brought the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land. We might now expect the next hero to be listed to be Joshua, but it’s not. Instead of Joshua, the “hero” highlighted from this part of the story is Rahab – “the prostitute.”
• Rahab was likely an innkeeper/madam, welcoming travelers in her home/inn just inside the gates of Jericho. When the two spies sent by Joshua come to the city, they decide to stay with her, hoping to “blend in.” But the authorities come looking for them, and Rahab has a decision to make: she believes that Israel and its God will prevail and take the city, so she makes a single decision that saves her life.
• We are, literally, “saved by faith,” and faith alone. Nothing we can do on our own – no religious observance, no “good works” – can save us (i.e., make us right with God as his judgment looms). Instead, our simple decision to trust in Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross is what saves us.
• The natural question that arises is, “How much faith is enough to save me?” The answer is simple: enough to reach out – enough to “grab the branch as we’re falling from a cliff.” Enough faith to a) recognize that we need to be saved, and b) believe that Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us.

2. Held by Christ (John 10:27-29^NIV)
   
   • But what if our faith isn’t strong yet? What if my “grip on the branch” starts to slip? Jesus, quoted in John’s gospel, reassures us: for the ones who make a sincere decision to trust Jesus as Savior, “no one can snatch them out of my hand…no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”
   • We’re saved by our decision of faith, and once we’ve made that decision to trust Jesus we’re securely and eternally held by the loving grip of God. It’s not like we’ve signed up for a club membership that can be revoked; instead, we’ve been permanently adopted into a new family, the family of God. Our willpower and effort doesn’t keep us in that family – our Father’s love does.
3. New by Grace (Joshua 6:25; Matthew 1:1,5)
   
   • The account of Rahab’s story in the book of Joshua goes on to tell us that Rahab and her family were, in fact, saved when Jericho fell, and that they “lived among the Israelites” after that. Not only were they saved, but they were given a new identity, and new beginning, and a new people.
   • Matthew picks up Rahab’s story in the genealogy of Jesus. It turns out that Rahab married an Israelite and had a son, who had a son, who had a son… and 30 generations later, Rahab became the great-grandmother of Jesus, the Messiah. 
   • The same grace of God that saves us is the grace that makes us new – it gives us a new life, a fresh start, a new beginning and a new purpose. No matter how many times we fail, grace has us in its grip.

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE

These passages may provide additional insights related to the subject of this week’s message. All verses are NLT unless otherwise noted.

Jeremiah 33:15-16 ^NIV; John 3:16-18; Acts 4:10-12; Romans 10:9-13; 2 Corinthians 5:17-18; Titus 3:3-7

Video of the Week: The Messiah by the Bible Project

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

‍

1. Were you raised in a family or religious tradition that taught you that “good people go to heaven”?  What effect did that teaching have on your life and your faith journey? 

‍

2. Why do you think the Hebrews 11 “hall of fame” of Old Testament faith heroes mentions Rahab, “the prostitute,” and not Joshua, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land and captured Jericho?  

‍

3. The idea that all we have to do is “reach out and grab the branch” – i.e, make the decision to trust Jesus as our Savior – seems pretty simple, logical and inviting.  Why do you think so many people resist and reject the invitation to make that decision?

‍

4. Read John 10:27-29 ^NIV again. How can we know for sure that we’re one of Jesus’ “sheep”?

‍

5. When we make the decision to trust Jesus, his grace saves us – and then that same grace gives us a new beginning, a fresh start, and a new purpose for our lives. What, exactly, is that purpose?

‍

6. As those who’ve have chosen to trust Jesus, we’re called (by him) to tell others about him and the salvation he offers. In just a few words, what message could you give someone to encourage them to “reach out and grab the branch” of Jesus’ salvation?

‍