Gospel
and Spiritual Growth Series by Pastor David K. Spurbeck Sr.
Message
#5 – 1-7-2001 – Synopsis and Outline
HOW MANY OBJECTS OF FAITH ARE NECESSARY FOR GRACE SALVATION?
Greetings! Perhaps 2001 will be the year! It has been nearly a month since I preached
Message #4 in this series.
This
message asks "How Many Objects of Faith Are Necessary for Grace
Salvation?" The series at this point continues to present a theology of
the Gospel. There are many passages in
grace revelation that indicate that there are several objects of faith for
salvation in this dispensation. Each
dispensation has one object of faith.
People were saved by God by grace through faith in every dispensation. The things that change from dispensation to
dispensation are the object of faith and the content of salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:2 says that it is possible
to believe in vain. The Greek word eike means "to have no object,
purpose, destination, reason or cause."
These just miss the target and their faith doesn't focus on the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Gospel of 1
Corinthians 15:3, 4 is the agent by which one hits the target or object. Yet there are verses that present other
objects of faith such as the name of Jesus Christ, the Father, the Deity of
Christ, the Trinity and the Kingdom of God.
The Gospel focuses on the character, Person and work of the Person,
Jesus Christ. If the statement "by
which you are saved" is true, how can these other verses be true as
well? They give specific grammatical
objects of "believe" or "faith" in the Scriptures.
I.
goes through the key passages that say that one is to believe upon (epi) Jesus Christ. These fit well with 1 Corinthians
15:1-4. The epi preposition means that faith finds a resting-place upon Jesus Christ. II. Lists the passages that say one believes
into (eis) Jesus Christ changing the
location of faith and placing it into Jesus Christ. John's gospel uses this form 26 times.
III.
lists the passages that refer to believing in the name of the Son of God i.e.
His deity. "Name" doesn't
refer to one of the Son's 365 titles in Scripture but to His character and
manifested Person. The Gospel can be
construed to infer some of His character but it isn't obvious. Does this mean that we need to give a lesson
in Christology in addition to the Gospel for someone to be saved?
IV.
adds a few more objects that have other grammatical foci. Are we required to believe that He is Master
because of the use of the title "Lord?" Be reminded that "Lord" has several meanings in the
Scriptures. Do we need to believe that
God the Father is the Eternally Existent One and that the Father raised Christ
from the dead, that Jesus is placed in a position of authority by the Father
and that He is the Son of God equal with the Father? The verses listed under this point makes these objects of the
verb "believe." By just
giving the Gospel that is the power of God into salvation, are we limiting the
proper objects of faith?
V. presents the other verses that say the
Father should be the object of faith. It is clear that in the Gospel, the line
"for our sins" infers that there is someone other than Jesus Christ
that counts the acts of sin to be sin and who will accept the sacrifice of a
substitute (the "for" is a substitutionary preposition meaning
"as a substitute for" or "in place of"). Each person is accountable for his or her
own sins before the Father. Christ work
paid the penalty for us.
Scripture
is clear that the Gospel is the agency by which one believes in a single object
– the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel is
the power unto salvation. It is your
responsibility and my responsibility to give the Gospel as the Holy Spirit
leads with no additions or subtractions.
We share the Gospel which focuses on the single object and not on any
more objects. All else complicates the
Gospel by which one is saved. We have a
single responsibility.
The
Holy Spirit takes the Gospel and convicts the person. He gives the gift of faith to the elect individual. It is His responsibility to round out the
other objects. He does this in His
convicting work and in the faith given.
Does a person then automatically believe in the deity of the Father who
is a Person that he may have never heard of before? Not really. The Holy
Spirit places within his or her human spirit an instant quality of faith that
automatically relates to the other objects of faith. When the new believer hears that Christ is God and equal with the
Father, that the Father is God and a distinct Person, that there is a Trinity,
that name means character (manifested in attributes and essence) and that there
is a kingdom of God, he or she will believe these truths as though he or she
has already believed them at the time of salvation. He or she will never deny the truths if the Holy Spirit has truly
given the gift of faith.
There
is only one object of faith for a person to be saved in the dispensation of the
grace from the God. The object is the
Lord Jesus Christ through the agency of the facts that He died for our sins
according to Scripture, and He was buried, and He was raised the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen . . . ." The Spirit of God takes care of all of the
details.
#5 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth
Valley -- January 7, 2001
a.m.
HOW MANY OBJECTS OF FAITH ARE NECESSARY FOR GRACE SALVATION?
Proposition: To examine the
passages that tell us that there are certain objects of believing related to
spiritual salvation in the dispensation of the grace from the God.
Introduction
1. Faith
in the Name of Jesus Christ?
2. Faith
in the Father?
3. Faith
Concerning the Kingdom of God?
4. Faith
in Jesus Christ?
1. The References to "Believe" in
Grace Revelation
2. The References to "Faith" in Grace
Revelation
TRANS: There is little question that one must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved. It is interesting how Scripture describes this with different emphases yet toward the same object.
I. THE PLACING OF FAITH
UPON (evpi,) THE LORD JESUS CHRIST -- A SETTLEDNESS OF BELIEVING UPON THE LORD
JESUS CHRIST -- THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE TARGET OF FAITH -- Acts 16:31
TRANS: The person who believes
the gospel is also seen as believing "into" Christ. The preposition, which is normally used with
the accusative, indicates a change of object.
One directs faith into Christ from one place to another. Jesus Christ becomes the focus of faith
instead of anything or anyone else.
II. THE FOCUSING OF FAITH INTO (eivj) THE LORD JESUS CHRIST -- A
SHIFTING OF THE OBJECT OF ANY KIND OF HUMAN FAITH -- THE ISOLATION ON A
SPECIFIC OBJECT OF FAITH
TRANS: Another interesting
apparent object of faith is "believing in Jesus Christ's name." The following passages relate to this
idea. Our familiarity with this concept
comes primarily from John's gospel.
III. THE RECOGNIZING OF THE CONCEPT OF FAITH IN THE NAME OF THE SON OF GOD -- A SUPREMACY DENOTED IN THE USE OF "NAME" -- THE IMPORTANCE OF THE IDEA OF NAME IN SALVATION
TRANS: The focus on Jesus Christ
is manifested in several ways each of which relates to believing in Jesus
Christ in some way. The next section is
something of a mixed list of these passages that infer an object of faith.
IV. THE RELATING OF OTHER PASSAGES THAT INFER VARIATIONS ON THE OBJECT
OF FAITH RELATED TO JESUS CHRIST -- A SELECTION OF POTENTIAL OBJECTS OF FAITH
-- THE IMPLICATIONS CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST AS AN OBJECT OF FAITH THAT ARE NOT
A PART OF THE GOSPEL
B. Believing as Marked by o;ti (hoti) Clauses = Believe That"
1. Believe
That Jesus Died and Rose -- 1 Thessalonians 4:14
2. Believe
That He (God) Is -- Hebrews 11:6
3. Believe Into God the One That Raised Him Out from Among Dead Ones -- 1 Peter 1:21
4. Believe
That Jesus Is Begotten of God -- 1 John 5:1
5. Believe
That Jesus Is the Son of God -- 1 John 5:5
TRANS: Does a person need to have
God the Father as a subject of his or her faith in order to be saved? Doesn't this make Him an additional object
of faith for salvation? Let's look at
the passages that relate to the Father.
V. THE RECOGNITION OF THE FATHER AS AN OBJECT OF FAITH -- A SHARING WITH THE FATHER AS AN OBJECT OF FAITH? -- THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE FATHER WITH FAITH FOR SALVATION
D. Believing On Him That Raised Up Our Lord Out From Among Dead Ones -- Romans 4:24
TRANS: The gospel is the agency
by which a person is saved. Scripture
is clear in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. If we
make a grocery list of things that have verses in Scripture that could be
identified as objects of faith and put them in tracts, we would have more
requirements listed than the gospel itself.
How then can we reconcile these passages. I am absolutely certain that these other elements are a part of
the work of the Spirit in salvation. No
new believer rejects the deity of the Father or the Deity of Christ or the
Trinity. The gift of faith prepares
them for those doctrines which are instantly accepted when they are taught.
Conclusion
A.
B.
C.
D.
Ó by David K. Spurbeck
Valley
Baptist Church
P.
O. Box 99, Gaston, OR 97116