"Thy Faith Hath Saved Thee"

Luke 7:50; 18:42.

These words were spoken by the Lord Jesus to two entirely different people on two separate occasion, the woman who washed his feet in the Pharisee's house and the blind man on the Jericho road. They teach us two very important facts about faith.

First, faith is essential to salvation. Faith is not the cause of salvation. That is the grace of God. Faith is not the basis of salvation. That is the obedience of Christ. And faith is not the power by which salvation is performed. That is the call of the Spirit. But faith is the means by which salvation is received and enjoyed. And personal faith in Christ is vital. Without it you cannot come to God (Heb. 11:6). If you would be saved, you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith in Christ we make our calling and election sure (Heb. 11:1).

Second, every person's experience of faith is different. The experiences of the woman in Luke 7 and the blind man in Luke 18 were very different. Their faith was the same. It had the same source, the decree and power of God. It had the same object, Christ. And it had the same characteristics, humility, repentance, submission and love toward Christ. But these two people experienced different things.

The woman's faith acted like a woman. She showed tenderness and affection. The man's faith acted like a man. He showed determination and strength, crying, "Thou son of David, have mercy on me!" The woman did not speak. Like a woman should be in public, she was silent. But the man continued to cry aloud. He could not be silenced. The woman wept much. The man pleaded for mercy. The woman's faith gave quiet service to the honor of Christ. The man's faith gave public praise to the honor of Christ. Their faith was the same. They both trusted Christ. But their experiences of faith were very different.

The point I am making is this, there is no reason for you to try to match your experience of grace and faith with anyone else. Nothing is to be gained by doing so. Do not look to your experience, or compare your experience with someone else's, for assurance. There is no assurance to be found in your experience. Look to Christ. He alone is our salvation and our assurance of salvation.

Don Fortner