A Ramble About Faith Alone

It is a strange thing that, given my own journey of faith, I should come to this conclusion on my own and apart from the Evangelical Protestant training in which I was initially formed; that, ultimately, and according to several Fathers of the Church, faith alone in Jesus Christ is necessary for one's salvation.

This isn't to say faith without action, because faith is action and action is faith. To be judged by one's actions is the same thing as being judged by one's faith because action is the outward expression of what one truly believes and has faith in.

It is faith in Jesus Christ which makes the transforming Energies of God active within us and around us. It is faith in Jesus Christ which makes the Sacraments effective. It is faith in Jesus Christ and God's ability and willingness to save us through His death, burial, and resurrection which makes that Saving Grace active. Though, our outward actions must reflect our inward faith to this end. No one should delude himself on this account, if your actions do not reflect the faith you profess to have then your profession is a self-deception and you do not believe what you say you do. Grace will only become active in the presence of genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus said, you will know a tree by its fruit. A good tree will not produce rotten fruit, neither a rotten tree good fruit. The Energies of God respond in proportion to the presence of faith.

Thus we will also, at the resurrection, be judged by both our faith and our actions because our actions demonstrate what we truly believe, and we will be judged on whether we truly believed in Jesus Christ. So it can be said truly that we are saved by faith alone, and our actions bear witness to that faith. Do you believe in Jesus Christ? Do you refrain from judgment? Do you love you enemies? Do you forgive so you will be forgiven? Do you pick up your cross and crucify your self? Do you believe Him when He told us to do these things, or is it lip-service only?

We, as human beings, none of us can tell what another person truly believes except through his actions. Only God can truly know a person's inner heart and intentions. There are times when we don't know ourselves, but must step back and observe our thoughts and actions to determine where our faith truly lies.

We are transformed into the image of Christ by Grace through faith alone, because it is only by faith Grace is made active. A person not visibly undergoing this change, however slowly or however small or great the change may be, doesn't have faith in Jesus Christ at all. But the person whose faith is but small, this person's faith must be fanned and fed, stretched, exercised, and encouraged carefully so that it grows. Any amount of faith in Jesus Christ is or can be saving faith regardless of most false teachings around which it may be wrapped. We must be careful not to extinguish this faith as we ourselves may be the cause of rendering Grace inert within that person, and this is a terrifying prospect for us, because we must answer to our Lord for it; the One who said it was better for a large millstone to be tied around our necks and be thrown into the sea than for this to happen.

So, salvation is truly, ultimately, by Grace through faith alone. We can do nothing, no good works to earn it, and yet obedience to Jesus Christ is an absolute necessity as evidence of our faith in Him.