Who saves Who?

 27 “What becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:27-28 ESV)

When we speak to others about the gospel, we may say, “We are saved by faith in Christ,” or maybe, “Through grace and faith, we are saved in Christ.” But are we wrong when we describe salvation in this fashion? Think about it: we almost lead people to misunderstand the gospel with what is practically an Arminian teaching.

If we teach it this way, "we are saved by our faith." Naturally, faith leads to righteousness, which leads to justification and sanctification. Where is Christ in all this? I was shocked when I realized that the place of Christ in this order is unclear.

Sinclair Ferguson put it this way: “Paul says we are saved through faith directed at the person of Christ clothed in the garments of the gospel.” [1] Christ saves us due to our faith in Him; it is not faith that saves us. It is like saying pedobaptism erases an infant's original sin; water does not save. Without Christ, your faith cannot save you. It is He who saves us and makes us righteous. It is He who justifies us. Through our walk with Him, we become sanctified through Him.

The propitiation of Christ provides the mechanism by which we can be joined to God through faith. Without a union with Christ, there is no salvation because only Christ has the ability to save. We become branches in the vine, and through Christ, we grow. We do not come to Christ to select what we want to believe and not believe. No parts of the gospel are unnecessary or can be eliminated. We come to be with Christ as a whole, in union, He in us, and us in Him.

In no other religions, teachings, or subjects can a misunderstanding lead someone to hell. If someone believes in Christ but does not truly have faith, there is no regeneration, no supernatural changing of the heart. I know, I just described my life before Christ, so I walked in those shoes. There is no salvation unless true faith is directed at Christ and professed openly. Without it, we are still children of wrath.

Let us ensure that when we teach or preach, people know that Christ saves us because we have directed our profession of faith at Him. We can do nothing to save ourselves; if left to our own resources, we would remain lost in the world, destined for hell. We call Jesus our Savior for a reason: He saved us.

Grace and Peace!

[1] Sinclair Ferguson, The Nature of Saving Grace, Ligonier Ministries, June 2, 2015.