Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Here we have three verses related to saving faith. What is this salvation and how does it work? In the first case this woman’s faith saved her from a life of prostitution and all the abuses that came with that life. In the second case the man is saved from a life of blindness where he was a beggar and dependent on others for life.

The third example is a little more complicated because there is no attachment of condition except one, grace, salvation and faith are gifts from God. In all cases we are helpless to help ourselves regardless of the condition of our souls.

Over the years I have struggled earnestly with those that believe salvation has to be earned. They take the scriptures and bend them to their liking and teachings to bind themselves and others to a doctrine that is not the freedom upon which Christ died for our sins. Cross plus teachings insult the sacrifice of Christ because it says it is not enough. Cross plus teaching binds men to religious theologies that are controlling and manipulative. Freedom escapes them because they all preach “if you leave us you are damned forever.”

Jeremiah 22:22 The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.

The warnings of the prophets are not enough if you cannot see these behaviors in yourself or those around you.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

I once knew a man who had been baptized five times. What amount of insecurity existed within this man that caused him to confess, repent and be baptized that many times? Paul in the beginning of this chapter of 1^st Corinthians has proclaimed the gospel, proclaimed its receipt, and acknowledged that these believers stood on that sure foundation, Christ our Cornerstone.

For this man, perhaps “unless ye have believed in vain” was enough for him to be insecure in his salvation. Just what did he believe that bred insecurity? If this good intentioned Christian could fall into this cycle of insecurity, what prevents any of us from falling into the same trap?

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

Here are the rudimentary elements of salvation. Is this all you have to believe to be saved? Will God accept you into His rest in your belief in this alone?

What God will or will not accept is totally within the purview of God and I cannot speak for God. I can however speak to the issues of personal insecurity upon which this man suffered.

Key within those three passages about life, death and resurrection are these words which are vital to our understanding. Those words are “according to the scriptures”. Without a thorough investigation of the scriptures and all the truth revealed within them about your personal salvation you cannot have a secure belief.