The Necessity Of Faith - Lesson #2
1 Pet. 1:9

A. You will recall a similar statement by Paul in 2 Cor 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Faith is the foundation of all Christian endeavor. Keystone for all success in Christian living.
a. The purpose of everything written from Matthew to Acts is to produce faith in your heart by
giving you many examples of faith. Many reason to have faith.
(A) The gospel of John was written to give you faith, Jno. 20:30-31,
At the conclusion of the 1st sermon to the Gentiles Peter says in Acts 10:43,
(a) Then Peter tells his Jewish brethren how God saved the Gentiles, “God made
no distinction between them & us cleansing their hearts by faith,” Acts 15:9.
Rom. 1:16-17, Then in Rom. 5:1-2, he drives this point home by saying, “Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have access by faith into grace.”
In Eph. 2:8, he proclaims, “For by grace have you been saved through faith,”
(2) Song, “Faith is the Victory.” Teaches a vital Bible truth about how you stay saved.
(1) 1 Jno. 5:4, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”
(2) Strong, continuous faith will keep you from falling victim to the world.
(1) 1 Pet. 1:9, “You are receiving the end of your faith??the salvation of your souls.”
What does that mean? What faith does Peter have in mind? Faith that causes
you to believe and obey God and His Word will bring you salvation.
It’s important we define the type of faith. The Bible speaks of two kinds of faith.
(3) The end results of those two kinds of faith are totally different.
(4) Jas. 2:14-26, is a dissertation on the kind of faith that God accepts,
(5) Active and inactive faith, living and dead faith, faith that saves and condemns
Acts 15:9, says, God purified their hearts by faith. What does that mean?
(6) 1 Peter 1:21?22, That says, We believed in God who raised Jesus from the dead...so that our faith and hope are in God to the extent that we do every thing we can to purified our souls in obeying the truth.
(7) How is faith defined? Believing that God will purify our souls and raise us from the dead because we are obedient to His word.
(8) We become children by being obedient to His word.
b. Rom. 10;13-15, 17.
(3) To many people today think that “Calling On The Name Of The Lord” simply means that all they have to do is believe and say a sinners prayer and, bingo! They’re saved.
(1) That’s not what it means to call on the name of the Lord.
(1) To call on the name of the Lord requires faith and faith requires, demands obedience to God’s will.
(2) We have an example of the kind of obedience that illustrates what calling on the name of the Lord requires.
(2) Acts 22:1-16, “Now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.”
(1) Paul saw Jesus, believed, had faith in Jesus, prayed and fasted 3 days and nights but he was not yet saved.
(2) How do I know that? He was still in his sin. That’s why Ananias commanded that he to hurry up and be baptized in order to wash away his sins. You can have faith that causes you to repent, fast and pray all day and night but it will not save you.

(3) How do I know? It didn’t save Paul. He was still in his sin and you cannot be saved in your sin. It has to be removed.
(4) That’s why Paul was told, “Get up and be baptized to wash away your sins.”
(B) When God says, “Be baptized to wash away your sins,” and you refuse to do it, you are
in total rebellion to God and no amount of supposed faith is going to save you.
(3) Heb. 11:6,
(1) The faith spoken of here is obedient faith.
(2) Jas. 2:22-24, is an example that illustrates faith, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works (what kind of works? Of faith) when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works (of obedience) , and by works (of obedience) faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (What proved he believed God—His obedience) And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works (What kinds of works? Of faith—the works of faith God gave him to do), and not by faith only. Vs. 26, concludes by saying, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
(4) When God commands you to do something, you do it because you believe in Him and His commands. That’s calling doing the Works of God.
(1) John 6:28?29, Faith is a work of God just like , repentance is a work of God, Confession and Baptism.
(2) You cannot call on the name of God, you cannot be saved by God without working the works of God in your life.
(3) Have you called on the name of God?
(4) Acts 20:32.

Spur - 09/16/2001 pm