Saving faith? Faith that saves is the acceptance of truth combined with love for God, and giving of one's self entirely to God. Therefore intellectual faith unaccompanied can avail nothing. Faith working through love is not mixing faith and works (Rom. 11:6); love is not a work, it follows. Now, will faith only save man, or must it be expressed? Faith remains faith-whether expressed or unexpressed. If God does not require an expression of faith, then man would be blessed upon faith only. But, if an expression of faith is required, man receives no blessing until such stipulations have been met. Some examples to substantiate this: see John 9:1-7. Jesus, after anointing the blind man's eyes with clay, gave a stipulation: "Go wash in the pool of Silome." He did this, and came seeing. In this instance, God required an expression of faith. But in complete contrast, in Matt. 9:27, Jesus asked the blind men, "Believe ye that I am able to do this?" They said, "Yea, Lord." Then he touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith be it done unto you." In this case, Christ required no expression. But were these men healed upon different principles of faith? No. God's Son has the authority to require an expression of faith. But, faith is what God wants. Thus, faith remains faith. One more example will be sufficient: Note that by faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been compassed about seven days (Heb. 11:30). This marching cannot, as such, harm stone walls; but this marching revealed the faith of the Israelites in God. So God, after seeing this faith, felled the walls.
Here two lessons are learned: (1) Faith expressed remains faith. It is not, therefore, converted into works "by faith the walls fell." (2) Expression of faith does not invalidate faith. If the Israelites had refused to march around the wall, this would have proven their lack of faith, just as their marching exhibited their faith.
You should be able to see now that faith alone can not save. Obedience to all that God requires is necessary for salvation there is just now way around it.
