Faith is absolutely essential if one wants to be saved. The Hebrew writer said, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Paul wrote about being “justified by faith” (Romans 5:1). But while faith is essential, it is important to understand that we must have the right kind of faith as it is described in the New Testament. If we do not, then whatever faith we do have will be worthless or in vain. How can faith become of no value to us?
We Do Not Hold Fast the Word
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you have believed in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:1-2).
The gospel that Paul preached was “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). But this salvation was conditional – not just for the non-Christian, but for the Christian as well (those in Corinth to whom Paul wrote were Christians). Paul told them that their salvation was conditioned upon their holding fast the word. If they failed to do this, they would have “believed in vain.”
What does it mean to “hold fast the word”? It means we will continue to believe the word without altering it (Galatians 1:6-9), obey those things that are taught in it (James 1:22), and follow the pattern revealed in the word (2 Timothy 1:13), thus respecting the authority of Christ (Colossians 3:17). If we do not believe “the sum of [God’s] word” (Psalm 119:160), obey it, and respect His authority, then we are not holding fast the word. If we do not hold fast the word, then we have believed in vain.
Our Faith is Not Based on Truth
“Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).
Some in Corinth were teaching the false notion that there was no resurrection of the dead. In refuting this idea, Paul explained some of the consequences of such a position. If there was no resurrection, then Paul explained that Christ could not have been raised. These brethren surely believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead – it was part of the foundation of the gospel in which they were standing (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). But if Jesus had not been raised from the dead, and they were therefore believing a lie, then their faith would have been in vain.
Faith, for it to be worth anything to us, must be based upon truth. After all, we know that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17) and that the word of God is truth (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160). Therefore, faith based upon the word of God is faith based upon truth. This is the type of faith we must have. If we believe what is false, no matter how strongly or sincerely we believe it, our faith is worthless. Therefore, we must continue studying God’s word to be sure our faith is based upon the truth.
Conclusion
In describing the armor of God, Paul mentioned “the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). Faith is our protection against the attacks by Satan. Yet if we have a worthless, vain faith, we will be in jeopardy. We must be sure we have a true, genuine, and valuable faith. Make sure your faith is based exclusively and completely upon the truth of God’s word and be active in your practice of this faith.
