Five Eternal Gifts from God - Faith 2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:1-10 ESV)

Justification/salvation by grace through faith is not just a faith in the existence of God. The Bible says that -- But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! (James 2:18-19, ESV)                                                   

Americans are people of faith. The question remains, “faith in what or who?”

Saving faith is a commitment to, a trust in, a dependence upon and a worship of Jesus Christ as the only Savior and Lord. Saving faith does not believe in something, or someone, when common sense tells you not to. It is a God given ability, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit by the preaching of the Gospel, in which God calls and enables the sinner to believe (commit;  trust; depend, worship) and to be converted in though the truth of the Gospel in their complete being: intellectually, emotionally and volitionally.

The Gospel is the message that God is holy and man is sinful. God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ in order to live a sinless life, die a substitutionary death on the cross, be buried and rise from the dead. He ascended to the right hand of God the Father, will return in power might and glory and salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.