Working in conjunction with grace is faith. The next semantic phrase that informs how one is saved comes to the reader in the construct “through faith” (διὰ πίστεως). The apostle’s point here is very straight forward; it is the mediation of faith that is at the very core of what it means to be saved. It was discussed earlier that the content of faith really is believing in the revealed word of God whether or not tangible proofs are present. Faith is not solely a mental assent although true saving faith does begin in the mind. The distinguishing mark of saving faith is that it motivates a person to make very real decisions that have very real consequences based solely upon the promise of God that doing so will result in a restored relationship with Him. The Apostle Paul speaks of this transaction of faith in Romans 4: 16 where he says, “That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,” Paul’s expressed point in this discourse is that those who exercise faith in God’s word are the true descendants of Abraham. These are descendants who are not in right standing because they adhere to the external legal code but rather because they understand and trust the promise of God which have been verbally revealed to them. As a result of this trust, the descendants of Abraham exhibit the same commitment to observing God’s commands not out of legalism but out of love and a desire to see their God honored and exalted. It is through (διὰ) this belief resulting in behavior that Paul seems to have in mind when he says “through faith” In addition, the mediatorial aspect of faith must be highlighted here. How does one come into the possession of such trust and belief when the Scriptures are clear that the natural, lost man trusts in no one but himself? In short, the gifting of faith by God to the lost is the only remedy for this self centered trust and this gift of faith stands as a witness of the sinner’s approval before God. One must bear in mind that this gifting is not on account of the merit of the sinner but on the gracious activity of God alone. In a forensic sense, the imputation of faith at the seminal point of salvation stands as the mediator between the lost sinner and those who would rightly condemn him for his transgression. Why is the regenerated sinner released from his rightful condemnation before a holy God? The witness of faith proves that the sinner has been elected by God and thereby acquitted by the blood of Christ shed on his behalf. Without the witness of faith, demonstrated tangibly in the change of one’s trust, condemnation is assured under the due penalty of God’s righteous judgment and divine wrath.
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