Saved By Faith

"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions [sin]. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this  [comes] not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that one can boast." [Ephesians 2: 4-9].

The Bible is rich with stories of people who were saved by their faith!

Consider the paralytic in Luke 5:17. " Some men came, carrying a paralytic on a mat. Because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, 'Friend, your sins are forgiven.' "


Consider the woman who wipes Jesus' feet with her hair in Luke 7: 44- 50. "A woman who had lived a sinful life brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. . . Jesus said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.' "


Consider the woman who reaches out to touch the tassel on Jesus' robe in Luke 8:43. "A woman was there who had been [ill] for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. . .'Who touched me?' Jesus asked. Then the woman came trembling and fell at his feet. He said to her, ' Daughter, your faith has healed you.' "


Consider the Canaanite woman whose daughter is suffering in Matthew 15:21. At first, Jesus refuses this Canaanite woman. He tells her: 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.' The woman came and knelt before him: 'My daughter is suffering terribly. Lord, help me!' Then Jesus answered, 'Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted,' And her daughter was healed from that very hour.


In the Reading in Ephesians 2, we are told that we are saved, but not by our works. I was not taught this! My family was suspicious of organized religion, and did not believe in all this "God and Jesus stuff". I was taught to worship human endeavors, not God. I was taught that only those who had nothing going for them would turn to God, and this was only as a last resort.


In my dysfunctional house, my mother could be loving one minute, cruel the next. A sibling called me ugly every day, and if I did not stop his verbal abuse, things would degenerate to hitting. I grew to fear him.  My dad was either absent, at work; or his manner towards me blurred the boundaries beetween adult and child.


I did not feel safe in that house. In my family's world, there was no God. We did not trust the outside world, so the only persons that  I had to look up to and try to please were my family. And I thought I had to "earn" their respect and good graces. I remember working in my mother's flower garden in order to "earn" the right to keep a pot of flowers in my room. When I was thirteen, I wanted a sewing machine, so I could learn to sew. I promised my mother and grandmother that I would do all the family sewing and mending, if only they would buy me that machine. At around the same time, I insisted on painting the sitting room and some exterior trim on our house, to "earn" my dad's gentle regard.

I had no idea that the One I was supposed to seek favor with was God! I did not need to work, to earn the gentility of this family who verbally abused me, turned on me, and treated me like something less than a precious daughter!

In my world view, God was not even in my sights! That totally changed when I was 13 years old, when my mother and grandmother told me that I was almost not born. During childbirth, my mother went into distress and she almost died. I almost died too. I suddenly realized there WAS a God! He had made sure that I was born. It did not take me long to conclude that, despite the unhappiness in my life, that I was here because God wanted me here!  And if He wanted me here, I had a purpose.  And here, I had worked so hard to earn the good graces of humans! I was wrong. They were not going to accord me any grace anyway. 

In the ensuing years, I listened to God and learned His lessons, not my family's. My family taught me not to give to charity. I was generous to all. My family showed me Hate. I learned to Love others. My family had only strife. I learned how precious Peace is. It was my  Faith that saved me. My Faith, my openness to God, helped me to make right choices.

I left home, first for college, then for graduate school. In graduate school, the unthinkable happened. I was the victim of a violent crime. A man came into my apartment. I fought him and things turned so much worse. He tried to strangle me. I found myself praying for my life. As I was losing consciousness, I cried out, "God! I don't want to die! I have so much more I want to do!"


People say that in life or death situations, that the past plays out in your mind. Instead, the Future passed in front of me. I saw myself as an accomplished student on graduation day; as a working woman in a business suit; as a bride in a beautiful dress; and finally as a mother with a baby in her arms. At that point, I still did not know my purpose, but God was showing me everything that I could become.


I prayed hard to be saved. Unaccountably, the assailant stopped strangling me. I had prayed to God with great fervor, believing that He could help me. My Faith had saved me!


You may doubt these stories in the Bible, about so many ancient persons whose Faith has saved them! You may say, Well, this is not real. You may say-- that idea about faith saving us is only Biblical hyperbole. These stories are only parables, right?! These are allegories. This happened so long ago, who knows if these scenarios are true? Could this really happen today?


People ask me often, HOW did I ever get through that painful childhood, or those terrifying moments with the assailant? I answer them simply, "It was my Faith"! Sometimes, that is all I had. But it was more than enough. My Faith was what pulled me out of dark places, what saved my life (literally), what transformed me into a loving, peaceful, gentle woman of deep convictions.

God, my Faith is Real! My Faith in You is what has saved me countless times! I pray that the world knows You as I do, as my Savior, my Father, my One and Only.

(c) The Spiritual Devotional 2012. All Rights Reserved.

Being saved by faith is not merely Biblical. It is real! Unleash you faith. It can save you!