“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – 1 Peter 1:8-9

Faith is belief – a persuasion of the mind that something or a statement is true. Faith holds that something is true and therefore is worthy of trust. Knowledge is sometimes spoken of as being tantamount to faith; in any case, all faith has knowledge as an essential part of it. Faith in Jesus is belief in who he claims to be as revealed in the gospel: the Messiah, the only begotten of God (John 3:16; 4:25-26). Saving faith is so called because it has eternal life inseparably bound to it.

True faith believes in Jesus – not just for salvation, but for everything he says.

Humanity was lost in Eden and God sent Jesus to save humanity. Eugene Peterson says faith is our handle on what we can’t see (Hebrews 11:1-2, MSG). Faith is necessary to our salvation (Mark 16:16) – not because it possesses any merit in itself, but simply because, in Peterson’s words, it is the handle by which we take hold of God’s offer of salvation.

Jesus said “Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). Those who come to him, he gives eternal life (John 10:28). True faith is the faith that secures salvation for the soul in Jesus Christ.

Trials on the Road to Salvation

The apostle says we have been given new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead into a secure inheritance. We are being kept by God’s power until we take possession of that inheritance. In the meantime, people of faith may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials (1 Peter 1:3-6). The purpose of these afflictions is the trial of our faith. The trials that Christians face are the trials of their faith. What God permits to come your way is not for condemnation but to your advantage. It is designed to prove, to showcase, the worth of your faith. A tried faith, the apostle says, is worth more than gold, the prince of all metals. Both gold and faith are purified by fiery trials and rid of dross, revealing their true beauty. Whereas gold is not increased by fire, faith is increased and established by trial in fire. Whereas gold will perish, faith does not but endures till it delivers the believer eternal life. Then faith will have finished its work. The capstone is that it results in the praise, glory and honour of God (1 Peter 1:7). If faith results in the praise, glory and honour of God, then it is much more precious than gold and worth having.

While Faith Waits

As faith waits for its fulfilment, it does not exist in isolation — it produces a deep, affectionate love for Jesus Christ. Though it does not yet see Jesus, faith produces in its holder an affectionate love for Jesus. Above all else, true faith loves Jesus. Jesus himself said, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). He went to the heart of familial love and said true faith in him must love him more than that. In restoring Peter to faith, he asked the same of him: “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15).

If the goal of your believing in Jesus is not the salvation of your soul, then it is a wrong goal.

True faith does not only believe in Jesus for salvation — it believes every word He speaks as true and sufficient for life and godliness. It trusts that Jesus never lies and always keeps his promises. Peter said, “Even though you do not see him now, you believe in him.”

The faith being spoken of here fills the believer with, as Peter said, “an inexpressible and glorious joy.” This joy is beyond what can be put into words and it is full of glory. The best way to know such indescribable faith-wrought joy is to discover it by experience. It is a joy that has a foretaste of heaven in it. The eye of faith not only rejoices in Christ as its supreme treasure but also rejoices in the hope of eternal life. That is why it still holds amid life’s challenges. This kind of faith goes about joyfully serving the Lord.

The End of Faith in Christ

What is the end of this new birth; this living hope; this anticipation for an inheritance; this rejoicing in sufferings; this loving Jesus without seeing him, with an inexpressible and glorious joy? What is the goal of your faith? It is the salvation of your soul. The reason Jesus came was to save you and I. In announcing Mary’s pregnancy and Christ’s imminent birth to his father Joseph, the angel said, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The primal reason for his coming was the salvation of sinners from sin and its consequences. True faith must align with Christ’s purpose for coming. When anyone believes in Christ, the goal of such faith should be the salvation of their soul.

Faith does not perish, but endures till it delivers the believer eternal life.

Faith With Wrong Goals

That may sound like something that ought to pass without saying but it is not so. People have presented the gospel and put forward other reasons why their hearers should believe in Christ. Some have promised an end to all problems following faith in Christ. So those who respond to such a message may do so to have their problems ended. The goal of their faith is an easy life. Jesus didn’t promise that; rather he promised the opposite. He said his followers would be hated and suffer because they believed in him (Matthew 10:22).

Others have gone further. They have become ministers of the gospel for ephemeral gains. They have turned the gospel into an avenue to make financial profit. They preach prosperity as the end goal, and their message is dominated by money. Paul said “Their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19). They believe in Jesus for what they can eat. Some are in it for fame and popularity; others do it out of rivalry. Paul said, “Some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry … supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains” (Philippians 1:15,17). The goal of their faith and ‘service’ is to cause trouble. Others do it on a scale you might class as small, but the safety of their souls is not their primal goal.

Whatever you are doing that does not contribute to the salvation of your soul is pointless.

Many things are done in church that appear right on the outside but their motives, their goals, are wrong-headed. Why are you building a bigger, more fanciful cathedral? (I am not saying the place where God is worshipped does not deserve that; I am only asking that you examine your true motives). Why are you giving that huge offering that has to be public? Why is your picture and your wife’s the poster image for your church’s publicity materials? Why did you start that ministry? Why did you move to that church? Why did you enroll in that seminary? Why did you join the choir? Of all the works in the church, why are you in the public-facing job of ushering? Why are you angling and lobbying to be elected into that leadership position in the church? The human heart is very subtle therefore we must pause and examine the motives behind everything we do.

If the goal of your believing in Jesus and serving him is not the salvation of your soul, which you will enter into fully at the end of time, then it is a wrong goal. Paul said, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained?” (1 Corinthians 15:19,32). If all the running up and down, all the wars – spiritually and even physically – against sin and other enemies are not to make it to heaven with our souls saved, then nothing is more miserable; no one is more pitiable. Whatever therefore you are doing that does not contribute to the salvation of your soul (not contribute in the sense of adding anything to Christ’s saving work, but strengthening your faith in and service to him) is pointless; discard it.

The Final Evaluation of All Things

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,” said Jesus, “will enter the kingdom of heaven.” He went on to say, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7: 21-23). It’s a miserable way to end one’s race of faith. These are no ordinary members of the church; they are the ‘movers and shakers.’ They prophesied, put demons to flight and performed confirmed miracles, but perhaps their lives and their goals were wrong and their end is an eternity not with salvation but away from the presence of the Lord, with their souls imperiled. Paul said, “The fire will test the quality of each man’s work” (1 Corinthians 3:13).

Faith never exists alone – it produces a strong love for Jesus Christ.

If that will be the state of affairs at the end, what kind of life ought we to pursue now? What should be the goal of our faith? Nothing but the salvation of your soul. The present evidence that you are on the right track is that your faith, even though you have not seen Christ, causes you to love him and be increasingly filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. Peter said even right now, you are receiving the goal of your faith. Even in this life, genuine faith places hold on eternal life; it begins to be experienced here. The love for Jesus; the inexpressible and glorious joy; the possession of holiness; the mind of Christ; communion with the Father and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that you are God’s child; all these begin in this life and do not end at death but continue into eternity. If you presently possess these then you are already receiving it – the goal of your faith, the salvation of your soul. The full package will be apprehended at the coming of Christ.

Therefore, examine yourself and ensure that you possess genuine faith. Examine all your motives and drives and be sure that you are being driven correctly – that your goal is the salvation of your soul and nothing else. All of this must end in the praise and glory of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.