Three Elements Necessary for Saving Faith

Post date: Feb 24, 2014 9:19:39 PM

Three Elements Necessary for Saving Faith

A person can be aware of the Gospel and even accept it as being true and still not be saved but one cannot be saved without having become aware of the Gospel and accepting it as being true. There are three elements that are absolutely necessary for one to be saved or delivered from the ruin, guilt and penalty of sin, from the ultimate consequences of sin-- eternal separation from God. Let's look at a passage before we look at them:

Rom 10:6-21 NKJV

(6) But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, 'WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above)

(7) or, " 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

(8) But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):

(9) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

(10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

(11) For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME."

(12) For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

(13) For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED."

(14) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

(15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!"

(16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?"

(17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

(18) But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."

(19) But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I WILL PROVOKE YOU TO JEALOUSY BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION, I WILL MOVE YOU TO ANGER BY A FOOLISH NATION."

(20) But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME; I WAS MADE MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME."

(21) But to Israel he says: "ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND CONTRARY PEOPLE."

Mat 13:18-23

(18) "So listen to the parable of the sower:

(19) When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path.

(20) The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

(21) But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.

(22) The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing.

(23) But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown."

1. Element 1: Knowledge— Awareness of God's plan of salvation: the Gospel.

a) When we hear something we become aware of it. We have mental awareness of it.

1) the Greek word that Paul uses use for hear means to hear instruction, doctrines and that Matthew uses means to understand, comprehend 11

b) Let's use an example: Let's say you go to the doctor's office and he tells you that you have a terminal medical condition that can only be cured by the use of a drug. The moment he tells you that you have a problem, you become aware of it. This alone does not save you from your illness. Three other elements are needed.

c) the same thing is true of someone who hears or becomes aware of the Gospel.

1) merely hearing it does not save anyone but it is necessary for salvation nonetheless

a) in The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, all four types of people or hearts heard the Word of God or Gospel; but not all of them were saved.

2) Definition of the Gospel or Good News:

a) the Gospel is the message one must believe in or trust to be true in order to be saved.

b) God originally created man in His own image, perfect, and with the ability to choose right and wrong. But man disobeyed, sin entered (corrupt human nature) and resulted in everyone being born condemned, guilty, relationally and spiritually separated from God. All are guilty of breaking God's moral law, of being sinners by nature and by choice. Because God is just and holy, He deals with sin and sinners as they deserve. All sin everywhere must be paid by someone somewhere; it is paid either by the person or by Jesus. That's why God became human, the man Jesus, and came to earth so that we could escape eternal punishment and have a personal relationship with God.

(Rom 5:12; 3:10-12, 23;Gen 1-3; Rom 8; Gen 3; Psa 51:5; Isa 52:13-53:12; 64:6; Jer 17:9; John 3:1-36; Rom 1-8; Eph 2:1-10; Titi 3:3-8)

3) being exposed to the knowledge and facts of the Gospel is the first necessary element of saving faith

a) Jesus says that “the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown."

2. Element 2: Belief— Accepting the Gospel as true or having mental assent/agreement of it.

a) we can become aware of an idea or body of information and yet have some doubt as to its truth or even reject it.

b) Using our example, the patient must not only have knowledge of his condition and its treatment but must actually believe them to be true and also believe the claims of the doctor to be true to be saved from his illness. But he can still chose to reject the truth of reality, by refusing to take the treatment.

c) Likewise, simply being aware of the Gospel and accepting it as true does not automatically lead to salvation. Although both are necessary conditions. Let's look at some examples.

d) this kind of belief is rational and intellectual (factual) which is a necessary part of saving faith

1) belief that God exists: deciding that there is sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus is who He claimed: Son of God, who died for our sins and rose again or that God exists or that the Bible is a reliable historical document etc.

a) using our illustration: the patient believes that the doctor is good and reliable and that the treatment is capable of saving him from death.

2) since even demons have a correct worldview about God, Christ, the nature of man... there must be another element necessary for saving faith.

a) Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! (Jas 2:17-19 NKJV)

b) demons do not have saving faith

3) many archaeologists and historians accept the Bible to be a reliable historical document yet are not Christians because they have chosen to not believe in Jesus, in the Gospel for salvation.

4) many of the Jews heard Jesus' teachings and chose to not believe (John 5:10-18; 7:14-19; 25-31; 8:31-41.

5) Jesus own family members heard the Gospel first hand and did not believe at first (John 7:2- 9; Acts 1:14; 1 Cor 15:7).

6) many people believe that Jesus lived and that He was a good man. Many claim belief in His resurrection and that He is the Son of God and died as a sacrifice for the sins of man. This is not enough for salvation.

7) Paul says in Rom 10:16-19 that not all have welcomed the good news.

8) and sadly many heard Stephen's argument for belief in Jesus as the long awaited promised

Messiah but chose to reject the truth and murdered him (Acts 6:8-7:60)

a) In Jesus' time, many were aware of Him and His teachings yet still chose it reject them not for intellectual reasons but for moral reasons, so they could continue to live like they wanted to.

9) this is merely knowing facts about God, Jesus or the Gospel and having no personal relationship with God or Jesus.

10) in Matthew 13:23, the Greek word for understands means: To comprehend, understand, perceive. The comprehending activity of the mind denoted entails the assembling of individual facts into an organized whole, as collecting the pieces of a puzzle and putting them together. The mind grasps concepts and sees the proper relationship between them. Such understanding includes the moral and religious awareness of man's heart (Mar_6:52; Mar_8:17; Act_28:27). The verb is seldom used with an obj. When the word is confined to the sphere of mental perception it means to hear, notice, perceive, recognize, understand, reason things out and make sense. 11

a) In the parallel account in Mark 4, Mark uses the word receive instead of understand with the meaning of to receive, embrace with assent and obedience

e) now we will study why this type of belief, “belief that”, is so important, later, we will look at why it alone does not save.

f) this second element is often the one that is most neglected by well meaning Christians as many focus on the first and third element yet fail to address the barriers some people have to accepting the Gospel as true.

1) Obstacles to Evangelism Today: Barriers to Communicating the Gospel: 1

a) Rejection of moral absolutes

1) belief that man is basically good, laws of right and wrong are relative, created by people or governments

b) Skepticism

c) Indifference towards truth or truth seen as relative or pragmatic,

d) God does not exist as science has made Him obsolete,

e) Jesus was just a good person and teacher,

f) the NT is corrupt, full of contradictions and a product of the church long after the time of Jesus-- this worldview will affect how one responds when we present the Gospel to them. (deny the authority of Scripture)

2) Our methods must deal with these barriers and accommodate those who are not ready to consider the claims of Christ now! 1

a) these barriers must be addressed before many will respond and believe the Gospel.

f) Relationship to Apologetics and Pre-Evangelsim

1) Apologetics and Pre-evangelism can be used to help one accept that the Gospel is true.

a) they help explain how the truth claims of Christianity are both reasonable and highly probable. In other words, they tell people why they should believe in the claims of Jesus.

b) they are used to persuade people of the truth of the Gospel or Christian Worldiview.

c) includes giving proof, vidication and refutation of opposing beliefs

d) are also used to find out the reasons for people's beliefs, why they chose to not accept Jesus/Gospel, and what would motivate them to get answers to their questions

e) the ultimate goal is not merely to win an intellectual argument, but to persuade people to commit their lives and eternal futures into the trust of the Son of God who died for them.

2) If evangelism is planting seeds of the Gospel, pre-evangelism is tilling the soil of their mind and heart, preparing them to at least be willing to listen to the Truth. (Mark 2:22, 4:8) 1

3) "Evangelism and apologetics are twin pillars upon which the outreach of the church is built. The two may be and must be distinguished, but they ought never be separated. They form a two-pronged attack against the fortress of hell and a doublefront of defense against the onslaught of paganism…” R. C. Sproul

4) Involves exploring what’s getting in the way of considering Christianity (barriers) and taking steps to the Cross.

a) Types of barriers people have: intellectual or emotional question or concern and volitional factors or personal lifestyle choices

b) Determining whether there is a question or concern behind the question or issue

raised.

5) We want to hear their discrepancies and then illuminate them by asking questions that will “clarify” their religious terminology and “expose” the weaknesses of their perspective. Then we want to uncover the real barriers and build a bridge to help them take one step closer to Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:6). 1

g) “You can pray, believe in miracles, hear the Gospel and even believe in its truth, and still not be a Christian. You can live an exemplary life, be religious and keep the commandments of God from earliest memory and still not be a Christian. You can be in church with other believers, hear the same message, receive communion, and even believe that Jesus is coming back—and still not be a Christian.” Greg Laurie

h) most rational thinking people will want good reasons to change their lifelong worldview and corresponding lifestyle and embrace the Christian worldiview.

1) we can do this by giving them sufficient evidence to believe the Gospel to be true: using

a) Arguments for the Existence of God

b) Arguments for the truth, historically reliable of the NT

c) Evidence for the existence and claims of Jesus

2) so, this second element is another necessary element of saving faith

3) "All truth is given by revelation, either general or special, and it must be received by reason. Reason is the God-given means for discovering the truth that God discloses, whether in his world or his Word. While God wants to reach the heart with truth, he does not bypass the mind.” Jonathan Edwards

* For more see: Why Worldview Café: The Need for Apologetics at https://sites.google.com/site/worldviewcafe

3. Element 3: Volition— Application, acting upon what you believe. (Repentance and Confession: obedience)

a) This is the final element necessary for someone to have saving faith, to be a Christian.

b) the Patient must be aware of his condition and trust both it and the Remedy to be true to the extent that he does something about it, he must take action, change his mind which leads to changed

behavior. He must take/receive the treatment (obey) to actually be saved from his illness.

1) “ true self-knowledge leads to true repentance and confession” 9

c) saving faith then requires both choice and action. Being aware of the Gospel and accepting it as true must be followed by repentance and confession for salvation to be possible.

1) Let's see how Paul defines Salvation and Biblical Faith: 10

a) But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess [agree/ acknowledge openly with your mouth] the Lord Jesus and believe [have faith in, trust] in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED." (Rom 10:8-13 NKJV)

b) One must confess (agree or acknowledge) that Jesus is Lord. This is more than just agreeing that He is God and master of the universe since even demons believe this to be true (James 2:19).

a) Paul speaks of a deep personal conviction that includes repentance from sin and trust in Christ for salvation.

c) Repentance in it's basic form means a change of mind or view about truth, God, Christ, self, morality, salvation and sin. It is the equivalent of belief or faith (trust) in Christ (His work and person). Faith and repentance are inseparable.

1) includes agreeing that Jesus is who He claimed to be: Son of God, Son of Man, Messiah, Sovereign (John 3:31-33)

2) “Repentance, metanoia, focuses on changing one’s mind about his previous conception of God and disbelief in God or false beliefs (polytheism and idolatry) about God (see 1 Thess. 1:9)” http://bible.org

d) And since faith must have an object to have merit, Christ is the object of faith/ repentance (Act 20:21).

1) Faith itself does not save. It is the object of faith, Jesus Christ, who saves

2) In Matthew 13, the fruitful and productive person is the one who not only heard the Word of

God but also reason it out or understood it.

a) Three Greek present participles mark continuing action. Believers, in contrast to unbelievers, hear God's Word because God allows them to hear it. They "accept" it; they understand and obey it because God opens their mind and heart and transforms their lives. The result is that they produce spiritual fruit. 12

b) from Living by the Book Ruth Day 29 Study:

1. Good Crops come from good soil as Christlike character and growth comes from hearing (understanding) and receiving (to receive, embrace with assent and obedience (Mar_4:20; Act_22:18) God's word.

a) good soil is like a heart that is ready to receive the Word of God; good crops (the harvest) is like the heart which allows the Word to sink deep and is nourished by the Spirit of God

b) any of the poor soils/hearts described can be changed into the good soil/hearts and produce a harvest.

c) we must not only hear the Word but apply it (allowing Jesus to plant the seed/Word and nourish it by spiritual disciplines; allowing God to change us) for it to have any real impact or fruit in our lives

1) seeds must be allowed to go beneath the surface of the ground; in the same way, God's Word must be allowed to go beyond the surface of our minds into our actions.

a) we must prepare our hearts and minds for the Word just like a farmer preps his soil for the seed.

d) the deeper the roots, the better the plant will withstand bad weather; in a similar manner, the deeper the Word of God is in our hearts (soil) the better we will be able

to endure life.

a) we must go deeper than just emotional experience

e) the farmer must remove the thorns so that the do not kill or take away from the plant as we must also allow God to remove sin, assumptions, hinderances to the Word (seed)

1) we must work together with God, the farmer, to produce fruit from the seed or Word that is planted in our hearts (soil)

2. bad crops come from bad soil just like the one who does not hear or receive or obey God's word.

a) "Truth which is common, and which a man supposes himself to believe, without having ever reflected on it, or let it influence conduct, is sure to die out. If we do not turn our beliefs into practice they will not long be our beliefs" Maclaren

d) the NT usually describes Salvation as requiring both knowledge and agreement; belief and confession, two dimensions of the same truth. Now, let's look at the difference between intellectual belief which is element 2 and the Biblical Faith which combines both Element 2 and Element 3.

1) Scripture often presents both Element 2 and Element 3 together when speaking about belief or faith in Jesus or in the Gospel.

a) a person has knowledge of Jesus/the Gospel, agrees that it is true, trusts in it and is therefore saved.

b) before one can call on Jesus and believe in Him, they must first hear about Him (Rom 10:14-15)

2) this is belief in God: a relational, willful decision: Biblical (Saving) Faith 1

a) placing trust or faith in Jesus' death on the cross as sufficient payment for sins and living a life in accordance with this truth (Conversational Evangelism Book Notes

By David Geisler)

1) only faith in the historic Jesus of Nazareth can save (Rom 10:9; 1Cor 15:1-8: Jon 1:12)

b) this type of belief is active as it results in change (Rom 12:2; Phil 2:13)

c) two decisions one must make

1) one has to decide if there is sufficient evidence to “belief that” Jesus really is who He claimed to be: acceptance

2) one then has to decide whether to put one's faith/trust in Christ by “believing in” Him (choice to obey or not)

d) this is rational and intellectual belief, “belief that” that leads to “belief in” or a change in one's view about reality and therefore results in salvation.

1) this is repentance.

2) returning to our example: to be saved, the patient must not only “believe that” the doctor is good, faithful and reliable and that the treatment is capable of saving him but he must also “believe in” the doctor and the treatment by placing his faith/trust in them to save him.

a) His change of view about his condition, the doctor and the treatment and deciding to take the treatment is equivalent to repentance.

b) him agreeing to receive the treatment is evidence of his trust in it.

3) Note: evidence for Christianity can never force one to believe in Christ; despite how strong it is

a) even with evidence, faith is needed

b) “But though He (Jesus) had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.” (Jn. 12:37)

c) “Facts do not save. They are an essential basis for salvation, but one must believe,

that is embrace the truth, use those facts on a personal basis.” Howard and William

Hendricks

e) we stated that the Gospel is the message one must believe in or trust to be true in order to be saved.

1) Putting it another way: To believe in the Gospel, or to be saved, we must have a correct worldview about God (that He exists, is one and alone can save mankind), Christ (that He exists, is fully God and fully Man who died in our place and rose again for mankind), the nature of man (that we are sinners from birth; condemned to hell), morality (God's alone sets the standard of what is right and wrong; good and evil) to the degree, extent, or result that it effects every area of our life.

a) our worldivew drives how we think, act, and feel; what we really (not claim to) believe.

b) believing the Gospel also means obeying God's will because He wants everyone to

be saved from sin (Joh 3:16-17; 1Ti 2:3-6; 2Pe 3:9)

1) in order to be related to Jesus, we must obey the will of God, to do this we must have a relationship with Jesus ( Mar 3:31-35)

2) salvation results from obeying God's truth claims about Himself, man, sin, salvation, Jesus... as revealed in Scripture.

2) so Biblical (Saving) Faith involves believing to be true what the Bible says about Christ: That He is (His existence), Who He is (fully God and fully man), What He did (made salvation possible; satisfied God's wrath; bore the exact penalty of man’s sin), How He did it (sacrificial substitutionary death on the cross-- became our substitute, bearing our sins so that we could have peace and a restored relationship with God), Why He did it (because we are sinners by nature and by choice; condemned, guilty, separated from God who is holy and just) to the extent that one trusts Christ and a change in one's life is made. This change is repentance.

a) Trusting that Jesus was the ultimate perfect sacrifice that appeased or satisfied God’s wrath on sin (this is the definition of Faith/trust in Christ).

1) this is much more than just knowing facts about Jesus (belief that).

2) trusting in the person and work of Christ as the God-Man and as the only Salvation from sin for the receiving of God’s forgiveness of sin and it’s penalty and for receiving eternal or spiritual life. (John 1:12; Gal 2:16).

3) note: one must choose to change.

b) once one believes, he continues to believe, for he has eternal life in him (Joh 3:15).

3) Note: a true change in life or heart only comes when one is born again, when one is given a new nature

a) Christ alone can change a person’s heart and mind

b) this will in effect result in a change in lifestyle, behavior, fruit, deeds

c) salvation is always a gift that is not earned

1) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8-9 NKJV)

2) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23 NKJV)

3) But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, (Tit 3:4-5 NKJV)

d) there can be no salvational faith without works or a changed life (from Sermon: 1 John week 4)

1) faith is active; a changed mind will lead to a changed life (Col 3:1-17; Phil 4:8-9)

2) Faith not demonstrated by works or deeds cannot save anyone because it is dead (James 2:14-26)

3) works prove— show, give evidence of and establish as true or false— one’s faith to others

4) real saving, mature, living faith is proved or shown to be true by works

5) “...inward change is never without the outward." Greg Laurie

4) Saving faith then involves acting upon what you believe, a change of mind; repentance

a) the will, mind and heart are all involved

b) repentance is a natural outcome of biblical faith

c) is shown or demonstrated by living according to what one claims to believe

d) includes mental understanding of the Gospel and truth about Christ (Rom 10:14-17)

e) salvation comes to those who hear, believe and apply the facts of the Gospel

1) In Him [Christ] you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Eph 1:13-14 NKJV)

f) Salvation comes through acknowledging to God that Christ is God and believing in Him. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

5) “If you are not confident the message of Scripture is actually true, you can’t believe it even if you tried.” Greg Koukl 5

1) “Also, the biblical word for faith, pistis, doesn’t mean wishing. It means active trust. And trust cannot be conjured up or manufactured. It must be earned. You can’t exercise the kind of faith the Bible has in mind unless you’re reasonably sure that some particular things are true.”

2) “Biblical faith is based on knowledge, not wishing or blind leaps. Knowledge builds confidence and confidence leads to trust. The kind of faith God is interested in is not wishing. It’s trust based on knowing, a sure confidence grounded in evidence.”

3) God in Exodus 6-14 demonstrated His power, giving the Hebrews good reason to believe Him and Moses, resulting in obedience.

4) Note also how Jesus witnessed: what He said and did (signs) (John 5:36; 10:25, 38; 15:22-24; 14:11; Acts 2:22; Heb 2:4)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes [have faith in, trust] in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Joh 3:16-18 NKJV)

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received [to actively take; to receive, acknowledge, embrace and follow his instructions] Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (Joh 1:11-13 NKJV)

He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1Jn 5:10-13 NKJV)

Conclusion:

Saving Faith comes from hearing, from having an awareness (knowledge) and acceptance (belief in the facts) of the truth of the Gospel that produces life change (repentance and confession). One can be aware of the Gospel and even accept it as being true and still not be saved but one cannot be saved without having become aware of the Gospel and accepting it as being true.

“As much as possible, we should seek to build a bridge and be tactful. Then, having established that, we need to share the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ.” Greg Laurie

Notes:

1. Conversational Evangelism By David Geisler

2. Repentence and Salvation https://bible.org/series/repentence-and-salvation

3. Is repentance necessary for salvation? https://bible.org/question/repentance-necessary-salvation

4. The Six Main Points of the Gospel http://bible.org/seriespage/six-main-points-gospel-session-2

5. Evidence and Faith: From Ambassador Insights by Stand To Reason. Greg Koukl www.str.org

6. Can you dispense with apologetics and just preach the gospel when evangelizing? http://winteryknight.wordpress.com/2013/08/11/can-you-dispense-with-apologetics-and-just-preach-the-gospel-when-evangelizing/#comment-88981

7. When Belief That Becomes Belief In. J. Warner Wallace

http://coldcasechristianity.com/2013/when-belief-that-becomes-belief-in

8. Believing the Gospels is Different than Trusting the Gospel. J. Warner Wallace

http://coldcasechristianity.com/2013/believing-the-gospels-is-different-than-trusting-the-gospel

9. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul D. Tripp

10. The Worldivew Gospel.

https://sites.google.com/site/worldviewcafe

11. The Complete Word Study Dictionary© 1992 By AMG International, Inc.Chattanooga, TN 37422, U.S.A.

Revised edition, 1993

12. The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Copyright © 2005 by John MacArthur