ANSWER: No! It does not! Saving faith in Christ is not simply belief or mental assent that He exists and is the Son of God! Saving faith is belief in Christ, conjoined with obedience to Him! This obedient faith is described, by example, throughout Hebrews, chapter eleven, which we encourage you to study. Without this kind of faith, “it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).

There are those who falsely teach that a person is saved by “faith only” when they first believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; that there are no acts or works of obedience required in order to become a New Testament Christian. This false doctrine is clearly refuted in James 2:14-26! Note especially verse twentyfour, “Ye see then how that by works (of obedience) a man is justified, and not by faith only.” It needs also to be stated that a man is “not” saved by works of merit or righteousness. Note Titus 3:5; “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by (through) the ‘washing of regeneration’ (baptism), and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” This coincides with what Peter told believing people to do on the Day of Pentecost: “Repent, and be baptized . . . (not by works of righteousness, but by works of obedience) for the remission of sins.”

To become a New Testament Christian, certain actions are commanded to which one must be obedient in order to be saved! One must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 8:24): repent (turn away from) of sins (Luke 3:3); confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9-10): and be immersed (baptized) in water (Acts 8:35-39) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) into the one body (I Corinthians 12:13) of Christ, which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23). It is at the point of baptism that the blood of Christ is applied and from which we rise to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-6), having been born again of water and of (at the direction of) the Spirit.

The doctrine of “Faith Only” is of man, and not of God!