Saving Faith

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven…Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Lk 7:48,50)

In Luke chapter 5 Jesus told the paralytic his sins were forgiven. Here he does the same with the woman who anointed his feet with perfume. But in this case he makes explicit why her sins were forgiven. It is her faith in Christ that saved her – the same basis as our forgiveness. Scripture also says that Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness (Gen 15:6). Abraham didn't know the name of Jesus, but he knew he needed a Savior, and he knew God alone could save him from his sins. Whether a person lived before Jesus' lifetime, during his lifetime, or after his lifetime, there is and always has been only one basis for salvation: faith in our God and Savior Jesus Christ.