Unholy, unsaving faith
Lord! increase my faith (Luke 17:5), if I now believe! else, give me faith, though but as a grain of mustard-seed (Matthew 17:20)! But what does it profit, if a man says he has faith, and has no works? Can that faith save him (James 2:14)? O no! That faith which has not works, which does not produce both inward and outward holiness, which does not stamp the whole image of God on the heart, and purify us as he is pure (1 John 3:3): that faith which does not produce the whole of the religion described in the foregoing chapters, is not the faith of the gospel, not the Christian faith, not the faith which leads to glory. O beware of this, above all other snares of the devil, of resting on unholy, unsaving faith! if you lay stress on this, you are lost forever: you still build your house upon the sand. When the rain descends and the floods come, it will surely fall, and great will be the fall of it.
1771 text
5. *Lord! increase my faith, if I now believe! else, give me faith, tho’ but as a grain of mustard-seed!――But what doth it profit, if a man says he hath faith, and have not works? Can that faith save him? O no! That faith which hath not works, which doth not produce both inward and outward holiness, which does not stamp the whole image of God on the heart, and purify us as he is pure: that faith which does not produce the whole of the religion described in the foregoing chapters, is not the faith of the gospel, not the Christian faith, not the faith which leads to glory. O beware of this, above all other snares of the devil, of resting on unholy, unsaving faith! if thou layest stress on this, thou art lost for ever: thou still buildest thy house upon the sand. When the rain descends and the floods come, it will surely fall, and great will be the fall of it.
About this text
Rendered in modern English, to be read and heard. Open the 1771 text under each part to check the claims and the scripture.
Rendered in modern English. The 1771 panel is his own Pine printing of the Works. It is public domain.
Catalogue & scope
Sermon 33 in the 1771 Works. Matthew 7:21-27.
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. It is not a complete critical edition.