Nov 22
And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” – Luke 7:50
What is it about faith that gives it the power to save us? Why does faith play such a vital role in kickstarting our relationship with Jesus?
Concluding our collection, The Space Between, Ben Stuart compares and contrasts two different encounters with Jesus in scripture and shows us the kind of faith that has the power to radically transform our lives.
Scripture References
36.When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37.A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38.As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.39.When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”40.Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.41.
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,
7:41
A denarius was the usual daily wage of a day laborer (see Matt. 20:2).
and the other fifty. 42.Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”43.Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.44.Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45.You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46.You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47.Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”48.Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”49.The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”50.Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
8.For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9.not by works, so that no one can boast.
16.For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17.For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18.Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
30.He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”31.They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
9.If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.