Salvation by Faith Alone: The Biblical Model of Abraham and David

Abraham: Justified by Faith, Not by Works or Law

The apostle Paul points to Abraham as the premier example of justification by faith. Scripture records that "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6), meaning Abraham was declared righteous by God simply because of his faith. Crucially, this happened long before Abraham underwent circumcision and centuries before the law of Moses was given, so his right standing with God was completely apart from any ritual or law-keeping.

Paul argues in Romans 4 that if Abraham had been justified by his works, he could boast – but in reality, Abraham had no grounds for boasting before God, since his righteousness was a gift received through trusting God's promise, not something he earned by works (Romans 4:1–3). Thus, from the very beginning, the basis of Abraham's salvation was his faith in God, not any work, ceremony, or law.

Paul then draws out the timing: Abraham was counted righteous in Genesis 15, but circumcision does not appear until Genesis 17. On that basis, Paul concludes that circumcision was "a sign and seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised" (Romans 4:11). In other words, circumcision did not create or cause Abraham's justified status; it publicly marked and sealed what God had already granted by grace through faith. Abraham therefore becomes "the father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11–12), both circumcised and uncircumcised, because the pattern of salvation in his life is faith first, sign later.

David: Forgiveness Apart from Works

Paul also cites King David as an example of salvation by grace through faith apart from works. In Psalm 32, David speaks of "the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works":

"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (Psalm 32:1–2; quoted in Romans 4:6–8)

In David's case, although he lived under the Mosaic Law, he knew that his forgiveness depended on God's mercy rather than his own perfection. He describes the joy of a person whose sins are forgiven by God and "not counted" against them – highlighting that there is a way to be right with God that does not rest on law-keeping or performance.

Paul's use of David is deliberate: he picks a man who very clearly broke God's law (e.g., adultery and murder with Bathsheba and Uriah) and yet found restoration through confession and mercy, not through any ability to "work his way back." Like Abraham, David experienced righteousness (in the form of divine forgiveness and non-imputation of sin) as an unearned gift, apart from works. This reinforces the principle that God justifies sinners by faith and grace, not by their deeds.

Faith, Not Works – God's Unchanging Way of Salvation for All

The pattern demonstrated in Abraham and David's lives reveals an enduring biblical truth: salvation has always been by faith rather than by works. This was not a new idea invented by Paul; it was God's design from the start.

Paul reminds the Galatians that Abraham's example implies "those of faith are the sons of Abraham" (Galatians 3:7). The Old Testament itself foresaw God's plan to include the Gentiles in salvation:

"In you shall all the nations be blessed." (Genesis 12:3; cf. Galatians 3:8)

Paul says Scripture "preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham" when that promise was given, implying that people from all nations would be justified by the same kind of faith as Abraham (Galatians 3:8–9). In other words, justification by faith is the one divine plan of salvation for both Jews and Gentiles.

The law that came later at Sinai did not annul this; it served a different purpose (to reveal sin, to act as a tutor), but it never replaced faith as the ground of righteousness (cf. Galatians 3:17–24). Abraham was justified before the law. David was forgiven under the law apart from works. Gentiles in the New Testament are saved by the same principle. One consistent thread runs through all of Scripture:

God grants righteousness and forgiveness as a gift of grace.

The human side is faith – trusting God and His promise – not earning.

The New Testament states this explicitly: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8–9). Faith itself is not a meritorious "work"; it is the empty hand that receives what God has done in Christ.

Childlike Faith: Jesus' Picture of How We Receive the Kingdom

Jesus' teaching about becoming "like a child" fits directly into this faith-alone framework. When the disciples argue about greatness, Jesus places a child in their midst and says:

"Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3–4; cf. Mark 10:15)

In Mark 10:15 He says, "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." The key words are turn and receive. Children in that culture had no status, no accomplishments, and total dependence on others. They did not "earn" anything; they simply trusted and received.

So "becoming like a child" is not an extra work alongside faith; it is Jesus' own description of what saving faith looks like in the heart: humble, lowly, dependent, and receptive. It is the opposite of the Pharisee's self-confidence and boasting (Luke 18:9–14) and matches exactly what Paul describes in Romans 4: the one who "does not work but believes" in Him who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5). Childlikeness is the posture of faith alone—coming to God with empty hands and entrusting oneself wholly to His promise and mercy.

New Covenant Confirmation: The Thief on the Cross Saved by Faith

Under the New Covenant established by Jesus, the principle of faith alone for salvation is vividly confirmed. God had promised through the prophets that in the New Covenant He would "put [His] law within them, and write it on their hearts" (Jeremiah 31:33; cf. Hebrews 8:10) – a way of saying that He would transform people from within. Far from contradicting salvation by faith, this inward change complements it: when a person trusts in Christ, God not only forgives their sins but also gives them a new heart inclined to love and obey His ways (Ezekiel 36:26–27).

We see a clear example of salvation by faith (apart from any works or rituals) in the story of the repentant thief on the cross. As he was crucified next to Jesus, this man could do nothing to reform his life or perform religious works – he could not get baptized, make amends, or keep any law. All he could do was acknowledge Jesus as Lord and entrust himself to His mercy:

"Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." (Luke 23:42)

Jesus replied with a definitive word of salvation:

"Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)

Thus, the dying thief was saved through his faith alone in Christ, even with his last breath, apart from any deeds. He enters the kingdom exactly as Jesus described: like a child, simply receiving. He is also a living commentary on Romans 4:5 – an ungodly man who does not work, but believes, and whose faith is counted as righteousness. The thief's example powerfully confirms that from start to finish, salvation is a work of God's grace received by faith.

The Role of Baptism: Outward Sign of Inward Faith

Because salvation is by faith and not by works, the New Testament teaches that the ritual of water baptism, while important and commanded, is not a requirement for salvation. Baptism is an act of obedience and a public declaration of one's union with Christ, but it is not the cause of salvation – it is the result and sign of it.

We see this in the early church. In Acts 10, the Gentile household of Cornelius hears the gospel, believes, and receives the Holy Spirit before they are baptized in water (Acts 10:44–48). Their salvation and forgiveness are evidenced by the Spirit's coming upon them, and after that Peter baptizes them as an outward sign. The sequence is faith → Spirit → water baptism.

Peter also teaches that baptism's power is not in the external washing but in what it signifies: "Baptism… now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 3:21). The saving reality is the appeal to God (faith) rooted in Christ's resurrection, not the physical water itself.

Paul likewise distinguishes between the gospel (which saves) and baptism. He writes to the Corinthians, "Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel" (1 Corinthians 1:17). If baptism were a necessary condition for salvation, it would be impossible for Paul to contrast his primary calling ("preach the gospel") with baptizing. His statement only makes sense if baptism is not what causes salvation, but is a commanded response for those who have believed.

Spirit Baptism and the "One Baptism"

What, then, is the "baptism" that every true believer must have? The New Testament answers: Spirit baptism, by which we are united to Christ and His body. Paul says:

"For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13)

This is an invisible, spiritual baptism that God Himself performs at conversion. At that moment:

We are united with Christ in His death and resurrection.

We are incorporated into His body, the church.

We receive the Spirit as the bond of that union.

In Ephesians 4, Paul stresses the unity of believers and lists "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). In that context, the most natural reading is the single, universal baptism of the Spirit that all believers share. It is the inward, saving reality. Water baptism is the outward sign that corresponds to and publicly dramatizes that reality.

Paul also draws a connection between Old Covenant circumcision and New Covenant baptism in Colossians 2:11–12:

"In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Several points stand out:

The circumcision in view is "made without hands" – that is, spiritual, not physical.

The "baptism" in which we are buried and raised with Christ happens "through faith" in God's power.

The emphasis is on God's work in uniting us to Christ, not on a human ritual.

Just as Abraham's circumcision was a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith (Romans 4:11), water baptism is a sign and seal of union with Christ that is already true for the believer through Spirit baptism and faith. The saving baptism is the Spirit's work; the water ritual is the outward confession.

In that sense, New Covenant baptism functions analogously to Old Covenant circumcision:

Circumcision did not save; it marked those who belonged to the covenant people and pointed to the need for a circumcised heart (Deuteronomy 30:6; Romans 2:28–29).

Water baptism does not save; it marks those who belong to Christ and points to the reality of dying and rising with Him by faith.

In both cases, the external sign is significant but not the basis of justification. The decisive issue is the inward work of God and the faith that receives it.

Conclusion

From Genesis to Revelation, the testimony of Scripture is consistent that we are saved by God's grace through faith – trusting in Him – and not by our own works. Abraham was justified by faith before he did any works or rituals. David rejoiced that God forgives sins and does not count them against the one to whom He credits righteousness apart from works. Jesus Himself taught that we must receive the kingdom like children – humbly, dependently, with empty hands – and repeatedly tied forgiveness, life, and salvation to believing in Him. The thief on the cross embodies this: unable to perform any works or rituals, he simply entrusted himself to Christ and was promised Paradise.

The apostles then apply this same pattern across Jew and Gentile: we are justified by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism – the Spirit's baptism into Christ's body at conversion – and water baptism serves as the outward sign and confession of that already-given salvation.

Any acts of obedience – circumcision under the old covenant or water baptism under the new – are responses to grace, not prerequisites for it. They mark out those who have already been brought into union with God by faith. In that sense, your core conviction is biblically sound: salvation has always been by faith, patterned after Abraham, confirmed in David, fulfilled in Christ's own teaching and in the thief on the cross, and expressed today in Spirit-wrought, childlike trust that receives Christ and His righteousness as a free gift.

References

• The Example of Abraham (Romans 4) - Grace Communion International

• What does Galatians 3:8 mean? - BibleRef.com

• Does Scripture Say Baptism Is Necessary to Be Saved? - Eternal Perspective Ministries

• One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism - Ligonier.org

See Also

• Early Christian Baptism and Salvation Debate

• A Systematic and Exegetical Evaluation of the Spiritual Union Interpretation of Romans 6:3-4