Faith and salvation
I have a question on salvation. The Bible clearly says that that we are saved by grace, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). But isn’t belief itself a work? Isn’t believing something we have to do to be saved? This is connected to another question that I have: what is the least someone has to do to get to heaven? Where is the line drawn? Is it trust in God? Is it repentance? How much trust or repentance is needed to be saved? Thanks for any answers.
Christian faith is necessary for salvation (Mark 16:16). Faith is a work, but it is God’s work (1 Corinthians 6:11; 12:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:9). In the Scripture verses you cited, we learn that faith is God’s gift to people (Ephesians 2:8).
Saving faith is characterized by trust and reliance on Christ alone for salvation. Christian faith saves not because of the strength of faith on the part of the Christian, but because of the object of faith: Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a matter of having a certain level of faith. Christian faith, even the weakest of faith, saves. That is true because the object of faith is Jesus Christ, and Jesus did everything to live up to his name, which means “Savior.”
I hope this response is helpful for you.