And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: He is risen; He is not here: behold the place where they laid Him.

- Mark 16:6

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

- John 3:36

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

- Ephesians 2:8

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

- I Peter 1:9

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

- I Corinthians 2: 14

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

- II Corinthians 4:6

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

- Ephesians 1:17-18

True saving faith is necessary to be saved. Can you explain how the texts printed in the margin verify this truth?

True saving faith includes the following three elements:

1. Knowledge - the intellectual element
2. Assent (agreement or surrender) - the emotional element
3. Confidence (trust) - the volitional element

The knowledge of saving faith is a supernatural knowledge. It is more than mental understanding. It is obtained by the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit blesses the use of His means of grace to produce an enlightened soul's knowledge.

Rev. Kersten explains this point in the following manner:

The knowledge of saving faith, however, is not obtained by studying and diligent searching of the Scriptures in themselves. Searching the Scriptures is necessary. Christ admonishes us to do so in John 5:39. Neglecting to do so makes us guilty and opens the door to many errors and to decay in the Church of God. God's people also must exercise themselves more extensively in the Scriptures by searching under the leading of the Holy Spirit so that they may grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and may be preserved from strange imaginations, for whatever is not according to the Word of God shall not see light. Searching the Scriptures, however, is only the means by which the Lord works faith and strengthens it. - Reformed Dogmatics: Volume II -pp. 400-401

True saving faith is not a blind faith; it is not a faith without knowledge. It includes a positive recognition of the truth. It is a Spirit-worked, spiritual insight into the truths of Christianity. It is a clear, certain knowledge, based upon the Word and promise of an eternal, unchangeable God.

This knowledge, which is a supernatural illumination of a person's darkened understanding, is a saving knowledge of God and His Word, the Bible; and the living Word, Jesus Christ.