Christians (especially Protestant ones) are raised to appreciate the doctrine of salvation by faith. But oftentimes we underestimate just what faith is. We tend to equate it with simple belief, as in, if I believe God, then I will be saved. But James rightly points out that even the demons believe in God - and shudder! (James 2:19)
No, faith includes more than just intellectual assent to a theological statement. Other components of faith include trust and obedience.
Trust is the idea that not only do we believe that God is real and that He is loving and cares about us, it is also testing those conclusions with our very lives. I can mentally believe that an airplane can take me to where I want to go; that does me no good if I am not willing to also entrust myself to the pilot and the physics of the plane and actually board the aircraft. I am only trusting an airplane with my life. Christians trust God with our eternities.
Obedience is also part of saving faith. Jesus said we are His friends if we do what He commands (John 15:14). Following through on our faith and taking it to its logical conclusion by not only believing God and trusting God but also acting in obedience to God is what can help us go the distance.
Proverbs 3:5-6 lays the foundation for such a doctrine with its statement of conviction about the necessity of trusting in the Lord and acknowledging Him in all our ways. An important key to not only wisdom but also a principle of salvation is to be found here among the other helpful Proverbs of this chapter extolling the value of wisdom and the prudence of treating our neighbors fairly.
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