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Benchley, August 10, 2008

When we want to find the truth on a given topic, we shouldn’t just find one verse that mentions it and then assume we have a comprehensive knowledge of the topic.  The best way to study any topic is to examine any and all related passages so that we get the full picture of God’s Word.  Let’s study the topic of salvation, especially the conclusion many have drawn—that faith, without works, is all we need to be saved.

• Faith saves!
  • No one can argue (with any validity) that faith doesn’t save, because the Scripture says that it certainly does.  (I’m using the word “faith” in the sense of “belief.”)
  • John 3:14-18, 36, 5:24, 6:40, 47, Acts 10:43, 13:38-39, 16:30-31, Romans 10:11.
• But does faith save by itself?
  • Does any passage say that faith is the only thing we need to be saved?
  • Someone might argue the point that faith is all we need, but the argument and the verses don’t match exactly.  The verses say that faith saves.  The argument is that faith alone saves.
  • James 2:14-26.
    • Are the demons saved?  They certainly believe.
    • The only verse in the Bible where the words “faith” and “alone” appear together is James 2:24, and it teaches the opposite of salvation by faith alone.
  • John 12:42-43, Mark 8:38.  Were the rulers saved at this point?
  • Does faith save?  The Bible says Yes.  Does faith save by itself?  The Bible says No.
• Study the whole Bible.
  • What else does the Bible say is involved in salvation?
  • God, I Timothy 2:3-4.  Surely no one would argue that we don’t need God to be saved.  So at least in the strictest sense, no one can say that we are saved by faith alone, because we also have God as our Savior.
  • Christ, II Timothy 1:10.  Surely no one would deny that Jesus saves.  And so already we have a list that includes faith, God, and Jesus.
  • Grace, Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9.
  • The blood of Christ, Ephesians 1:7.
  • The gospel message, I Corinthians 15:1-2, Romans 1:16, John 8:32.
  • Love, James 1:12.
  • Repentance, II Corinthians 7:10, Acts 17:30.
  • Confession, Romans 10:9-10.
  • Obedience, Hebrews 5:9, James 2:24.
  • Baptism, I Peter 3:21.
  • And this list goes on, but the point is that when we study the whole Bible, we find that there are a number of things that all work together for our souls to finally be saved in Heaven.
• IV)  Questions.
  • By accepting one point, do we deny another?
    • If we read a verse that says baptism saves, does that mean God doesn’t save, or grace, or Christ’s blood?  No.
    • If we read a verse that says faith saves, does that mean baptism doesn’t save, or repentance, or God?  No.
    • The reason the answer is No is that none of these passages have used the terms “only” or “alone” or “by itself” or some synonymous term.
    • None of the passages about faith/baptism/grace/blood of Christ/etc. teach us that they are the only things necessary to salvation.
    • The Bible is not contradicting itself.  It is giving us all the pieces of the puzzle.
    • We make a mistake any time we pick one thing, such as faith, and declare that that’s the only ingredient necessary for salvation.  It’s just not true, because that ignores and contradicts what the rest of the Bible has to say.
  • Do works earn our salvation?
    • The answer is No.
    • Remember what we read in James 2:21-22, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.”
    • Now read what at first may seem to be a direct contradiction, Romans 3:28, 4:1-3.  Was Abraham justified by works or not?
    • It depends on what kind of works you’re talking about, and this is the point that is so often missed and which leads to wrong conclusions.
    • The context here in Romans is talking about works of merit, or works by which a person would earn salvation for themselves, without God’s help.
    • If Abraham was justified by works of merit, living so perfectly that God owed him salvation, verse 2 says Abraham has something to boast about.
    • Romans 4:4.  If you go to work for 40 hours one week, your employer owes you 40 hours worth of wages.  When he gives it to you, it’s not a gift.  You earned it, through your works all week.  So verse 4 is telling us what kind of works are being discussed.
    • We definitely know that God is not saying something in Romans that contradicts what He says in James.
    • James is talking, not about works of merit, but works of obedience.  Verse 21 refers to Abraham’s offering of Isaac on the altar.  Was that a work that would earn him a place in Heaven?  No.  God told him to do it, and he obeyed.  It was a work of obedience.
    • When we read the Bible and understand that we are supposed to get baptized, or repent, or love God, or obey God in any number of ways, that doesn’t mean that by doing so we are earning salvation—that now God owes it to us.  Heaven is still a gift, which God says He will give to those who obey Him.  And so we do works of obedience.
    • Do you believe you must do God’s will to enter Heaven?  Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matthew 7:21).

Psalm 119:160, “The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”