The churches of Christ Greet You (Romans
16:16)
No sweeter words
will ever
fall on human ears than the words Jesus directed to a very sinful
woman: "Your
faith has saved you. Go in peace" (Luke 7:50). If there is one thing
upon
which all professed disciples of Jesus Christ agree it is that faith
saves. To
the Ephesians, Paul wrote: "For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8).
Grace
and faith produce salvation.
How and when
does faith
save? There is more
confusion
over this question than any other which faces mankind. This situation
is NOT
prevalent because the Bible is vague about it. Rather it is because men
have
either paid no attention to the Bible or else have approached the Bible
with
prejudice or with confused methods of study. This causes some to
advocate
theories which are in violent contradiction to the plain teaching of
the Word
of God. The THEORY that man receives salvation at the point of his
FAITH in
Christ is just such a theory.
So again, the
question, “At
what point does a man receive the blessings which God offers (by grace)
through
His Word?” is an all-important one. He who answers it wrongly will be
lost; he
who answers it rightly (and obeys the same) will be saved. Does faith
save at
the very instant of belief in Christ? What is involved in HOW one is
saved by
grace through faith? Where can the answers be found? No answer is of
value in
religion unless
it is the Bible answer - unless it comes from the inerrant authority -
the Word
of God. Men must go to "the law and the testimony" and be done
with mere human theories and philosophies (Read Rom.
Please read with me
from the
epistle of James. "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he
has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" (James 2:14).
This
is a very good question. Someone says, "I believe." The question from
divine inspiration is, "Can faith save him?" The answer to that
question depends on the next verse which reads, "If a brother or sister
is
naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart
in peace,
be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are
needed for
the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself (or alone), if
it does
not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I
have
works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my
faith by
my works" (James
The gist of this
passage is
clearly saying: "I believe" means absolutely nothing if we do not
demonstrate
our faith in active obedience. In the 40 verses of Hebrews chapter 11,
the
expression "by faith" is found 16 times and "through faith"
another 5 times. Each time SOMETHING was DONE "by" or
"through" faith.
A brief study of a
few
stories in the Old Testament will help us see how and when faith saves.
These
examples will help us learn the principles involved in understanding
the wisdom
of God as He saves us by grace through faith. We must remember
that men living
today are
NOT amenable to the specific instructions of the Old Covenant. The Old
Covenant
was nailed to the cross of Christ (Col. 2:14); it was taken out of the
way in
order that the Second Covenant could be established (Heb. 10:9).
However, men
today are instructed to learn from the things that were written
aforetime (
The Fiery Serpents
Our first example
will be the
reception by the Israelites of the healing from the serpent bite (Num.
21:4-9):
The Israelites had
been
disobedient, speaking against God and against Moses (v. 5). Because of
this,
God sent fiery serpents among them, and many of them died (v. 6). The
people
then came to Moses confessing their sin and beseeching him that he
would pray
unto God for them that He might take away the serpents. At what point
did they
receive this blessing? The following order of events shows just when
that occurred:
God's
blessings offered! "And
Jehovah said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery
serpent, and set it upon a standard: and it shall come to pass that
every one
that is bitten, when he seeth it shall live" (v. 8). God offered them a
way to be healed from their serpent bites. But they did not receive
that
blessing immediately when God offered it.
God's
Word!
God gave instructions as to what man must DO in order to receive the
blessings
which He had just offered (v. 8). God commanded: (a) that Moses should
make a
serpent; (b) that Moses should set this serpent upon a standard; and
(c) that
those who were bitten were to look upon this brazen serpent. But again,
they
did not receive the blessings which God had offered immediately when
these
instructions were given.
Man's
faith!
Without faith, it is impossible to be well-pleasing to God (Heb. 11:6).
In
order to receive this blessing, then, it was necessary for the
Israelites to
believe. But no one has ever received a blessing (which God has
offered) upon
the basis of a DEAD faith. A dead faith is as powerless as a corpse.
But a
faith which has not led to obedience is yet a dead faith (James
Man's
obedience to the instructions of God! Moses had obeyed God, making the brazen
serpent and
placing it upon the standard. But the Israelites did not then receive
the
blessing which God offered. Why not? God had further instructed them
that each
person who was bitten was to LOOK upon the brazen serpent. No one
received the
blessing until he had obeyed this command. But what happened when they
did
look? Verse nine gives the answer; "...and it came to pass, that if a
serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass,
he
lived." No one ever fails to receive God's offered blessing when he
faithfully obeys God's Word.
It is clearly seen from this example that man does not receive the
blessing
offered by God until he has obeyed all of the commands given by God in
His Word
relative to the gaining of a particular blessing. Here, then, is the
plain
order: (1) God's blessing offered; (2) God's Word is given; (3) Man's
faith;
(4) Man's obedience to all of the instructions in God's Word
relative to
the gaining of a particular blessing; (5) Man's reception of God's
blessing.
The City of
Our next example
will be the
reception by the Israelites of the city of
The Bible says, "By
faith the walls of
God's
blessing offered! God offered
God's
Word! God
gave instructions as to what they must do in order to receive the
blessing which
He had just offered them (vs. 3-5). God told Israel: (a) to have all
the men of
war compass
the city; (b) these men should march about the city once each day for
six days;
(c) seven priests were to bear seven trumpets before the ark; (d) on
the
seventh day they were to compass the city seven times; (e) the priests
were
then to blow on the trumpets; (f) then all the people were to shout.
But
Man's
faith!
In Hebrews
Man's
obedience to God's Word! God
had commanded Israel that they should do no less
than fifteen acts of obedience: (a) march around the city thirteen
times; (b)
blow on the trumpets; (c) shout. When they marched around the city the
first
time, did they receive the city (the blessing offered)? Certainly not!
Why not?
Simply because they had not yet obeyed ALL which God commanded them in
connection with the reception of this particular blessing. Even after
they had
marched thirteen times and had blown on the trumpets they had not
received the
city. Why not? Simply because there yet remained the command to shout
which
they had not yet obeyed. When this last command was obeyed, however,
the walls
fell down flat!
Did all of these
acts of
obedience nullify God’s grace or their faith? Certainly not! Did the
obedience
to all of these commands mean they had EARNED the blessing? Certainly
not! It
still was a GIFT from God (cf. Joshua 6:2). A gift sometimes has
CONDITIONS,
but it is still a gift. It was given by God, but accepted by faith.
Returning again to
the
passage in Hebrews 11, please notice that it says, "By faith the walls
of
Again, as with our
first
example of the Israelites healing from the serpent bite, it is seen
that the
order is: (1) God's blessing offered; (2) God's word (instructions)
given; (3)
Man's faith; (4) Man's obedience to the commands given in God's word
relative
to the receiving of this particular blessing; (5) Man's reception of
God's
blessing.
Cleansing of Naaman
Our final Old
Testament example
will be the story of Naaman receiving the cleansing of his body from
leprosy:
God's
blessing offered (through the
prophet Elisa): "...thou shalt be
clean" (2 Kings
God's
Word
(instructions as to what Naaman must do in order to receive the offered
blessing).
These instructions were: (a) go; (b) wash in
Man's
faith!
At first Naaman was angered by the instructions contained in God's Word
to him.
He went away in a rage (2 Kings
Man's
obedience to God's instructions! Did Naaman receive the blessing when he
dipped the first
time? No. Why not? Simply because he had not yet obeyed ALL of the
instructions
God had given relative to the gaining of this particular blessing. Did
he receive
the blessing when he dipped the SIXTH time? No. Why not? Simply because
he had
not obeyed ALL of the instructions God had given relative to the
gaining of
this particular blessing. But what happened when he obeyed the LAST
thing
(dipping the seventh time) which God had instructed him to do? He THEN
received
the blessing! God always bestows His blessings at the point of
obedience (cf.
Heb. 5:9).
Again, it is seen
that this
order was followed: (1) God's blessing offered; (2) God's
instructions given
as to what man must do to receive the blessing; (3) Man's faith; (4)
Man's
obedience to the instructions given in God's word; (5) Man's reception
of the blessings
offered by God.
New Testament Teaching of
Salvation by
Grace through Faith
Even with the Old
Testament
examples and principles we have studied, confusion as to when one is
saved is
prevalent. Many differing views are held as to just when a man is born
again,
or as to just when he receives remission of sins. Some say, "At the
point
when man begins to live a good moral life!" Others say, "When he
becomes
religious!" Still others say, "When a man 'FEELS GOOD' about his
religion." And still others say, "It occurs immediately when a man
believes."
We will now use the
New
Testament to plainly show the point in which a man receives the
blessings which
God offers (by grace) through His Word. The same order is followed
under
the New Covenant, even though the specific instructions differ from
those of
the first covenant.
God's
blessing offered! "For the
grace of God hath appeared, bringing
salvation to all men..." (Tit.
God's
Word -
His instructions as to what man must do in order to receive the
blessings which
He has offered. God's Word, relative to the gaining of remission of
sins,
demands that men: (a) hear the Word (Rom. 10:14); (b) believe the Word
- the
Gospel (Mark 16:15-16); (c) repent of sin (Acts 3:19); (d) confess
Jesus as
Lord (Rom. 10:9-10); (e) be immersed (buried) in water (Acts 2:38; Mark
16:16;
Acts 22:16; Rom. 6:3).
No man, however,
has ever
received remission of his sins at the point of his hearing these
instructions.
Romans 10:13-14 shows that believing and calling on the name of the
Lord are
also necessary to the gaining of salvation. Matthew
"But," someone
objects, "There is no place in the Word of God where all of these
conditions are all listed in one passage." In answer, may it be pointed
out that it is not necessary to find such. If any condition is proved
to be a
necessary cause (or condition) of salvation, whenever salvation is
mentioned
(or referred to), that condition must be understood as being necessary
even
though it may not be stated in that passage.
For example, when
one
understands the factors involved in human birth, he understands that
BOTH a
father and a mother are necessary causes; i.e., no birth can occur
without both
a father and a mother. If someone says, “That child was born of Mrs.
Smith," even though Mr. Smith was not mentioned, all who understand the
matter understand that he, as well as Mrs. Smith, was a necessary cause
to the
birth of the child.
The same is true
with this
matter. When salvation is mentioned, all of the above conditions
not
specifically mentioned in a particular passage must be understood. Man
must, it
is true, hear the instructions of God, but he does not receive the
blessing of salvation
immediately when he hears the Word. Hearing is not the only cause or
condition
of salvation (cf. James
Man's
faith!
Many believe that this is the point at which man receives God's
blessing of
salvation, or of justification - remission of sins. This is easily
disproved. The Bible says, "Ye see that by works a man is
justified,
and not only by faith" (James
In fact, Romans
10:13-14
(Read) proves conclusively that salvation does NOT occur at the point
of
faith. Note
this order there given: (a) one cannot be saved without first calling
on the
name of the Lord, (b) he cannot call on the name of the Lord unless he
first
believes, (c) he cannot believe unless he first hears. Therefore, this
plain
order is set forth: (1) hearing, (2) believing, (3) calling on the name
of the Lord,
and (4) being saved.
Acts
Man's
obedience to God's instructions! In the light of the fact that it has been
established
that a number of things are necessary conditions, it is easily seen
that one is
NOT saved immediately when he obeys just one command. Just as was seen
in the
Old Testament examples (and especially in the case of Naaman), one does
not
receive the blessing when he meets the first condition - unless it
should be
that only one condition was given in reference to a particular blessing
(Naaman
was not cleansed when he dipped one time).
Blessing
received! One must obey
ALL of the commands which the Lord has
given relative to the gaining of remission of sins today (Naaman was
cleansed
when he dipped seven times). One must hear the word, he must believe,
he must
repent, he must confess Jesus as Lord, and he must be baptized
(immersed in
water). It is at this point of his obedience that man receives the
remission of
his sins – cleansed by the blood of Jesus (Matt. 26:28; Rev. 1:5).
The believer is to
be
baptized "unto the remission of sins" (Acts
James and Romans Harmonized
Look carefully at
this verse:
"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith
only" (James
The harmony between
James and
Romans is a very simple proposition. Both faith and works justify when
one
produces the other. It is faith that WORKS that justifies. Faith “only”
never
saves nor justifies. Neither can works “alone” save or justify. The
solution to
the whole problem is provided by Paul in a single phrase. He gives a
divine
summary of this great Bible teaching in Galatians 5:6. The Bible says,
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor
uncircumcision; but faith working through love.”
“Faith working
through love”
is the key to an understanding both of Paul and of James. The faith
about which
Paul has been speaking is not the idle faith that James condemns (James
2:15-17), but a faith that works. It works itself out through love.
Jesus said, "If you love me keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Thus,
unless and
until faith works through love there is no salvation. This is not our
personal
opinion. It is revealed truth. All of us must either accept it or
reject it.
The choice is ours.
Faith “only” is a
complete
perversion of salvation by grace through faith. The faulty reasoning
that says
because faith is essential to salvation obedience is excluded leads
people into
this error. As we said in the first lesson from this series, James 2:24
is the
one passage in the entire Bible that mentions "faith only" in
connection with justification. Let's read it one more time: "You see
then that
a man is justified by works, and NOT by faith only." Salvation by faith
“alone” is denied in the only passage mentioning the subject. A sinner cannot be saved by faith only. If all
one does is believe, he cannot be saved. James said so (James 2:24; cf.
vs.
19). Here Scripture has prophetically stigmatized these disciples of
Martin Luther, who ever call for faith only - faith isolated from works.
What Does Jesus Have To Say?
What further acts
of
obedience must faith produce? The parting words of Jesus in the Great
Commission
read like this: "Go preach the gospel to every creature. He that Believes
and is Baptized shall be Saved, but he that disbelieves
shall be
condemned" (Mark 16:15-16). It is NOT the one who believes that is
saved.
Nor is it the one that is baptized who is saved. It is the one who believes and is baptized that is saved.
To their own
destruction men
turn Mark 16:16 around and say, "He who believes and is NOT baptized
shall
be saved." There is little difference in the addition of "not"
to the words of Christ and how Satan did the same thing in the Garden
of Eden
(Gen. 3:3-4). There the devil told Eve that she would NOT surely die,
directly
contradicting what God had said. Another twist to Mark 16:16 by many
false
teachers is this: “He who Believes is Saved and then he
should be
Baptized” (to show that he is saved). They say B S B, but
the Bible
says B B S. Which will you believe and obey?
Conclusion:
Loved ones, faith
is
essential to salvation, but it must act. An inactive faith is a faith
that
draws back from complete obedience to Christ and the Gospel. Paul wrote
to the
Galatians, "For ye are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For
as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal.
3:26-27). Those who become God's children do so "by faith." The
expression, "For as many of you as have been baptized" explains how
one becomes a child of God by faith. There is only one way to become a
child of
God by faith and that is by being baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3-4).
The remission of sins is granted to believers when they repent of their sins, confess the Lord Jesus as the Son of God, and are baptized (immersed in water) in the name of Jesus. The first Gospel sermon climaxed with the command, "Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, for (unto) the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Until a believer is baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, the Bible does not promise salvation.
Dear friends, let
no man
claim God's promised blessing of salvation until he has obeyed the
Gospel (Rom.