Do the scriptures teach that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone?
It seems some are calling this doctrine into question. So did Martin Luther get it all wrong? Did the reformers get it all wrong?
Comments from the Forum. What do the scripture say on this matter???
Bro Blaine
Brother Bear,
It has come to my attention over the years that there is a seeming discrepancy in how "grace” and "faith” are effectively defined and that’s where the contention comes in... but I could be wrong-
For me, grace enables us to be obedient which is the actualization of faith, per James "faith without works is dead”...
interestingly my understanding is that originally Luther redacted the whole book of James as it seemed to refute his understanding which itself noteworthy.
Was reading Clement here on SI earlier today and he seems, as do the other early church "fathers”, to place an emphasis on works not so much as a means of obtaining but rather of maintaining salvific hope, which I found interesting. From my studies so far, this was the consensus up until the Origen,Augustine period and (from my understanding) Luther took heavily his doctrine from there writings...
"But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6).
"You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:4).
Grace is pure, nothing added. Add one work and it is no longer grace.
"But of God are you in Christ Jesus...."
Grace through faith lest any man boast.
In Him,
Mary
A man is justified by works and not by faith alone. The problem arises when you equate justification with salvation as is very commonly accepted
I agree with Fletcher here...it is really about the understanding of what 'grace' and 'faith' actually mean.
Nothing wrong with "By grace alone, through faith alone", but everything wrong if we have a bad or weak understanding of 'grace' and 'faith'
Saving 'Grace' as I understand it, is God's enabling power and presence to make us all he wants us to be and do all that He wants us to do. It is NOT JUST mercy and forgiveness, but includes those.
Saving 'Faith' as I understand it, is trusting in Christ in obedience and submission to Him, NOT JUST a mental belief. True faith can be seen and evidenced in our lives, as described in Hebrews 11. It has substance and evidence, "Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for and the EVIDENCE of things not seen".
If we correctly understand 'grace and 'faith', there is no need to add the 'alone' clause, because they never abide 'alone'. Faith and grace both work. Not OUR works of righteousness though, but God working through us.
Repentance is part of the gospel. Meaning that to come to Christ one must repent. Jesus preached repentance and the Apostles preached repentance.
Belief is also something that we are to do. John 3:16 is the common verse to show that one must "believe" to be saved and inherit eternal life.
This is "entering the gate" but there is a separate narrow way that we follow. Martin Luther did believe this somehow that repentance is life-long, I share the quote from his 95 theses here: https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=60329&forum=35
The scriptures also say that to show we have faith and repentance we show it by works meaning by a display of our inner belief. So if I believe on Jesus Christ for an atonement for my sins but do not cast off those major obvious sins that he atoned for, my belief is worthless and not true belief. Works verify what we belief, that is what James writes about.
I personally think its 2 sides of a coin, Faith is inner and also outer in obedience or works of faith. We cannot just have one side of an intellectual or heart belief but no change in our behaviour or actions. Also faith itself must have action.
It is a 2 sided thought that the Scriptures seem fine to share both sides and therefore James and Romans can be in the same bible and not contradict.
Greg I have no issue with repentance being part of the Gospel. The New Testament bears this out particularly when Paul said that he preached that men must turn from their sins in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21 & 26:20). And such repentance can only come through the spirit working in one's heart.
But my issue is when we make repentance a work, a condition for which one must receive Christ. Consider John 6;28-29,
ӢӢӢTherefore they said to Him, "What shall we do so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom he has sent."ӢӢӢ
And again in Acts 29-30
ӢӢӢ And he call for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas and after he brought them out he said, "Sirs what must I do to be saved?" Thwy said, " Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household."ӢӢӢ
In both scriptures text above the exhortation is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. By implication repentance does take place. But the emphasis is on believing in the Lord Jesus Christ with no work on our part other than to believe.
I'm also reminded of the verse in John 8:24 in which Jesus says,
ӢӢӢ Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.ӢӢӢ
Again the injunction is to believe with no work on our part other than simply to believe that He is the I am.
Again these are simply my thoughts.
Bro Blaine
If 'repentance' means (as it does) firstly a change of mind, which then leads to a change of behavior, then repentance will be a part of biblical faith/believing, not something in addition to it.
One cannot truly trust Christ and obey the gospel without a change of mind (i.e repentance), unless you have a wrong definition of Believing on Christ.
When we set some scriptures against another set, e.g faith and works, it shows we have a wrong understanding of these things.
Edit: I agree with what Greg wrote here...
"The scriptures also say that to show we have faith and repentance we show it by works meaning by a display of our inner belief. So if I believe on Jesus Christ for an atonement for my sins but do not cast off those major obvious sins that he atoned for, my belief is worthless and not true belief. Works verify what we belief, that is what James writes about."
The whole argument of the Gospel of John is to believe. The thrust of the Gospel is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. John writes at the end of his gospel,
ӢӢӢ but these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in his name.ӢӢӢ John 20:31
John tells us in chapter 3,
ӢӢӢ He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.ӢӢӢ John 3:31
The above verses are brought out in Phillip's witnessing to the Ethiopian eunuch in the account below,
ӢӢӢ As they went along the road they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look! Water! What prevents me from being baptized?" And Philip said, " if you believe with all your heart, you may," And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."ӢӢӢ Acts 8:56-57
The Ethiopian eunuch presented himself as a candidate for baptism. All that was required was a simple declaration in his heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is certainly comports with what Paul writes in Romans,
ӢӢӢ that is, the word of faith, which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvationӢӢӢ Romans 10:8-10
And again the above can only be accomplished through the holy spirit for Paul says,
ӢӢӢ and no one can say, :Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.ӢӢӢ 1 Corithians 12:3
One's salvation comes through simply believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished on the cross. One's salvation comes from believing in the Person and the work of Jesus Christ. Nothing else is added, dare I even say repentance but simply faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that He is the Son of God. If we start stressing repentance as a condition of coming to Christ then we are making the gospel a gospel of works righteousness. For even Paul reminds us in Titus,
ӢӢӢ But when the kindness of God our savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we may be made heirs according to the hope of eternal lifeӢӢӢ Titus 3:4-7
One is saved through the work of Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for sinners on the cross. Our Salvation is not of our own work. Even deeds of righteousness which are filthy rags in God's sight. The only condition that God puts for sinners to be saved is to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
My thoughts are shaped from scripture.
Bro Blaine
Oh,..Bro. Bear,
'The gospel' of John...
Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven / God ,..and He tells us, that 'the gospel' is 'the gospel of 'the kingdom'...(a mystery)
Everything that He preached was to do with 'The kingdom' of God,...
The beatitudes, The sermon on the mount,...love our enemies,..forgive,
love,..about lying,stealing,coveting, idols,..etc...
So as our Brother Fletcher pointed out,..shouldn't we really do a diligent examination of Words, an see if we are seeing as The Lord' intent ?
John,starts with ,..way back in the very beginning,...God,The Spirit/ Word
Jesus came to give to us The Spirit Word of God, The Father,...He continually empathized, LOOK AT MY WORD's..look at what I Am saying,....they came from His Father God,that He came to speak while on earth, and now has sent back The Word in The Holy Spirit,that is IN us ,...the fountain of Living Water,..that will cause us to Live and not die,..Eternal Life,....He has come to lead us into all 'truth'....(.'truth': all of His righteous judgments in all things)
He came to give us Life, ..
The Words that I speak unto you, they are 'Spirit and they are Life'
Then John 1:12 says,
"But as many as 'received him'...(The Word that became flesh)
'to them gave he POWER TO BECOME the sons of God, even 'to them that 'believe' on 'his name'
:
Rev.,
And His Name is called, 'The Word of God.'
( His Name is the whole Word of God)..that was God' Name, and that is Jesus' Name.
And that is the Name He calls us with through His Grace, and that is our new Name that He has put within us.....
To led us,..."For as many as are led by The Spirit of God, ..they are the sons / children of God."
(The Spirit of God ,being The Word, The Spirit,...(.ONE)
God sent His Son to bring us God' Word,..they hated Him because of The Word that He spoke, they killed Him because of The Word, ...He dyed and sent The Word back to us, this time in The Holy Spirit.
Now,...what do we do with The Word ?
We must see Jesus,...the Word made flesh...cannot separate the two,that are One.
And we know that there is 'so much more' in the gospel of John-
At the later part of John,...
Jn.18:37,
¶ Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born,and for this cause came I into the world.
*He is now the King over His Kingdom,...
And He said it is The Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom,..at another place He says His Father will give The 'Holy Spirit,..so are they one and the same ?.....is it to 'be led' in His kingdom?
He said the kingdom of God is within us.
~~~~~~~
Truly in gentleness,
But I don't know any other way to say it,..
Some here,though are very good at portraying things better than I.
-----------------ðŸ›
elizabeth
"Do the Scriptures Teach this Doctrine...???" \t
"Do the scriptures teach that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone?"
Yes they do. Absolutely!
Re:"Doctrine"
""Do the scriptures teach that 'salvation' is by 'grace alone' through
'faith alone' 'in Christ alone' ? "
Bro. Bear you have asked a BIG question !
And, a dire question too,..wouldn't you say?
Could it really affect one's Life / death ?
Do we need to dissect everything?....every Word that's brought forth, under The Light of God?..evaluate it with His plum line ?
Doctrine"...
But, ..What is 'Doctrine' ?
*a noun,...could there be a governing factor in that word ?
Jn.18:19-20,
"¶ The high priest then 'asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine'.
20 ¶ Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.
21 Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said."
(we would have to look back and see what all His teachings were)
Jn.7:16-17,
¶ Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me.
17 "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself."
Until later,....
For now,.. other thoughts / subjects are stirring me.
----------------ðŸ›
elizabeth
Re:
"Do the Scriptures Teach this Doctrine...???\t"
"Do the scriptures teach that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone?"
Dear bro.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
We must define 'grace' as it is used in The Word,..
We know that is unmerited favor,...we did not / do not deserve it ,...it is a gift,a helper,..A Devine Helper...
Grace:
"The Devine effluence upon the heart,...( the hearing of The Word,that He speaks to us by The Spirit),...And it's reflection in the life"...(the doing of that Word that we heard Him speak to us)...
Also, we credit Faith to this,...
"Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by The Word of God."
.....
The same 'Faith' ,....hearing,..believing, obeying, that Abraham had.
Our most merciful Lord sends His Grace upon us,to draw us to 'God', who is
'The Word'.
For instance, ..'Be ye reconciled to 'God'.....'The Spirit / Word'
Rom.5:10-11,
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
'God' .......(The Word) ,..(we were justified by His Blood)..by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, 'WE SHALL BE SAVED' 'by His life'.....
(through His Spirit that is within us,..led by 'The Spirit of God', The Life of God,that was in His Son,Jesus.)...
11 "And not only so, but we also joy 'in God' through our Lord Jesus Christ, 'by whom' we have now received the atonement."
But 'God' commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, 'being now' justified by his blood, 'we SHALL BE SAVED' from wrath 'through him'.
--------------ðŸ›
elizabeth
Edited to add:
2 Cor.5:17-21,
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And 'all things are of God', who hath reconciled us to himself 'by Jesus Christ', and hath given to us the 'ministry of reconciliation' ;
19 To wit, that 'God' was 'in' Christ, 'reconciling the world unto himself', not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the 'word of reconciliation'.
20 ¶ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled 'to God'
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might 'be made' he righteousness 'of God' 'in him."
~~~~~~~~~
The moment one believes on the Lord with their heart and confesses him with their mouth (those by the way are by definition "works") they are justified and they SHALL be saved.
They really do teach this as part of the gospel message.
But the rub is our dismissal of God's sovereignty in the salvation of man.
Some come by way of simple invitation to believe. Others by catechism, others by deep repentance for sin, others by dreams and an awakening to the truth of God. What I am saying is...God is not breaking his own rules by bringing his grace and saving faith to some who were really taught well before their conversion or others who had a five word invitation and responded in faith. It is God who gives faith and repentance, we don't always see it in others at the same time and sometimes what we do see is fake.
To me it could never be a matter of leaving out repentance in our gospel message, but its not the gospel message according to all we think we should teach or shouldn't teach that determines a sinners saving moment. That belongs to God and he alone determines when, who and how much information is needed to bring his sons to Jesus.
This discussion is locked.
