Salvation

Luke 17:11-19 – Ten lepers healed, one leper saved

POST OVERVIEW. A post about Luke 17:11-19 where Jesus cleansed ten lepers of their leprosy. One of those ten lepers was also eternally saved.

In Luke 17:11-19, we read the story of our Lord healing ten lepers. While on His way to Jerusalem, Jesus enters a village and encounters ten leprous men who call Him by name and ask for mercy. As these men are going to the priests, all ten are miraculously cleansed of their leprosy. One of the ten returned, “fell on his face at Jesus’ feet,” and gave Him thanks for the healing. Jesus tells the man, “Your faith has made you well” (17:19).

THE MAN’S FAITH SAVED HIM

This story of the leprous men follows the same pattern as a number of other stories in the gospels, particularly in the gospel of Luke. A sinner encounters Jesus, the sinner believes in Jesus, often because of a miracle Jesus has performed, and Jesus announces that the sinner is saved by his or her faith. Thus in these encounters two miracles occur: Jesus performs a miracle and then a sinner repents and is saved so that there is joy in heaven (Luke 15:7, 10).

Salvation of a sinner is the issue in these stories. And because salvation is the issue, we need to correct the translation of Luke 17:19 (and others like it, including Luke 7:50*; 8:48; 18:42; Matt. 9:22; Mark 5:34; 10:52) to reflect the real focus of the story. (Translations considered are ESV and NASB.) [* Note that Luke 7:50 is correctly translated, “Your faith has saved you,” in both ESV and NASB.]

TECHNICAL DETAILS

The Greek phrase that is usually translated, “Your faith has made you well,” is:

ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε.

The verb in this phrase is σέσωκέν, which is the perfect indicative active form of the verb σῴζω, a verb ordinarily translated as “save” or “rescue.” This verb is among a group of New Testament words that are used to describe Christian salvation. “Savior” is the Greek word “σωτὴρ.” “Salvation” is “σωτηρία.” The adjective “saving” is the Greek word “σωτήριος.” Since σῴζω is the verb in this group of words about salvation, the word should be translated into English as “save” unless there is some compelling reason not to.

Returning to the Greek phrase above, the words would be literally translated as:

The faith of you has saved you, or

Your faith has saved you.

As we explore this passage further, we will see that this is exactly what is intended by our Savior. Jesus is telling the person that their personal faith in Him has rescued them from God’s condemnation and judgment and that they have now passed from death to life (John 5:24). With this as background, let’s go into the text.

EXPLORATION OF THE TEXT

In Luke 17:19, we first observe that the leper’s faith did not make him well. Jesus did. Jesus healed the leper that returned and thanked Him, but Jesus healed all ten lepers equally. They were healed whether they had faith or not because Jesus is Lord of all. So, Jesus was the one who made the leper well, not the leper’s faith.

But second, notice that the leper who returned displayed his faith in Jesus by turning back and “giving thanks to Him” (17:16). This one leper acknowledged that Jesus had healed him and he therefore submitted to Jesus as Lord. So we see that Jesus healed the leper by His divine power, but it was the leper’s faith in Jesus that saved him. Thus the correct translation of Luke 17:19 is, “Your faith has saved you.” Those without faith take whatever good things God provides and then go on without giving thanks to God or acknowledging the Lord’s mercy, but those with faith fall down before the Lord and give Him thanks. The faithful “glorify God with a loud voice” (17:15).

An examination of the other occurrences of “ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε” (see above for a list) will reveal that each instance should be translated, “Your faith has saved you.” In these events, Jesus (usually) heals the faithful and the unfaithful alike. Jesus performs these miracles of healing  to verify His identity as God the Son so that some of those who see the miracles will place their faith in Him and be saved. Thus it is the sinner’s response of faith in Jesus that saves the believing sinner. Jesus performed miracles of healing. This is objective fact. Ah, but those who saw the miracles and responded in faith were saved.

OBJECTIVE FACT AND SAVING FAITH IN THE GOSPEL

In many ways, the gospel is like Jesus’ miracles. The gospel is a message that contains facts that are objectively true for all people. The facts of the gospel are these: God is holy and will punish all sin. Man is not holy. Man is a rebel who willfully disobeys God’s commandments and is, therefore, under God’s wrath and judgment and in danger of eternal condemnation. From this objective danger all people must be rescued or they will eternally perish.

But the gospel goes on to declare that God, in His mercy, has provided a way for man to be rescued. Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son Jesus into the world to be our Savior. Unlike every other person, Jesus willfully obeyed every commandment of God for His entire lifetime. As we have seen in this story, Jesus also performed miracles that only God could perform. After living a sinless life, Jesus died on a Roman cross as God’s appointed sacrifice for sin. Then three days later, Jesus was raised from the dead to confirm that His sacrifice on the cross had been accepted by God as payment for sin. Now any sinner who repents of their sin and places their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior will be saved.

Those are the objective facts. You and I need to be saved from our sins and Jesus Christ has died and risen from the dead to provide the salvation we need. Now you and I must respond by placing our faith in Jesus as the Lord of our life.

But just as the nine lepers could be healed and yet not be saved, so you can know the objective facts about Jesus and the salvation that He offers and still not be saved. Like the lepers, we must believe in Jesus to be saved. Objective facts cannot save you. Only faith in Jesus will save you. “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Then on the last day you will hear the Lord say, “Your faith has saved you.”

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 12/6/2023                   #681

Why do you want to go back into slavery? (Galatians 4:8-11)

POST OVERVIEW. A commentary on Galatians 4:8-11, where Paul, having just told the Galatians (4:1-7) about their adoption in Christ so that they have become heirs of God, again becomes amazed by their following the Judaizers into slavery to the Mosaic Law.

There will be an article in the future on Galatians 4:12-20.

This article is going to be a commentary on Galatians 4:8-11. Before we begin examining our intended passage, we want to briefly remember the main message of the letter and where we are in Paul’s argument.

ESTABLISHING THE CONTEXT FOR GALATIANS 4:8-11

THE OVERALL LETTER. Paul has written this letter to the Galatians because he has heard that they were abandoning the pure gospel of Christ-crucified and were instead being tempted by the Judaizers to add to their faith a slavish obedience to the Mosaic Law. The letter emphasizes that salvation is by faith alone apart from any “works of the Law.”

IMMEDIATE CONTEXT. The section that we are studying (Gal. 4:8-11) follows a passage in which Paul taught the doctrine that, by faith in Jesus Christ, the Galatians have become sons, and since they are sons, then they are heirs through God (4:1-7). When they worshiped pagan deities, they “were enslaved to the elementary things of the world” (4:3), but now, having heard the gospel and having believed the gospel, the Galatians have been set free from their sin by their faith in Christ. So, when Paul left the Galatians (Acts 14:22-23), they were established in the faith and were free from idols. But now, under the deception of the Judaizers, the Galatians are drifting back into slavery, this time to the Mosaic Law. Paul’s appeal to them is urgent and direct. He calls them to abandon this course of action and return to the crucified Savior.

BIBLICAL CONNECTION. Geographically, the maps in your Bible will reveal that the cities of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe are all part of Galatia. These cities appear in Acts 14:1-24 when Paul and Barnabas visited Galatia on Paul’s first missionary journey. In our study we will connect the events of Acts 14 with Paul’s teaching in this section of Galatians.

8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. – Galatians 4:8-11

COMMENTARY

First, we need to observe that Paul is no longer teaching doctrine but is instead applying the doctrine he taught in 4:1-7. In the previous passage he established that, by faith in Christ Jesus, the Galatians are sons of God and heirs of God. But now he is going to apply this doctrine to their recent personal history to show the reason for his dismay at their interest in the Law.

4:8. Before they were believers (“at that time”), they were slaves to their pagan religions and to petty deities. We know that these so-called deities are really demons (1 Cor. 10:20) whose purpose is to enslave unbelieving humans in useless religious practices so that they will never come to the knowledge of the truth. These religious practices were the “elemental things of the world” of Gal. 4:3. Call this original state of unbelief “Slavery #1.”

4:9. “But now . . .” Now that the Galatians have believed in the Lord Jesus and have been baptized into Him (3:27), they are free from their slavery to false gods and useless religious practices. “Galatians! Don’t you understand what you have received in the gospel? Don’t you know that, when you believed in Christ as your Lord and Savior, you received ‘every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ’ (Eph. 1:3)? In Christ, you are free and blessed and have been adopted as sons and heirs of God. Now ‘you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God!’ There is no spiritual blessing that you lack. So, why turn back?”

But not only were the Galatians apparently turning back, but they were, incredibly, turning back again to “the weak and worthless elemental things, to which [they] desire to be enslaved all over again.” They were forsaking the freedom of salvation in Christ for the slavery of elemental things. Notice that both here and in 4:3, Paul refers to the “elemental things.” Both the religious slavery of keeping the Mosaic Law (4:9) and the slavery of idolatry and pagan worship (4:3) are based on “the elemental things.” What Paul is implying is that, in this world, there are many different varieties of “elemental things” which can draw us away from Christ. The common feature of these godless “elemental things” is that they seek to enslave their victims in the chains of human works rather than in the freedom of the finished work of Christ on the cross. The “elemental things” are from a common source and differ only in their method of achieving slavery. They may be the useless efforts to appease pagan gods or they may be the endless striving to keep all the commandments and the ceremonies of the Mosaic Law, but they are all the works of fallen man that rely on man’s efforts rather than on the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement on Calvary’s tree. All such striving after these “elemental things” is blasphemy, because “if righteousness comes through [man’s efforts], then Christ died needlessly” (Gal. 2:21). “For if [man’s works] were able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on [man’s works]” (3:21), and Christ’s death on the cross would have been unnecessary.

Thus, the Galatians were heading toward a new slavery, a slavery to the works of the Mosaic Law. This dangerous state of reliance upon man’s works we will call “Slavery #2.”

4:10. The Galatians were beginning to pay attention to the Jewish Old Testament calendar, which gave “days and months and seasons and years,” that needed to be observed. This example is given to point to a dangerous trend. First, they were Gentiles and did not need to obey any of the ceremonial laws of the old covenant. But second, and most importantly, no amount of obedience to the Law or observance of its ceremonies will ever atone for a single sin. For any believer to observe the Law in the hopes of being justified declares that the death of Jesus on the cross was deficient and that we must add to Christ’s work to be saved. This is why Paul is appalled at the Galatians’ behavior.

4:11. There is no doubt that Paul intends this verse to hit the Galatians with maximum shock value. He is communicating to them their danger in the most strident terms he can muster, expressing his fear for them in terms that call their salvation into question (“I have labored over you in vain”). As we consider this verse, any notion we might have that Paul was talking to the Galatians about some secondary issue is blown away. This drifting toward Slavery #2 is a matter of heaven or hell. In Gal. 5:2, Paul declares their peril in other words: “If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” Can there be anything more terrifying than to imagine that Christ is of no benefit to me? Paul is warning the Galatians, and thus warning all professing believers, that if you are relying on Christ’s death on the cross plus anything else for your salvation, you are in extreme peril. No matter what a person thinks or says, a person is either relying entirely on the finished work of Christ on the cross as the once for all atonement for all their sins OR that person is relying on their own works. Either you are completely trusting in Christ-crucified OR you are depending on your own efforts. Either you get to heaven because of Christ’s righteousness OR you hope to get there on your own. That is what is at stake in this letter.

APPLICATION

The doctrinal drift of the Galatians called their salvation into question, but we, too, need to make sure where we stand. Are we completely relying on Christ or are we hedging our bets with a confidence in our own human works?

In another post we will look at Galatians 4:12-20 to see how Paul further expresses his concern and love for these Galatian believers.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 10/23/2023                 #675

Romans 6:3-4 – Paul teaches meaning and form of baptism.

POST OVERVIEW. This article is the first in a series of articles on Romans 6:1-14. This section of Scripture is packed with theological truths, and in this series, we hope to explore many of these doctrines and to understand what Paul is teaching in this powerful section of Scripture.

This first article is focused mostly on Romans 6:3-4 where Paul teaches about the meaning and the form of baptism.

3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:3-4 (NASB)

As we move through the book of Romans, we must keep in mind that, as God’s chosen instrument (Acts 9:15-16), Paul the apostle is communicating divine truth. In other words, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul is teaching unchanging doctrine. And in Romans 6:3-4, it is clear that the doctrine in view is baptism. In these verses, the apostle Paul gives his clearest teaching on the meaning of baptism and, by implication, its form. So, what does the apostle teach about the form?

THEN. From the pages of the New Testament, it is clear that the apostle Paul knew only one form of baptism, and that was the form which was inaugurated by John the Baptist and received by the Lord Jesus in His own baptism (Matthew 3:16), the form that, upon profession of faith, immerses the subject in water and then raises them up out of the water. This was certainly the baptism that Paul himself received (Acts 9:18). The point here is that, to Paul’s original audience in Rome or to any other professing believer who lived at that time, the only known baptism was the immersing in water of the believer upon the believer’s profession of faith. That’s what the apostles taught and that’s what the apostles did, so that was baptism. This baptism was the common experience of all believers. There simply was no other baptism in existence.

NOW. And there is no reason that baptism should be different for us today. Baptism is still the immersing in water of the believer upon the believer’s profession of faith in Jesus. This is the apostolic, God-given form of Christian baptism and is therefore the only acceptable form. Any “baptism” that deviates from this is meaningless and man-made and is done, whether knowingly or ignorantly, in disobedience to the one God-given ordinance. Only this baptism illustrates the theological truths about salvation taught in Romans 6 and in the rest of the New Testament. Therefore, the form cannot be changed. Anything else is simply not baptism.

What, then, are the theological truths taught in Romans 6 that are so well illustrated by immersion into water and being raised from the water? Discovering these theological truths will be the subject of the next several posts as we explore Romans 6:1-7.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 9/25/2023                   #673

Justified by faith, then by works (James 2:14-26) – Part 7

POST OVERVIEW. The seventh and final post in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023; Post #653, 5/25/2023; Post #654, 5/30/2023; Post #655, 6/5/2023; Post #658, 6/9/2023, Post #659 6/13/2023.)

We are in the midst of a deep dive into James 2:14-26. The reason we are going into considerable detail in studying this passage is that James 2 contains teaching about being “justified by works” that false teachers have used to claim that the Bible is unclear on justification. Because of this claim, the previous posts have taken a defensive position with regard to the passage, demonstrating from different vantage points that there is no contradiction between James’ teaching that the genuine believer is “justified” by his works and Paul’s teaching that the sinner is “justified” by placing his faith in Jesus Christ.

To make this point clear, we have presented five studies of James 2:14-26, each of which supported the premise that James and Paul are not at odds. Below is a summary of those studies.

  • In #653, we studied the key word “justify” and discovered that Paul uses the word in the sense of “declare righteous” and James uses the word in the sense of “prove a claim” or “validate a claim.” No conflict.
  • In #654, we examined the New Testament’s teaching on “works” and discovered that human “works” offered by the unsaved sinner to merit or earn salvation are an abomination to God, since they attempt to substitute sin-stained human “works” for the atoning death of Christ. But after salvation, the believer is expected to bear the fruit of good “works” (John 15:8; Eph. 2:10) as the result of their salvation. No conflict.
  • In #655, we reviewed the personal relationship that existed between Paul and James and saw that, in public doctrinal discussion (Acts 15 and Galatians 2), these two men were in complete agreement about the gospel. Thus it is inconceivable that James would write an epistle contradicting Paul’s primary doctrinal position about “justification by faith alone.” No conflict.
  • In #658, we presented the New Testament evidence supporting: 1) no one is justified (declared righteous) by his works; 2) genuine faith will produce good works; and 3) justification is by faith alone. The evidence overwhelmingly supports “No conflict.”
  • In #659, we compared the teaching in Hebrews 11 where “By faith” Abraham offered up Isaac and “By faith” Rahab protected the spies, with the teaching in James 2:21-25 about the identical events and discovered that these were believers giving evidence of their faith by “works” of obedience. No conflict.

Having successfully concluded our defense, we will now simply exegete these verses to give the plain meaning of the text. We will see that James’ entire argument requires that the person under consideration already professes faith in Jesus. James is writing to professing believers and he is asking the question, “Is the faith that you claim to possess a true saving faith?” Or, in other words, “How do you ‘justify’ your claim of saving faith?” The main point James is bringing home is that saving faith is “justified” by a life marked by good “works.”

AN EXEGESIS OF THE PASSAGE

  • 2:14-17 – James gives an example of faith without works. “What use is that (2:16)?” The expected answer is, “It’s not worth anything!” “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead.” A works-less faith is dead, so without works of faith, your claim is not justified.
  • 2:18 – The problem of a mere claim of faith is that anyone can make such a claim. It may be real or it may be empty, but there is no way to tell based on the person’s claim alone. Ah, but show me your godly works, and show me your obedience, and show me your fruit in keeping with repentance, and I will believe you possess the faith you claim.
  • 2:19 – Being completely orthodox in your theology does not mean you are saved. James presents the example of the demons, who are perfectly orthodox in their theological beliefs. The demons know God is one, they know that Jesus is God in human flesh, and they know that He is going to judge them at the end of the age. But the demons have no “works” and so cannot “justify” a claim of faith. In the same way, if you have impeccable theology but no “works,” you also cannot “justify” a claim of faith.
  • 2:20 – For the third time (2:14, 17), James makes the point that a “works-less” faith is a useless faith. Only a fool would believe otherwise, because “faith without works is useless.”
  • 2:21-23 – Abraham proved the immensity of his faith by his “works,” by obediently offering up his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice. The faith in God that had justified Abraham when his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness” many years before (Genesis 15:6; James 2:23), was justified (proven, validated) and perfected when Abraham offered up Isaac on Moriah.
  • You see that Abraham was justified by faith (James 2:23), and then Abraham’s faith was justified by his works (2:21).
  • 2:24 – “You see that a man is justified (exonerated) by (the visible evidence of) “works” and not by (a claim of) faith alone.”
  • 2:25 – Even Rahab the harlot proved that she had saving faith by the “works” she did. She risked her life by sending the spies out by another way. Thus, her invisible saving faith was made visible. So, her claim of faith was justified by her works.
  • 2:26 – James concludes his argument, having proven that “Faith without works is dead.”

CONCLUSION. This important section in James gives a warning to those who make a claim of faith but whose life gives little or no evidence of the fruit of good works. Those who have been justified (declared righteous) by faith will be justified (confirmed, validated, exonerated) by good works.

It is faith alone that saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/16/2023                   #660

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 6

POST OVERVIEW. The sixth in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023; Post #653, 5/25/2023; Post #654, 5/30/2023; Post #655, 6/5/2023; Post #658, 6/9/2023.) This article will compare the teaching about Abraham and Rahab in Hebrews 11 with parallel teaching in James 2:21-25.

We are in the midst of a deep dive into James 2:14-26. The reason we are going into considerable detail in studying this passage is that James 2 contains teaching about being “justified by works” that appears to be in direct conflict with the teaching of Paul on justification by faith alone. False teachers and the Catholic church have capitalized on this apparent conflict and have insisted that our human “works” merit for us our salvation. Our goal in this series is to demonstrate from a variety of different angles that there is nothing in this passage in James 2 to suggest that our “works” contribute anything to our salvation. In other words, James is in complete agreement with the rest of the New Testament in declaring that justification (being declared righteous) is by faith alone, apart from works (of the Law).

REFERRING TO THE HALL OF FAME OF FAITH IN HEBREWS 11

This next study will refer to Hebrews 11, the “hall of fame of faith,” and compare what is said there about Abraham and Rahab with what James also says about Abraham and Rahab in James 2:21-25. From this investigation, we will discover, once again, that James is not teaching a new doctrine of salvation by works that conflicts with Paul’s gospel. But before we begin our investigation of these texts, we need to make some comments about Hebrews 11.

COMMENTS ON HEBREWS 11. Hebrews 11 is a chapter devoted to the “works” that selected Old Testament believers did which manifested their genuine faith. “By faith” is the English phrase that is repeated eighteen (18) times in the chapter. This phrase indicates that these Old Testament characters already possessed saving faith, because you cannot act “by faith” if you do not already possess faith. This means that all the characters in this chapter had already been “justified” (i.e., declared righteous) by faith before they performed their works of faith. Then, already possessing saving faith, these men and women took dramatic action (“works”) that both required saving faith and manifested saving faith. Thus we see that each one of the characters in Hebrews 11 was “justified by works” in the same sense that Abraham and Rahab were “justified by works” in James 2. Their radical obedience to the Lord provided visible evidence that they were already believers.

ABRAHAM. Now we will look specifically at Hebrews 11:17 about Abraham.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son. – Hebrews 11:17

First, it is apparent that this verse is about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah from Genesis 22. Next, we observe that Abraham acted “by faith,” indicating that his sacrifice of Isaac was not done to merit his own salvation or to obtain righteousness from God, because he already possessed saving faith. Third, the Scripture says that Abraham was “tested.” God tested Abraham’s faith to determine its genuineness and its strength. And, because Abraham already had faith, he responded to the test with extreme obedience.

Having examined Hebrews 11:17 about Abraham, we now turn to the identical event described in James 2:21.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? – James 2:21

First, this is obviously about Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac from Genesis 22. Second, we read that Abraham was “justified by works.” From our study of Hebrews 11:17, we know that, at the time of this sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham already possessed saving faith and had already been declared righteous by faith (confirm James 2:23 quoting Genesis 15:6). The obedient offering of Isaac (a “work”) “justified” Abraham in that it gave an astonishing display of the strong faith he possessed. So, in the case of Abraham, we see once again that “justified by works” has nothing to do with meriting salvation by human effort.

RAHAB. Our procedure for studying Rahab the harlot will be the same as for Abraham.

By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace. – Hebrews 11:31

First, Rahab obviously acted “by faith,” indicating that she already possessed saving faith before the spies arrived. When we investigate the background of this verse from the book of Joshua, we see that, by the time “she had welcomed the spies in peace,” Rahab had already declared her allegiance to the LORD (Joshua 2:9-11) and she had identified with the people of God (Joshua 2:21). Clearly, she was a woman of faith before the spies arrived in Jericho. Finally, we note that Rahab “did not perish with those who were disobedient.” Significant here is that she was obedient and she lived.

Now we turn to James 2:25 and his verse about Rahab.

In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? – James 2:25

“Rahab the harlot was also justified by works.” James is saying that, just as Abraham was justified by works, so also Rahab was justified by works. And how was Abraham justified by his “works?” His radical obedience (offering Isaac at the LORD’s command) “gave an astonishing display of his strong faith.” In the same way, Rahab’s courageous obedience in the face of dangerous consequences “gave an astonishing display of the strong faith that she possessed.” So, in this way, Rahab was “justified by works.”

CONCLUSION. A comparison of James 2:21 and 2:25 with parallel verses in Hebrews 11 has revealed, once again, that James is not teaching an errant doctrine of imputed righteousness by human works but is stating the biblical truth that genuine faith is “justified” by actions which display that faith.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/13/2023                   #659

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 5

POST OVERVIEW. The fifth in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023; Post #653, 5/25/2023; Post #654, 5/30/2023; Post #655, 6/5/2023.) This article will focus on the abundant New Testament teaching declaring that justification (“being declared righteous”) is by faith completely apart from “works.”

We are in the midst of a series of studies of James 2:14-26. These studies are going into considerable detail because this Scripture has unsettled many genuine believers (including the noble Martin Luther) and has been misused by false teachers and by the Catholic church to insist that our human “works” merit for us our salvation. Our goal in this series is to demonstrate from a variety of different angles that there is nothing in this passage to suggest that our “works” contribute anything to our salvation. In other words, James is in complete agreement with the rest of the New Testament in declaring that justification (being declared righteous) is by faith alone, apart from works (of the Law).

So far, our case has included a careful study of the word “justify” determining how James uses that word. We have also studied the concept of “works,” especially regarding the timing of “works” relative to a person’s conversion. Our most recent post looked at the personal relationship that James had with Paul. This post will examine the weight of biblical evidence.

A MISTAKEN IMPRESSION ABOUT EVIDENCE

One of the reasons this passage disturbs genuine believers has to do with a mistaken impression about the biblical evidence for the doctrine of justification by faith. This “mistaken impression” goes something like this. Perhaps in a Bible study or perhaps in a discussion about religious beliefs or doctrines, someone may comment about the teaching in James 2:21-25, in which James explicitly says that Abraham was justified by works (2:21). You open your Bible and read James 2:21 and, by golly, that is what it says. Then the person will point out that 2:22 says that faith and works go together to perfect faith and 2:24 explicitly says, “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Finally, 2:25 says, “Rahab the harlot was justified by works.” Not only has James said “justified by works” multiple times, but that seems to be his whole point. By this teaching procedure, you have gotten the “mistaken impression” that there is a contradiction in the Bible because there seems to be a good amount of evidence for justification by works. What do we do now?

MIGHTY IN THE SCRIPTURES

For now we are setting aside the other studies we have done and are just wrestling with the evidence question. Does the Bible contradict itself? Is there clear and equal evidence for a man being justified by faith and for a man being justified by works? The surest way to address these types of challenges and to answer questions about what the Scripture does and does not say is to be familiar with the Bible. There is simply no substitute for knowing the content and the meaning of the Scriptures in vivid detail. What does the Bible say about “that?” Can you give me chapter and verse or can you at least find it quickly? If not, why should I believe what you say? It was said of Apollos that “he was an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). God will use a person who is mighty in the Scriptures, and He used Apollos in Achaia, where “he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (18:28). We would do well to follow Apollos’ example.

So we need to know our Bibles well so that we are not easily unsettled or knocked off our doctrinal foundation. Paul exhorted Titus to find Cretan elders, men who “will be able to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9). In other words, find men who know their Bibles well. Paul instructed Timothy to be “a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). A person who can accurately handle their Bible is one who will not be ashamed when the false teachers speak up.

PRESENTING THE EVIDENCE

In light of this principle of knowing our Bibles well, we are going to present three classes of evidence to correct our “mistaken impression” above. First, we will present verses which demonstrate that “works” do not justify. Second, we will cite Scriptures which teach that, after conversion (i.e., salvation), “good works” or “good deeds” are mandatory. Third, we will give New Testament evidence that justification is by faith.

WE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED (DECLARED RIGHTEOUS) BY WORKS.

Romans 3:20. “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.”

Romans 3:28. “A man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

Romans 4:6. “God credits righteousness apart from works.”

Galatians 2:16. (3X) “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law, since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Galatians 3:10. “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse.”

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

AFTER CONVERSION, GOOD WORKS ARE EXPECTED. (JAMES’ POSITION)

Matthew 5:16. “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Ephesians 2:10. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

1 Timothy 2:10. “women to adorn themselves by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

Titus 2:7. “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds.”

Titus 2:14. “(Christ Jesus,) who gave Himself for us to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

Titus 3:8. “those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds.

Hebrews 10:24. “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.”

1 Peter 1:7. “so that the proof of your faith, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor (“works”) at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

JUSTIFICATION (IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS) IS THROUGH/BY FAITH

Romans 3:22. “righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.”

Romans 3:28. “A man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

Romans 4:3. “Abraham believed God (faith) and it was credited as righteousness.”

Romans 4:5. “To the one who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

Romans 5:1. “Having been justified by faith . . .”

Galatians 2:16. (2X) “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law, since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Galatians 3:8. “God justifies the Gentiles by faith.”

Ephesians 2:8. “For by grace you have been saved (justified) through faith.”

WEIGHING THE EVIDENCE

Remember the reason that we went through this exercise. We are weighing the New Testament evidence supporting, on the one hand, justification (i.e., being declared righteous) by faith alone apart from “works” against the evidence supporting, on the other hand, justification (i.e., being declared righteous) by a person’s “works” plus faith. The results of our investigation overwhelmingly favor the positions that:

  1. We are not justified (i.e., declared righteous) by our “works.”
  2. After conversion, the believer is expected to produce “good works” as evidence of his faith. (This is the main point that James is making in 2:14-26.)
  3. A sinner is justified (i.e., declared righteous) by/through faith in Jesus Christ.

In fact, from our investigation we have discovered that the only place where we can find any possible biblical support for the Catholic doctrine of justification by works is by a misunderstanding of James 2:21-25.

CONCLUSION. An evaluation of what the New Testament teaches regarding justification, faith, and “works” reveals that the sinner is justified by faith alone without “works.”

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/9/2023                     #658

Justified by faith or by works? (James 2:14-26) – Part 4

POST OVERVIEW. The fourth in a series of articles on James 2:14-26. The purpose of these articles is to give the believer a correct understanding of this passage by providing a number of different approaches to this text. The goal is that, through these studies, the believer will see that James’ teaching here does not conflict with the New Testament’s doctrine of justification by faith. (See also Post #652, 5/24,2023, Post #653, 5/25/2023 and Post #654, 5/30/2023.)

This passage in James 2:14-26, and especially 2:21-25, has caused controversy in the faithful community because it appears that James is, in these verses, directly contradicting the doctrinal teaching of the apostle Paul, that a person is justified by faith alone and not by works. The main point of our study is to demonstrate that James and Paul are in full agreement on the gospel.

In our previous lessons on James 2:14-26, we have seen that, when James teaches that a person is “justified by works,” we need to understand how James uses the word “justify” (δικαιόω in Greek) and what he means by “works.” In Post #653, we showed that James uses “justify” in the sense of “give evidence for a claim” and in Post #654, we discovered that the “works” of James 2:14-26 are not done by unbelievers to merit salvation but are done by believers to make their invisible faith visible through faithful acts. These two lessons alone would be sufficient to defuse the claim of conflict between James and Paul.

But there is yet more evidence in the New Testament that makes a disagreement between James and Paul on such a major point of doctrine impossible. This next point will be about the personal acquaintance that the two men had with one another.

GALATIANS AND THE RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP

First, we turn to Galatians 2:9. In that verse, James gives to Paul the right hand of fellowship at the “Jerusalem council” because of their agreement on the “truth of the gospel” (2:5). Paul was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (2:7) and Peter was entrusted with that same gospel to the circumcised. Note that “those who were reputed to be pillars” gave each other “the right hand of fellowship” because they were in complete agreement on the content of the gospel. After reading passages in Galatians like 1:6-9; 2:14, 16, 21; 3:6-14 and 5:2-6, it is impossible to conceive of Paul giving the right hand of fellowship to James if James was still preaching a gospel of justification by faith plus works. If James was even the least bit fuzzy on justification by faith alone, he would have received from Paul treatment similar to what Peter received in Gal. 2:11-14. As Paul makes abundantly clear in Galatians and in other epistles, justification by faith alone is “a hill to die on.” After conferring together and comparing the gospels they preached (Gal. 2:1-10), there is no possibility that James and Paul did not agree completely on this aspect of the gospel.

OUR BELOVED PAUL AT THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL

Luke gives a more detailed account of this same “Jerusalem council” in Acts 15 and we would do well to review this event to corroborate our findings from Galatians. James and Paul both take major roles at this meeting. At that time, James was the leader of the Jerusalem church and Paul was emerging as the apostle to the Gentiles. Peter is also there, still as an apostle but by this time his leadership of the gospel movement has passed to James.

In the proceedings of the council, the apostle Peter declares that “God made no distinction between us and them (the Gentiles), cleansing their hearts by faith” (15:9). Thus Peter asserts justification by faith alone, saying that the Gentiles do not need to obey every jot and tittle of the Law of Moses to be saved (15:10). Then, in a statement that removes all doubt, Peter says, “But we believe that we (the Jews) are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way that they (the Gentiles) also are” (15:12). In this way, Peter has spoken for the circumcised and has made clear that Jews and Gentiles are saved in the same way. There is no need to add the Law to their faith. And if the Law does not need to be added to our faith, then it follows that neither do our “works.”

After Peter, as an apostle and a Jew, has declared that Jew and Gentile are saved by faith through grace, “Barnabas and Paul related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (15:12). It is certain that, as these two were describing their experiences among the Gentiles during their first missionary journey, they were also telling of how the Gentiles had been saved by the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18-24) and not by works.

After hearing Peter, the apostle to the circumcised, give his testimony of salvation by faith for both Jew and Gentile, and then hearing Paul, the apostle to the uncircumcised, give the same testimony, James leads “the apostles and the brethren who are elders” (15:23) to send men to Antioch “with our beloved (Barnabas and) Paul” telling the Gentile believers at Antioch that they do not need to adhere to the Mosaic Law in order to be saved.

SUMMARY. Having looked carefully at Acts 15, we see again that James and Paul were not at odds on the doctrine of justification by faith. Even at this early stage of the church, as the gospel was expanding into the territory of the Gentiles, it has already become firmly established among the apostles and church leaders that salvation is by faith apart from works of the Law. James believed this just as much as Paul did. Both men respected each other and were in firm agreement on the contents of the gospel. James could not write to the church at Antioch of our beloved Paul is he secretly rejected Paul’s most essential gospel doctrine.

We must conclude, therefore, that James is not teaching a doctrine of justification by works that is in contradiction to Paul’s teaching.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 6/2/2023                     #655

Resurrection lessons from 1 Corinthians 15 (Part 2)

POST OVERVIEW. The second of a three-part study of 1 Corinthians 15, the great chapter on the Resurrection of the righteous that will occur on the last day. (See Post #648, 5/8/2023, for the first part of this study.) The objective of this series of posts is to give the Bible student a firm grasp of the doctrine of the Resurrection.

In the first part of this study of 1 Corinthians 15 (post #648, 5/8/2023), we had established some basic understandings of the Resurrection. First, when we use the word “Resurrection,” we are referring to the general resurrection of all the righteous that will occur on the last day (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24) at the same time that the Lord Jesus descends from heaven with a shout (1 Thess. 4:16). Also, although there are several events that occur in the Resurrection, the primary and defining event is that all the righteous of all time will receive their eternal glorified bodies.

We were in the process of examining the meaning of 1 Cor. 15:42-44, and now we continue that examination by looking at 15:44. In this section, Paul is comparing the physical body that we are given for our earthly life with the heavenly body that we will be given in the Resurrection, particularly in relation to the physical body when it has died. Paul uses the word picture of a seed that is sown into the ground to describe our physical body when it is finally “sown” into the grave.

44 it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

15:44. At our death, our natural body is sown into the ground, having lost all its usefulness. All the parts of the body are there, but there is a complete absence of life. The purpose of the natural body was to carry us and be our servant from birth to death, but now that death has come, the purpose of our natural body has gone and thus it is thrown into the ground.

But the resurrection body, our “spiritual” body, is not like that. We will be raised with a spiritual body that is completely unlike the natural body that went into the grave. Our spiritual body will be useful to us throughout all of eternity. The purpose of this spiritual body is to allow us to serve and worship the King of kings in sinless joy forever, and that purpose will never change or become obsolete.

And Paul punctuates this verse with a promise, that if the believer in Jesus had a natural body, then there will certainly be for that believer a spiritual body. In other words, every believer is promised a glorified spiritual body that will allow them “to stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes (indicating that our glorified bodies will be clothed in heaven), and palm branches in their hands, crying out with a loud voice, saying ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb’” (Rev. 7:9-10).

This amazing chapter culminates in 15:50-54 with more teaching about the Resurrection as the apostle tells us about the actual event itself. The inspiration of the Holy Spirit is evident in this passage as we see that this description of the Resurrection is in complete agreement with other Scriptures about this event.

50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.

In this five-verse theological masterpiece, we will see that, in each verse in this passage, Paul addresses both those who are asleep (“the dead in Christ”) and “those who are alive and remain until the coming (παρουσία) of the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15). This is significant because it tells us that all those who are in Christ at the Lord’s return will be resurrected to receive their glorified bodies.  

EXEGETICAL NOTE: Paul consistently uses the words “perishable” and “imperishable” to refer to those who are dead in Christ at the Resurrection. Since this is the case, we can use “dead in Christ” and “perishable” interchangeably.

15:50. Paul says that those who have “flesh-and-blood” bodies at the Resurrection are completely unprepared for eternal life in the kingdom of God. In other words, those who are physically alive in Christ “cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” But Paul adds that “the perishable,” those who are physically dead in Christ (15:42), also “cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” Paul has thus presented a problem; namely, that no believer in Christ who has a natural, earthly, physical body, whether alive or dead, can inherit the kingdom of God. What is the solution to this problem?  

We will explore the answer to this question in the next post in this series, and we will also solve Paul’s “mystery” from 1 Corinthians 15:51. Go to Post #650 for more teaching on the Resurrection.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/11/2023                   #649

The favorable year and the day of vengeance (Isaiah 61-1-2)

POST OVERVIEW. A study of Isaiah 61:1-2 in the context of Jesus’ quoting of this passage in Nazareth in Luke 4. This article sets the context of Jesus’ quote and considers the meaning of “the favorable year of the LORD.” The first of a two-part series.

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
2 To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance of our God. – Isaiah 61:1-2

After His baptism, as the Lord Jesus was beginning His earthly ministry, He went to His hometown of Nazareth and, in the synagogue on the Sabbath, the Lord read a short passage from Isaiah 61 (bolded and italicized above) and sat down. Most in the synagogue would have been familiar with Isaiah and many would have known this specific passage, but no one in the synagogue would have ever suspected what happened next. Jesus then said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-21).

ANNOUNCING THREE TRUTHS

It is hard to overstate the significance of what Jesus has just announced. By quoting this prophecy from Isaiah, Jesus establishes three enormous truths. First, since this prophecy from Isaiah is certainly Messianic, Jesus is unambiguously declaring Himself to be the promised Messiah, the Anointed One predicted by the Old Testament Scriptures. But second, Jesus is announcing that He is inaugurating a period of “good news to the afflicted” and of “binding up the brokenhearted.” Jesus proclaims that there will be a time of “liberty to captives,” of “freedom to prisoners,” even “the favorable year of the LORD.” The long-awaited Messiah has come and He is ushering in a long time of the Lord’s favor, a time when sinners can be reconciled to their holy God. We now know that, with the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the gospel age has begun, the time when the nations will be gathered in, when the church will go out and make disciples, and when the name of Jesus will be proclaimed to the ends of the earth.

But there is a third truth that Jesus has announced, even though He intentionally avoids mentioning it. When a Jewish rabbi was reading a well-known passage of Scripture, he would often stop his reading before the end of the passage that he wanted to teach. The rabbi did this because he expected his hearers to complete the passage in their own mind. Here, Rabbi Jesus stops His reading with “the favorable year of the LORD,” but He expects His hearers to complete the reading in their mind. Thus, there is “the favorable year of the LORD,” but there is also “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2b). The third truth that Jesus announces here in Nazareth is that, as surely as there will be a “favorable year of the LORD,” there will also be “a day of vengeance of our God.” It is on the second and the third truths that I want to comment.

THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE GOSPEL AGE

By announcing “the favorable year of the LORD” and “the day of vengeance,” Jesus has moved the conversation into the realm of end times and of eschatology. And eschatology is the subject of this post. As stated above, “the favorable year” refers to the long time of the gospel age when the church goes into the world and among the nations proclaiming the good news of salvation to people of every tribe and tongue and nation so that the elect can be gathered in. The crucified and risen Lord Jesus has commissioned His church (Matt. 28:19-20) to ride out with the gospel, “conquering and to conquer” (Rev. 6:2), as His witnesses (Acts 1:8) to the ends of the earth till the end of the age. And because this is an immense task, the commissioned church will have a long time to accomplish its mission. The unity of Scripture is displayed in the fact that “the favorable year” of Isaiah 61:2 corresponds to “the thousand years” of Revelation 20. During this long time of relative peace, the fury of God’s wrath against sin is held back and the offer of salvation to sinners is extended. During this figurative “year of favor,” “the vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” Wretches with sins red like crimson are, by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, made white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Those who “were fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards, and revilers are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). The church proclaims that “the blood of Jesus God’s Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Jesus has come, Jesus has died, Jesus has risen, and now for a long time God’s mercy welcomes believing sinners into His kingdom as sons and daughters. Yes, now is “the acceptable time, the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

But the favorable year of the LORD will not last forever. The favorable year will end and there will come “the day of vengeance of our God.” This day of vengeance will be the topic of the next post in this series.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 5/2/2023                     #646

Romans 1:18-25: The General Revelation Cannot Save

POST OVERVIEW. An article considering how the creation clearly reveals the existence of a powerful creating God but does not present the gospel so that man can be saved.

After declaring that the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16), Paul launches into the prosecution of all mankind because of their sin and unrighteousness. Romans 1:18 declares that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness and then Paul talks about “general revelation,” which is the term for what creation reveals to us about God.

“Because that which may be known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” – Romans 1:19-20

But while the creation “declares the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1-6), and while what has been made by the creative hand of God gives anyone but a fool (Psalm 14:1) overwhelming evidence of a supreme Creator (Romans 1:19-20), the creation and general revelation will never bring a sinner to repentance and faith, and this for many reasons.

First, for the fallen and unredeemed man, the creation does not reveal the one true God, but merely evidences some power much greater than the creature. That this is true is displayed by pantheism and polytheism and even through the foolishness of evolution, in which modern man denies what his senses and his intellect make unambiguously clear to him. To move a sinner to salvation, the sinner must be pointed to the one true God, indeed, must be pointed to the God of the Bible, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, through the gospel. The sinner must encounter the God who saves sinners.

Second, the creation does not reveal the fallenness and the wickedness of every human heart and does not reveal that man is by nature sinful. Through the creation alone any man and every man is free to behave as he pleases, because the creation is not moral. It displays God’s power, but it does not proclaim His holiness. Without the Law there is no concept of sin (Romans 3:20; etc.), and so there is no awareness of how wicked we are. The Law was given to display God’s holiness and our unholiness.

Third, the creation does not make clear that God’s holy wrath is directed against my sin and that my sin deserves to be judged. Only the gospel declares to the sinner that their sin deserves the judgment of death and presents to the sinner the certainty of hell for those who will not respond to the gospel message.

Fourth, there is nothing in the natural creation that would point to the Lord Jesus Christ and would declare Him to be the Savior of sinners. The Lord is not presented through what has been made, but rather through those who have been chosen to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8, etc.). Paul declares in Romans that the Lord Jesus must be presented or no one can ever believe (Romans 10:14-15). The gospel is where the Lord Jesus is proclaimed.

Fifth, the creation does not tell the sinner what to do in order to be saved. It must be acknowledged that the plan of salvation wrought through the Incarnation and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is completely unlikely and would never be conceived by the mind of man. But even if there was history that told of Jesus, nowhere would man know of the significance of that life and what to do to respond to Jesus. Only the gospel tells us that we must respond by believing on Christ as Lord and Savior to be saved.

Sixth, the creation brings no conviction of sin, because the creation is not empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that brings conviction of sin (John 16:8ff) and without His power, the man does not experience conviction. By contrast, the Holy Spirit is empowered to bring about conviction of sin.

Seventh and finally, the creation gives the sinner no power to repent and believe. The creation is powerless to move the sinner to repentance and faith. Without the Holy Spirit’s moving through the gospel the sinner is left dead in transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1-7). But the gospel brings with it the power to stir the dead heart of the sinner and to remove the heart of stone and to create a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36).

Thus we must conclude that there is no way that “the native in Africa” who has never heard the gospel can come to faith in Christ and be saved, for there is nothing in their experience that can bring them to saving faith in Jesus Christ. All of this information and all of these steps listed are necessary for salvation, but it is “the gospel that is the power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16). Without the gospel being preached and understood and without the response of faith no one is saved. Thus the person holding a Bible in a stadium in Houston who has never been convicted of their personal sin and who therefore has never come to repentance and faith is no better off than “the native in Africa” who has never been exposed to one word of the gospel. Both are equally lost.

In our next post, we will consider the implications of these ideas about the creation for our evangelism and for our apologetics.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 3/6/2023                     #630