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Soteriology: Faith versus works brief While evangelicals are often accused of preaching that a faith without works justifies (though they characteristically evidence far more than their Catholic counterparts), the Westminster Confession of Faith (11:2) states: Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love. The conflict is, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,” (Romans 4:3-6) When James states that Abraham was justified by works in offering up Issac, he refers to this as fulfilling Gn. 15:6, but which text indicates his justification was a present condition prior to Gn. 17, with his offering up Issac manifesting that faith, and Gn. 15:6 is used by Paul who invokes it in defining what actually in the instrument of justification. (Rom 4:2-8) "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. {3} For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. {4} Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. {5} But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. {6} Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, {7} Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. {8} Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." However, no real contradiction need to be seen between Rm. 4 and Ja. 2. Gn. 15:6 is like a legal declaration, Gn. 17 is its practical manifestation, testifying to what kind of faith is necessary for salvation. Paul is dealing more precisely with the issue of the basis for justification, that of the merit of works versus imputed righteousness, appropriated by God-given faith. James is dealing with the antinomian misconstruance which Paul protests against in Rm. 6, and in which and elsewhere he makes clear that while one is saved by grace thru faith, the manner of faith which justifies is of a confessional quality. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10; cf. Mt. 10:32) Reading the preceding, we may ask, “But what if someone is mute?” The idea is that faith in the heart will be expressed if it is salvific, and baptism is the initial ordained means of confession. This does not militate against the doctrine of salvation by grace, which some suppose negates any volitional human cooperation in salvation, and thus make grammatical arguments about Acts 2:38, yet, even in a silent "sinners prayer" the heart/mind makes an active response, and there is no real difference between moving your tongue in confessing Christ versus moving your legs in confessing Christ by the body language of baptism. However, this is not saying that one must be baptised to be born again - Cornelius and household were born again by faith, which confessed Christ, before baptism (Acts 10:43-47; 11:8; 15:7-9) — but that the faith which that body language confesses and demands, (and can be a catalyst to bring forth) must be present, and which faith, and repentance, is a gift of God, (Eph. 2:8; Acts 11:8) and is to result in being baptized, if possible. Thus while salvation is by faith, and which God sees in the heart, it must be of a quality that will result in "the obedience of faith", (Rm. 16:26; cf. Hebrews 5:9; 6:9) or in the case of deathbed conversions, be one that would. This correlation between faith and works is the reason why there are verses which seem to contradict the clear and unambiguous verses which affirm that it is "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost", (Titus 3:5) and which takes place upon faith conversion, (Acts 15:7-9; 1Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13) and instead state such things as that women "shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety", (1 Timothy 2:15) this denoting the normal manner in which women lived out saving faith, but by no means restricting it to that maternal mode. (1Cor. 7:32-38) But while Scripture establishes that faith that is without works is dead, and the works here are not simply good deeds, but those which are a result of faith in Christ, (1Thes. 1:8,9) neither Paul nor James render the works themselves as meriting salvation, even if done by God's grace, but the faith which is expressed in faith-works appropriates imputed righteousness, this faith being utter reliance upon the mercy of God in Christ crucified, and risen again. In contrast, as the Jews, JW's, etc. testify, the normal disposition of man is that of justifying oneself, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:3) Versus, "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:" (Philippians 3:8-9) Unless
this normal proclivity of man is confronted, and preaching
convicts souls of their utter inability to escape their just
punishment in eternal Hell-fire, no to merit eternal life with
God, then souls will find some way of so doing. |
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