• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• CHAPTER 1. Perverting the Gospel - The Ultimate Sin Against Humanity
• CHAPTER 2. The Gospel of Salvation - Part I - Faith and Obedience
• CHAPTER 3. The Gospel of Salvation - Part II - A Righteous Life by Faith
• CHAPTER 4. Regeneration: God's Creation of the Righteous
• CHAPTER 5. Sanctification: Set Apart for Righteousness
• CHAPTER 6. The Neccesity of Coming Under the Lordship of Christ - Part I
• CHAPTER 7. The Neccesity of Coming Under the Lordship of Christ - Part II
• CHAPTER 8. We Walk By Faith - Part I - Every Believer Overcomes the World
• CHAPTER 9. We Walk By Faith - Part II - Every Believer Takes up Their Cross
• CHAPTER 10. The Fallacy of the "Carnal Christian"
• CHAPTER 11. Bear or Burn: The Fate of the Fruitless in the Parables of Christ
• CHAPTER 12. Righteousness vs. Self-righteousness
• CHAPTER 13. Saint or Sinner?
• CHAPTER 14. Can a Christian Backslide?
• CHAPTER 15. Sin and the Misinterpretation of Romans 7
• CHAPTER 16. Examine Yourselves as to Whether You Are in the Faith

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross

Grk/Heb Fonts

Over 75 Online Commentaries

by James P. Shelly

CHAPTER TWO

The Gospel of Salavation

Part I - Faith and Obedience

In Acts 16:30 the jailer asked the Apostles, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" There is no question more pressing or consequential that one will ever ask than this. The answer is unparalleled in its far-reaching implications in that the eternal life or death of the soul will be determined by it. Whether we have an answer to the question that is blatantly false or the right answer misapplied or misinterpreted, the devastating consequence will be the same. The response the disciples gave to the jailer in v.31 was, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." The truth of this response, however, is not intended, nor is it possible, to be understood in isolation from the rest of Scripture. Thus it is further stated, in v. 32, that they then "spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house." Then in verse 34 it states "that he had believed in God." We are not told here the extent to which they expounded the word of the Lord to them, but it may have been considerable. It says of Paul, when preaching the gospel to the Jews, "From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets" (Acts 28:23). Paul spent the entire day going through Old Testament Scriptures to expound the word of the Lord to the Jews before "some were convinced," v.24, and would "believe in the Lord Jesus" and be saved. We find then that, "believe in the Lord Jesus" is a term used as a capsulized form of that which embodies a much more comprehensive message about Christ and the way of salvation delineated throughout Scripture. So then, to understand what it means to "believe in the Lord Jesus" and the implications thereof, one must take into account the various and diverse conditions of entering the kingdom of God set forth throughout its pages, allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture. We must also consider passages such as John 6:54 wherein Christ says, "Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life," and in John 12:25, "Whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." These are conditions set forth by Christ as no less a requirement for the eternal inheritance than the "believe" of Acts 16:31 or John 3:16. He said to His disciples in Matthew 19:23, 24,

Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

If the gospel is simply believing the historicity of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, as it is often understood, why would it be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to "believe"? Are the rich less capable of believing historical events than the poor? Moreover, were His disciples saved by simply believing that to which they were eyewitnesses? Many have interpreted passages such as Romans 10:13 "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved," as though repeating a simple prayer would save us. But again, why would it be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to repeat the so-called "sinner's prayer"? We can begin to see here the danger of using certain passages of Scripture in isolation and the misconceptions that may ensue. In Part II we will address every passage in the New Testament that has the promise of eternal life and the conditions set forth in order to obtain it. Here, in Part I, we will focus on how Scripture uses and defines the word "believe," which will bring greater clarity to those passages which will afterward be considered.

We read in 2 Chron. 20:20,

Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed (emphasis added).

We see in this verse that to believe in the Lord your God is analogous with believe his prophets who speak on His behalf. To believe his prophets was to obey His prophets, to hear the word of God and do it (Lk. 8:21, Ezek. 33:32). We find throughout Scripture that those who did not believe His prophets were those who were persistently disobedient to the word of the Lord, which resulted in their destruction. We read in 2 Kings 17:14, 15,

But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them (emphasis added).

Here it is said that Israel was stubborn and disobedient because they "did not believe in the Lord their God." In other words, if they would have "believed in Him," they would have obeyed what the "Lord had commanded them." Charles John Ellicott writes in his commentary;

The reference is not to intellectual but to moral unbelief, evincing itself as disobedience…They did not render the obedience of faith (Comp. the use of ἀπειθεῖν in the Grk. LXX)¹

This is the same sense in which Christ used the term in John 5:24 "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life." He says in the context of John 3:16, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (Jn. 3:36). The Greek word for "does not obey" in this passage is a)peiqe/w (apeitheó) [ap-i-theh'-o]). It is used as the antithesis of "believe." It is the same word as used in Romans 2:8, "But to those who are self-seeking, and do not obey (apeitheó) the truth, but obey unrighteousness." Here, to not obey the truth is to obey unrighteousness as opposed to righteousness. In Romans 10:21 we read, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient (apeitheó) and contrary people." What was the intent for which God graciously held out His hands to the disobedient? It was to bring them to back to obedience to His word. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says of the word;

a)peiqe/w (apeitheó) 'to be disobedient'…it is a significant theological term inasmuch as it denotes the sinful attitude of the people, which in the OT is essentially understood as disobedience against God…In a backward glance at OT history the wilderness generation is characterised by a)peiqei=n in Heb 3:18, as in the OT. Nevertheless, a)peiqei=n is used not merely of Israel or the Jews in their opposition to God. It can also be used of the generation of the flood (1 Peter 3:20) or of sinners generally, who are disobedient to the a)lh/qeia [truth] and obey a)diki/a [unrighteousness] (Rom 2:8)²

The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament states;

In the NT the vb. a)peiqe/w (apeitheó) always has God or his will as its objective. Thus it belongs to the fundamental theological terms of the NT. As sin was understood in the OT as disobedience of God's will and one thought thereby primarily of ethical requirements, so can the idea of being disobedient have this ethical quality in the NT…. The prophetic word quoted in Rom 10:21 ("All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people," Septuaginta Isa 65:2) originally possessed this same ethical nuance, but in the context of Romans it takes on a completely new meaning. Here it stands under the superscription in 10:16: "they have not all obeyed the gospel," and actually serves as scriptural proof of Israel's unbelief: failure to heed the gospel and being "disobedient" (a)peiqei=n) are identical…. "By virtue of being proclaimed, the gospel demands acceptance in obedience" (K. H. Schelkle, Die Petrusbriefe. Der Judasbrief [HTKNT] 60). Unbelief is disobedience against God.

This equation of disobedience with lack of belief and the specifically Christian focus of the stance represented by this term is very clear in John 3:36: 'He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey (a)peiqw=n) the Son shall not see life….' In Acts 14:1 believing (pisteu/ein) and being disobedient (a)peiqei=n) are used absolutely and are contrasted to each other. The Jews, who do not obey, are those who do not accept the Christian faith…. In a number of Greek mss. (esp. Ë 46) and in the Latin versions the identity of 'not obeying' and 'not believing' is so much taken for granted that the former is replaced by the latter (Heb 3:18; 11:31; cf. 1 Peter 2:7).

The terminological equation of disobedience and disbelief in NT usage has great theological significance. One could say pointedly: disobedience against God's will manifests itself not primarily in the transgression of individual commandments of God, but rather in resistance against the revelation of God's salvation in the gospel.³

Dr. Doddridge comments on its use in John 3:36;

It is of great importance to preserve a difference in the translation between ο πιστευων εις τον υιον, he that believeth on the Son, and ο απειθων τω υιω, he that is disobedient to the Son; because the latter phrase explains the former, and shows that the faith, to which the promise of life is annexed, is an effectual principle of sincere and reserved obedience; and it is impossible to make one part of Scripture consistent with another, unless this be taken into our idea of saving faith (emphasis added).⁴

The gospel message of Christ is a call to discipleship and to an observance of all that He commanded (Matt. 28:20). In other words, to believe the gospel is to place our complete trust and confidence in who He claims to be which naturally results in a commitment to learn and to obey whatever He teaches (Acts 3:22). Those who do not obey (apeitheó) by not complying with the words of Christ "shall not see life." Dr. James Burton Coffman writes;

These are among the most decisive words in the New Testament with regard to what is meant by "believeth," or "faith" as frequently used by New Testament writers. In all instances, it is an OBEDIENT FAITH that is meant, and never is some special quality of faith apart from obedience intended…He who does not obey the Son, in the practical sense, is an unbeliever; and all faith, of whatever degree, is dead without obedience.⁵

This is also made clear from its use in Hebrews 3:16-19;

For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey (apeitheó)? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief (emphasis added).

In v. 10 God says, "Therefore I was provoked with that generation." Why? Because, "They always go astray in their heart, they have not known my ways." They have unbelieving hearts v. 12, heard and yet rebelled v. 16, they sinned v. 17, they were disobedient, v. 18. We then find in v. 19 that at the root of all their disobedience was unbelief. "So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." In other words, if they would have "believed in the Lord their God" they would not have gone astray in their hearts — they would have known His ways — would have believing hearts — would have complied with His commands — would not have sinned — would have been obedient. We read in chapter 4, v. 2, "For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened." And in v. 6, "those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience." In other words, they received the good news of the prophet Moses but refused to obey the words and commands of God as communicated to them through His sent prophet. Their disobedience revealed that, though they initially received the good news, they were hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and did not hold their original confidence firm to the end (Heb. 3:13, 14). It was evident by their disobedience that they did not "believe in the Lord their God" and thereby forfeited any hope of entering His rest. Likewise, New Testament believers are admonished in Hebrews 4:6, 11;

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience…Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience (emphasis added).

"There can be no doubt that Paul refers here to heaven, and means to say that there is a promise left to Christians of being admitted to the enjoyment of that blessed world where God dwells."⁶ We do not find in this passage salvation that rests in repeating a simple prayer or making a profession of faith, but rather we are told one must strive and be diligent in making every effort to enter that rest, lest by the same sort of disobedience, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we come short of it. In Luke 13:24 Christ tells us that we must "Strive to enter through the narrow door." Here we are told we must strive to walk in the narrow way. Both are accomplished by an obedient faith that holds firm to the end, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised" (Heb. 10:36).

We find this same truth again in Acts 3:22, as Peter, in reference to Christ, quotes Deuteronomy 18:15, "Moses said, 'The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you" (emphasis added). The NET Bible translates it as, "You must obey him in everything he tells you." They note that "the idea of 'hear and obey' or simply 'obey' is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω [akou-o - to hear] and the following context (v. 23) makes it clear that failure to 'obey' the words of this 'prophet like Moses' will result in complete destruction."⁷ Whenever God sent a Prophet one of the primary purposes was to turn the disobedient to obedience. Christ was no exception, for "God, having raised up his servant, sent him…to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness" (Acts 3:26). The first words He spoke to the people were, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17). Those who would "believe in Him" would listen to Him by turning from their sin, joined with a consequent resolve to do whatever He would tell them. To believe in Christ, as with any of the prophets, is to obey Him (Heb. 5:9). Christ says in John 5:46, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe me." Even as those who believed Moses were required to obey Moses, those who believe Christ are required to obey Christ. When Scripture says, "This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him!" or "You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you," it means we are to obey whatever we hear Him teach. Those who "hear," in Scripture, are those who actively respond in compliance to what they hear. Jesus said of the unbelieving Jews of His day, hearing they do not hear (Matt. 13:13); Meaning they hear His words with their ears, but they refuse to comply, and thereby render His words ineffective in producing the expected fruit thereof. Thus, "it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people" (Acts 3:23). In contrast, He "who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields" (Matt. 13:23, emphasis added). The resolve to obey whatever he tells us as faithful disciples is the gospel commission of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20). So then, even as those who were disobedient to Moses and his teachings were destroyed in the wilderness, those who do not obey Christ and His teachings will experience the same fate. Johann Peter Lange writes;

Moses — he says — has promised that a prophet shall come forth out of Israel, and has declared that they who do not unconditionally obey him, shall be cut off and destroyed; and the succeeding prophets, beginning with Samuel, have all uttered predictions respecting these times.⁸

Albert Barnes writes;

Hear that Prophet - That is, obey his instructions. He shall have authority to declare the will of God; and he that does not obey him refuses to obey God… The Scriptures abundantly declare the truth, that if sinners will not hear the Lord Jesus, they shall be destroyed. And it becomes each individual to inquire with honesty whether he listens to his instructions and obeys his Law, or whether he is rejecting him and following the devices and desires of his own heart. It will be a solemn day when the sinner shall be called to render a reason why he has rejected the teachings and laws of the Son of God!⁹

We read in Deuteronomy 9:23 "Then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and did not believe Him or obey His voice" (emphasis added). Here again, we find that to believe Him is to obey Him.

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNTT) states:

The New Testament usage of 'believing' connotes the confident trust that an individual places in a divine person, not merely the simple credence he gives to verifiable facts. It involves not only recognition and acceptance of the truth, but also adherence and allegiance to the truth¹⁰ (emphasis added).

Adolf Deissmann, in his book, "Light From the Ancient East" gives several convincing quotations from the papyri to prove that pisteuein eis auton ('believe in/on Him') meant surrender or submission to…. G. Milligan agrees with Deissmann that this papyri usage of eis auton (in/on Him), is also found regularly in the New Testament. Thus to believe on…the name of Jesus means to renounce self and to consider oneself the lifetime servant of Jesus."¹¹ Thayer's Greek Lexicon comments on the word "believe";

Used especially of the faith by which a man embraces Jesus, i.e., 'a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah — the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ'¹² (emphasis added).

This is the sense in which it is said that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Rom. 4:3). We know that Abraham's faith was not in simply acknowledging the reality of God's existence or in certain historical facts about Him. Rather it was a faith of whole-hearted trust in the God that exists, believing His words, His commands, and promises, and consequently acting upon them in obedience to His will. In Romans 4:21, 22 we find that the word believed is substituted with the expression fully convinced. Abraham was "fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was 'counted to him as righteousness.'" Here, the faith that is counted as righteousness is not partially convinced, it is not that of the double-minded, but rather a faith that is so sure and certain of the trustworthiness of God that it is willing to do whatever He commands. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says of the Hebrew word, 'aman, believe or believing:

This very important concept in biblical doctrine gives clear evidence of the biblical meaning of 'faith' in contradistinction to the many popular concepts of the term. At the heart of the meaning of the root is the idea of certainty. And this is borne out by the New Testament definition of faith found in Heb. 11:1.... In the Hiphil (causative), it basically means 'to cause to be certain, sure' or 'to be certain about,' 'to be assured.' In this sense the word in the Hiphil conjugation is the biblical word for 'to believe' and shows that biblical faith is an assurance, a certainty, in contrast with modern concepts of faith as something possible, hopefully true, but not certain¹³ (emphasis added).

Abraham had such faith and confidence in God that he was willing to sacrifice his own son on the altar in obedience to His word (Gen. 22). Paul says of Abraham's faith,

The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised [i.e., apart from the works of the Mosaic Law], so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised (Rom. 4:9-12).

Paul contends that salvation cannot be by the "works of the law," as the Jews argued, as Abraham was saved prior to the implementation of the law. He says, therefore, the salvation of Jew or Gentile is not by the works of the law, as exemplified by being "merely circumcised" in the flesh, but by the circumcision of the heart as exemplified by the character of the faith Abraham had; "A Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God" (Rom. 2:28, 29). It is "not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). It is the contrast between "dead works and of faith toward God" (Heb.6:1); the one who's righteousness is "like filthy rags," which God disdains, and the one who "rejoices and does righteousness," and is therefore acceptable to God (Isa. 64:5, 6, Acts 10:35); A righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20). "For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God" by a "faith working through love" (1 Cor. 7:19, Gal. 5:6); A faith that walks "in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised" (Rom. 4:12). The word footsteps in Greek is ἴχνος [ichnos - ikh'-nos]. "It is used figuratively for the trace that is left by life or conduct that others may mark and follow."¹⁴ It is of those, "Who imitate his example; who imbibe his spirit; who have his faith."¹⁵ Jesus said to the Pharisees in John 8:39, "If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did" (emphasis added). What were the works Abraham did? "Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" (Gen. 26:5). "This is that unreserved obedience which flows from a living faith, and withstands the temptations of the flesh."¹⁶ Who then are Abraham's children? "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring" (Gal. 3:29). Christ says, in essence, all who believe in Me, as Abraham did (John 8:56), will be of like character; "doing the works Abraham did." Is this not the character John insists upon throughout his epistle? "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 Jn. 2:3). Did Jesus not say, "Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me"? (Jn. 14:21) and Paul says, "If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed" (1 Cor. 16:22, NASB). Therefore, it is stated in 1 John 2:4, "Whoever says 'I know him' but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." They walk not in the footsteps of the faith Abraham had and are therefore not of his offspring regardless of what they might claim as exemplified in the Pharisees. Matthew Henry writes,

Those who would approve themselves Abraham's seed must not only be of Abraham's faith, but do Abraham's works (James 2:21, 22), — must come at God's call, as he did, — must resign their dearest comforts to him, — must be strangers and sojourners in this world, — must keep up the worship of God in their families, and always walk before God in their uprightness for these were the works of Abraham.¹⁷

Coffman writes;

Who also walk after the steps of that faith of our father Abraham…These words mean 'who have an obedient faith like Abraham.' Abrahamic faith was not any such thing as faith ONLY, but it was a faith that walked after God's commandments, as pointed out under Romans 4:3; and Gentiles (or others) who would participate in the promise of salvation God gave through Abraham are here identified as those who 'walk' in the steps of that faith, which is a way of saying they must have an obedient faith as did Abraham. Some of the so-called translations and modern speech renditions of the New Testament have butchered this verse by eliminating all reference to obedience.¹⁸

If Abraham would not have obeyed God, would he still have been justified? No, as it would be evident that he did not have faith in God, i.e., the faith that justifies. "You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works" (James 2:22). Was Abraham justified by his works? James says yes, in the sense that without his obedient response to God's word his faith would be shown to be erroneous or dead, v.17. The faith that justifies is a living and active faith. "You see then a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). Paul says no, in the sense of his works meriting his justification before God:

Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law (Rom. 3:27, 28).

Lange writes,

Paul exhibits Abraham as a truly evangelical character, as a man of faith, in order to confirm the doctrine that the ground of our salvation lies not in us, but outside of us in the free grace of God, and that this must be apprehended first by faith, before we can do any good works. James, on the other hand (James 2:21 ff.), in opposition to a barren orthodoxy and mere notional belief, represents Abraham as a man of holy obedience, who proved his faith by works. In the one case he appears as the champion of the righteousness of faith, in the other as the champion of the righteousness of life. Both views are right. Paul goes to the root of the matter, the vital principle, which animated Abraham; James looks at the fruit produced thereby. Faith and works, righteousness and holiness, are as inseparable as light and heat, as the tree and the fruit, as cause and effect. Paul himself, after laying the only true foundation, as strongly insists upon a holy life as James.¹⁹

By faith, "Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws" (Gen. 26:5). However, "If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God" (Rom. 4:2). Even Adam, before his fall, had nothing to boast about as he did nothing more than that which faith requires. How much less then could he boast of his "works" after his fall. Where then is there boasting before God in doing nothing more than what is our obligation to do; having steadfast faith in the One who gave us life? (Luke 17:10). Rather woe is me for not obeying God in all things, "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). Adam failed in his obligation to live by an unwavering faith in His Creator which no subsequent righteousness could ever undo. Through his one act of unbelief, he brought death and misery to the whole world, and therefore God owed him only the due wages of sin which is death. Scripture makes it clear that "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezek. 18:20). "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). It is not probation, community service, or sufficient restitution, but eternal death. Therefore, if we have sinned it is not possible that we can earn forgiveness by "good works" simply because the payment for sin is not "good works" but death. Any number of "good works" could never pay the penalty for our sin as God states explicitly, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (Heb. 9:22). Therefore, since "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23, which includes Abraham, we stand guilty and condemned. In other words, if we have sinned, we must die. The only way of escape is if One approved by the Judge dies in our stead as the "shedding of blood" is the only means whereby God can justify a sinner while remaining just and true to His word. This renders all other religious systems wholly inadequate. Therefore, it is written of Christ, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Therefore, our salvation is, of necessity, by grace and not of works, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-10), irrespective of any obligation to obedience that might follow. It is as Jesus said to His disciples, "When you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.'" (Luke 17:10 NKJV). Jesus says here, that even if we were to obtain perfect obedience, we merit or profit nothing, and thus we would have nothing to boast about. Daniel Whedon writes,

Had Adam lived pure, he would have done no more than his duty, for each moment of his existence. God could not then have justly punished him: but he would have no claim for special reward from God.... He would live every moment upon the pure favour of God. The purest angel exists by grace and not by merit. From this it follows: That the sinner can be forgiven and saved only by grace. If he has been guilty, even at a single instant, of a sin of omission, he can never afterwards repair it; for he can never at any future moment do more than the duty of that moment. He can earn no surplus merit to fill up the blank of the past.²⁰

Therefore, it is impossible that salvation could be obtained as a result of meritorious works and equally impossible to be saved by a so-called faith in Christ that is not obedient to His word. Luther described faith in this way:

Faith is not that human notion and dream that some hold for faith. Because they see no betterment of life and no good works follow it, and yet they can hear and say much about faith, they fall into error and say, 'Faith is not enough; one must do works in order to be righteous and be saved.' This is the reason that, when they hear the gospel, they fall-to and make for themselves, by their own powers, an idea in their hearts, which says, 'I believe.' This they hold for true faith. But it is a human imagination and idea that never reaches the depths of the heart, and so nothing comes of it and no betterment follows it.... Faith, however, is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God (John 1); it kills the old Adam and makes altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers, and it brings with it the Holy Ghost. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith; and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask if there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them. He who does not these works is a faithless man. He gropes and looks about after faith and good works, and knows neither what faith is nor what good works are, though he talks and talks, with many words, about faith and good works²¹ (emphasis added).

Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, after forgiving her, "go and sin no more" (John 8:11). When Jesus healed a man, who had been lame for thirty-eight years, an infirmity apparently caused by sin, He says to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you" (John 5:14). We have numerous examples of this principle throughout Scripture. In Ezekiel 18:21-24 we read,

'But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?' says the Lord God, 'and not that he should turn from his ways and live?'

'But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die'.

'When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.'

Here we find that if a wicked man would turn from all his sins, none of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he is freely forgiven by God's grace (through the shed blood of the Jewish sacrificial system which points to Christ). However, if after receiving God's forgiveness one would continue in or return to living in those transgressions his forgiveness becomes null and void. This is not speaking of a person who has sporadic bouts with sin but of one who returns to the way of sin. We read in 2 Peter 2:20,

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: 'A dog returns to his own vomit,' and, 'a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire' (emphasis added).²²

When Paul asks in Romans 6:1, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" He answers with an emphatic, "By no means!" In Romans 8:13 we read, "For if you live according to the flesh [continue in a course of sin] you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body [cease to continue in sin], you will live." Again, we read in Hebrews 3:12, "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." These verses are, in essence, saying nothing more or less than what is being stated in Ezekiel 18:21-24. In each of these passages there is an expectation of a permanent change in course, being careful not to go back to the same state prior to their being forgiven lest a worse fate would befall them. Forgiveness is freely given apart from merit, however, if a course of righteousness is not continued in henceforth, they would find themselves worse off than they were prior to being forgiven. In other words, if we imagine that we can be saved by simply professing to "believe in Jesus" without the resultant righteousness inevitably produced by being in union with Him, we deceive ourselves. This we are taught from Genesis to Revelation. Therefore, we are admonished, "Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil" (1 John 3:7, 8, emphasis added). So it is that we find nowhere in Scripture anyone with a true and saving faith whose life is not evidenced by a faithful and consistent obedience to God (Heb. 11ff). Acts of disobedience, yes, sometimes dire, but we find no person in a state of salvation walking in a continued course of sin. In other words, the nature and identifiable trait of saving faith is always, and without exception, that of obedience (Acts 6:7, Rom. 1:5, 6:16, 17, 15:18, 16:26, 2 Cor. 2:9, 1 Peter 1:2, 1:22). As we now consider, in Part II, the various verses with the promise of eternal life, we will find that they are unequivocally joined with the necessity of the obedience of those who would be the recipients of it. (Continued in Part II).

CHAPTER THREE
The Gospel of Salvation - Part II