(January 26, 2011)    

“The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not.” (II Corinthians 4:4)

 Recently someone sent me an email after coming across my first website at www.iesouschristos.com.  It was obvious that he was setting me up with a trick question concerning salvation. What follows is the exchange of emails in their entirety between myself and this person:

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His first email:

“If someone teaches that it is necessary to obey a law to be saved would you object to this idea and consider it to be false?”    (Name withheld)

My response:

I’m curious as to why you directed this question to me. Did you come across one of my websites? As to your query I think that this is one of the questions that separates Evangelicalism and Protestantism from Catholicism although I am not very familiar with Catholic teaching. I believe it also separates Christianity from the other religions of the world.

I believe the New Testament teaches that we are saved by grace through faith and not works. The apostles Paul says as much in Ephesians 2:8-10, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We are to do good works as a result of our faith but salvation is the work of God’s grace through our faith. For a human, obeying a law is the performance of either doing what the law says or refusing to do what the law prohibits. In other words, we have to perform the action or work of obeying the law or disobeying the law. Either way we are performing a work in fulfilling the meaning of the law. In John 6:28-29 the people asked Jesus, “28 ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ 29 Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’” If the action of obedience is equivalent to performing a work then Jesus said the only work we could do is to Believe in Him. I know Jesus’ ministry on earth was directed to the Jews who were to obey the laws of God under the Old Covenant. However, under the New Covenant I do not see where obeying any laws are necessary for salvation. I do see where obeying the laws of righteousness should be our desire as a result of a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. For the unsaved though, obeying God’s laws will not save them because humans would have to be perfect to keep all His laws and only Jesus Christ was perfect and therefore able to fulfill the Law and the Prophets.

You or others may see it differently but this is my belief concerning obedience to any law and how it pertains to salvation.

                                                        Sincerely, James Jackson

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His second email:

“Thanks for the reply Mr. Jackson. I found one of your web sites by fishing. I think some people refer to the activity as trolling. Kind’a like the term “fisher of men”. My question to you is a hook and you made a good and very strong bite. “It is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” Rom. 2:13 Maybe your system of salvation needs a little more working out. Might be missing something.” 

My response:

Of course I bit because what I stated about salvation is what I believe from reading the New Testament. Although I doubt there is a more clear statement in the New Testament about salvation by grace and not works than the one I quoted from Ephesians, there are similar passages:

“8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (II Timothy 1:8-10)

and

“4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 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; 6 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. 9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” (Titus 3:4-9)

Romans chapter two seems to have been controversial in Church history and still must be as your original question would indicate. I am not a scholar in any way, shape, or form. However it appears that scholars have debated this chapter quite extensively. Here is a link to N.T. Wright’s discussion of Romans 2:

http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Law_Romans2.pdf

If you hold to the view that obeying the Law or Torah leads to salvation then so be it. I doubt anything I say will change your mind or your heart. Likewise, I am convinced of what I read in the Bible concerning salvation by grace through faith: that is that it is a gift of God and there is nothing I can do to earn salvation.

I think verse nine of Titus ch. 3 quoted above is particularly relevant  and should be applied to the issue at hand: “9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.”

                                                        Sincerely, James Jackson

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His third email:

“Is the crucifixion of Jesus a work of righteousness?”

My response:

Another hook for me to glom onto?

I would say Jesus’ crucifixion is an act of God’s ultimate sacrificial love. Jesus offered His life for us and our unrighteousness crucified Him. However, Jesus Himself IS righteousness:

“30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (I Corinthians 1:30)

“20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21)

“1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 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. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” (Romans 10:1-4)

“15 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:15-21)

“1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 1:1)

I’m curious as to what the goal is of the exercise we are currently engaged in?

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He never responded to my last email.

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I find it interesting that the apostle Paul mentions the law in several passages when discussing salvation. He makes it clear that no one can be saved by obeying the law but rather by having faith in Jesus Christ. It would be inconsistent of Paul to state everywhere in his letters that salvation comes by faith and yet in Romans chapter two that salvation comes by obeying the law. His meaning in that passage therefore must seen in light of all his other proclamations concerning salvation by faith and grace alone.

I truly believe that what separates Christianity from all the other religions of the world is the idea that salvation comes by faith and not by obeying laws and performing good deeds. However, good deeds and obedience to God are the byproduct of faith in Jesus Christ but not the cause of our salvation. When Jesus proclaimed on the cross “It is finished” it meant there was nothing further to accomplish in order for humans to be saved. We only have to believe that His sacrificial death took away our sins and that God will keep His word and thus we are saved.

As I quoted at the beginning, the Devil has blinded the world with the belief that Jesus’ death and resurrection are not enough but that we have to add to His sacrifice our sacrifice of good works in order to be saved. God’s word could not be more clear that belief in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah is all that is necessary for salvation.

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Tags: Ephesian 2, good works, obeying the law, Romans 2, salvation
Filed under: Salvation