Duder
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POTD to Clete Pfieffer, for depth of thought, eloquence of expression and civility of tone.
Romans 10:9 " that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
This passage of Scripture is considered by every Christian that I know of to be the Gospel. Indeed, if you disagree with that, then you are not a Christian. There are however two opposing views on how to interpret this passage and others like it.
Calvinists state that the passage is saying that those who are elect will confess and believe, that is, that those who confess and believe, do so because they are elect. Open Theists, on the other hand hold the opposite view, that those who confess and believe are elected on that basis, that is, they are elect because they confess and believe.
Calvinists respond to the OVers on this issue by accusing us of believing in a works based salvation. They say that if it is our own faith that saves us and not God simply saving us arbitrarily then faith itself is a work. It is the point of this thread to explore this notion that faith is a work and hopefully to debunk it once and for all.
First of all, the Bible clearly teaches that faith in Christ is required for salvation. This point is not in dispute.
Secondly, the Bible teaches just as clearly that works are not required for salvation. This point also is not in dispute.
Consider the following syllogism...
A is equal to X
B is NOT equal to X
therefore
A is NOT equal to B
If the Bible teaches that faith is required and that works are not then the Bible by inference teaches that faith is not a work because we know that God's Word does not contradict itself.
Now this simple bit of logic should be quite enough to debunk the idea that faith is a work. However, I know that there are those who will not allow simple reason and logic to persuade them and so we'll take a rather thorough look to at what the Bible says on this issue.
I have the following saved on my hard drive. I failed to note where I got it and who wrote it. I believe that it is the work of Bob Hill, but I say that only because it seems to have the same "flavor" as some of his other writings. If someone knows for sure who should get credit for it please let me know so that I can update my information and give proper credit to the author.
John 6:28,29 Then they said to Him, “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.”
They wanted to do something to produce their own righteousness just as Paul explained in Romans 9:30-10:4. The only thing they can do is believe, have faith, trust. All 3 of these words can be translated from the underlying Greek word. God didn’t want them to think human righteousness would get them anywhere, since all have come short of God’s righteousness. God is the one who provided righteousness for us. All we have to do in this dispensation is believe.
Rom 3:21-31 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation through His faith, by His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
Here, we see that Jesus Christ produced the redemption for us. It was His faithfulness in going to the cross so anyone who believes may be saved. We appropriate His righteousness that He provided by our faith. Notice the 28th verse shows this faith is not a work of the law. We are justified by our faith/belief in Christ.
God sent Paul to preach the gospel so the world could believe: Rom 1:5-8 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience of faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; 7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. In the OT, we see they will live by their own faith: Hab 2:4 Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
Rom 4:1-5 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
Here we see in Rom 4:5 that belief is contrasted with work. And then, it is his faith that is put to Abram’s account as righteousness because Christ would pay for Abram’s sin when Christ dies years later. Since faith is contrasted with work, faith cannot be work.
The next passage talks about our faith. It even tells how we get our faith. by the word of God:
Rom 9:30-10:17 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Chapter 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
Here we see that our justification is a result of Christ’s faithfulness. But after He provided the righteousness, we believe so it is applied to us.
Gal 2:15,16 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 faithfulness of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
1 Th 1:2-4 “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.”
Here, we see that we are God’s elect because we have believed. Once we believe, we become part of the elect body of Christ which is sealed unto the day of redemption. The body of Christ was chosen to be holy and blameless before God, in Eph 1:3-14, and since we were baptized into this body when we believed, we are secure in Him.
Now, in the next dispensation, we see that their faith has to produce works or they will not remain in a state of salvation. That’s what Jam 2:14-26 shows us:
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Here, we see that the apostles had their own faith, and it was too small:
Mat 8:26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Next we see that the paralytic and the ones who brought him had their faith:
Mat 9:2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” Their faith was strong enough that Christ said their sins were forgiven.
In Mat 9:22, the woman’s faith is what healed her: “But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, ‘Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And the woman was made well from that hour.”
Abram/Abraham had his faith in uncircumcision and in circumcision. Because he had faith in both dispensations, he became the father of all those who would believe whether uncircumcised or circumcised.
So, it’s the person’s faith again, in Rom 4:5,9-14,16:
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 9 Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. 10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. 13 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
How do we get this faith? We get it by hearing the word of God. It is written in our hearts. And everyone has heard it. Therefore, we can all develop faith enough to believe.
Col 1:4-6,23 “since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.” If we let the word work in us, we develop faith: Rom 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Paul prayed for the saints that their faith would grow. If it were God’s faith, how could it not be perfect? 1 Th 3:10 “night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?”
Their faith grows:
2 Th 1:3,4 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,
In 1 John, it is their faith that overcomes the world: 1 Jo 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to read what I know is a rather lengthy post. I hope that it has been informative.
I invite those of you who disagree to please respond directly to the arguments made in this post. If you wish to present arguments that are not addressed that’s fine but don't do so while ignoring the arguments that have already been made.
Thank you and God bless.
Resting in Him,
Clete