Salvation and Easy-Believism

I read something last night that prompted me writing this. It has to do with the subject of salvation and easy-believism.

I read that if you do not show fruit that you are not saved. The article had no caveats: just simply that one must show good works to be saved; or at least that is what was portrayed. I take issue with comments like these for, what I think, are very solid reasons. I want to step through some of those reasons by way of covering some of the Scriptures that cause statements like these.

There are two passages in particular I would like to focus on. The first is in James chapter 2. The chapter works its way to it and states the point clearly in verse 24. It says, “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.” This is not the whole passage, but the concept is clear. Without works faith is dead.

This passage is used quite a bit to say that a Christian without “fruit” is not truly saved, but is one who is only professing faith. I obviously take issue with that summation. I will not digress into the OT to relink the concepts of works as in relation to the NT, but it is easy enough to say that Ephesians and Galatians put an end to any questions of whether salvation is by works or by faith. Eph 2:8, the most widely used verse to prove faith based salvation, is an easy passage to cling to as well as Gal. 2:16. These two verses alone strike a stake into the heart of works based salvation.

But, then, why did James say those things? A few things here. First, it is easy to see that James "addresses the outward expression of inward faith" as Minnix, J. Mike in his Panorama of the Bible CD-ROM Lesson 49 says. He is speaking of how man sees things as opposed to Paul’s faith based book, speaking of how God sees things. And while that is a profound argument in itself, it is not the endall.

James is attempting, and succeeding, to argue that faith and works cannot be separated. He is not saying that faith minus works is dead; thus, you are not saved. Not at all, in fact, what he is saying is that faith without works is impossible. No need to worry of salvation in the matter as in, “Am I saved if I do no works?” This is not a question flowing through the mind of an unsaved person. And this, my friends is where I take a huge issue.

If a man is not saved these questions mean nothing to him. Approach an unsaved man and ask him where his fruits of the spirit are and you may be surprised with what kind of fruits you get. Yet, when we address a crowd of “saved” people and throw this out there under the pretence that we are trying to clear the air when the truth is, we are far from clearing anything.

Take a group of teens and tell them that if they are not working for Christ under your terms, which that is what they are, you terms, they are not saved and watch the wheels come off. The teens will turn introspective and search every part of their being to find a work to meet criteria and if they don’t they will go into a tail spin of agony, running to the front to get “saved,” only to find themselves at the same point a year from that day. Why?

Because we are human. That is what we do. We fail. Miserably. It is hard enough to live this life without a leader consistently telling me I am not saved if I do not make it to church on Sunday or miss visitation. These are important things, but they are not criteria of salvation. Faith is.

Please feel free to read through the fruits of the spirit. Galatians 5:22-23. Good read, I promise. You will find there that not all fruits have to be quantified in tangible evidence. Oh, wait, what is that I see in the middle there? Is that the word faith? No! It couldn’t be, but it is: Along with many other items that we cannot measure by man’s standards. And this right here is why I truly believe God built this system the way He did.

By measuring our true acceptance of Him through these things: love, joy, peace, goodness, faith, etc, he has eliminated man’s ability to gauge it. How perfect is that? We may want to tell you that if you do not do what we say, then you are not saved –which is in essence what we are saying –but we can’t, because God has left that to Himself and Himself alone.

So am I saying that preaching these things is a bad idea? No. Of course not. But if we continue down the road of using it as a weapon, consciously or not, we can do a lot of damage.

I believe I said I would use two passages, but somehow I went ahead and finished the article without it. It was Matthew 7:15-20; 20-23. Guess it will have to be saved for another day.

What are your thoughts?