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Perplexing Plan of Salvation
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8, 9)
The apostle Paul by his own hand wrote to the Celtic Christians of the various local churches of Galatia—to those who had come to Jesus Christ through faith alone but who were subsequently engaged in a process of changing the gospel message from one of strictly faith to one that included works, i.e., the observance of the law. Upon those who presented a gospel message that included works, he pronounced a stern curse (Gk. anathema). He unequivocally stated that the gospel of faith that he proclaimed was the only way of salvation, and those who pervert it are accursed or irremediably assigned to judgment (utter destruction) because of the serious consequences of invalidating the grace of God, which is embodied in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the apprehension of His grace-gift of salvation by faith alone.
It is unfortunate that evangelicals, the very champions of the “gospel of grace through faith and not of works,” often cloud God’s grace-gift of salvation with a confusing list of requirements that at best tends to mask the sole non-meritorious means of its apprehension, which is by faith alone; and at worst, encumbers it with a structure—a “stair-step” plan—that has no legitimate basis in Scripture thereby turning it into a salvation plan of works.
One only has to visit various churches of the evangelical denominations, or listen to evangelical broadcasts over radio and television, or visit the many websites managed by evangelicals to become acutely aware of this dilemma. A key example of the incredibly confusing stepped-process of the salvation plan may be found at the “Back to the Bible” Internet website through their “Get to Know God”+“Have You Met the Savior?”+“The Good News (English)—page four” links, wherein the following is stated:
Through the consequences of sin we are all condemned to eternal death. But because Christ died on the cross in our place and paid our ransom, God now offers us a free pardon. All we need to do is to respond to God's love and accept His pardon.
How can we do this?
First, confess. The Bible says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).
Second, repent. Turn from sin to God. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15).
Third, believe. "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).
Fourth, receive. Again God said, "To all who received Him [Christ], to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12).
Then to complicate the matter, this series of “salvation requirements” is followed by this instruction:
To help you do that, pray the following prayer either out loud or just in your heart:
“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. I genuinely repent of my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. And Lord Jesus Christ, I believe that You died on the cross for my sin. I now respond to your call to follow You. I receive you as my Lord and Savior—and make a commitment of my life to you. With Your help I choose to serve and obey you. Please make me the person You want me to be. Thank You for dying for my sin, for Your free pardon, for Your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer Amen.” It should be understood at this juncture that the purpose of this commentary is not to denigrate the “Back to the Bible” ministry or its website, which by far accomplishes much for the program of God. The purpose of this commentary is only to make clear God’s plan of salvation, a plan that is often and with no malicious intent expressed incorrectly by well-meaning evangelical persons and organizations, exemplified by the example above.
Upon a cursory examination of the above, it does not take an intellect to conclude that a person seeking eternal salvation may have it by fulfilling the following list of requirements:
Requirements that purportedly may be accomplished by praying to God:
Even though the sole requirement necessary for salvation—“faith in Christ”—is mentioned in the above convoluted list, which if genuinely exercised will result in one’s regeneration, the dangers lie in that (1) many of the requirements as they relate to salvation are either unscriptural or misinterpreted and therefore either unnecessary, redundant, or misleading; and (2) the precise possibility that the person wishing to apprehend salvation interprets the list as various requirements (works) that he must perform in order to secure it. And if the second “danger” materializes then the gospel becomes a system of works and thereby, as the apostle Paul called it in his letter to the Galatian churches, an “other gospel.”
Although this is a rather extreme case representing the evangelical portion of the various protestant denominations, it should be noted that throughout the entire fabric of the Christian faith there appears to be wide variance in the proclamation of the gospel message among both churches and individuals. This study is advanced to clarify the unambiguous and unadorned “salvation formula,” so that there can be no confusion regarding the basis and means to obtain (apprehend) eternal salvation. It will be apportioned by the following:
The Basis of Salvation
The basis of one’s eternal salvation (justification before God and right to share eternity with Him) rests squarely on the vicarious (substitutional) and propitious (satisfying to God) sacrifice by God’s only unique Son, Jesus Christ, upon the cross of Calvary by which Christ purchased man’s redemption by paying the penalty-price for man’s sin, which affected man’s reconciliation to God, an act that was certified and guaranteed (His Divinity, His efficacious sacrifice, and the believer’s eternal destiny) by His bodily resurrection from the grave. Elements of this statement of fact as seen in Scripture follow:
Justification before God
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood . . . . (Romans 3:24, 25)
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Romans 5:9 10)
That having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:7)
Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. (Romans 4:25)
Vicarious (substitutional) sacrifice
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:6-9) See also 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 2:6 and 1 Peter 2: 24 below.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
Penalty-price payment for man’s sin on the cross
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"). (Galatians 3:13)
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
Propitious (satisfying to God) sacrifice
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood . . . . (Romans 3:24, 25)
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. . . . In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 2:2; 4:10)
Redemption (mankind’s sin-debt paid in full)
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood . . . . (Romans 3:24, 25)
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:14)
Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:6)
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18, 19)
And they sang a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Revelation 5:9)
Reconciliation to God
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ . . . that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them . . . . (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19)
And that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. (Ephesians 2:16)
And by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled. (Colossians 1, 20, 21)
Resurrection-certified
Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:1-4)
For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. (Romans 14:9)
Resurrection-guarantees
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)
And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. (1 Corinthians 6:14)
But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:20-23) See also Romans 4:25 above.
Knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. (2 Corinthians 4:14)
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. (Philippians 3:20, 21)
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:14-19)
The Apprehension of Salvation
“The apprehension of salvation” is another way of expressing the “means of obtaining experientially the reality of eternal salvation.” It is the answer to the question: “How does a person practically acquire God’s grace-gift of salvation once he or she realizes the need for it? According to the many religions and cults that live and thrive today, one does it by performing a series of works, e.g., living according to a moral code, doing certain religious rites, adhering to prescribed ordinances (baptism, communion, etc.), transacting good and noble deeds—in short, living one’s life in accordance within an approved system of religious constraints and actions. Basically, according to “religion,” it is totally dependent upon the person to follow a system of rules and practices in order to have any hope of eternal life; and then, there is no certainty that he will accomplish the goal.
But this commentary has no place with “religion,” which is a term that represents man’s efforts to obtain the approbation (approval) of God. This commentary deals strictly with Christianity, which in essence is a spiritual union and relationship with Jesus Christ based on His sacrifice and apprehended by faith alone in Him.
The most conclusive and inclusive expressions of how one apprehends God’s grace-gift of eternal salvation may be seen in both the word’s of Paul and Silas and of Jesus Christ, as seen in the following passages:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. . . . He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:14-16, 18)
In these two passages the only “requirement” that a person must meet in order to experientially apprehend (obtain) salvation (eternal life) is to genuinely place his complete faith (trust, confidence) in Jesus Christ for his personal salvation—and nothing else! Within these two classic and most often used (by evangelicals) passages of Scripture there is no requirement (1) for a person to confess his sins, although he will be convinced that he is indeed a hopeless sinner in need of God’s salvation; (2) for a person to repent or turn from his sin, although he will in fact change his mind as to God and the basis and means of salvation; (3) for a person to ask for forgiveness, although this is an accomplished fact that transpired on the cross; or (4) for a person to make Jesus Christ his Lord or the “Lord of his life,” although this will be an experiential process known as sanctification that may follow his salvation experience.
Furthermore, this act of apprehension of God’s salvation by faith alone is not an element of or dependent upon a prayer. Prayer and faith are two entirely different elements of the Christian faith. Prayer is communication to God. It is unidirectional (God does not pray back to the person). God does communicate with man through a variety of means, but primarily through His canonized Word (Bible doctrine).
On the other hand, faith is a distinct expression of man’s will. Essentially it is a decision of determination. Once a person, by the convicting influence of the Holy Spirit, comes to an understanding of his need for salvation; he must make a willful decision either to accept God’s grace-gift of salvation by faith alone in Christ alone or reject it. It is totally a matter of choice, which is a transaction within the will of man. Once a person makes the genuine decision to trust only in Jesus Christ and what Christ did for him on the cross of Calvary, he is instantly saved—granted, never to be withdrawn, eternal life.
Now once the decision is made, the person may verse it in some sort of prayer. And this writer sees no harm in this, as long as from the “get-go” he doesn’t somehow believe that it is his expression of prayer that affects salvation. For then, it would just be another work and not a non-meritorious act of faith. And it is this writer’s opinion that many who have prayed the so-called “sinner’s prayer,” have been saved; BUT, their salvation transpired in an instant of time prior to the prayer when they honestly made the willful decision to exercise faith alone in Christ alone for their personal salvation.
So if this is the case, then what about the few scriptures that so many evangelicals rally around in order to support their “stair-step” plan of salvation, which perplexes so many seekers of truth? Explanations will follow, but first review commentary from two of the most notable Bible scholars in history:
Outside the doctrines related to the Person and work of Christ, there is no truth more far-reaching in its implications and no fact more to be defended than that salvation in all its limitless magnitude is secured, so far as human responsibility is concerned, by believing on Christ as Savior. To this one requirement no other obligation may be added, without violence to the Scriptures and total disruption of the essential doctrine of salvation by grace alone.
In the preceding pages it is also pointed out that the New Testament declares directly and without complication in at least 150 passages that men are saved upon the sole principle of faith; and, in this connection, it has been demonstrated that it is not a matter of believing and repenting, of believing and confessing Christ, of believing and being baptized, of believing and surrender to God, of believing and confessing sin, or of believing and pleading with God for salvation, but it is believing alone. Such belief is apart from works (Rom 4:5), it is a committal of one’s self to Christ (2 Tim. 1:12), and it is a definite turning—and act of the will—to God from every other confidence (1 Thess. 1:9). (Systematic Theology)
Let us examine the concept of faith. In eternity past our sins were collected in one PROM chip in the computer of divine decrees. The omniscience of God knew all the knowable and programmed this one chip with all the sins of human history. The impeccable humanity of Christ on the cross received the imputation of and the judgment for all those sins. Our Sins went before the Supreme Court of Heaven and were expunged.
This is why anyone who expresses faith alone in Jesus Christ can be eternally saved. Yet this believing faith issues from a spiritually dead person. Such faith has no value or validity in itself. The value of faith lies in its object, Jesus Christ, and the validity of faith exists only through the power of the Holy Spirit who causes faith to be effective for salvation. Faith is not meritorious; the merit belongs to Jesus Christ for His work on the cross and to the Holy Spirit who substantiates faith by His work of common and efficacious grace. (Rebound Revisited)
To put it conversely, it is incorrect to inform a person that he must do anything other than place his complete trust (faith) in the Person and work of Jesus Christ for his personal salvation. To add anything else is to lay on that person some form of human-work with its supposed merit, and thereby remove the “salvation” from the sphere of sovereign grace. To encumber human responsibility with anything other than “faith in Christ” is to render the salvation process ineffectual.
The Misunderstandings and Misinterpretations of Salvation
Salvation and Repentance
But one may insist on the necessity of “repentance?” Bible expositor, Lewis Sperry Chafer, offers these cogent remarks, “Too often, when it is asserted—as it is here—that repentance is not to be added to belief as a separate requirement for salvation, it is assumed that by so much the claim has been set up that repentance is not necessary to salvation. Therefore, it is as dogmatically stated as language can declare, that repentance is essential to salvation and that none could be saved apart from repentance.” (Systematic Theology)
So, what does Chafer mean? Better yet, what does the Bible say regarding the subject of repentance as it relates to “The Salvation Formula?” Chafer goes on to define his position by the following.
“. . . few errors have caused so much hindrance to the salvation of the lost than the practice of demanding of them an anguish of soul before faith in Christ can be exercised. Since such emotions cannot be produced at will, the way of salvation has thus been made impossible for all who do not experience the required anguish. This error results in another serious misdirection of the unsaved, namely, one in which they are encouraged to look inward at themselves and not away to Christ as Savior. Salvation is made to be conditioned on feelings and not on faith. Likewise, people are led by this error to measure the validity of their salvation by the intensity of anguish which preceded or accompanied it. It is in this manner that sorrow of heart becomes a most subtle form of meritorious work and to that extent a contradiction of grace. Underlying all this supposition that tears and anguish are necessary is the most serious notion that God is not propitious, but that He must be softened to pity by penitent grief. The Bible declares that God is propitious because of Christ’s death for the very sin which causes human sorrow. There is no occasion to melt or temper the heart of God. His attitude toward sin and the sinner is a matter of revelation. To imply, as preachers have done so generally, that God must be mollified and lenified by human agony is a desperate form of unbelief. The unsaved have a gospel of good news to believe, which certainly is not the mere notion that God must be coaxed into a saving attitude of mind; it is that Christ has died and grace is extended from One who is propitious to the point of infinity.” (Systematic Theology)
Even if the presenter of the gospel doesn’t personally believe that repentance is “sorrow for one’s sins,” this is usually the message conveyed to the unsaved listener. The human heart is prone to imagine that there is some form of atonement for sin by being sorry for it. Most often the term, “repentance” is never defined or explained from the pulpit. Ministers generally feel that its meaning is understood. Unfortunately, the common belief is that repentance is nothing more than a feeling of penitence—of sorrow for one’s sin, and/or, that it is a totally separate act that the unsaved person must perform, which is to turn from one’s sins. As previous covered in this study, the term, “repentance” means only “a change of mind and direction.” It essentially means that “change in attitude” that a person experiences as the result of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, which change allows him to make the decision that nothing (good works, super deeds, grand intentions, pious behavior, religious ceremony—absolutely nothing) can bring about his personal salvation other than Jesus Christ and what Christ did for him on the cross of Calvary. This “change of mind,” which in itself is prompted by the influence of God’s Spirit, allows the person to direct his faith only to Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with emotion or sorrow and cannot be self-generated upon demand, lest it be a meritorious “work” required for salvation.
To reiterate, “repentance” as a “change of mind” will always accompany the salvation experience, but it should never be presented as a “condition of salvation,” lest it be misconstrued as a separate and self-generated (and thereby a meritorious) act of sorrow for one’s sins. Once this is perceived by the unsaved person as one of two conditions for salvation, he is not in a position to place faith alone in Christ alone for his personal salvation. He will be combining his work of repentance with faith in order to achieve eternal life, and this is in contradiction with God’s Word.
Again, take note of the words of Lewis Sperry Chafer from his Systematic Theology.
As before stated, repentance, which is a change of mind, is included in believing. No individual can turn to Christ from some other confidence without a change of mind, and that, it should be noted, is all the repentance a spiritually dead individual can ever affect. That change of mind is the work of the Spirit (Eph. 2:8). It will be considered, too, by those who are amenable to the Word of God, that the essential preparation of heart which the Holy Spirit accomplishes in the unsaved to prepare them for an intelligent and voluntary acceptance of Christ as Savior—as defined in John 16:8-11—is not a sorrow for sin. The unsaved who come under this divine influence are illuminated—given a clear understanding—concerning but one sin, namely, that “they believe not on me.”
To believe on Christ is one act, regardless of the manifold results which it secures. It is not turning from something to something; but rather turning to something from something. If this terminology seems a mere play on words, it will be discovered, by more careful investigation, that this is a vital distinction. To turn from evil may easily be a complete act in itself, since the action can be terminated at that point. To turn to Christ is a solitary act, also, and the joining of these two separate acts corresponds to the notion that two acts—repentance and faith—are required for salvation. On the other hand, turning to Christ from all other confidences is one act, and in that one act repentance, which is a change of mind, is included. The Apostle stresses this distinction in accurate terms when he says to the Thessalonians, “Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). This provides no comfort for those who contend that people must first, in real contrition, turn from idols—which might terminate at that point—and afterwards, as a second and separate act, turn to God. The text recognizes but one act—“Ye turned to God from idols”—and that is an act of faith alone.
The Bible student will discover the distinct absence of the demand for repentance from salvation scriptures while researching this topic. Chafer points out that there is upwards of 115 New Testament passages that condition salvation on believing, and fully 35 passages that condition salvation on faith, which latter word in this use of it is an exact synonym of the former. These 150 passages include practically all that the New Testament declares on the matter of the human responsibility in salvation; yet each one of these texts omits any reference to repentance as a separate act. As Chafer puts it, “This fact, easily verified, cannot but bear enormous weight with any candid mind.”
It should also be pointed out that the Gospel of John, which is written to present Christ as the object of faith unto eternal life, does not once employ the word repentance. And in this marvelous book is the most quoted passage, which is spoken by Christ Himself regarding “The Salvation Formula” in all of Scripture—John 3:16 (For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life). In like manner, the Epistle to the Romans, which is the complete analysis of all that enters into the whole plan of salvation by grace, does not use the word repentance in connection with the saving of a soul, except in verse 2:4 where the word is the equivalent to salvation itself.
When Paul and Silas in Acts 16 answered the direct question from their jailor concerning what he should do to be saved, they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (vs. 31). This reply fails to recognize the necessity of repentance in addition to believing. “From this overwhelming mass of irrefutable evidence, it is clear that the New Testament does not impose repentance upon the unsaved as a condition of salvation.” (Systematic Theology by Chafer)
So then, what about the significance of repentance in specific (but few in numbers) problematic passages of Scripture? In many cases it conveys only a “change of mind,” in others it represents or equates to the act of salvation in its totality and in others it represents a specific meaning to a specific audience. There are a few passages that offer no exegetical difficulty because it is easily discernable in each case that the word repentance is (1) a synonym of believing (cf. Acts 17:30; Romans 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25; 2 Peter 3:9) or (2) a synonym of a change of mind or direction (cf. Acts 8:22; 11:18; Hebrews 6:1, 6; 12:17; Revelation 9:20). Also, there are three passages that employ repentance that specifically target Israel, but they too employ the word as a synonym to either believing or a change of mind or direction (cf. Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31). Yet three passages deserve extended consideration.
Luke 24:47, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Kenneth S. Wuest, Teacher Emeritus of New Testament Greek at the Moody Bible Institute, renders this verse more accurately as, and that there is to be preached in His name repentance with reference to the putting away of sins to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Here the meaning of preaching “repentance in His name [Christ]” is the equivalent of preaching the placement of one’s trust in Christ, which results in the “putting away of sins.”
Acts 20:21, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward [in] our Lord Jesus Christ. Here both Jews and Gentiles must change their mind regarding God, for without an understanding of God’s gracious purpose there can be no reception of the idea of saving faith. It is possible to recognize God, as many do, and still not receive Christ as Savior. “Repentance toward God,” in this case, is a heart-felt change of mind regarding how one is actually saved—from works by self to grace by faith. This repentance is distinguished from and yet tied to “faith toward [in] our Lord Jesus Christ.” In this case repentance and faith are but two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. When a person places his faith in Jesus Christ, he is in fact turning from all other concerns regarding the salvation of his soul. True faith in Jesus incorporates the concept of repentance.
Acts 26:20, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn [by turning] to God, and do works befitting repentance. Here the Apostle Paul is saying to King Agrippa that he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, because he went to both the Jews and Gentiles instructing them to change their minds regarding God [accept the Gospel] and then do works that would demonstrate true repentance [i.e., salvation faith].
Lewis Sperry Chafer in his Systematic Theology concludes his dissertation on this subject with the following remarks, which have application to this study.
In the foregoing, an attempt has been made to demonstrate that the Biblical doctrine of repentance offers no objection to the truth that salvation is by grace through faith apart from every suggestion of human works or merit. It is asserted that repentance, which is a change of mind, enters of necessity into the very act of believing on Christ, since one cannot turn to Christ from other objects of confidence without that change of mind. Upwards of 150 texts—including all of the greatest gospel invitations—limit the human responsibility in salvation to believing or to faith. To this simple requirement nothing could be added if the glories of grace are to be preserved.
Salvation and Public Confession
On the other hand many well-intentioned ministers often combine faith in Christ with the requirement to confess Him publicly as “The Salvation Formula.” To do this is to again diminish the concept of salvation by grace through faith. The unsaved person, by hearing this proclamation, understands that he must do two things in order to be saved. He must confess publicly along with exercising his faith, because to exercise faith alone is insufficient. With this as his understanding and his action, he cannot and will not be saved. Why? Because the process is then works-based, i.e., it includes something “he must do” apart from faith. This is in stark contradiction with upwards of 150 salvation-invitation texts throughout the Word of God. Yet there are two passages of Scripture that seem to suggest just this. They follow.
Matthew 10:32, therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. This study can only validate the cogent remarks regarding this passage by Lewis Sperry Chafer in his Systematic Theology.
This verse, which occurs in the midst of Christ’s kingdom teachings and as a part of His instructions to His disciples whom He is sending forth with a restricted message to Israel (cf. vss. 5-7) and which was to be accompanied by stupendous miracles (cf. vs. 8) such as were never committed to preachers in the present age, applies, primarily, to these disciples themselves in respect to their faithful delivery of this kingdom proclamation, and could be extended in its appeal only to the Israelites to whom they were sent. The carelessness which assumes that this Scripture presents a condition of salvation for a Jew or Gentile in the present age is deplorable indeed.
Romans 10:9 & 10, 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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The primary meaning of verse 9 is the necessity of recognizing (acknowledging) Jesus Christ as the Messiah and His work on the cross of Calvary, to include His resurrection. But verse 9 (confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus) is further explained in verse 10 (with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation). It may better be rendered, as seen in the original text, “For with the heart [a genuine decision of the will] faith is exercised resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth [outward expression] is evidence confirming [before man] this salvation. This interpretation is further confirmed by verse 11, for the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame [or be ashamed]. Here the emphasis is on salvation by faith, yet it includes the fact that the one who is saved by faith will also communicate a testimony before man.
The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald has these concluding remarks regarding this passage, “When we present the gospel, we must maintain that faith is the sole condition of justification. But we must also remind sinners and saints constantly that Jesus Christ is Lord (Jehovah-God), and should be acknowledged as such.” Lewis Sperry Chafer concludes in this fashion.
There are two convincing reasons why the Scripture under consideration does not present two human responsibilities in relation to salvation by grace. a. To claim that a public confession of Christ as Savior is required in addition to believing on Christ, is to contend that 150 passages in which believing alone appears are incomplete and to that extent misleading. A certain type of mind, however, seems able to construct all its confidence on an erroneous interpretation of one passage and to be uninfluenced by the overwhelming body of Scripture which contradicts that interpretation. b. To require a public confession of Christ as a prerequisite to salvation by grace is to discredit the salvation of an innumerable company who have been saved under circumstance which precluded any public action. Confession of Christ is a Christian’s privilege and duty and may be undertaken at the moment one is saved, but it is not a condition of salvation by grace, else works of merit intrude where only the work of God reigns. (Systematic Theology)
Salvation and Baptism
In any discussion regarding the word baptism (Gk. nouns baptismos and baptisma; Gk. verbs baptizo and bapto) as it is used in Scripture, it must be noted that the term is used (1) in reference to a “spiritual baptism” by the Holy Spirit in which the believer is joined in union to Christ and thereby remains (permanently) in Christ, also known as the Body of Christ—the composition of all believers; and (2) a ritual baptism with water, which is an outward expression or declaration by the believer of his belief and acceptance of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the “only work” that saves him from his sin and provides him eternal life.
Furthermore the mode of baptism is understood differently by various Christian and religious bodies around the world. These modes are immersion, pouring and sprinkling. This study will not undertake to prove which mode is doctrinally correct; although, this writer is convinced that the only one consistent with expository rule, spiritual application and biblical context is immersion.
There are but few passages of Scripture that some use to support the concept that ritual baptism is part of The Salvation Formula. These passages follow.
Mark 16:15 & 16, And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” A comprehensive discussion of this passage is far too lengthy to be included in this study. For the student who is interested, the following detailed commentaries are recommended: Systematic Theology by Lewis Sperry Chafer, Christic and Patristic Baptism by Dr. James W. Dale and Thru the Bible by J. Vernon McGee. Suffice it to say that a sound case may be made that the baptism in this passage refers to the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit. If on the other hand one can only accept that it refers to ritual baptism, it then may be pointed out that the passage confirms that only disbelief brings condemnation—not the absence of ritual baptism.
Acts 2:38, Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Here in this verse the word “repent” is a synonym for “believe in Christ,” as has been discussed previously in this study. The word essentially means to “change one’s mind or direction,” and that only takes place when one exercises faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ insofar as the transformation of one’s spiritual state from eternal death to eternal life is concerned. But then added to “repentance,” Peter instructs them to be baptized for the remission of sins. A study of the original language indicates that “for the remission of sins” is better rendered “because of the remission of sins.” The Greek preposition eis (for, to, unto, because of) is also best interpreted “because of” in Matthew 12:41, where the meaning can only be “they repented because of [not in order to] the preaching of Jonah.” Repentance (in this case the equivalent to “believing”) brought the remission of sins for these at Pentecost, and because of the remission of sins they were instructed to be baptized.
In regards to ritual baptism it is noteworthy that should it be a requirement of The Salvation Formula then (1) it is in contradiction with 150 other passages of Scripture that clearly indicate that faith is the only requirement, (2) the thief on the cross had the assurance of salvation apart from baptism (Luke 23:43), (3) Christ is not stated to have baptized anyone, a strange omission if baptism is essential to salvation and (4) the Apostle Paul gave thanks that he baptized only a few of the Corinthians—a strange cause for thankfulness if baptism has saving merit (1 Corinthians 1:14-16).
Salvation and Surrender to God
Many sincere believers who are inattentive to doctrine are also easily led to suppose that the same dedication that is urged of believers and stressed throughout God’s Word, which is voluntary in the case of the believer, is imperative in the case of the unsaved. This message may be expressed in several ways when one is attempting to relay The Salvation Formula. Such phrases as, ask Christ to “come into your heart,” ask Christ to be “Lord of your life” and ask Him to be “Master of your life” come to mind. All such terminology though meant well and though may be understood by the deliverer of the message conveys the wrong message to the hearer of the message.
An earnest study of Scripture reveals that prior to a person accepting by faith alone Christ alone, he is spiritually dead—unable in any way of making any spiritual commitment or dedication to God.
Robert B. Thieme, Jr. in his Rebound Revisited puts it this way.
You find the same sort of problem today in Lordship salvation—faith plus commitment. As a spiritually dead person you can never make Christ ‘Lord,’ or gain the approbation of God by making a dedication, walking an aisle, raising your hands, jumping through a psychological hoop. You can never invite Christ into your heart or into your life. When you invite Christ into your spiritually dead heart, you are inviting Him into a sewer; you are inviting Him into a tomb. Instead, God summons you to share His eternal life through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Only the Holy Spirit can make Christ your Lord at the moment you express nonmeritorious faith in Christ alone. Unbelievers are spiritually dead and there is only one thing a spiritually dead person can do for salvation. He cannot make a commitment; he cannot make Christ Lord; he cannot go through agonizing emotional activity. He must simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved (Acts 16:31).
It should be noted at this point that to “believe” is not meant a simple head belief or an acknowledgment of the historical facts that Christ lived and died on a cross. It is a conscious (willful) and truthful (genuine) decision by a person to trust in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, and nothing else—person, thing or system, for the personal salvation of his soul. It means that the person makes a genuinely conscious decision to accept without tangible proof (therefore by “faith”) the fact that Jesus Christ did everything necessary for his personal salvation, that is, he counts on it, or, in other words, he “stakes his eternal soul” only on it for eternal life.
Regarding the belief that commitment or dedication is part of The Salvation Formula, Lewis Sperry Chafer in his Systematic Theology has this to say.
With the reception of the divine nature through the regenerating work of the Spirit, a new understanding and a new capacity to respond to the authority of Christ are gained. Those attending upon these issues in practical ways are aware that a self-dedication taxes the limit of ability even of the most devout believer. The error of imposing Christ’s Lordship upon the unsaved is disastrous even though they are not able intelligently to resent it or to remind the preacher of the fact that he, in calling upon them to dedicate their lives, is demanding of them what they have no ability to produce.
Those that level such a requirement on the unsaved ignore the need of Christ’s death as the ground of regeneration and forgiveness. They substitute consecration for conversion, faithfulness for faith and beauty of daily life for believing unto eternal life. Chafer goes on to say, “The most subtle, self-satisfying form of works of merit is, after all, found to be an engaging feature in this practice of applying to unbelievers the Lordship of Christ. . . . The unregenerate person, because of his condition in spiritual death, has no ability to desire the things of God (1 Cor. 2:14), or to anticipate what his outlook on life will be after he is saved. It is therefore an error of the first magnitude to divert that feeble ability of the unsaved to exercise a God-given faith for salvation into the unknown and complex spheres of self-dedication, which dedication is the Christian’s greatest problem.” (Systematic Theology)
To conclude this phase of the study, it is suggested that the minister, the missionary, the soul-winner place the priority on the salvation of the soul when addressing the unsaved. And this may be accomplished only when the lost person exercises faith alone in Christ alone. Once this is done, only then is there the obligation for the believer to make Christ Lord of his life.
Salvation and Confession of Sins
There are those who insist that a lost person must first confess his sins before God before he can accept Christ as Savior. This is a gross corruption of the gospel message. It clearly denigrates grace by adding works. It is based on the God-dishonoring theory that salvation is only for good people, and that the sinner must divest himself of that which is evil before he can ask Christ to save him. In other words God does not extend His love and grace toward the sinner, but only to the person who prepares himself for God’s presence and fellowship.
Those who hold to such a view site only one verse of Scripture as the primary reason for their view. The verse is 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The problem for those who advocate the confession of sins in conjunction with saving’s faith is that this verse applies only to believers. It addresses Christians who have sinned and need to be restored to fellowship with God. It has no application to the unsaved. An exegetical study of the verse shows that it outlines the key restoration formula for the carnal believer. In brief, it directs the wayward Christian to confess his “known sins,” and by confess the meaning is to “own up to; acknowledge; take responsibility for; admit to” those sins that the Christian is aware of in his life. The verse then promises the Christian that when he does this God will at the same time not only forgive these confessed sins, but will also cleanse the Christian from all “unknown or forgotten sins.” Upon taking this step a Christian is immediately restored to fellowship with God. Therefore this verse may be understood in this manner, “If we confess [admit and take responsibility for] our [known] sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our [known] sins and to cleanse us from all [unknown or forgotten] unrighteousness.”
As previously stated, this verse of Scripture has no application to the unsaved. It should be understood that prior to salvation, a person is in no condition to confess his sins. He is spiritually dead and, furthermore, will have no idea of the volume and degree of wickedness in his life. It does the unsaved person a grave injustice to require of him to recall and confess the sins in his life as a condition for salvation. Even if he could confess his sins to gain salvation, it is fairly certain he wouldn’t be able to recall all of them. Furthermore if 1 John 1:9, by some stretch of the imagination, did apply to the lost; forgiveness of sins and the cleansing from unrighteousness would be based on a meritorious confession by man, with no need for faith—a total contradiction to “salvation by grace through faith.”
Salvation and Prayer
It is natural for the minister, the evangelist and the non-clerical soul-winner to insist that a person pray the “sinner’s prayer” in order to be saved. This requirement is akin to confessing one’s sins to God as a condition for salvation. Often such a prayer is modeled after the publican’s [tax collector’s] prayer in Luke 18:13, And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” As such, the unsaved person is encouraged to ask God for mercy and forgiveness as a condition for receiving eternal salvation.
Even though all such efforts to “help the sinner along” by providing for him a scripted salvation-prayer are well-intentioned, they don’t appear to be in line with God’s Word. Nowhere will you find the Apostles or other believers in the New Testament suggesting to the unsaved that they pray a “sinner’s prayer.” For one to assume that the appeal of the publican in the above passage is the norm for all sinners is to contradict the very truth of the gospel of divine grace. In the first place the publican was a Jew under the Old Testament (covenant) and was praying in accordance with his covenant’s rule in the temple. In so doing he used a very specific word, which unfortunately is translated “merciful” in the English Bible. The exact word in the Greek is hilaskomai and should have been translated as “propitiated.” [A like-mistranslation is made in Hebrews 8:12] The difference in meaning between “merciful” and “propitiated” is dramatic, since there is great distinction between the word merciful with all its implications and the word propitiation.
Whereas the term, “merciful” conveys the concept of “overlooking sin,” which God can never do, the term, “propitiation” conveys the concept that by way of the cross (the blood-sacrifice of Jesus Christ) God completely covers man’s sin so that a righteous God and sinful man may come together without any violation to the holy nature of God. Lewis Sperry Chafer in his Systematic Theology explains it this way.
By the use of the word “merciful” the impression is conveyed that the publican pleaded with God to be magnanimous. By the use of the word “propitiation”—if comprehended at all—the impression is conveyed that the publican asked God to cover his sins in such a way as to dispose of them, yet, at the same time, to do this in a way that would protect His own holiness from complicity with his sins. . . . [This prayer would be accompanied by a blood sacrifice on the altar in accordance with Old Testament rule] . . . With reference to the word “merciful,” it was not in the publican’s prayer nor would it be a proper word for a penitent to use, on either side of the cross. God cannot be merciful to sin in the sense that He treats it lightly, whether it be in one age or another. But with reference to the word “propitiation” and its implications, that word was justified in the age before Christ died and when sin was covered by sacrifices which the sinner provided. It was suitable for the publican, having provided his own sacrifice, to ask that his sacrifice be accepted and himself absolved. However, on this side of the cross when Christ has died and secured propitiation and it is established perfectly forever, nothing could be more an outraging of that priceless truth upon which the gospel rests than to implore God to be propitious. Such prayers may be enjoined through ignorance, but the wrong is immeasurable. When this prayer is made, even for God to be propitious, there is a direct assumption expressed that God is “not” propitious, and to that extent the petitioner is asking God to so something more effective than the thing He has done in giving His Son as a sacrifice for sin.
Kenneth S. Wuest in his The New Testament—An Expanded Translation translates Luke 18:13 in this manner.
But the tax collector having come to a stand at a distance, was unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven but kept on beating his breast, saying, O God, justify me the sinner upon the basis of an expiatory sacrifice which satisfies the demands of divine justice and makes possible the just bestowal of righteousness on the basis of justice satisfied.
The Doctrine of Propitiation is comprehensively explained by Dr. C. I. Scofield in his Bible Correspondence Course. In the following paragraphs this study will endeavor to sum up the core of the doctrine as Dr. Scofield so ably presented it. Yet, it is suggested that the student of the Word will be immeasurably blessed and instructed by going to Dr. Scofield’s original work, along with reviewing this doctrine in Systematic Theology by Lewis Sperry Chafer.
The word propitiation in the English bible is used but three times, in Romans 3:25 where Christ and His sacrifice is “the place of propitiation,” and in 1 John 2:2, 4:10 where Christ is “that which propitiates” our sins. But the Greek word hilasterion (as in Romans 3:25), meaning, “the place of propitiation, is used in Hebrews 9:5 by the Holy Spirit for Mercy Seat in referring to the ancient tabernacle worship of Israel. Therefore it is key to the understanding of this doctrine to gain an understanding of the purpose of the Mercy Seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament tabernacle.
Christ is, actually, to the believer and to God under the New Testament as the Mercy Seat was, typically, to the Israelite under the Old Testament. The Mercy Seat was fashioned from pure gold, the symbol of divine righteousness. It covered the Ark of the Covenant, which contained a pot of the wilderness manna, Aaron’s rod and two stone tables of the Ten Commandments written by the “finger of God.” At each end of the Mercy Seat, also fashioned from pure gold, was a cherub, which represented the glory of God. The two cherubim faced each other with their wings extended over the Mercy Seat.
In the Hebrew the word, Mercy Seat, is Kapporeth meaning “place of covering” and is intimately connected with the Old Testament word atonement (Heb. Kaphar, to cover sin). The sacrificial blood made atonement for sin, and the Mercy Seat was the “place of covering” for it was there the blood was sprinkled. Typically, therefore, the Mercy Seat was the exact place where sin and the broken law were covered by the sacrificial blood from the righteousness and justice of God. It became, therefore, the meeting place of a holy God and a sinful man. Exodus 25:22, And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony . . . Numbers 7:89, Now when Moses went into the tabernacle of meeting to speak with Him, he heard the voice of One speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the Testimony, from between the two cherubim; thus He spoke to him. It follows that Jesus Christ is the Mercy Seat (hilasterion) or propitiation, because He is the meeting place and place of communion between a holy God and a sinful but believing human being. It is by the “blood of Christ” (His sacrificial death) that man’s sins are completely and permanently covered, availed or made effectual only by the faith-acceptance (belief) of the individual.
The fact is that God, at the infinite cost of the death of His Son, is propitious. This accomplished fact is the very heart of the Gospel of Divine Grace. Again, the doctrine of propitiation is an extension of God’s grace. It is not something that must be begged from God. It is an accomplished fact, which took place on an old Roman rugged cross over 2,000 years ago, and no amount of praying, asking or begging will make it other than this and/or more efficacious.
All the unsaved person then needs to do is simply make a conscious or willful decision to accept (totally trust in) the finished payment made by Jesus Christ on that cross, which inner decision will instantly and permanently makes effectual to him the sacrifice of Christ and thereby gain for and guarantee to him eternal life.
And, this is important, this “decision of faith in Christ” is made apart from any prayer or pleading with God. It is solely based on the knowledge imparted by the Holy Spirit to the unsaved that Christ did everything necessary for the person’s salvation, and it (the decision of faith in Christ) is a conscious decision of will made in an instance of time.
Salvation and Its Focus
Since faith alone will obtain for man his eternal salvation, it is logical to inquire next as to where and in what one places such faith. There can only be one answer—in Jesus Christ and His finished work upon the Cross of Calvary. Over 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Deity Himself), was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life upon this earth. At the appointed time (set in eternity past by God), Jesus Christ was delivered into the hands of the authorities to be put to death. He was nailed to a cross and upon that cross he bore and became the sins of the world; and as man’s Substitute, He paid the penalty-price required by a holy God for these sins. He did this by suffering spiritual death (separation from God the Father) for a period of three hours, at the end of which he voluntarily gave up His physical life. After three days in the grave He rose from the grave in a resurrected body and ascended to the right hand of God the Father, where He is presently a High Priest making intercession to God for His children.
Although it may not be necessary for an unsaved person to know all the theological particulars regarding the life and death of Christ, he should at a minimum be made aware that (1) he nor anyone or anything else can affect his personal salvation, (2) Jesus Christ paid the entire penalty-price for his sins upon the cross, and (3) he need only make a genuine decision to accept by faith alone (totally trust in) only Christ and His sacrifice in order to receive everlasting life.
Robert B. Thieme, Jr., in his Rebound Revisited, put it this way.
Let us examine the concept of faith. In eternity past our sins were collected in one PROM chip in the computer of divine decrees. The omniscience of God knew all the knowable and programmed this one chip with all the sins of human history. The impeccable humanity of Christ on the cross received the imputation of and the judgment for all those sins. Our Sins went before the Supreme Court of Heaven and were expunged.
This is why anyone who expresses faith alone in Jesus Christ can be eternally saved. Yet this believing faith issues from a spiritually dead person. Such faith has no value or validity in itself. The value of faith lies in its object, Jesus Christ, and the validity of faith exists only through the power of the Holy Spirit who causes faith to be effective for salvation. Faith is not meritorious; the merit belongs to Jesus Christ for His work on the cross and to the Holy Spirit who substantiates faith by His work of common and efficacious grace.
Conclusion
This study has attempted to show that the Bible clearly teaches that it is faith alone in Christ alone that is the sole condition placed upon man to apprehend eternal salvation. It has not been the purpose of this study to irritate or anger any well-intentioned believer who seeks to carry out the Great Commission; although, it is realized that the contents of this study may well do this.
The plan of salvation is so important that every believer must “get it right.” It is totally of grace by faith. Anything added to this makes it a “way by works.” Read carefully once again the following by Lewis Sperry Chafer.
The New Testament declares directly and without complication in at least 150 passages that men are saved upon the sole principle of faith; and, in this connection, it has been demonstrated that it is not a matter of believing and repenting, of believing and confessing Christ, of believing and being baptized, of believing and surrender to God, of believing and confessing sin, or of believing and pleading with God for salvation, but it is believing alone. Such belief is apart from works (Rom 4:5), it is a committal of one’s self to Christ (2 Tim. 1:12), and it is a definite turning—and act of the will—to God from every other confidence (1 Thess. 1:9).
The emphasis must always and only be on a genuine decision of faith, which the unsaved may execute in the privacy of his heart (will). Once he does this he is instantly and permanently saved. |