GRACE AND SALVATION
GRACE AND SALVATION GRACE AND SALVATION
G. C. Brewer Introduction
President Morris and the other members of the Program Committee assigned me the subject of Grace and Salvation. They announced the purpose of making the general theme of this lectureship “Back to the Bible” and they certainly could not get back to the Bible without discussing the question of salvation by grace. We shall see that this is pre-eminently a Bible question and yet, as we begin discussing it, we must also take recognition of the fact that the theories about salvation by grace are almost numberless. No one can question the proposition that our salvation is by the grace of God. But then there is the idea advanced that because salvation is a free gift it must interfere with, if not completely destroy man’s free moral agency. The Calvinistic view does this admittedly. Then there comes the Roman Catholic idea that the grace of God must have sacramental assistance and that it takes the priest and certain ceremonies prescribed by ecclesiastical authority to save the soul. Then there are the variations upon these views which are sometimes expressed as Armin- ianism or Pelagianism. These theories place the emphasis upon man’s volition and man’s responsibility and perhaps go to the extent of making salvation dependent upon man’s efforts in a way that would make void the grace of God. We are not concerned with any of these theories as such. We mention them only because it is necessary to clarify the issue in order that the plain teaching’ of God’s word may be made clear. We should like to free the subject of all confusion and set it forth in the light which God himself has caused to shine upon it. The teaching of the New Testament is exactly what we want and if we have not learned it, it is time that we gave attention to this lesson. We must view the subject without bias in order that we may see it in all of its glorious meaning. Our brethren have always taught the truth upon this point, I think, but some of us may have given so much attention to certain errors that are connected with the subject that we only refuted the error and didn’t make the truth plain. We, ourselves, may have felt such a feeling of revulsion at certain errors that we swung to an opposite extreme in our emphasis, even in our own ideas. We shall hope to make the truth plain enough to refute all of the errors without placing so much emphasis upon the error itself as to have our attention completely occupied by it. This is our hope tonight. How well we shall succeed we shall have to wait for time to tell.
We have already indicated that the proposition of salvation by grace is one of universal agreement. We have also indicated that many brethren have discussed this subject and set forth the truth as God has revealed it. But only now and then do we find a preacher who seems to have a complete grasp of this momentous question. A greater theme was never discussed by mortal tongue and human ears accustomed to the babel of voices have never heard a sweeter story than the story of the grace of God that has brought salvation to a sin cursed and death doomed race. Brother James A. Harding was very profound in his discussion of this question and his soul was thrilled with the realization of its meaning. We have seen tears flow down his cheeks and his countenance brilliant with the very thought as he shouted the story of the rich provision that God has made for our salvation. In “Biographies and Sermons” by F. D. Srygley from which we shall quote in this lecture, Brother James A. Harding began his sermon with these two sentences:
“The Book of Romans is perhaps the profound- est work in the world. It was written by the greatest man, the apostle Paul, and on the greatest theme, salvation by grace.”
He designates Romans as the greatest book ever written, Paul as the greatest man that ever lived, and salvation by grace as the greatest theme ever discussed.
Sometimes we hear men say that the word “grace” means the gospel and we know that the word “faith” and the word “grace” are sometimes used to mean the gospel. This, however, is a figurative use and it could not be universally applied. The gospel is called the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). If the word “grace” means “gospel” here we would have the gospel of the gospel of God. We see that the gospel is the good news or the glad tidings that tell us of the grace of God which has been manifested in our behalf. That’s why it is the sweet story of which we have already spoken. A moment's reflection will convince any Bible student that the grace of God is the underlying principle of human redemption. It has moved the heavenly Father to take an interest in his fallen creatures and to come to their relief. God has always been good to men but the grace that is displayed in' the gift of Christ is so much greater than anything else that had ever been done for man that all that went before is considered as nothing compared to this. Men have had faith in God from the days of Abel until now, but the system of salvation by faith was never in actual use until the Christian dispensation began. Therefore Paul argues that faith had not come until the law had been removed and the gospel had been sent forth (Galatians 3). John tells us that the “law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Paul tells us that “we are not now under the law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). As said above, the gospel which we preach is called the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24). The throne upon which our Lord Jesus Christ now sits is called the “throne of giace” (Hebrews 4:16). The Holy Spirit is called the “Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). With all of these points before us, it could not be questioned that the subject we have been assigned is indeed a “back to the B|ible” question. It behooves us now to state the proposition which we believe expresses the truth upon this point.
Proposition
Our salvation from sin and our hope of eternal life comes as a free gift from God and does not depend upon human worth. This salvation has already been brought to man and is offered upon the terms of the gospel which terms are embraced in the one word, “believe.” The whole story of human redemption is comprehended in two words: “grace” and “faith.” It is grace on God’s part and faith on man’s part.
Definitions
The word “grace” means unmerited favor: unearned and unachieved blessings and benefits: an undeserved bestowal. This grace of God has been displayed in what is called by Paul a “free gift” and an “unspeakable gift” (John 3:16; John 4:10; Romans 5:13; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 9:15) which cannot be returned or reciprocated but may be accepted or rejected by the one to whom proffered. In the Scriptures, the words mercy, love, kindness and goodness are either synonymous with or are used as expressions of God’s grace. In our speech, the words clemency and pardon represent actions corresponding to what is attributed to God’s grace in the Scriptures.
Proof Texts and Song Supports
Before an audience of people who are Bible reading and Bible believing people, it would seem hardly necessary to cite the passages of Scripture that prove the proposition that we have here stated. Our hope rests upon the grace of God and our joy comes because we believe his promises. Some of the sweetest songs that we ever sing tell in beautiful poetry and in lofty music the story of God’s goodness to us and the provision that has been made for our eternal salvation. For the benefit of Bible students and for the joy of redeemed souls, let us here recite some
of these passages from the Scriptures that prove our proposition and some of the songs that celebrate the gloiious fact.
Paul to the Ephesians:
“And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest: But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus: for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared thai we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:1-10).
Now Paul to the Romans:
“But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; for the showing, I say, of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus. Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith” (Romans 3:21-27).
Then there is that beautiful passage in Titus:
“Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward all men. For we also once were foolish, dis-obedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleas-ures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior, and his love toward man appeared, not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly, through Jesus Christ our Savior; that, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:1-7). The same apostle tells Timothy of God's purpose and grace:
“Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the gospel according to the power of God; who saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before times eternal, but hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:8-10).
Now we come to remind us of some of our grand old hymns. First, there is the one entitled, “Amazing Grace”:
1. Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found—
Was blind but now I see.
2. ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
3. Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
Next we recall the song, “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" one stanza of which says:
Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be:
Let thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee. And surely we can never forget the words of that universally popular hymn, “Rock of Ages.”
1—Not the labor of my hands Can fulfill the law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow All for sin could not atone,
Thou must save and Thou alone.
2—Nothing in my hands I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Three for grace;
Vile, I to the fountain fly,
Wash me, Saviour, or I die. Our old time brethren not only sang this lesson; they also preached it. The pulpit and the pew joined in shouting aloud this gospel theme. The inimitable T. W. Caskey, having spoken of the imperfect sacrifices of the law, expressed the thought in these unforgettable words:
“Hence they were all to be perfect, young innocent. But how immeasurably superior the sacrifice of the sinner, and the Christian now when
he comes to God. He comes not alone; it is not the guilty, crime-covered and sin-stained man walking into the presence of a sin-hating God; by faith he associates with himself God’s own appointed sacrifice. With Jesus he stands before God! The guilty and the innocent together stand. The guilt of the sinner is covered by the mantle of the sinless. By faith he lays his hand on his sacrifice, and pleads: “Oh God, I come to thee for pardon—I come claiming the Lamb as my only and my precious offering. Look upon the face of thine anointed, and then in mercy look on me.” Both the God approached, worshipped, and adored; and the glorious sacrifice through which it is done are all above man. In them dwells the might of all purifying power. Thus, the two formative influences dwell in our hearts; and we are all purified by the contact. Thus the Christian becomes more God-like, more Christian-like, the oftener he appears before God (Caskey’s Book, pp. 95-96).
Exposition.
(a)—Not by Law. The passages that have already been cited no more clearly state that we are saved by grace than they also state that we are not saved by the law. The works of the law were works that deserved reward and if the law had been kept carefully, then the man would have deserved eternal life. It would have been a debt that the Lord owed to him and he could glory of having so lived as to place God under obligations. Salvation would have been a matter of human achieve-ment. Paul tells us that the law was ordained to life, but that instead of bringing life, it brought death (Romans 7). He explains that this is not the fault of the law, but it was the fault of those who were under the law. Peter declares that this was a yoke which “neither we nor our fathers could bear.” If there remains yet any doubt in the minds of any student that we are not saved by law, the following quotations from Paul should settle the matter forever:
“We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:28).
“We being Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, yet knowing that a man is not justfiied by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law; because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Galatians 2:15-16).
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them. Now that no man is justified by the law before God, is evident: for, the right-eous shall live by faith: and the law is not of faith; but he that doeth them shall live in them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:10-14).
“What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith: but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling; even as it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame” (Romans 9:30-33).
We wish here also to bring to our hearers what Brother James A. Harding says on this point:
“It is manifest to the thoughtful student of the first section of this argument that Paul has in his mind two, and only two, methods of justification before God—one, by works; the other, by grace through faith. It does not seem to occur to him that there is any other possible or conceivable way of being justified before the Lord, and it is certain there is no other way. Indeed, if a man is justified in any court, before any tribunal, it must be either by works or by grace. A little reflection will show there is no other way with men, as there is none other with God, unless it be by deceiving the court. If the one accused has done right, and this is made plain to the court, he is justified by law. If he has sinned, he can never be justified by law; his only chance for justification is by grace. This is true before all tribunals, human and divine. Has a man committed murder? Then he 'is forever a murderer before the law, and he can never be justified by works of righteousness, because he has not done right. The law says: ‘Thou shalt not kill/ He has broken the law, and by the law he is condemned. It does not justify him to show that of the millions who inhabit the earth he has murdered that one only, that he has been very kind and benevolent toward all other men; nor, if it were possible to show that he had never done any other wrong at all, would he be thereby justified. Doing right in a thousand cases cannot make that one wrong right, however much an otherwise righteous life must accomplish in securing the grace of the court. If I do right today, it is no more than I ought to do, and it will not cover up nor make right the sins which I committed yesterday. The Holy Spirit says: Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is become guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou dost not commit adultery, but killest, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (James 2:10-11). In earthly courts, when men have been condemned by law, it is common for them to endeavor to obtain the grace of the governor, that he may pardon them. Sometimes they make successful appeals to the sympathies of a weak governor, sometimes they bribe a corrupt one and are unjustly pardoned. They obtain the grace (favor) of the governor by means. Sometimes by living lives of diligence and uprightness, they make it possible for the governor to be just before the law of the land and pardon them. Before the court of heaven things are different. When a man is convicted there, his only chance to obtain the pardoning grace of God is by faith in Jesus Christ. There is no such thing as deceiving, overpowering, or corrupting that court. The man who does not give himself in loving, trusting, obedient faith to Jesus Christ will be lost” (Biographies and Sermons—F. D. Srygley, pp. 245-246).
Brother Harding has here illustrated this principle by a court trial and showing that before the court a man is either adjudged guilty or innocent. If he is guilty, there is no way for the law to make him not guilty. That will have to be done purely as a matter of clemency. This would be true of any law. Sometimes brethren say that we are under law to Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21) ; that we are under the law of faith (Romans 3:27) ; under the law of the spirit of life (Romans 8:4) ; that we are to be judged by the law of liberty (James 2:12). They say that in these expressions the word “law” seems simply to mean a rule of action and that it is not the same kind of law that Paul calls the law of works. We freely agree that these New Testament expressions indicate a principle upon which we live and act and that human obedience as we shall see, is necessary for salvation. But we must still insist that this is still not a matter of law. If we are to be judged by a law, then there is no way to be justified by that law except to have kept it perfectly. As we have failed, then the law must in some way be mitigated or satisfied without compliance with its requirements, or else we will have to depend upon clemency. It does no good to say that the gospel is different from the law because those who do the things of the law live by them, and then turn around and say that those who do the things of the gospel will live thereby. There could be no difference in principle here unless we say that the gospel is far more lenient in its requirements for moral behaviour than was the law of Moses. This no informed man can say. Therefore our salvation does not depend upon our perfect adherence to the requirements of law. It does not depend upon our being good enough by our own achievment to inherit salvation. By making our salvation dependent upon our own perfection, we make void the grace of God. And to make our perfection a matter of legal requirements fully met would make Christ’s death useless (Galatians 2:21; Galatians 3:21). We should be careful not to affirm the abrogation of one law and then substitute another law and make salvation dependent upon the same principal regardless of the different laws which we have. When Paul says that Abraham’s faith was reckoned or counted unto him for righteousness, he used the term that is common in keeping accounts, or in balancing our books. The word translated “reckoned” is “elogis- the” which is a form of the word “ellogeo.” Here we may illustrate the point by having a debit and a credit side of our ledger. On the side of law, whether it be New Testament order or Old Testament order, we may write the word “Duties” and let us say that the other side of the ledger is headed “Performances.” To keep the illustration, let us say that under “Duties” we have one hundred numbered or listed acts to be performed. Over on the other side of the ledger, we would have to have one hundred acts performed in order to have the totals balance. Thus the man would have a balanced account if he had performed all the duties required. But instead of dealing with Abraham after this fashion, on the side of the ledger where “Performances” is written, God filled that column with the word “faith,” and at the bottom of the ledger the totals are balanced. The account was balanced because God counted Abraham’s faith of more value than all of the performances, even if he had been able to meet this demand. Just so God deals with us. He has made us free from the law and offered us a righteousness which comes to us on account of our faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
(b)—Not by Works. The passages of Scripture that have already been cited state with all the emphasis that it is possible to us that we are not saved by works. No one can therefore argue that we are saved by works without contradicting the plain words of inspiration. We shall consider the matter settled then and not try to prove by further argumentation that our salvation does not depend upon our works. Someone, however, may remind us that the word “works’’ sometimes is used to mean complying with gospel terms and does not mean works of merit or efforts that would deserve reward. We freely admit that the word “works” is used in several different senses in the Scriptures. But in considering the matter of justification or salvation, the word indicates works of merit and these are the works that we refer to in the negative heading of this paragraph. It is sometimes said that James declares that we are saved by works and proves that works wrought with faith in the case of Abraham and that works made faith perfect (James 2). Yes, James makes a beautiful argument and reaches the same conclusion that the Apostle Paul brought us to in his profound reasoning.
If we say that James employs the word “works” in the same sense in which Paul uses that word and James affirms that we are and Paul says that we are not saved by works, then there would be an unmistakable contradiction between the two inspired apostles. There is no such contradiction and any student should be able to see the point. What was the conclusion James reached? Let him state it himself. He said, “And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness’; and he was called the friend of God” (James 2:23). So James teaches that Abraham was justified by faith and he was “reckoned” or “counted” righteous because he believed God. James, therefore, is simply showing that faith must express itself in overt acts before it is a perfect faith. Then the blessing comes because of faith and not because of the acts taken separately. The faith that prompted the acts is the principle upon which the blessing is bestowed. We are not saved by works.
(c)—Not of Ourselves. In the famous Ephesians passage which has already been cited in this discourse, Paul declares that salvation is not of ourselves, but that it is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:18-19). This is just another way of showing that we are dependent upon God’s goodness, mercy, love and grace for our salvation; that it is not a matter of human invention, discovery or achievement. Man could not save himself through his sciences, his philosophies, his education, or his legislation. Men still cannot save themselves independent of God. All human ideologies and programs are futile so far as salvation is concerned. Sociologies and socialistic theories are of no avail in this matter. Man is still without God and without hope unless he accepts the redemption that has been offered to us through Jesus Christ who was the one unspeakable gift of God’s great love. All the theological theories that made salvation dependent upon God and left man totally depraved and wholly helpless and completely passive in the matter of his salvation, representd the extreme of error in that direction. But now modernism has swung to the other extreme of error and atheism that leaves God out entirely and makes man’s salvation dependent wholly upon man. This is a worse error, if possible, than the former error. Either one would result in the loss of our souls if we followed either to its conclusion. Sometimes today we hear men talk of comparative religions and they compare Christianity with the heathen religions. They point out first that Christianity is younger than some of these other religions and they point out, secondly, that some of these older religions contain the same ethical principles that were enunciated by our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus they endeavor to discredit Christianity. Should we admit both these claims, these men still have no point against our religion. Christianity is not in the same category with these other religions and they cannot be compared. These religions are on a basis of human achievement or human effort. They simply give a blue print by which man is to build a perfect life and society is to achieve perfect conditions. If the blue print were perfect, man’s efforts to follow it to perfection have always been in vain. Christianity is not simply another blue print; it is not just a philosophy of life, it is a divine interposition. When man could not save himself by any of his efforts, inventions, devices or idelogoies, God threw himself into the breach and came to man’s relief with divine mercy. Salvation is not of ourselves,
(d)—Does not Exclude Human Volition. Because salvation is not of ourselves and is not bestowed upon us as a reward for our works, some men have concluded that man has no choice in the matter of his redemption; that man is so lost and dead in sin that he cannot hear, believe, Or accept the story of God’s love and mercy. This would be repugnant to the whole teaching of the New Testament. Why did God love us first in order that we might love him second (1 John 4:19) if his love could not appeal to us and beget within us a return of love? Why would God make any appeal to us if we were incapable of being touched, if we are deaf to all such appeals? Why would he invite us (Matthew 11:28) ? Why would he entreat us (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)? Why would he tell us to say “Come” (Revelation 22:17)? Or to persuade men (2 Corinthians 5:11) ? Why would he so often use the term “whosoever will” (John 3:16; Revelation 22:18)? Why’ would the gospel be sent to every creature (Mark 16:15)? And why would God’s long-suffering wait for man to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9) ? These questions with the Scriptures that are cited should convince any Bible reader that man’s volition is not ignored or made void by God’s free gift.
(e)—Faith Includes Obedience. It has been said in the first part of this discourse, that the whole story of human redemption is told in the two words “grace” and “faith” and our famous Ephesians passage tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. Also Paul tells us that it is by faith that we have access into this grace (Romans 5:1-2). That faith is something that involves man’s behaviour will surely not be denied by any man of intelligence. The verb form of the word “faith” is believe. This could be shown by numerous quotations, but one passage will suffice. Paul said, “Without faith it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6-7). Then the Philippian jailor said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The voice of inspiration replied: “Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house” (Acts 16:30-31). Here he said “What must I do?” The apostle told him what he must do. Can anyone now doubt that to believe or to manifest faith includes an act of the creatures? It is something that one must do. Let me ask my hearers, Have you ever believed? What did you do when you believed? What act expressed your faith? How did you know when you completed your act or when you believed enough to be saved? You had better go back and read the rest of Paul’s instruction to the jailor. You had better see what he did in verses 32 and 33. In verse 31 he was told to believe and he would be saved. In verse 34 we are told that he had believed and that he was saved. Then if we can see what he did between these two verses, we will know what one does when one believes. If we need further proof that the words “believe” and “obey” are used interchangeably, let us read John 3:36 from the Revised Version: “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Then read, also, Romans 10:16 from the King James translation: “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord who hath believed our report?” Now to see that disbelief and disobedence mean the same, let us read Hebrews 3:18-19 from the Revised Version: “And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that were disobedient? And we see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.” After we have seen that the word “believe” includes obedience, then we will not be at all troubled when we come upon such statements as “you have purified your souls in obedience to the truth” (1 Peter 1:22) Or that “you were made free from sin by obedience to the form of doctrine” (Romans 6:17) Or “that we must obey the gospel” (2 Thess. 7:10) and that “Christ is the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him” (Hebrews 5:9). With all of these passages before us, we can state the conclusion from our proposition in the following terms:
1—Salvation is by the grace of God. It is a free gift depending not upon man’s deserving or man’s worth.
2—This gift of God’s grace and love has already been given (John 3:16; John 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Corinthians 9:15).
3—This grace of God has brought salvation to all men (Titus 2:11).
4—We come into the enjoyment of this salvation by faith and this faith is expressed, actualized or made perfect by obeying Christ or by complying with the terms named by Christ and the Holy Spirit as conditions of salvation (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Acts 16:30-34).
5—When we have, through faith, surrendered to Christ, submitted to his will, we have then purified our souls in obeying the truth (1 Peter 1:22) and thus the same apostle says our hearts are purified by faith (Acts 15:9). With these points made clear, we are ready to an-nounce to any unsaved person that God is calling you, that the Saviour is waiting to welcome you, that we as Christians are entreating you, be ye reconciled to God.
QUESTION AND ANSWER PERIOD
1. Question—“Will the speaker answer a few ques-tions on the points made in this address?"
Brewer—I shall be glad to hear any question you wish to ask, and I will answer to the best of my ability. I could ask some hard ones on this subject myself. Let us have your questions, please.
2. “You say that salvation is a free gift of God and that we do not obtain it by doing the things of the gospel. Does that not mean that one can be saved without obeying the gospel? If it is free, is it not bestowed without conditions or requirements?"
Answer—The apostle Paul is the author of the ex-pression, free gift (Romans 5:15). He uses the term gift six times in Romans 5, and adds the adjective “free” three times. You would not care to take issue with Paul, would you?
No, it does not have to be unconditional in the sense in which you use the term 'in order to be “free.” It is unconditional in the sense that man did nothing to induce God to offer it in the first place. Man was “perishing” (John 3:16) ; was “weak” and “ungodly” (Romans 5:6) ; “sinner” (Romans 5:8) ; an “enemy” (Colossians 1:21) ; had “shut God out of his knowledge” (Romans 1:28); “hated God” (Romans 1:30); yet God did not impute or reckon man’s trespasses unto him (2 Corinthians 5:19) but loved him and gave his Son to redeem him. It is unconditional also in the sense that man does not and cannot give God a return value. It is not un-conditional in the sense that man has no choice in the matter; that he is wholly passive and absolutely helpless now that Cod has brought salvation to him. Man can and must obey the gospel (Mark 16:15-16; Hebrews 5:7-10; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Peter 4:16-17; Pom. 6:17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).
3. Question—You say man must obey the gospel and yet you say he is not saved by doing the things of the gospel. Is not “obeying” “doing”?
Answer—Again we must not forget that words can be used in more than one sense. Yes, obeying is doing, but this obeying or doing is not the ground upon which we are saved. We are saved upon the ground of faith, so far as the human side is concerned, but faith is dead—is not faith until it is expressed in overt acts. The obedience manifests, expresses and actualizes the faith. We do not earn or achieve or merit salvation through our obedience or on account of our obedience. To be saved by doing the things of the gospel, we would have to do all the moral acts enjoined in the gospel perfectly—if we failed in one point, we would be lost. There would be no grace and forgiveness; it would be wholly our own accom-plishment. Thank God, this is not true. We have a Savior who saves sinners.
4. Question—You say, if I understand you, that we must obey the gospel in order to be saved and yet you say we do not have to obey all the gospel, we can come short in some, points and still be saved. Will you point out the principles or commandments that we must obey and distinguish them from those that we may reject or neglect or omit and fail to observe? I Vtmuld h'ke to see a' list of these two—the essential and the nonessential commandments.
Answer—That question can be made to look like a poser, but it really is simple. The late Ben M. Bogard, a Baptist debater, claimed that he had knocked some of our brethren speechless with that one. He assumed and asserted that if any obedience at all was necessary, then perfect daily obedience from conversion to death would be required, and that would put salvation on a basis of law of tvorks and of human endeavor. Brother, don’t ever let a wily opponent trick you into taking that position. And don’t let your own reasoning or rationalizing mislead you into accepting that conclusion. Here is the simple answer:
Salvation is in Christ; redemption is in him, forgiveness of sins is in Christ, all spiritual blessings are in Christ ( Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Timothy 2:10; Colossians 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:1-6; Galatians 3:26-27). The obedience that is necessary to salvation is the obedience that brings us into Christ. It is the evidence that we are applying unto Christ for salvation, submitting to him and trusting in him for healing and for help. When we thus establish that relationship, form that connection or enter into that union with the Lord, we are said to be saved (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 2:15; Ephesians 2:5; Ephesians 2:8) ; to be added to the Lord (Acts 5:14); to be joined to the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17); to be in Christ (Romans 6:3-6); to have put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27); to be children of God and heirs of all his promises (1 John 3:1-3; Galatians 3:29; Romans 8:17).
Paul spoke of people who had obeyed—obedience completed—and were then, at the end of that obedience, made free from sin (Romans 6:17). Peter spoke of people who had obeyed—obedience completed—and
at the time of this obedience and by the obedience they had purified their hearts (1 Peter 1:22). Paul also speaks of obedience of the faith (Romans 1:5; Romans 16:26).
After we submit to Christ, surrender to him and come under his lordship and leadership, we continue, of course, to be submissive and obedient and our eternal salvation is contingent upon our continued surrender and submission, but it does not depend upon the amount of work done or the number of acts performed. The work we now do and the acts we perform, as well as the gifts we give, all depnd upon our individual ability, how long we live, etc. No principle can be rejected, no exhortation, instruction or commandment can be refused or will be rejected or refused by a surrendered or saved soul. When one rejects or refuses to do the Lord’s will, the one is no longer a surrendered soul. He is a rebel.
5. Question—"That doctrine implies the security of the believer, does it not? And that is Baptist doctrine."
Answer—Certainly the believer is secure, wonderfully, blissfully and gloriously secure. You would not want to feel insecure, would you? Or to teach others to feel insecure?
6. Question—The security of the believer means the impossibility of apostasy, does it not?
Answer—By no means. The believer is secure, but if he becomes an unbeliever—has his faith overthrown or denies the faith—he will be lost. This is a possibility, but it is not a necessity. While our faith lasts, our hope holds, our souls are anchored and we should rejoice in the Lord always.