Salvation by Faith or Works?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (2:21–24)

As noted in the Introduction, the first phrase of verse 21 was a severe stumbling block to Martin Luther. He was so adamantly opposed to the Roman Catholic dogma of salvation through works, and so strong a defender of the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, that he completely missed James’s point here, calling the entire writing “an epistle of straw.” But, as explained in the previous commentary chapter, James was not contradicting the doctrine of salvation by faith. He was not dealing with the means of salvation at all, but rather with its outcome, the evidence that it had genuinely occurred. After establishing that the absence of good works proves that a professed faith is not real and saving but rather is deceptive and dead, he then emphasized the corollary truth that genuine salvation, which is always and only by God’s grace working through man’s faith, inevitably will be demonstrated outwardly in the form of righteous deeds.

Although James’s primary audience was Jewish (see 1:1), the context suggests that his reference to Abraham our father is not racial. He seems rather to write of Abraham in the same spiritual sense that Paul does in several places. In his letter to the church at Rome, the apostle speaks of Abraham as “the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:11), and in his letter to the churches of Galatia he declares that “those who are of faith … are sons of Abraham” (Gal. 3:7). Abraham is the model of saving faith for both Jew and Gentile, a man whose faith was living and acceptable to God.

Because fallen man is morally and spiritually bankrupt, with no redeeming merit at all before God, nothing he can possibly do in himself and by his own power can make him right and acceptable before the Lord. It is for that reason that salvation has always been possible solely through the pure graciousness of God working through a faithful response to His grace. It is not that in the Old Testament men were saved through the law and that in the New they are saved by faith. At whatever point in the unfolding revelation and work of God men may have lived or will ever live, God requires nothing of them for salvation except true faith in Him. Hebrews 11 makes abundantly clear that both before and after the law was given at Sinai, salvation was by faith. Abraham “believed in the Lord,” Moses tells us; “and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).

Yet James says that the father of the faithful, whose very faith itself was a gift of God (Eph. 2:8), was nevertheless justified by works. That seeming contradiction, which has frustrated and confused believers throughout the history of the church, is clarified by understanding that justification by faith pertains to a person’s standing before God, whereas the justification by works that James speaks of in this verse pertains to a person’s standing before other men.

Some have further imagined a contradiction between James’s declaration that Abraham was justified by works and Paul’s unequivocal teaching that he was justified solely by grace through faith (Rom. 4:1–25; Gal. 3:6–9). Such is not the case, however. James has already emphasized that salvation is God’s gracious gift (1:17–18), and in verse 23 he quotes Genesis 15:6, which declares that God imputed righteousness to Abraham solely on the basis of his faith. Also, the specific event James said justified Abraham by works was the offering of Isaac (v. 21; cf. Gen. 22:9–12)—an event that occurred many years after he was declared righteous by God (Gen. 12:1–7; 15:6). James is teaching, then, that Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac vindicates his faith before men—a teaching with which the apostle Paul was in wholehearted agreement (Eph. 2:10). There is thus no conflict between the two inspired writers.

It is important to understand that the Greek verb dikaioo (justified) has two general meanings. The first pertains to acquittal, that is, to declaring and treating a person as righteous. That is its meaning in relationship to salvation and is the sense in which Paul almost always uses the term. He declares, for example, that we are “justified as a gift by [God’s] grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24), “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (3:28), and that, “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (5:1; cf. v. 9). In another letter he says, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal. 2:16; cf. 3:11, 24). He reminds Titus that “being justified by His grace we [are] made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).

The second meaning of dikaioo pertains to vindication, or proof of righteousness. It is used in that sense a number of times in the New Testament, in relation to God as well as men. Paul says, “Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, ‘That You may be justified in Your words, and prevail when You are judged’ ” (Rom. 3:4). He writes to Timothy that Jesus Christ “was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated [from dikaioo] in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16). Jesus commented that “wisdom is vindicated [justified] by all her children” (Luke 7:35).

It is the second sense in which James uses dikaioo in 2:21, asking rhetorically, Was not Abraham our father justified by works? He explains that Abraham’s supreme demonstration of that justification occurred when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar, which, as noted above, happened many years after his justification by faith recorded in Genesis 15:6. It was when he offered up Isaac that the whole world could perceive the reality of his faith, that it was genuine rather than spurious, obedient rather than deceptive, living rather than dead. Although God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his son threatened to abrogate His promise of blessing the world specifically through Isaac and also contradicted what Abraham knew to be God’s prohibition of human sacrifice (a form of murder), the patriarch trusted God implicitly. Without question or wavering, “Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him” (Gen. 22:3). We do not know all that went through Abraham’s mind at the time, but he told the young men who accompanied them, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you” (v. 5, emphasis added). Abraham knew that, regardless of what happened on Mount Moriah, both he and Isaac would return alive. Although no such thing had ever happened before, he knew that, if necessary, God could raise Isaac “even from the dead” (Heb. 11:19). He believed unalterably in the righteous character of God, that He would never violate either His divine covenant or His holy standards.

Abraham was not a perfect man, either in his faith or in his works. After many years had passed without Sarah’s having the promised heir, he took matters into his own hands, having a son, Ishmael, by Hagar, his wife’s maid. His wavering trust in the Lord led him to commit adultery. That, in turn, led to the creation of the Arab peoples—who, since that time, have been a continuing thorn in the side of the Jews, God’s chosen people through Isaac. In those and other instances, such as his twice lying about Sarah’s being his sister (Gen. 12:19; 20:2), his works obviously did not justify him before men.

But James’s point is that, in the overall pattern of his life, Abraham faithfully vindicated his saving faith through his many good works, above all else by offering Isaac. When a man is justified before God, he will always prove that justification before other men. A man who has been declared and made righteous will live righteously. Imputed righteousness will manifest practical righteousness. In the words of John Calvin, “Faith alone justifies; but the faith that justifies is never alone.” And in the words of an unknown poet, “Let all who hold this faith and hope in holy deeds abound; thus faith approves itself sincere by active virtue crowned.”

You see that faith was working with his works, James continues to explain, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected. It is not that salvation requires faith plus works, but that works are the consequent outgrowth and completion of genuine faith. As Jesus pointed out on several occasions, the purpose of a plant is to grow and to bear fruit—fruit representing its natural produce, whether figs, olives, nuts, flowers, or whatever. Consequently, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:19–20). Bearing fruit is not a function added to a plant but is an integral part of its design and purpose. Even before it is planted, a seed contains the genetic structure for producing its own kind of fruit. When a person is born again through saving faith and is given a new nature by God, he is given the genetic structure, as it were, for producing moral and spiritual good works. That is the sense in which faith is perfected. It produces the godly fruit for which it was designed (Eph. 2:10). Just as a fruit tree has not fulfilled its goal until it bears fruit, so also faith has not reached its end until it demonstrates itself in a righteous life.

That is the sense in which Abraham was justified by works. His unreserved willingness to sacrifice Isaac, the only son of promise, was the works by which his justification by faith was demonstrated and made manifest before men. Quoting the Genesis 15:6 passage cited earlier, James says that the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”

Fulfilled does not refer to a fulfillment of prophecy but rather to fulfillment of the principle that justification by faith results in justification by works. James here cites the same text Paul uses in his potent defense of justification by faith:

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. (Rom. 4:2–5)

Abraham had no written divine revelation to read and knew very little about the Lord. But he responded positively to all that he was told by God, and it was then that his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness.

But how, we wonder, could God have justified and saved Abraham —who lived some two thousand years before Christ—when apart from Jesus Christ no one can be saved (Matt. 10:32; John 8:56; Rom. 10:9–10; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21; etc.). It is because “to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Rom. 14:9). Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Despite his limited theological knowledge, Abraham’s trust in the Lord was sufficient, and tantamount to belief in the Lord Jesus Christ, the coming Messiah and Savior of the world. Like all true believers who lived before Christ, who “died in faith, without receiving the promises,” Abraham nevertheless was enabled by God to understand that a Savior would come to fulfill all God’s promises and he “welcomed them from a distance” (Heb. 11:13).

Due to his belief and his resulting obedience, Abraham was called the friend of God. What dignity, honor, and joy! Because his faith was genuine and was therefore manifested and proven, he entered the wonderful fellowship of those whom God calls his friends. The writer of 2 Chronicles exults, “Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?” (2 Chron. 20:7). Through Isaiah the Lord Himself spoke of “Abraham My friend” (Isa. 41:8). The basis of that divine friendship was Abraham’s obedience, his justification by works. Just as he was the father of the faithful (Rom. 4:11; Gal. 3:7), he might also be called the father of the obedient, because those two godly characteristics are inseparable. “You are My friends,” Jesus said, “if you do what I command you” (John 15:14).

**Baptism is a work. It’s something we do to honor Christ but it will not save anybody by itself nor is it necessary for a confessed believer in Christ to do.**

That’s not what Jesus Christ or his apostles teach. You are just repeating the tradition of men, that hurdle the Lord’s conversion commands.

**Romans 10:9-10 spells out crystal clear who is saved.**

Which was written to people already born again:

Romans 1:7 “To all that be at Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints...”.

They were reminded of their conversion here:

Rms 6:3; “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?”
4. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death:....” (That’s certainly not Spirit baptism, because the Spirit is life.) “..that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the GLORY of the FATHER, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
5 “For if we have been planted together in the LIKENESS of his death, we shall be also in the LIKENESS of his resurrection.”

17 “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.”
18 “Being THEN made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Romans 10:13 is also quoted out of context quite regularly:
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”.

Let’s keep it in context by continuing:

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?..” Rms 10:14,15

Now go back to Acts to see how these ‘sent’ preachers preached to the lost, starting with Acts 2:14, and coming to the part where the convicted souls ask, “Men and brethern, what shall we do?”

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. Acts 2:38

Is that verse from heaven, or of men?

I believe it’s from heaven, and it’s author is to be believed, and that Peter was simply the messenger. And I believe that the author is very serious with those words.

I’m not ignoring the verses you cited. They simply do not mean what you suggest they mean and you have cherry-picked a few proof texts while ignoring the clear passages I cited. The overwhelming weight of Scriptures are on my side here.

You seem committed to popery, so I rather doubt I will change your mind. And I know you can’t change mine. I’ve had a really tough 36 hours or so and I’m running on fumes. I’m too tired to go back and forth. I know I shared the truth in my initial comment. Accordingly, I said “believe as you will.”

By the way, you did not deal with ALL the “pertinent” verses. Here are a few more that teach salvation is not by works. Someone sent me this list, so I don’t know who put it together. I simply know it’s a good place for someone trusting works, whether in whole or in part, to start studying. Wrestle with these and get back to me.

1. Eph. 2:8-9 - “For BY GRACE are ye SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”
2. Rom. 4:6-7 - God imputes “Righteousness without works.” (See #9, #4, #45, #7, #12, #53)
3. Rom. 10:3 - It’s a grave mistake for anyone to try to, “Establish their own righteousness.”
4. Rom. 5:17 - Heaven deserving righteousness is a “GIFT,” not something you earn.
5. Rom. 5:18 - Justification to God is a “FREE GIFT,” not something you work toward.
6. Phil. 3:9 - Paul, as ‘good’ as he was, still wouldn’t trust his “Own righteousness” to save him.
7. Rom. 3:22 - God’s righteousness is credited to “ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE,” not all that work.
8. Rom. 8:3-4 - The flesh is too “Weak” to save itself. We need a Saviour. We need Christ. (See #86)
9. Rom. 4:3 - Abraham’s faith, not works, “Was counted unto him for righteousness.”
10. Rom. 4:4-5 - Works are “Not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” Faith is counted as righteousness.
11. Gal. 3:10 - To earn Heaven you’d have to “Continueth,” perfectly, in the whole law. (See #81, #86)
12. Titus 3:5 - “NOT BY WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”
13. John 5:24 - In Christ we’ve “PASSED from death unto life.” We don’t have to “wait” to find out.
14. Rom. 9:31-32 - Israel, “Sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.” (#33, #54)
15. Acts 4:12 - No other name but Christ can save us— not the name of works, nor our own name.
16. John 1:12-13 - Only God’s power, through His Son, makes us a child of God. We are not born into
God’s family by “Blood” (heritage, family ‘pedigree’), “Nor will of the flesh” (good works), “Nor will
of man.” (minister, or man made religion), “But of God.” (See #12, #53, #21, #17, #22, #46, #15)
17. Isa. 45:22 - No one else can save a soul from Hell but God; “There is none else.”
18. Acts 13:39 - “And by him [Christ] all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye
COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED by the law of Moses.” (See #33, #54, #53, #5, #42, #64, #82, #87, #80)
19. Rom. 8:7 - We can’t follow God’s law even if we wanted to. So how can we save ourselves? (#86, #8)
20. Matthew 7:21-23 - Christ describes a future scene in which some who are trusting in their “Many
wonderful works,” will, sadly, be told by Christ: “I never knew you: depart from me, Ye that work
iniquity.” Their good works will not save them. We all have to trust Christ, and Him ALONE. (#46, #12)
21. John 10:1 - We must enter through Christ, “THE DOOR,” not by “Some other way..” (See #46)
22. John 8:24 - A person can work all they want, but it won’t save them. Jesus said the bottom line is
that, “If ye believe not that I am he [the only way], ye shall die in your sins.” (See #53 and #69)
23. Rom. 4:2 - If Abraham could have saved himself, he’d have something to brag about. (See #25, #1)
24. Acts 10:1-43 - Cornelius’ good works would put anyone today to shame, yet he still had to get saved
by trusting solely in Christ to save him. (See #6, #12, #1, #88)
25. Rom. 3:27-28 - “Where is boasting then?...Of WORKS? nay.” (See #1 and #23)
26. 1 John 5:13 - If your salvation depends on a lifetime of good works, then why does the Bible teach
that you could “KNOW” for sure, before you die, that you are going to Heaven? The answer is because
salvation doesn’t depend on you, but on Christ, who ALREADY paid the price for your sins. (See #87)
27. Heb. 1:3 - “He had BY HIMSELF purged our sins.” He doesn’t need help from us! (See #15)
28. Heb. 2:3 - If we have to work at earning it, why does the Bible call it “So great salvation”?
29. Heb. 2:9-10 - Christ is “The CAPTAIN of their salvation.” He tasted “Death for every man.”
30. Heb. 2:14-15 - Christ is the one who will “DELIVER” us from death, not ourselves! (See #53)
31. Heb. 2:17 - Christ makes “RECONCILIATION for the sins.” We can’t reconcile ourselves.
32. Heb. 5:9 - Christ is “The AUTHOR of eternal salvation,” not us! It’s not in our hands.
33. Gal. 2:16 - “Knowing that a man IS NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS of the law, but by the
faith of Jesus Christ, ....that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and NOT by the WORKS
of the law: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.”
34. Heb. 9:28 - “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.” God won’t accept good works.
35. Heb. 10:10-12 - Christ’s body was offered “Once for all.” So stop insulting God with your works.
36. Heb. 10:14 - “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them.” STOP WORKING at it!
37. Heb. 10:17-18 - “There is no more offering for sin.” So stop offering your good works.
38. 2 Cor. 1:9 - “We should not trust in ourselves, but in God,” who has ALREADY paid the price.
39. 2 Cor. 1:10 - Christ “Delivered us from so great a death.” He had to; we can’t deliver ourselves.
40. Eph. 1:12-13 - You are saved by trusting in Christ, and, “After that believed, ye were SEALED.”
41. Jer. 17:5 - “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.”
42. Job 25:4 - “How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a
woman?” (For God’s answer, see #86, #63, #54, #33, #82, #80, #73, #5 and Isaiah 1:18)
43. Isa. 12:2 - “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust.” Don’t trust good works, trust the Saviour.
44. Luke 18:9-14 - Jesus gives a parable teaching that self righteousness WILL NOT save a person.
45. Ezek. 33:13 - “If he trust to his own righteousness...” He better be perfectly sinless or else!
46. John 14:6 - Jesus said, “I am THE WAY...no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME.”
47. 1 Tim. 2:5-6 - There’s ONLY “One mediator between God and men,” Jesus Christ, not ourselves.
48. Col. 2:14 - Christ took our sin debt, “Nailing it to his cross.” It’s ALREADY paid for! (See #34-37)
49. John 19:30 - While on the cross, Christ said, “It is finished.” It’s paid. We don’t have to work for it.
50. Matt. 11:28-30 - Christ offers “REST” to all those working at trying to earn their way to Heaven.
51. Isa. 53:4-6 - Christ was, “WOUNDED FOR OUR transgressions.” Why? So WE don’t have to be.
52. Heb. 4:9-10 - The person who accepts Christ as Saviour, “Hath CEASED from his own works.”
53. Gal. 2:21 - If you could earn Heaven, why did Christ die? “Then Christ is dead in vain.” (See #86, #8)
54. Rom. 3:20 - “Therefore by the deeds of the law there SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his
sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (See #33, #14, #82, #80, #87, #42, #73)
55. Gal. 5:1-4 - “Christ hath made us free.” He had to; we can’t free ourselves, no matter how “good.”
56. 2 Tim. 1:10 - “Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death,” with no help from us.
57. 1 John 4:14 - Christ was sent, “To be the Saviour of the world”; we couldn’t save ourselves.
58. 1 Tim. 4:10 - “The Saviour of ALL men.” Why try to save yourself? You already have a Saviour.
59. Acts 16:30-31 - When the Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul didn’t say,
keep the Ten Commandments, but rather, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
60. Luke 7:49-50 - Christ told the woman: “Thy faith hath saved thee,” not thy works! (See #1)
61. Eph. 1:7 - “Redemption through HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins,” not through our works.
62. 1 Pet. 1:3-5 - “According to his abundant MERCY,” not according to our good deeds. (See #12)
63. Rev. 1:5 - Christ, “Washed us from our sins in his own blood”; can’t wash ourselves with works.
64. Titus 3:7 - We are “Justified by his grace,” not by our good deeds, baptism, or church membership.
65. Titus 2:11 - “The grace of God that BRINGETH SALVATION hath appeared to ALL MEN.”
66. Eph. 4:32 - We are forgiven, “For Christ’s sake,” not because of our good behavior. (See #88)
67. Eph. 2:4-5 - “(By grace ye are saved),” not by works. The two don’t mix according to Rom. 11:6.
68. Acts 26:18 - “Through this man [Christ]...forgiveness of sins,” not through our efforts!
69. Heb. 7:25 - Only Christ is “Able to save.” Only He can “Make INTERCESSION for them.”

70. Rom. 3:10 - “There is none righteous, no, not one.” So how can anyone save themselves?
71. Rom. 3:12 - “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” So how can anyone save themselves?
72. Eccl. 7:20 - “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good.” Can anyone save themselves?
73. Rom. 4:25 - Christ has already died for our sins. He, “Was delivered for our offences and raised
again FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.” So what role does a person play in their own salvation?
74. Rom. 5:10 - “We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son,” not by the fruits of our works.
75. John 6:28-29 - “Then said they unto him, WHAT SHALL WE DO, that we might work the works
of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YE BELIEVE
ON HIM whom he hath sent.” (See #59, #22, #10, #53)
76. 1 Pet. 3:18 - “Suffered for us...that HE might bring us to God.” Do we have to help Him save us?
Didn’t He suffer enough to pay the price? Heb. 7:25 says He did. He saves to “The uttermost.”
77. Matt. 5:20 - Your self-righteousness would have to surpass that of the Pharisees— Impossible! (#70)
78. 1 John 2:2 - Christ, “Is the propitiation [payment]...for the sins of the whole world.” If He can
pay for the sins of the whole world, why would He need our help in saving us— mere individuals?
79. Rom. 8:8 - “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” So what chance does anyone have?
80. Rom. 3:23-25 - Through Christ’s death we are “Justified freely” (made right with God). His death
provides: “Redemption” (we are bought back to God), “Propitiation” (a settlement of our sin debt),
“Remission [forgiveness] of sins.” It’s all by God’s “Grace” not our works. (See #1, #35, #36, #78)
81. James 2:10-11 - “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in ONE POINT, he is
guilty of all.” We can’t possibly save ourselves; God demands sinless perfection. We need a Saviour.
82. Romans 5:8-9 - We are “Justified by his blood,” not our good works. That’s why “When we were
sinners, Christ died for us.” Therefore, “We shall be saved from wrath through him.”
83. Matt. 18:11 - Jesus came “To save that which was lost [us].” Why? Because we can’t save ourselves.
Otherwise, why send Christ to die for our sins if we could pay for them ourselves? (See #53, #8, #86, #76)
84. Acts 15:10-11 - “Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,” not through
works. Grace is not works; works is not grace, as explained in Rom. 11:6 (see #90, #1, #53)
85. 2 Cor. 5:21 - “Christ was made sin for us...that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him.” Why trust our own “righteousness” if God offers to impute us His righteousness? (Rom. 4:22-24)
86. Matt. 19:25-26 - “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, WHO THEN
CAN BE SAVED? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE;
but with God all things are possible.” (See #8, #41, #42, #81, #11, #45, #70, #19)
87. Rom. 5:1 - “Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” There can be no real peace when a person spends their life wondering if they have done
enough good works. Peace is knowing it’s been paid for ALREADY. (See #52, #50, #26, #53)
88. 2 Tim. 1:9 - “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR
WORKS, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began.” God had a “payment plan” ready before any of us were even alive to work!
89. Rom. 10:9-13 - “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [i.e. Repent], and shalt
believe in thine heart [i.e. Trust] that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED
...For whosoever shall CALL upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED.” (See #15)
90. Rom. 11:6 - “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.”
91. Gal. 1:4, 92. Rom. 1:16, 93. Gal. 3:21, 94. Heb. 9:22, 95. 1 Tim. 2:6, 96. Acts 10:43,
97. Isa. 43:11, 98. Gal. 3:24, 99. Heb. 9:12-14, 100. 1 Tim. 1:15, 101. Heb. 6:1

I’ve heard Mr. MacArthur enough to know that he doesn’t believe Acts 2:38. To me that is terribly vital.

Nevertheless, I listened to him get as far as ‘the definitive text in the gospels’, concerning the new birth. That’s just the start of the Lord’s definitive texts on the subject. Among other places, He teaches about it in his commissions. While the Lord made clear that HE would be sending (baptizing with)the Holy Ghost, he hammered home to his apostles that THEY were to baptize, that they were to preach repentance and remission of sins, that “whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted..”.

They followed his rebirth instructions to the ‘t’, with Peter preaching them first in Acts 2.

These ‘ever learning’ men, such as MacArthur, can’t teach the Acts 2:38 experience because they haven’t experienced it themselves.

I don’t believe the words of Acts 2:38 are authored by Peter. I believe they are authored by the Lord, and only spoken by Peter.

The dogged effort to dodge, all the detailed conversions in Acts, by these acclaimed ‘Drs of Divinity’ is telling. If they do attempt to deal with those accounts it’s ‘divide and conquer’: saying, that is water, but that isn’t. It’s important, but it’s not for remission of sins. And on and on.

The only way for me to REALLY make it plain is to tell my story. I usually avoid to, because it has a lot of ‘I’s in it, and I just related it yesterday on this forum. But, hopefully you can bear reading it.

For my first 28 yrs I was a Calvinist, but not so different from many other groups that professed a faith that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried, and rose again. The big difference was this: The biblical rebirth experience.

While I had done, as a teen, the ‘give my heart to Jesus’, ‘accept him as my personal Savior’, moments, that are so commonly used as conversion ‘proofs’, deep down I just knew there HAD to be more. It was something that would enter my mind during a church service, or funeral, or just when I would dwell on thoughts of spiritual things.

My step-mother, an attractive but very worldly woman, stole my dad from my mother. My dad, while an adulterer, was conservative in every other way. I was 23, and figured I understood women enough by then to make a educated opinion: There’s no way the marriage would last a year. I was wrong.

She visited a church (independent, but like United Pentecostals) simply because it was nearby their new (to them) home. She felt the tug at her heart while there, and refused to go back. But, staying away didn’t fill the hole either. She eventually went back, and had a biblical conversion, following the Acts 2:38 formula. She spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. I wasn’t present, but through the days and weeks saw her change dramatically in almost every way. Her joy was constant. I remained skeptical.

In the meantime, I married a very lovely woman. She was always curteous to my dad and step-mother, but was adamant: “I’m not going to their church!” That was no problem, for I was in total agreement.

Then ‘idiot president 1.0’, already letting the economy go out of control, embargoed grain to Russia. Reagan steps in and hits inflation with a sledge hammer. The combined chaos was financial hardship for many, and not just farmers.

It knocked down my trust in the wisdom of men across the board, myself included. Even made me take a hard look at my church’s leadership. As my studying expanded, I thought it strange that the miraculous experiences of rebirth in the book of Acts were not happening in mainline churchs in my area.

Then one of my brothers received the same Acts 2:38 rebirth as my step-mother, ONLY, he lived 900 miles away. That wasn’t all, as a couple of months later it happened to my youngest brother, that lived with my dad. I decided I had to step in and ‘save’ my family.

My wife and I made an exception to our rule, and visited my dad’s church on Father’s day, 1982. We DID have to admit that the people there were genuinely happy, the preacher very neighborly, and not at all pushy. We felt that we were believers, and repentant in our walk with God, so we felt a church change was completely unecessary.

We didn’t go back for a few months, but only then because of our seeing the command of baptism in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. Our Calvinist church didn’t meet on Sunday nights, so we went to the other church at those times for a few weeks.

My wife and I were baptized, by immersion, in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. We felt glad, and praised God. We still wanted that biblical Spirit birth, that the Lord promises (Acts 2:38) “to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32). A week later, in prayer, my wife began praising God in a language she had previously never spoken, lasting about a minute or so. It was so smooth, as if she had spoken it all of her life. It happened to me almost five months later, during a revival service.

That was our ‘beginning’, our being born again. It changes your life like nothing else. In my previous years, my reverence for the Word of God kept me from many troubles. The Word is wisdom (that’s why so many can put the scriptures in their own words, call it a commentary, and possibly get paid well for it).

If you made it this far,
God bless you

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