Salvation by Faith Alone?

Someone who seems not to accept the biblical doctrine of salvation by faith alone sent me a series of questions. What follows are his questions and my responses:

Q. Does the doctrine of salvation by faith alone exclude obedience to the gospel?

A. The operative word is "alone." I believe that if God had meant that faith and obedience were required for salvation, the Bible would read differently than it does. For example, Ephesians 2:8,9 would read

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; and obedience, which is of yourselves, so it is not the gift of God, but the just recompense for works, in order that some should boast.

Personally, I prefer to go with the original wording:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Certainly, after regeneration, one should strive to please God through obedience, charitable works, prayer, etc. All this, however, comes after saving faith. As I state in my Declaration of Faith:

I believe that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ and that repentance is a vital part of believing, and is in no way, in itself, a separate and independent condition of salvation; nor are any other acts, such as confession, baptism, prayer, or faithful service, to be added to believing as a condition of salvation.

(John 1:12: 3:16, 18, 36; 5:24; 6:29; Acts 13:39; 16:31; Rom. 1:16-17; 3:22, 26; 4:5; 10:4; Gal. 3:22.)

Q. Is the concept of obeying the gospel a Biblical concept?

A. I believe the Gospel is the good news of Christ's redeeming work and atoning sacrifice which, according to God's merciful provision, makes it possible for us to be joined with Him as adopted children and joint heirs with Christ to the riches of Heaven. I do not believe the Gospel is a set of rules and ordinances similar to the laws of the Old Testament. Certainly, Scripture is filled with commandments and instructions for Christian living; however, these are not, in my opinion, the Gospel. As children of God, we are to do our best to live in accordance with the commandments and instructions given us.

Q. Do we need today to teach a different personal response to the gospel than that taught by Jesus and His apostles?

A. Were we to teach anything different fromwhat God has provided, then we either would be adding to or subtracting from the Word, and that is something we surely should not do. (Revelation 22:19)

Q. Did Jesus or His apostles teach that we receive Christ as savior by praying the sinners prayer?

A. Surely you are joking.

Q. Do you believe in the free will of man to accept or reject the gospel message?

A. I believe that God chose men for salvation in eternity past and that all whom He has chosen will respond to His call. Did not Jesus tell us that

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.--John 6:37

Q. What is wrong with the statement "He that believes and is baptized will be saved."

A. This was covered in my response to the first question. Baptism is not a requirement for salvation.

Q. "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus to receive remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit."

A. This verse (Acts 2:38), taken out of context, is a favorite of those who would replace the biblical doctrine of salvation by faith alone with a doctrine of salvation by works.

In his use of the word translated as repent, the Apostle was not telling his listeners to reproach themselves or to feel sorry for what they had done or failed to do. The repentance he was talking about involves a change of mind and purpose; a turning away from sin toward God (1 Thessalonians 1:9). This change is more than just being fearful of God's judgment. A truly repentant person knows that he must forsake sin and embrace instead the person and work of Jesus Christ. (cf. Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20)

In exhorting his audience to be baptized, the Apostle was in obedience to the Great Commission, Christ's command recorded in Matthew 28:19. He is not telling them that by being baptized their sins will be forgiven and they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. What he is urging is that those who had turned to Christ for their salvation and truly repented now publicly confess His death, burial and resurrection in the waters of baptism (cf. Matthew 3:2; Acts 19:5; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27).

This occasion marked the first time that an Apostle had publicly called people to identify with Christ through baptism. Baptism, or immersion, was nothing new to Jews, many of whom had experienced John the Baptist's baptism of repentance, or the ritual cleansing of the mikvah. Jews certainly were familiar with the baptismal rebirth that Gentile converts to Judaism underwent.

Actually, Peter is telling the people to be baptized, to identify with Christ, because of the remission of sins (1 Peter 3:20-21). That he was not saying they will receive forgiveness and be cleansed of sin by the act of being baptized is made clear in verse 41:

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.--Acts 2:41

When a sinner truly changes his attitude toward sin in repentance, a condition that comes about by God's grace, his sins are forgiven; he is saved (Ephesians 1:7). All his sins forgiven, the new believer is to be baptized, in obedience to the Lord's command. Baptism followed salvation and God's forgiveness, and people began to consider that declaring one baptized for forgiveness was the same thing as saying that he was saved. It is important to bear in mind that believers have had all their sins forgiven, past, present and future. (Matthew 26:28; Luke 24:47; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 2:13; 1 John 2:12)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.--John 5:24