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SAMPLE CHAPTER #5

Chapter 9

Is There No Human Effort Required for Eternal Salvation?

Mr. Warren says:

“God’s word is clear that you can’t earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort.” (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, p. 72)

“While effort has nothing to do with your salvation, it has much to do with your spiritual growth.” (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, p. 175)

But Scripture says:

“When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” (Acts 11:23 NIV)

“When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.” (Acts 13:43 NIV)

“They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,’ they said.” (Acts 14:21-22 NIV)

“He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach -- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard.” (Colossians 1:22-23 NASV)

Today’s predominant Protestant theology is based heavily upon the theology of Augustine of Hippo,[1] {See support for numbered citations in notes at end of chapter} a North African writer of the late 4^th and early 5^th centuries. Martin Luther, the 15^th century German reformer who founded the Lutheran church, was trained as a monk in the Augustinian order of the Roman Catholic Church. Though Luther studied the Scriptures, and even made it a rule that Scripture alone was the only legitimate authority for the church, he accepted many of Augustine’s interpretations of the Scriptures as his own. John Calvin[2], the Swiss reformer, who is considered by many as the father of the Presbyterian Church, admired Luther and studied his writings, as well as studying the writings of Augustine of Hippo. He also, though an avid student of the Scriptures, ended up adopting many of Augustine’s interpretations as his own.

Augustine developed the theory (which was followed by Luther and Calvin) that an individual’s salvation was entirely the work of God, without any effort of the individual required. Part of this theory was that all of mankind were considered so evil that, if offered salvation, none would accept it. Therefore, according to Augustine, God had to make people willing to accept salvation. Mankind had neither the will, nor the power, to accept salvation.[3] You might be thinking to yourself, if God was required to make an individual willing to accept salvation, why does God not do this for everyone? The answer that Augustine (and Luther and Calvin) had to this question was that God, for reasons unknown to man, and not disclosed in Scripture, and not based on anything better in one individual in comparison to another, simply selected some people to save, and chose to let the rest go to hell.[4]

These men’s viewpoint in this regard is wrong. Some passages of Scripture, taken out of context, may seem to support such a view. However, many other Scriptures teach that the unconverted individual is intimately involved in determining whether he inherits eternal life or eternal punishment. The Augustinian (Lutheran and Calvinist) interpretations cannot be reconciled with these Scriptures. These Augustinian interpretations are, therefore, erroneous. Scripture cannot contradict itself,[5] since it is the product of men writing under the inspiration of God, to convey divine truths.[6] It is, therefore, necessary to abandon any interpretation of Scripture that is contradictory to other Scriptures. Only an interpretation that reconciles apparent conflicts can be correct.

If salvation required no effort on our part, as Mr. Warren, Augustine, Luther and Calvin urge, then why do these passages exist in the book of Acts, in which believers are urged to remain true to the Lord, and exhorted to continue in the faith? There would be no reason to urge Christians to continue in the faith if they were not at risk of turning away from the faith and losing their salvation. And if it took no effort on the part of Christians to be saved, then why are they being warned to not turn away from Christ? Clearly, if God really did all the work of salvation, then the apostles would never have been urging these new Christians to continue in the faith, because God would be keeping them in the faith entirely by God’s power.

What is not understood by many Protestant Christians is that salvation is a process. Everyone likes things to be simple. So, everyone likes to memorize a simple verse like: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31 NIV) To keep things simple, such people often prefer not to consider other Scriptures that explain salvation. However, the duty of a Christian is to consider all the Scriptures and interpret them together so that they all make sense, and so that one passage does not contradict another.

Salvation begins with placing your trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior. The repentant thief on the cross, next to Christ, did this and was promised salvation when he died later that day. So also, when anyone accepts Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are immediately placed into the category of saved individuals. If they died at that moment, they would receive eternal life. However, as mentioned before, to believe in Christ is to also believe in the words of Christ. And if the Scriptures say that you need baptism to wash away your sins and receive formal acceptance by God as a believer, then you must believe and obey that, because (as shown earlier) Christ said that those who do not obey him will not receive eternal life.

So, the process of salvation could be described as: we have been saved when we trusted Christ, we are continuing to be saved as we strive to obey Christ’s commands, and we will finally be saved if, when we die, we are still trusting in Christ and his words and trying to live by them.

"He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach -- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard." (Colossians 1:22-23 NASV)

This statement of Paul shows the past, present and future dimensions of salvation. Paul tells those Christians that they have already been reconciled, and, if they continue in the faith, will remain reconciled with God.[7] Those who follow the error of Augustine, Luther and Calvin, wrongfully assume that if you have already been reconciled, that you can never lose that reconciliation. But this is certainly not the case. Consider the following Scriptures:

"[Keep] holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1^st Timothy 1:19 NIV)

"The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1^st Timothy 4:1 NIV)

"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang." (1^st Timothy 6:10 NASV)

"Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith." (1^st Timothy 6:20-21 NIV)

Paul is talking to Timothy about people who were Christians, but then abandoned the faith. Notice that Paul does not describe them as pseudo-Christians, or as persons who simply appeared to be Christians, but as people who actually were true Christians. So, if a Christian can choose to abandon the faith, then it is clearly the Christian who is doing that, and not God making him do it. Therefore, salvation definitely requires our effort – otherwise, no one would ever fall away from the faith, and the above-quoted Scriptures would not exist.

Jesus also spoke in the Gospels about people who were Christians for awhile, but then turned away from the faith. In the parable of the sower, Jesus said:

"Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away[8]. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful[9]." (Mark 4:16-19 NIV)

Where Augustine, Luther and Calvin made a most serious mistake was in their interpretation of passages speaking of “works of the Law” or “works” or “law”. They interpreted these expressions to mean “good works” instead of its real meaning: “observance of the entire law of Moses”. Consider the following:

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law." (Romans 3:28 NASV)

"Nevertheless 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, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." (Galatians 2:16 NASV)

The phrase, ‘works of the law’, is used by Paul as a ‘term of art’ or a ‘technical term’ to mean “obedience to the entire Law of Moses”[10]. Sometimes, Paul shortens this even further, to ‘works’, instead of saying “obedience to the complete Law of Moses.” Or he says ‘law’, instead of saying “the entire Law of Moses.”[11] Paul was having to contend with a group historically referred to as the ‘Judaizers’, who were infiltrating new churches and trying to convince Christians that they had to be circumcised and obey the entire set of laws that were set forth in the Old Testament, including the ceremonial laws (like observing Jewish festivals and new moon Sabbaths, eating kosher food, etc.) in order to be Christians. Paul is saying that observance of the ‘entire law of Moses’ was no longer required after the coming of Christ.

However, Christ never abolished the non-ceremonial laws of Moses. All of the moral laws of Moses were still upheld. The law to love your neighbor as yourself was still taught by Christ. Similarly, the laws against murder, theft, adultery, etc., retained their binding force for Christians. So, when Paul seems to be saying that “works of the law” have nothing to do with salvation for Christians, he is talking about the ceremonial laws of Moses, and not the eternal moral laws of God which are binding upon all people for all times.

It is faith in Christ, and in Christ’s words, that we find salvation. Nevertheless, if you believe Christ’s words, you also believe that, as Christ himself said, only those who are obeying his commands will enter heaven.[12] This is what was taught and believed in the early church, immediately after the time of the Apostles.[13] Christians are still obligated to keep a “law”, but it is the “law of Christ”[14] (and sometimes called by synonymous expressions[15]), which still includes all of the moral (but not ceremonial) laws of Moses[16].

So, clearly, Paul is not saying that obedience to Christ through good works is unnecessary.[17] What he is saying is that circumcision, animal sacrifices, observance of the Passover, and other ceremonial ‘works’ required by the law of Moses, are no longer valid. The grace (i.e., favor, privilege) given by Christ to his followers, is salvation without having to obey the ceremonial laws of Moses.[18]

Conclusion of “Purpose Driven Life”: “God’s word is clear that you can’t earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort.” “While effort has nothing to do with your salvation, it has much to do with your spiritual growth.” (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 72, 175)

Outworking of “Purpose Driven Life” Conclusion: When people believe that no effort is required of them to be saved, then they will give no effort. They will consider a life in obedience to Christ’s commands as unnecessary, and will, consequently live a lifestyle that does not reflect Christ and does not draw non-believers to Christ. They will also go to hell in the final judgment because their lives were characterized more by catering to their own selfish desires instead of helping others.[19]

Conclusion from Scripture: Christians are required to not only initially trust in Christ, and thus trust what he says to be true, but must continue believing in Christ and his words, in order to hold onto their salvation and not fall away from the true faith. And, continuing to believe Christ’s words, they must continue to strive to obey his commands, because he tells them this is necessary in order to inherit eternal life.

Outworking of Scriptural Belief: If Christians understand the importance of helping others, in obedience to Christ’s commands, in order to hold on to the promise of eternal life, then their lifestyle will be exemplary and will be effective at drawing non-believers to Christ. Also, the active engagement of Christians in good works of taking care of the poor, homeless, hungry, etc., will ease the tax burden on their fellow citizens, and aid society as a whole, and earn Christians the respect of their peers as valued citizens in the community.

Memory Verses:

“But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13 NKJV)

“Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 NASV)

[1] This bishop is sometimes referred to as ‘Saint Augustine’, but should not be confused with another ‘Saint Augustine’, Augustine of Canterbury, a missionary to England who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury, and died in the early 7^th century.

[2] Born in France in 1509 and died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1564.

[3] Margaret Miles, “Augustine,” in Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, ed. Everett Ferguson (New York and London: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1990), pp. 124-25.

[4] See Martin Luther’s work, The Bondage of the Will, and John Calvin’s work, On Predestination and his Institutes of the Christian Religion.

[5] “Scripture cannot be broken.” (John 10:35 NASV) “But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’." (1^st Corinthians 1:18 NIV) In other words, since God is faithful, he is not contradictory, saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ or ‘black’ and ‘white’ at the same time. Any theology that holds that you can believe contradictory things is a false theology, because it denies God’s faithfulness. Such a theology presents us with a God who tells you one thing, with his fingers crossed behind his back, or with a wink in his eye, and then tells you something completely opposite. This is not the way Scripture portrays God.

[6] “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” (2^nd Timothy 3:16 NASV) “For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (2^nd Peter 1:21 NASV) The term, ‘prophecy’ (translated from the Greek word ‘propheteia’) means the speaking forth of God’s word, and does not necessarily include speaking of something to happen in the future, as is popularly believed. (See 1^st Chronicles 25:3 and Acts 2:11, 15-18) See BAGD Greek-English Lexicon. See also Friberg Analytical Lexicon.

[7] This requirement to continue in faith and obedience to Christ in order to be finally saved is not a new concept, but was the same operating principle God had in place in the Old Testament. Consider this passage from Ezekiel: “"When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die. But when I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and he turns from his sin and practices justice and righteousness, if a wicked man restores a pledge, pays back what he has taken by robbery, walks by the statutes which ensure life without committing iniquity, he will surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins that he has committed will be remembered against him. He has practiced justice and righteousness; he will surely live.” (Ezekiel 33:13-16 NASV)

[8] Some try to explain away the significance of this verse by saying that the person who “fell away” was never a true believer in the first place. However, the first part of the passage clearly says that the individual “received [the word of God] with joy.” There is no basis for saying that this passage does not describe a true believer deserting the Christian faith, especially in light of the many other passages of Scripture that speak of believers falling away from the faith.

[9] Being ‘unfruitful’, i.e., developing no fruits of good character (or ‘fruits of the spirit’) results in eternal damnation. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:5-6 NASV)

[10] “Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.” (Galatians 5:3 NIV); “Through him [i.e., Christ] everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the [entire] law of Moses.” (Acts 13:39 NIV); “But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the [whole] Law of Moses.’ And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.’" (Acts 15:5-11 NASV)

[11] Expressions are often shortened to save time in communicating. To one who is being taught the game of baseball, “first base” is the bag on the ground to the right of the pitcher (from the batter’s perspective), some yards distant from home base over which he is standing while batting. Then second and third bases are explained as to where they lay. Then the counter-clockwise order in which the bases are to be run is explained, etc. Later, after familiarity with the game, one may say, “He ran to first.” It is not necessary to call it “first base” because, in the context of discussing a baseball game, the other person knows that “first” means “first base.” Someone may say, “He rounded the bases.” This expression saves time, instead of having to say, “He ran to first base, then he ran to second base, then he ran to third base, and finally ran to home plate.” In the same way, Paul, as all good writers and speakers, shortened his expressions, to save time in conveying his message. If you have paid attention to the context of Paul’s discussions of ‘law’ and ‘works’, you will be aware that his discussions relate to controversies with the Judaizers described in the book of Acts. The controversy is over whether the ceremonial laws of Moses are still obligatory and binding upon Christians. Paul and the other Apostles believe that the moral law of Moses (e.g., forbidding murder, theft, adultery, etc.) is still binding upon Christians. But they reject the ceremonial laws of Moses (e.g., circumcision, animal sacrifice, etc.) as having no more validity, and being no longer pleasing to God. It is with the background of this controversy that Paul’s message must be understood. It is with this background that shortened expressions like ‘works’, ‘law’, ‘faith’, etc., must be understood. If you think about it, we use the term ‘faith’ in a shorthand way all the time, just as Paul did. Paul says, “a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28 NASV) Everyone has ‘faith’. The Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist have ‘faith’. They all believe in something. Paul, as we do ourselves, uses ‘faith’, in context, most often to mean whole-hearted trust in and allegiance to Jesus Christ and his words. But to recite a full-blown definition every time takes too long. To say “obedience to the entire law of Moses” also takes too long, when Paul can say “works of the law” or simply “works”.

[12] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21 NIV); "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36 NASV)

[13] See Appendix 3: The Early Church Fathers on Good Works near the end of this book.

[14] “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2 NIV); “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. . . . And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.” (Isaiah 42:1, 4 NASV); “To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.” (1^st Corinthians 9:20-21 NIV)

[15] “If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.” (James 2:8 NASV) The law of Christ, because of his role as king, is here called ‘royal law’, and defined as loving others. “This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:17 NIV) Christ’s “command” is a synonymous expression for Christ’s “law”. Christ’s law is summed up as “love one another.” ‘Love’ is a summary of all the moral commands in the Old Testament, because if you love another, you will not murder them, steal from them, commit adultery with their spouse, kidnap them, etc. In other words, if you love someone, you are going to obey God’s moral laws toward them.

[16] “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10 NIV) Paul is using the moral commandments of the law of Moses as examples of what it means to ‘love’ one’s neighbor. Thus, the law of Christ, to love one’s neighbor, is the same thing as obedience to the moral laws (not the ceremonial laws) of Moses.

[17] It should be mentioned that one is not initially accepted by God on the basis of his good works. No one is perfect, and everyone needs forgiveness of sins to enter heaven. Christ died for our sins, and trust in him includes trusting in his death as payment for our sins (i.e., accepting him as ‘Savior’). It is the forgiven sinner’s good deeds that are acceptable to God. The ‘good deeds’ of those who, in pride and conceit, think they have no sins that need to be forgiven, and think that upon their good deeds alone they can merit heaven without Christ’s payment for their sins, are sadly mistaken. It is against this idea of ‘good deeds alone are sufficient’ that Paul speaks when he says: “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom 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 3:5-7 NASV) Note also in this passage is the concept of having been initially saved, but not yet finally saved, since Paul says “we might be made heirs.” It is only those who continue, or ‘abide’, in Christ who shall finally be saved. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:6 NASV)

[18] “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law. You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love. You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth?” (Galatians 5:1-7 NRSV) Paul is condemning men who are circumcised out of a desire to obey the entire Law of Moses, and is not condemning those who may have been circumcised as children as part of an elective medical procedure. When Paul says “you who want to be justified by the law” he is again using the term ‘law’ to mean ‘keeping the entire law of Moses’. Notice also that what “counts” is “faith working through love” and “obeying the truth”. The terms ‘grace’ and ‘faith’, for Paul, are not concepts that negate the need for obedience to the commands of Christ.

[19] "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46 NIV) “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29 NASV)

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