Did St. Augustine Believe in Salvation by Faith Alone?

If there’s one Church Father that Protestants tend to respect (and want to recruit for their side of Catholic-Protestant questions), it’s St. Augustine. Martin Luther said that Augustine “did more than all the bishops and popes who cannot hold a candle to him,” and “if he lived now, he would side with us, but Jerome would condemn us.” It’s popular to make some variation of that claim… that had Augustine were alive in the 16th century (or today), he would be a Protestant. B.B. Warfield claimed that “the Reformation, inwardly considered, was just the ultimate triumph of Augustine’s doctrine of grace over Augustine’s doctrine of the Church.”

Obviously, Augustine was a Catholic bishop, and Protestants can’t accept that. But theologically, Protestants sometimes like to claim Augustine him as one of their own on issues like justification. Protestants tend to believe in justification (that justification is by faith alone), while Catholics believe that while initial justification is by faith alone, that faith must be joined by active charity (taking the form of good works), or it’s worthless. Nathan Busenitz, taking the Protestant view, claims that “sola fide wasn’t a 16th century invention,” and says that “Augustine—whose teaching on justification is strongly debated—may indeed be seen as a theological forefather of the Reformers.” It’s worth noting that Luther (who invented sola fide) actually rejected this idea, saying that “Although good and holy, he [Augustine] was yet lacking in the true faith, as well as the other fathers.” When Catholics say that Luther’s position on justification is contrary to all of the Church Fathers, they’re just agreeing with the man himself. But what of Augustine himself?

If I’m being honest, part of me questions the intellectual integrity of the people trying to claim Augustine as a Protestant on justification, for three reasons. First, because the Reformers themselves seemed to be aware that they were rejecting Augustine (and everyone else) on this point. Second, because the people making this claim tend to argue against a total straw-man of the Catholic view, as if we were teaching Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism (and anyone who thinks this either hasn’t studied, or doesn’t understand, the Catholic position). And third, because the people claiming Augustine rejected salvation by faith and works tend to totally ignore the book he wrote called On Faith and Works. If you were trying to actually find out what the man believed (rather than proof-texting him to agree with your preexisting beliefs), maybe reading the book he wrote on the subject would help? And sure enough, Augustine could not be clearer:

Let us now consider the question of faith. In the first place, we feel that we should advise the faithful that they would endanger the salvation of their souls if they acted on the false assurance that faith alone is sufficient for salvation or that they need not perform good works in order to be saved. This, in fact, is what some had thought even in the time of the apostles. For at that time there were some who did not understand certain rather obscure passages of St. Paul, and who thought therefore that he had said: Let us do evil that there may come good [Rom. 3:8]. [….]

When St. Paul says, therefore, that man is justified by faith and not by the observance of the law [Rom. 3:28]. he does not mean that good works are not necessary or that it is enough to receive and to profess the faith and no more. What he means rather and what he wants us to understand is that man can be justified by faith, even though he has not previously performed any works of the law. For the works of the law are meritorious not before but after justification. But there is no need to discuss this matter any further, especially since I have treated of it at length in another book entitled On the Letter and the Spirit.

As we have said above, this opinion originated in the time of the apostles, and that is why we find some of them, for example, Peter, John, James, and Jude, writing against it in their epistles and asserting very strongly that faith is no good without works. [….] We can see, then, why St. Peter in his second epistle urges the faithful to live good and holy lives, reminding them that this world will pass away and that they are to look for new heavens and a new earth which the just will inhabit, and that, consequently, they ought to live as as to be worthy of such a dwelling place. He was aware of the fact that certain unrighteous men had interpreted certain rather obscure passages of St. Paul to mean that they did not have to lead a good life, since they were assured of salvation as long as they had the faith. He warns them that, although there are certain passages in the epistles of St. Paul which are hard to understand – which passages some have misinterpreted, as they have other passages of Sacred Scripture, but to their own ruin – nevertheless, St. Paul has the same mind on the question of eternal salvation as have all the other apostles, namely, that eternal salvation will not be given except to those who lead a good life.

So what can we take from that?

  • Augustine believed (as the Catholic Church does today) that initial justification is by faith alone, but that good works are required for salvation after this;
  • Augustine believed that these good works were meritorious;
  • Augustine very explicitly rejected the idea of salvation by faith alone;
  • Augustine believed that this heresy was around in the time of the Apostles, and that big portions of the New Testament were written rebutting it;
  • Augustine believes that it’s possible to have faith and not love, and that such a faith is unsaving (in other words, he rejects the modern Protestant myth that if you have faith, you’ll just “naturally” have the theological virtue of charity, or “automatically” do good works); and
  • Augustine believes that St. Peter, in 2 Peter 3:14-17, is specifically warning that people are misunderstanding Paul to mean sola fide when he doesn’t.

These are all precisely what modern Catholics believe, and Augustine doesn’t beat around the bush in saying any of this. One of the implications of this should be clear: not everyone who rejects sola fide is a Pelagian! Augustine is the single most important figure in stopping the spread of Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism, and he did so while also not holding to sola fide. So the Protestant apologists who treat Pelagianism and Protestantism as the only two options are clearly wrong.

Now, if, as a Protestant, you read this and say, “Augustine’s views are my views, too!” then congrats, it turns out that you believe the same thing as the Catholic Church. That’s great! On the other hand, there are Protestants who think that anyone (including Augustine!) who believes these things can’t even be considered a Christian. But there you go. Those are the stakes. You can agree with Augustine on justification, or you can agree with the Reformers, but you can’t pretend the two agree with one another or taught basically the same thing.

30 comments

  1. This always intrigues me – my totally uneducated take on this is that if one has true faith one cannot help but do good works so it is faith and good works. One can do good works without faith but not vice-versa, however we may not recognize the good works of others so it isn’t up to us to judge, that’s between the person and God. Again just my interpretation without any theology background.

    1. If one cannot help but do good works, why does page after page of the New Testament instruct Christians to do them? If works are inevitable, this seems rather redundant.

      In the Epistle of James, the author doesn’t criticize anyone’s faith. They have faith. What he criticizes folks for is what they don’t have, namely works. He doesn’t say that faith without works is impossible, he says that faith without works is incomplete, barren, and dead.

      1. Your comment within itself is a contradiction. All he does is criticize “faith” as he uses the same word for a real justification as the Father declares, AND DARE USES THE SAME WORD FOR the DEMONS FAITH. James was the first one of RC salvific view of salvation, NOT PETER, who always believed in Sola Fide. Most Theologians have EXED out Romans 4:5 BECAUSE THE NATURAL SINFUL INCLINATION OF MAN IS THAT PAUL’s Gospel is ”
        too easy” Romans 4:5 , HOW COULD ANYTHING INVOLVING ETERNITY BE EASIER THAN THIS:” Note that he speaks about a CONTINUAL CONDITION: “For he who Believes and does not work, His faith is accounted for being made right in God’s eyes. ie he is JUSTIFIED. I bet if the “Passover” where God told the fathers of sons to put some blood on the doorpost..Theologians would say, it needs to be ABblood, put in a square etc. Faith in Christ’s efficacious sacrifice AND NOTHING ELSE is the deal offered. Take it or leave it and perish. God proactively rejects it so the law lovers would have no excuse being warned.

        1. I am not saying we should not do good works. I am not saying that Christians should not bear fruit. The Bible is clear that as Christians, followers of Jesus, that we are created in Him to do good works.

          I am simply saying that works are not tied to salvation. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit moves and guides us to be like Christ. We should do good works. We should be baptized, we should take communion, but if we fail to do these things, will God deny us entry into heaven? The thief on the cross did none of these things.

          How many works must I do to guarantee my salvation? Again, 1 John 5:13 tells me I can know that I am saved, that I have eternal life. So, give me the list of fruit that I must bear to convince myself, and God, that I am saved.

          What works have you done to warrant entry into heaven? Give all of us the list, so we can compare our works to yours, Mother Teresa, and the Pope. Give us all you have, so we will have a standard to go by.

          You have quoted James. James 2:10 says if we break one commandment, we have broken them all. Have you lived up to the 10 commandments, while bearing fruit? Have you lived up to the Sermon on the Mount? Again, give us your standard, so we can all “measure up”.

          1. It’s unfortunate how you have reduced this argument down to simply faith versus works, when in fact there is so much more to it, namely the big “O” word, and that is obedience. You are correct in that quantifiable works are not related to Salvation, but the Bible assures us that obedience is. Part of obedience is repentance. Repentance is a change of mind and complete change of life, denial of self, picking up a cross and following Jesus. You can call that a “work“ if it satisfies your theological position and makes it look more secure, but in biblical truth, repentance is a commandment, and repenting is an act of LOVE and FAITH in response to it. Therein lies the problem with positions such as yours about faith versus works: you forget love of God; specifically, what it means to love God. God told us. He said “if you love me you will KEEP my commands.“ That means you will DO the word. That means you will be faithful and loyal to Him in all you do, as a spouse is loyal to their spouse in a marriage. And as the scripture states, if you decide to disobey Him and not be faithful towards Him and reject His commands, including denying His son, He will deny you on the last day. Let me conclude with this: it is true that we are saved by faith and our works cannot save us. However, faith includes trust and obedience. That includes holiness. And the scripture says “without holiness no one will see God.” Mere belief of Jesus is not enough; As the scripture says you must believe “IN” Jesus, including in John’s letters. When you believe in Jesus you do what Jesus says. He himself said men will be judged according to their deeds.

        2. Matthew 19: 16-30, Mark 10: 17-31, and Luke 18: 18-30 are a repeat story of a rich young ruler who basically asks Jesus “what good things (deeds) must I do to have etetnal life”. The Catholic Church uses this analogy to support their doctrine of “fruit inspectors”.

          Notice that all three stories are almost identical. It is astonishing that three different writers told the exact same story. It gives validity to the Bible.

          In all three episodes, Jesus said that the good deeds he was speaking of resulted in “treasures” (rewards) in heaven. He did not say the rich ruler would obtain salvation.
          In reality, the man walked away.

          Look closely at Matthew 19 verse 25 and 26. The disciples are amazed at what Jesus told the young man, so amazed they ask Jesus how is it possible for anyone to be saved under these conditions. Jesus answered that it is impossible for man to save himself (cannot be earned) only possible with God ( in other words “grace”).

          Good works are wonderful. It is good to follow in the footsteps of our master.. Good works should not be taken lightly. Great rewards are in store for those who do good works.

          I can quote many more verses where the KJV says that our stored treasures for our works are “unspeakable”. The brain of human beings are not even wired to understand. It would be like trying to explain to a grasshopper how a computer works. But, the works are not connected to our salvation.

          Mother Teresa is in heaven. I believe it with all my heart. Her treasures there are unspeakable. But she is there because of 1 Cor 15: 1-4, not because of her works.

        3. The error here is conflating justification by the law with obedience. They are not the same. Just because one is obedient to God and doing the good works that he has literally created for them before their existence does not mean they are trying to be justified by adherence to the law or by their good works. The scripture is clear through and through: God desires that we know him and love him. Love requires faithfulness and action, just like a marriage. There’s a difference between saying love and doing love. The scripture warns us that we must not just be hearers of the word, we must be doers of the word or else we are deceived and we don’t even know who we are in Christ Jesus (read James). Jesus said the same “blessed rather are those who DO the word.” Why does obediently
          “doing the Word” always have to be dismissed as adhering to the law and being some sort of legalist? What a cheap and intellectually dishonest way out of the debate. But more than that, it is a denial of the necessity of holiness.

          1. I have been around faith-alone believers all of my life. They are some of the most Godly people I know of. We trust, obey, and love Jesus in response to His free gift of grace. In fact, we love, trust, and honorJesus so much that we go straight to Him for forgiveness, not to a priest that is more sinful and less holy than we are.

          2. The cultist perception of justification by faith alone, is that faith alone believers are saved no matter what we do, having no consequences for lack of obedience and holiness. We are thereby guilty of “cheap grace”, and free to sin aimlessly, so long as we believe in 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4. This is not our position, nor is it a biblical position.

            Yes, we are saved by faith alone, but never a faith that remains alone (James 2:17) KJV. The 10 commandments are our standard and guide in life for our committment to righteous living. Many protestant denominations believe there are two final judgements (1) White Throne Judgement for the unsaved (2) Judgement Seat of Christ (Bema Seat) for the saved , where rewards are given for our Christian behavior and life experiences.( Luke 19: 11-27) explains that Jesus expects interest and gain from His servants. (1Cor 3: 13-15) discusses the rewards.

            The believer who is denied any reward is still saved (Romans 4:5).Therefore we walk in faith, not in fear, that God will snatch away our free gift of salvation because we stumble and fall, somehow failing to hold up our end of the bargain. Christians should take their commitment of obedience and holiness seriously and soberly, for at the Bema Seat, we will be justly rewarded for our christian behavior. We will give an account for our recklessness and neglect as believers (Gal. 6: 7,8) “.. be not deceived, God is not mocked”, and the rewards we lose are unspeakable treasures in heaven.

  2. Faith alone is a ridiculous doctrine. Jesus, in so many Gospel sayings teaches differently. For instance:

    “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

    To do the will of His Father, means ‘to do’ something…and in fact….MANY THINGS.

    ” Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, YOU THAT WORK INIQUITY.

    So, it is not so much about doing ‘works’ as it is about what is the moral qaulity of “the works”…that is, avoiding or not committing ‘evil works’. Many Protestants brush this over and include both good works and evil works in the same category, and hope to get a pass on their evil works. Rather, this is why Jesus said ” Whose sins you forgive will be forgiven, whose sins you retain shall be retained”. When a Christian commits evil works, he should return to the Church to be forgiven the sins committed by a contrite confession.

    But Luther taught: “No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? ”

    Who should you believe, Jesus or the ‘Father of Protestantism’ Martin Luther? Jesus teaches us to ‘follow Him’…and that means in trying to do ‘good works’, as He did, in this world. And, absolutely, evil works are strongly condemned by Christ as verified in the above quote: “depart from me, YOU THAT WORK INIQUITY.”

    1. No, the “will of the father” is not to do works”.

      John 6:40 ” for this is the will of the Father, that everyone who sees the son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise Him on the last day.”

      The will of the father is to believe in His son, His death, burial, and resurrection. See 1 Cor 15: 1-4. (USCCB) CATHOLIC BIBLE) See verse 3 especially. “Of first importance is the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection”.

      Works are important. They decide our treasures stored in heaven, but we are saved by believing in the Gospel. Do not let works minimize the Gospel. A purpose driven works always should take the rear seat to the Gospel.

    2. Matthew 7:21-23. Is often called “the scariest verses in the Bible, because it shows there will be people who really believe they are saved, but Jesus says they are not.

      So, let us take a good look at these frightening verses.
      I will quote from the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) [Catholic Version]

      (21) Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

      (22) Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name.

      (23) Then I will declare to them solemnly, “I never knew you, depart from me, you evil doer.”

      Verse 22 is all works. Baptism, communion, repenting of sin, prophesying, driving out demons, are all works done by men. The last sentence even states “mighty deeds” (mighty works) in His name.

      These scary verses are all about people who are doing mighty works in His name, thinking that it will gain them entrance into His kingdom.

      This is straight from the Catholic Bible translation.

      Verse 21 says that only the ones who does the “will of my Father” will go to heaven. John 6:40 tells us the will of the father” is that we accept His son and His resurrection.

      So, these scary verses are warning people that only those who believe in Jesus, His resurrection, and not mighty deeds, will enter into the Kingdom of heaven. It is from the Catholic Bible version, so I assume the Catholic Church has put their stamp of approval on these verses.

      1. One more really scary verse in the Bible is Galations 5:4 (KJV) “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace”.

        Alternate translation (KJV) “You have become estranged from Christ, whosoever of you attempt to be justified by law; ye are fallen from grace”.

        Those who depend on works of the law for righeousness ( being spotless) are separated from Christ and are fallen from grace. This verse is written so plain a child can understand it.

        1. That is speaking of the Jewish law in regards to the Judaizers. To compare the Judaizers to Catholics demonstrates an ignorance of the controversy that was taking place.

          1. Romans 4:5 “but to Him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righeousness”. Ephesians 1: 13-14 “We are sealed with the Holy Spirit after trusting the Gospel of salvation”. What is the Gospel of salvation? Read 1 Cor 15: 1-4. Other faith alone verses include Titus 3:5, Romans 11:6, Galations 2:16, John 6:40, John 5:24, John 1:12, John 3:16, Galations 3:26. Due to brevity I will stop here. Those who refuse to accept these verses will not accept a hundred more.

            In conclusion, John 5:39 (Jesus speaking), “search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” The scriptures point to Jesus!!!
            Of course, the scriptures can only be interpreted by the catholic church; peons like me are not trusted to interpret their meaning.

  3. Thank-you for taking this on. Calvinist likewise try to paint St. Augustine as against free will and try to use him to support their TULIP ideas of irresistible grace. St. Augustine also wrote a book “Grace and Free Will”. Curious how too many of these reformers want to claim St. Augustine.

  4. From an Evangelical website, The Gospel Coalition (Prai-iiiise Jesus, Hallelujah!) website – misspellings are theirs:

    According to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, 46 percent of U.S. Protestants agree that faith alone is needed to get into heaven while 52 percent say both good deeds and faith are needed to get into heaven. Originally, I had read that statement to mean that faith alone was needed for justification since that is the what seperates Catholics from Protestants, which was the point of Pew’s survey. Pew specifically identifies this as the sola fide (faith alone) position, which is indeed what Protestants believe about justification.

    Here comes the Reformista theological pretzel-making:

    However, as one theologian has pointed out to me, “We are justified by faith alone, with no works whatsoever as the necessary instrument. But we do not ‘get into heaven’ without the confirmation of that faith through good deeds, as many texts in the New Testament affirm, and which Protestants have historically believed.”

    I nearly split a gut, or in Internet lingo, LMAO….

    1. Another beam expertly plucked AK.

      So what “good deeds” has the curia decided a Roman Catholic needs to be saved?

      I mean what’s the latest version?

      Pretzel-thinking is calling some mortal man “The Holy Father” when He whom you claim to worship specifically commanded us not to do so. Actually, as abominations go, it’s worse because the word “Holy” was inserted to compound the insult. Untie that pretzel if you can.

      And while you’re cleaning up, where in Scripture does it say Peter’s mandate was unique or that it passed to his purported successors?

      And how does it differ from Matt. 18:18-20?

  5. This nice quote from Benedict XVI might be of help here:

    “Luther’s phrase ‘faith alone’ is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification, St Paul speaks of faith that works through love.”

    I am not protestant, but I’ve always understood the concept of justification by faith alone this way, sort of. Yes, a christian is called to perform good works, in fact he has to do them (this the part some protestants get wrong, perhaps), but no, works cannot “buy” you your salvation (this is where some catholics may be mistaken).

    Yeah, I know this has nothing to do with Augustine himself, just my two cents.

    1. I wonder of those protestants who claim to believe that faith alone will suffice for salvation are more or less foolish than those who believe(d) they might buy or sell salvation?

      Christ said very clearly and repeatedly that works, indeed mighty works, are required for salvation, and He also promised that those who believe would do all He did and more.

      Happily He knows what each of us is capable of and why. As for us, we had best find out!

  6. From Eric Metaxas, Martin Luther, pp. 42-43:

    “Although the theology of the Christian faith had always been that God saved us from our sins –that Jesus was the Savior, not we — and that in his mercy and love God rescued us who could not rescue ourselves, ther had nonetheless crept into the reality of Christian life another idea altogether, one that was dramatically opposed to this first idea. There was in medieval Christian life the strong implication that if one could not earn one’s own salvation outright, one could certainly gto a long way toward earning it, and one had better do what one could. Had not others distinguished themselves in holy living? Had not the saints shown that it was possible to live holy lives? Had not even Saint Paul said we were to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”? So the theology of the church had strayed very far from the pure idea that God saved us, and strong implied that, on the contrary we must save ourselves.”

  7. 1 Cor 15: 1-4 and Romans 10:9 states we are saved by believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection.There are over 100 verses in the KJV that says we are saved by faith alone. Paul taught faith alone.

    1John 5:13 says we can know we are saved. How many good works must we do to know we are saved? Which good works should we emphasize first? Where is the list of good works that assures me (and God) that I am truly saved? Are some works more important than others? Must I do more good works than my fellow christians? Does God compare my works to my pastor, who is almost a saint, or to Mother Teresa who is already a saint? How can I ever be sure I am doing enough, even though John the Apostle says I can know I am saved?

    Jesus told the woman at the well that if she would only draw one time from His well, she would have everlasting life. She confirms what He said by replying, ” give me to drink, so I will not have to draw again”. One draw, for one moment, and the result was everlasting life. It is obvious Jesus is speaking of salvation.

    Did Jesus lie to the woman at the well? If He did, how do we trust Him in other verses in the Bible? The thief on the cross did no good works. Jesus told him He would meet him in paradise that same day, simply for believing in Him, who He claimed to be, while dying on the cross. Did Jesus lie to the thief?

    Jesus says we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become like a child. Salvation is so simple a child can understand it, yet it has become so complicated that even theologians are confused, constantly argue about it. What ever happened to the ” simplicity in Christ” the Bible tells us about?

    We are saved at the cross, but… There is always a “but” and each religion adds their required works after the “but”. No small wonder young people are leaving our churches. Christianity is just too complicated to understand, too many rules, too many laws, too many works, and those who teach works never offer up the list of works that will guarantee our salvation, even though John says we can know.

  8. Never look at your works, rather ask- Is my trust for entering heaven of the Holy God, resting completely on Christ;s eternal and efficacious, “becoming sin for me? IF YES, hang onto that promise, PERIOD. Because you can not become a Christian by doing, only by believing. ROMAN S 4:5

    THE GOSPEL IS ‘
    too good to be true until God allows you repentance WHICH MEANS=- CHANGING ONES MIND!! ( Please CHECK THAT)

    1. Praise the Lord! I learned years ago I cannot save myself. Isaiah 64:6, “all of our righteousness is like a filthy rag”. What can I possibly do to please a Holy and perfect God when, at my best, I am a filthy rag.

      James 2:10 ” break one commandment, and we have broken them all”. So, how does anyone “measure up” by their works.

      I am not saved because I picked up my cross and followed Jesus. I am saved because Jesus picked up His own cross, suffered, died, buried, and resurrected–and I believed!

      I am not saved because I gave my all to Jesus. I am saved because Jesus gave His all on the cross.

      I am not saved by repenting of my sins. I am saved because Jesus washed away my sins on the cross.

      Oh, how I wish I could live up to the Sermon on the Mount. Then, maybe I could convince myself and God that I am truly saved. I have tried, but failed miserably. So, I have turned to Jesus. Matthew 11:28-30 ” come to me who are weary and I will give you rest”.

      Roman’s 10:11 ” those who believe on Him will not be put to shame”. One day, I will collect on that awesome promise”…

      Jesus Paid it All. All to Him I owe. He washed my sins as white as snow.

  9. It is clear that ‘By faith alone’ or ‘Not by faith alone’ has been a controversial point throughout history of the body of Christ. But you can question what Paul precisely understood by adding ‘not by works’. The Farizees f.e. imposing their religious views on the people, did themselves their utmost best to fulfill the whole list of works thereby regarding themselves righteous. And we also know how Jesus regarded these kind of works. Those works only led to self-righteous people because they were simply void of love. Then we have the seemingly contradictory statements of Paul and James on Abraham’s faith or works being taken for his righteousness. Yet it is clear to me that the holy scripture, being inspired by the holy spirit, does not conflict with itself and that James and Paul thereby must have the same gospel message. For getting peace of mind on this I find John’s first letter very helpful and more precisely his third chapter. His whole letter deals in a way with this issue that was already a hot topic from the very beginning. In chapter 3: 23, John makes an overall statement of utmost importance “And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps His commandments remains in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He remains in us: by the Spirit He has given us.” We therefor cannot do the one without the other. Jesus Christ died for me and only through him alone can I enter. It is all God’s doing and faith makes me a partaker of it. There is no other way and it is the very truth. All praises be to him. But equally important is his command to love one another. Over and over again Jesus stressed this command as crucial and not optional! Obeing both of them ensures that we remain in God and God in us. John stipulates also in his prior chapters that not loving equals sinning and that this is serious. However, and again all praise to God, John adds in chapter 2: 1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Notice that he speaks to believers, his little children and that it is Jesus (whom we accepted as our savour by faith as the first part of God’s command) who pleades for us. I hope this is helpful.

  10. Very well stated. There are two verses that give me great comfort: (1) John 1 :29 “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world”. (notice that Jesus, not man, or baptism, removes sin) and (2) Romans 10:11 “those who believe on Him will not be put to shame”. This is a promise I expect Jesus to keep. If we believe on Him, we are safe.

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