Posting 5   ISN'T FAITH NECESSARY?

              “Isn’t faith necessary?” is a question that comes to mind when we seriously consider the premise of Evangelical Inclusivism, namely, “All persons will be saved except those who the Bible declares will be finally lost."

               Nowhere in all of Scripture do we read, neither is it implied nor to be inferred, that anyone suffers eternal death solely on the basis of his or her sin in Adam, apart from individual, personal, willful, persistent unbelief and sin on the part of the person so rejected (see Posting 2). If only those who willfully and persistently defy God’s will are lost, then it seems that all the others will be saved whether or not they believe. 

AN ACCOMPLISHED SALVATION

               Furthermore, there is nothing we can contribute toward our reconciliation with the Creator. Reconciliation (peace between God and sinners) is exclusively God's work. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself" (2 Cor. 5:17, 18, emphasis added). Faith is the fruit of the sovereign, electing grace of God working in the believer's heart, illuminating the mind, renewing the will, and creating new life. As Spurgeon noted, not one stitch of our own making can be found in our celestial garment. Or, to use the analogy of Martin Luther, “We have no more to do with our being born again than we had to do with our being born the first time."

              The Bible neither imposes a condition or prerequisite for sinners to be established in God's grace, nor does it indicate how those who are “dead in sin” would be able to fulfill any condition if it were required. This shalom (peace with God) is exclusively God's work completed for us in Christ, and is not dependent on some human act. This is seen in the analogy between Adam and Christ in Rom. 5:12–21. "For just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made [in the Greek "constituted"] sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus Christ] the many will be made [in the Greek "constituted"] righteous" (Rom 5:19). No further human act was necessary to make Adam's sin the sin of those he represented, so also no further human act is necessary to make the righteousness of Christ the righteousness of those who were represented by him.

               Those who will be saved were chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world. They were redeemed many years ago by the blood of Christ. In accordance with this election and redemption in Christ, the Holy Spirit works the miracle of grace in them.

FAITH IS A FRUIT NOT A CONDITION

               Faith does not bring about this new standing in the grace of God. As important as faith is, this is one thing faith cannot do. Faith is the fruit of God's grace already at work in the sinner's heart. "The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (Acts 16:14). Faith (the willingness and ability to believe) is something that God graciously gives to those for whom Christ died. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God─not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).  

                True faith is a matter of resting in, clinging to, and appropriating with a personal intensity the good news of God's Word regarding our already established new standing in Christ. This "new standing" was determined apart from any faith, act, or attitude of ours by the one "who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago" (2 Tim. 1:9, emphasis added). It was long ago that all those who will be saved were objectively saved as noted in Posting 4, “Objective and Subjective Salvation.”

                 As the Heidelberg Catechism expresses this truth, true faith is a knowledge, a conviction, and a deep-rooted assurance "that, out of sheer grace earned for us by Christ, not only others, but I too, have had my sins forgiven, have been made forever right with God and have been granted salvation" (Heid. Cat. Q & A 21, past tense emphasis added). Saving faith looks back to what God has already accomplished for the sinner by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

               This election does not take place because those who will be saved already were, in some small measure, what God required them to be. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). They were chosen in order that they may become what God wants them to be, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves" (Eph. 1:4–6).

       “Accordingly, election is the source of each of the benefits

        of salvation. Faith, holiness and the other saving gifts, and

        at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits

        and effects. As the apostle says, ‘He chose us (not because

        we were, but) so that we should be holy and blameless

        before him in love’ (Eph. 1:4).” (Canons of Dort, I, 9).

                 The preceding paragraphs referred to 2 Cor. 5:17, 18; Rom. 5:12–21; Eph. 2:8,9; 2 Tim. 1:9; and Eph. 1:4–6. These passages tell us something of what God did long ago to sovereignly bring about the reconciliation and salvation of those who were “dead in sin.” With all the above having been said, we may well be inclined to ask, “Isn’t faith necessary for salvation?” Sometimes these and similar passages appear too complicated for us to bother with. We would like to keep it simple.

                  One theologian suggested: "For a time let us try to forget what God may have done in eternity, and let us see what He has said and done in time through His gracious revelation [the Bible]. Thus we may be able to determine the ground of His discriminations between the finally saved and the finally lost. What does the Bible say?  We might cite hundreds of proof-texts, but a few of the outstanding ones will suffice."

               This theologian cited John 3:16 and similar texts that tell us that those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This is plain and simple and it keeps the way of salvation from becoming complicated. This theologian believes that there are those who will be saved because they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and all others who do not fulfill this requirement will be lost. This, he maintains, is simple and is the strongest possible motive for proclaiming the gospel to all persons everywhere.

THERE IS NO ‘BECAUSE’ IN JOHN 3:16

               Of course we have no right to "forget what God may have done in eternity" because “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for . . . training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Furthermore, in John 3:16–18 we again find that there is no condition or prerequisite for salvation but there is a condition or prescription for condemnation as noted in Posting 2, “Who Will Be Finally Lost?” 

              John 3:16 and similar texts are descriptive. They describe the actual situation that pertains to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. This is a firm, comforting and unshakeable reality: ". . . whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  This declaration does not say, and the Bible never says, they "have eternal life" because they believe in him. There is no "because" in John 3:16. 

              There is a "because" in John 3:18: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only son." The first part of verse 18, just like John 3:16, is descriptive and therefore has no "because" in it. The last part of verse 18 is prescriptive. It has a condition or prescription (a "because") for condemnation. They stand condemned "because" they have not believed. Condemnation is by works. 

              Salvation is by grace; condemnation is by works. It is significant that there is no "because" in John 3:16, but there is a "because" in John 3:18. Precisely insofar as salvation would be conditioned upon the sinner's act of faith, it would not be of grace.

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH OR BY GRACE?

               If salvation is by grace, why does Paul say we are "justified by faith" and "the promise comes by faith"? Faith is something that sinners do. They believe; they exercise faith. Why didn't Paul simply say we are "justified by grace" and "the promise comes by grace"?  This would have eliminated any possibility of sinners “boasting” about being “justified” or receiving “the promise.” 

             The answer is that Jews looked upon the law as God’s grace. In his grace (undeserved goodness) God gave the Jews his law, so that by keeping his law they could earn acceptance with God. God had not dealt so favorably with any other nation by giving them his law. To simply say they were "justified by grace" or "the promise comes by grace" would be understood by the Jews to mean they were “justified by keeping the law” that had been “graciously” given to them. They could “boast” about having kept the law and thereby in some measure earned their justification. It would have the very opposite meaning of what Paul intended.

               When the Bible says we are saved “by grace through faith” we must be careful not to think in terms of two entities “grace” and “faith.” To think of two entities again introduces a human action into our being justified, giving saved sinners reason to “boast.”  The phrase “by grace through faith” distinguishes this grace from the Jewish notion that “grace” comes through keeping the law. This is a “grace” that does not come by their own effort in keeping the law, it is a gift of God. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).  

                We do well to substitute the word "grace" in place of "faith" when referring to any blessing that is received “by faith."  The Bible never portrays faith as a condition that must be met in order to receive God’s gifts. "Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring" (Rom. 4:16). To be saved or "justified by faith" is to be "justified by grace." "There is no difference," everyone who is justified is "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).

              As we noted earlier, according to John 3:18b and other passages, some are condemned because they have "not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."  May we conclude from this fact that all who, for whatever reason, do not have a New Testament knowledge of Jesus Christ, will be finally lost because they have "not believed in the name of God's one and only Son"?

               There is a subtle but nevertheless very real hazard in trying "to forget what God may have done in eternity" and appeal only to the Bible's urgent call to faith. In the very nature of the case this urgent call to faith” comes only to accountable persons to whom the message of the Bible has been meaningfully communicated in the power of the Holy Spirit.

WHEN FAITH IS ESSENTIAL

              It is very obvious that the Bible not only warns against the serious consequences of persistent unbelief and sin, as we saw in Posting 2, but it also places as great an emphasis—if not greater—on the urgency and necessity of believing. The Bible demands that those who would be saved must "repent," "believe," "obey," "come to Christ," "follow him," and so on. But, strange as it may seem, none of these Spirit-directed activities are a prescription or prerequisite for our union with Christ, not even faith.

              None of these human activities, not even faith, is a requirement or condition for salvation without which God is either unable or unwilling to save the sinner. To claim that any such human act is essential before the miracle of grace can occur would place a restriction on the sovereign power of God to "save whom he will."

NO OTHER MEDIATING FACTOR

              We can agree with these words of Dr. John Murray:

               “The one ground upon which the imputation of the righteousness of Christ becomes ours is the union with Christ. In other words the justified person is constituted righteous by the obedience of Christ because of the solidarity established between Christ and the justified person. The solidarity constitutes the bond by which the righteousness of Christ becomes that of the believer. Once the solidarity is posited there is no other mediating factor that could be conceived as necessary to the conjunction of the righteousness of Christ and the righteousness of the believer” (The Imputation of Adam’s Sin, p. 70, Eerdmans, 1959, emphasis added). “No other mediating factor could be conceived,” not even faith.

              Any requirement or condition for salvation would be incompatible with the undeniable fact that by Adam’s transgression, he and his descendants became “dead” in sin, not merely weak or sick (Eph. 2:1). Before a sinner is transformed by the grace of God he or she is incapable of believing, repenting, or living in obedience to God’s will because he or she is “dead.”

              Furthermore, in this present age every human act (even those directed by the Holy Spirit) insofar as it remains the sinner's act or attitude, “is imperfect and stained with sin” (Heid. Cat. Q & A 62). It is as a "filthy rag" (Isa. 64:6). Nothing that is imperfect and stained with sin can be essential to our union with Christ. 

               Many theologians have noted that by the time a sinner is able and willing to repent, believe and/or obey, he or she has already been born again by the renewing Spirit of God. Apart from such a renewing they cannot do what God’s Word requires.

THE URGENCY OF FAITH

              Nevertheless, the urgency and necessity of faith cannot be overemphasized. By his Word and Spirit the Lord Jesus Christ gathers, defends, and preserves the members of his church. In the obedience of faith, and with the assurance instilled by that faith, believers become fellow-workers in God's kingdom. "The righteous will live by faith" (Rom. 1:17). Faith is a continuous and pervasive power in the Christian life. It appears that if nothing else, faith is one prerequisite, condition, or requirement for salvation.

                So the question persists: “Isn't a personal, knowledgeable faith in Jesus Christ necessary for salvation?”  The answer is an unqualified YES for everyone to whom the gospel is presented in a meaningful way. For these individuals a knowledgeable faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior is absolutely necessary and unbelief is damnable for them. This is not because their knowledgeable faith is a condition they have to meet in order to be saved.

THOSE WHO HEAR MUST REPENT, BELIEVE, AND OBEY!

                These demands are not imposed on this clearly defined segment of humanity (all accountable persons to whom the good news of salvation has been meaningfully communicated) in order that through these acts God's saving work may be actualized in their lives. Faith, repentance, and obedience are absolutely required of these persons because if they refuse to believe, repent, and obey, then they would be willfully defying the will of God as it has been made known to them. To neglect or remain indifferent to these demands would be for them a willful, deliberate, and damnable rebellion against the will of God as it has been made known to them in the gospel.

                To persist in rejecting or remaining indifferent to God's will for them will prove to be the cause of their eternal death. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Ps. 95:7, 8; Heb. 4:7). There is "life or death" urgency in being confronted with the gospel and its demand to believe and obey.

HEBREWS 11

              Heb. 11, with its list of “heroes of faith,” seems to say that faith was the one condition that made these heroes pleasing to God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6). These “heroes” were in a situation exactly parallel to “all accountable persons to whom the good news of salvation has been meaningfully communicated.” All these persons had the “things promised” made known to them: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw and welcomed them from a distance” (Heb. 11:13) and “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” (Heb. 11:39). It was not their act of believing that merited God’s approval, but if they had disbelieved “the things promised” they would neither have been commended nor would they receive what was promised.

               Might it be better for some persons to remain ignorant of the gospel so they will not reject it?  No, because the teaching of the Scriptures is not that “All persons will be saved except those who ultimately reject or remain indifferent to the truth of the gospel.”  The exceptions are: “all those who persist in rejecting or remaining indifferent to whatever revelation of himself God has given to them, whether in nature/conscience (Rom. 1 & 2) or in gospel proclamation.”

              It is true that those who reject the greater truth will receive a greater punishment (Heb. 10:29). Whatever light God gives by whatever means is the “true light” (John 1:9, Acts 17:23, Rom. 2:14, 15, 26). Therefore it is impossible for anyone who has said "YES" to the lesser light of nature and conscience to say "NO" to the greater light that breaks forth from the gospel. Similarly, those who reject the lesser light will reject the greater light (Luke 16:31, Rev. 22:11).

WHEN WORKS ARE ESSENTIAL

              In the very same way that we are “justified by faith,” we are “justified by our works." Neither our works nor our faith is a condition that must be fulfilled in order to merit God’s favor. But to refuse to believe or do such works is to reject or remain indifferent to God's will for his people. Such persistent indifference to or rebellion against God’s will for their life will bring to sinners the fatal consequence of eternal death. So it can be said that we are justified by what we do as well as by what we believe: "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone" (James 2:24; Rom. 1:5; 15:18). 

             The fact that accountable persons to whom the gospel has been presented in a meaningful way are required to believe "in the name of God's one and only Son" does not permit us to deduce that there is an essential correlation between such a New Testament knowledge of Jesus Christ and salvation. Babies who die in infancy, mentally challenged persons, and those who never hear the good news during their lifetime on earth are not among those “accountable persons to whom the gospel has come in a meaningful way.” It is totally unwarranted to hold all persons to the same requirements regardless of the circumstances in which their entire life was lived. God’s judgments will be just (see Rom. 2:1–16).

               No question of fairness arises out of the revealed cause of salvation or the revealed basis of damnation. On the one hand, God surely has the right to sovereignly and graciously grant his salvation to those whom he will. On the other hand, those who are finally lost have personally, willfully, and persistently chosen to reject or remain indifferent to whatever light has been given to them. They receive the just consequence of their deeds. 

GOD’S DISCRIMINATIONS

               However, even with this perspective of Evangelical Inclusivism, God’s “discriminations" do not make sense to us. They are not "logical."  Those who will be finally saved would have followed the same path as those who are finally lost, if it were not for the sovereign, electing grace of God that gives them the gifts of repentance, faith, and a willingness to walk in God's ways. 

              How can that be?  The answer to this question is not given to us and we may not put God on trial. Believers gratefully recognize that they have no obligation to resolve this perceived problem. One merely traces the lines laid out in God's inspired Word and humbly accepts them.