Will We Be Finally ‘Saved’ by Faith Alone?

[Music] all right pastor john today we address a controversy that you stirred up online back on uh september 25th of last year 2017. just as protestants around the globe were beginning to celebrate the reformation's 500th birthday you spoil you spoil the party with an article titled does god really save us by faith alone in which you answered no we are not saved by faith alone leaving protestants everywhere dumbfounded and scratching their heads in wishing more clarity here a podcast listener named sam wrote us to ask this hello pastor john i've read your article on justification saying that we are justified by faith alone but we are not ultimately saved by faith alone you argue that works must be present for final salvation or glorification to be completed two questions for you number one can you explain this a little further on air and number two what then is the link between justification and glorification from what i see in romans 8 30 glorification is secured by our justification how would salvation and works fit between the link here in paul's mind well thank you sam i love to talk about this issue because it it is endlessly perplexing for people and every effort we can make to clarify it the better so let's start with some clarifications the biblical term salvation is used to cover past present and future dimensions of god's work to bring us into everlasting perfection and joy ephesians 2 8 having been saved first corinthians 1 18 we are being saved romans 13 11 salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed so past present process future completion this is why we we have to be so careful about using the term justification interchangeably with salvation causes so much confusion justification as we ordinarily use the term as paul ordinarily uses the term refers not to a process but salvation sometimes does refer to a process justification is the point point point like in geometry where the holy spirit opens our blind eyes to see christ for who he really is unites us to christ by faith alone so that in that instant at that point we pass from being under condemnation into god's being 100 for us no virtue no works in us brought about this new standing with god justification is instantaneous and unchanging on the basis of the blood and righteousness of christ alone we are counted instantaneously as righteous and god is a hundred percent for us from then on we're connected with this new experience of acceptance with god by being one with christ through faith alone and that happens in an instant now the question rises how do our good deeds then fit with justification and final salvation and my answer is and it's the answer of the entire mainstream of the reformed tradition and and really not just calvinists would talk this way many others would as well works play no role whatsoever in justification but are the necessary fruit of justifying faith which confirm this fruit confirms our faith and our union with christ at the last judgment so so god can make a a public pronouncement with a view to these works confirming the faith which alone unites us to christ who is alone the foundation of our acceptance is perfect in god's sight so here's what the westminster confession says from 350 years ago faith thus receiving and resting on christ in his righteousness is the alone instrument the the only the soul instrument of justification distinguishing instrument from basis the alone instrument or means of justification yet is it not alone in the person justified but is ever important word accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith but works by love end of quote now that is an allusion to galatians 5 6 where paul says in christ jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything but only faith working through love so the faith that justifies is the sort of faith that bears the fruit of good works love james 2 17 faith if it has no works is dead being by itself dead faith doesn't justify anybody therefore faith without works is not the kind of faith that justifies anybody and these works are and here starts to get difficult for people but let me see if i can help these works are necessary hebrews says strive for the peace strive key word strive for the peace with their with peace with everyone and strive for the holiness without which no one will see the lord hebrews 12 14. so we won't see the lord jesus that is we won't be finally saved without this striven for holiness and what is that or why why is that because the apostle john says first john 2 4 3 14 other places the one who says i have come to know god and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him or says later 3 14 we know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren that's how we know it's confirmed he who does not love abides in death in other words you haven't been born again you haven't been united to christ you don't have saving faith because it's not confirmed by love so obedience and love are the necessary confirmations that we are born again truly united to christ by faith alone or here's the way paul says it in 2 thessalonians 2 to 13 god chose you as the firstfruits to be saved through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth so we are not justified through sanctification let me say it again we are not justified through sanctification but we are finally saved through sanctification that is through a real change in our hearts and minds and lives without which we will not see the lord now people hear this if they haven't been well taught on these things here's what people do they hear this they say whoa necessary you see they're necessary for final salvation and they draw two inferences from that statement and both of them are false number one therefore they say final salvation is dependent on us decisively on us and here's the next false inference therefore it's uncertain i could fail i could lose my salvation i could i could be justified and then not be justified the child of god might lose his justification now both those inferences are dead wrong both logically wrong and biblically wrong the second one is wrong because the bible says he who began a good work in you will complete it at the day of christ you won't lose it and romans 8 30 says those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified no dropouts no dropouts at any one of those links in the chain no dropouts between justification and glorification i'll say it again those whom he justified in the twinkling of an eye by faith alone in union with christ once and for all will be all of them no exceptions will be glorified the reason no one will lose his justification is because god is the decisive worker we work but we're not the decisive worker philippians 2 12 work out your own salvation by all means strive for the holiness without which no one will see the lord work out your salvation with fear and trembling why because it is god who is at work in you both to will and to work for his goods pleasure so god's sovereign keeping and working is the basis of our pursuit of holiness the basis of it the basis of it the ground of it i start with the fact that i am kept i start with the fact that i'm justified i start with the fact that god is 100 for me and on the basis of that i pursue the killing of my sin here's here's what paul says in philippians 3 12 i love this he says not that i am already perfect but i press on to make it my own because christ jesus has made me his own oh get that logic right so when sam asks as he does at the end how would salvation and works fit between the link in paul's mind between justification and glorification where paul says all those who are justified are glorified he's asking how does salvation and works fit in there the answer is this glorification in paul's thinking is a process that begins at conversion it doesn't begin at the last judgment it begins at conversion and includes sanctification it's consummated at final salvation we know this because of second corinthians 3 18 where we look to jesus and and are being changed from one degree of glory glory to the next that's glory fication right now as we look to jesus and and in romans 8 30 then all the justified will be glorified includes the promise all the justified will be sanctified because sanctification is included in glorification our assurance of final salvation which is so precious we we don't believe that people should walk around unsure our assurance of final salvation rests on god's past work by christ and his future work by the spirit in us and both one outside of us one in us both rooted in god's faithfulness to his covenant people and i'll read this as my last verse this is first corinthians 1 8-9 he will sustain you to the end guiltless in the day of the lord jesus christ god is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son jesus christ our lord very good hopefully that will clarify things for our listeners it will for a few minutes i've given up thinking i could solve this problem for people and you know i think part of that is it's not hard to understand but the devil hates it so much he's going to constantly sows seeds you got to do this you're it's all depending on you and and so on amen yeah that that is a carefully defined understanding of justification and uh final salvation and uh it's rooted in a long history of careful reformation theology thank you pastor john and to read pastor john's original article search for the title does god really save us by faith alone at desiringgod.org and there we have over 7 000 articles on all manner of topics for you to look through and if you never have i would encourage you to spend some time this weekend to browse and search through all the resources that we have at desiringgod.org it's a massive library all open to the public 24 7 all free of charge and all for your joy in god well thank you for listening and supporting the podcast you can stay current with the ask pastor john podcast episodes on your phone or your device by subscribing through your preferred podcast catcher and you can search our past episodes in our archive and send us an email of your own even questions about something controversial from john piper's ministry something you've read something you've seen that you want to ask him about you can do all that through our online home at desiringgod.org forward slash ask pastor john well speaking of controversy why are christian singles getting married later and later in life our good friend francis chan says it's because of the prevalence of premarital sex other christians say whoa wait a minute i think there are many other factors at play here too like women trying to pay off student debt and being so busy with the work they can't pursue relationships we know singles in america are putting off marriage longer and longer but why and what hope does pastor john have to offer those who are patiently waiting that's the question on the table monday when we return until then i'm your host tony reinke enjoy the weekend we'll see you on monday

Channel: Desiring God

Views: 41,685

Keywords: Desiring God, John Piper, God, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Christian Hedonism, Final Salvation, Salvation, Faith Alone, Justification, Confuse Justification, Saved, Saved by Faith, Ask Pastor John, Works, Works and Salvation

Id: 8dh4Ifb4vCY

Length: 15min 52sec (952 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 01 2018