Luther Martin on Faith Only

Luther Martin On 'Faith Only'

In the past, I have shared with you some of the religious discussions I have gotten into. I thought you might be interested in the discussion I got into with a friend of mine, Luther Martin. The two of us often exercise together and often end in a Bible discussion. This time, Luther started it off.

"You know what my favorite Bible passage is? Ephesians 2:8-9: 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.'

(He had a good head for quoting scripture.)

"Our good works are God's products, not ours. After saving us through faith, He changes us in some way to make us do what is right."

I surprised him by remarking, "I agree with that. Even after our 'initial' salvation He continues to improve us, teach us, even chastise us, so that we become better and better people. I think that is what Paul meant in 2 Corinthians 3:18. As we behold Christ--through the word of God, for instance--we continue to be transformed into the glory of Christ."

"Yea, but you know that I mean more than that," Luther gave me a smile and a light punch on the arm. "Ephesians 2:8-9 clearly shows that salvation comes through faith plus nothing else. No work, like baptism, can be necessary for salvation, because salvation is not of works."

To this I asked, "Is 'faith' pregnant, or does it simply refer to belief that Jesus is God's Son? Must I also believe He died for my sins? Must my faith exceed the faith of the demon of Gadara (Mark 5:7)?

"What about confession? Didn't Jesus say we must confess Him in Matthew 10:32-33? Paul also wrote this in Romans 10:9-10. Then there are passages like Matthew 7:21, where Jesus says only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom. And John said, in 1 John 2:4, that anyone who says he loves God, but does not obey Him, is a liar. Is it not possible that saving faith produces all of these and maybe more?"

Luther looked thoughtful a moment and replied, "People all through the ages have wondered about this, even those who listened to Jesus himself. The questions continue: what results in salvation, what is the role of faith, and how do we define the kind of faith that results in salvation?

"I believe the core of the issue is our sin. Our sin separates us from God. God offered His son to atone for our sin. That's why Jesus came. To have the faith in Jesus that results in salvation is to believe that He is indeed the one and only Son of God and recognize that I have sin that I cannot rid myself of. The faith makes me admit that only through the sacrifice of Jesus can that debt of sin-guilt be paid.

"Yes, there's the inevitable follow-on question, 'what comes next?' after that kind of faith." Luther gave me a broad grin, "We can ask God when we get to heaven!"

Luther is really a good guy. Many of you may be shocked to hear me say that I really do not like to argue. It can be uncomfortable and even painful. But, as the old saying goes, "Friends don't let friends hazard their eternal souls."

I shrugged at Luther, "Why wait to ask God? He has given us a book full of answers already. Your description of saving faith is interesting. What verses do you use as reference?"

"Well, the theme is all through the New Testament."

I've used that argument before myself. It is really not a very good answer without follow up passages. "I know that grace, faith, humility and reliance on God is all through the Bible, but so is obedience. Matthew 7:21, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Romans 10:10, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Peter 3:21, 1 John 2:4, Revelation 2:10, and many, many more all list commands and warnings to the effect that certain things are required of us in order to be saved. Some, like Matthew 7:21, emphatically state that obedience, in general, is necessary to 'enter the kingdom of heaven.'"

Luther was getting a little frustrated, "But if salvation is based on what I do, then I can boast. Ephesians 2:9 says clearly, 'not of works, lest any man should boast.' I don't see how you can get around that!"

"I have no desire to get around it. I cannot boast about obedience. If I obeyed perfectly, Jesus reminds me that I am 'unprofitable,' only doing what God should be able to expect.

"Obedience can be necessary without being particularly meritorious. Take baptism. What is so great about letting someone put you under water? 'Wow! Look how great I am. I let someone make me wet!'

"I have good friends who use your argument to say that faith cannot be required. If you have to have faith, they argue, then salvation is not truly a gift from God."

"That's nonsense," said Luther. "Believing God is not meritorious. Not believing is stubbornness. With respect to God's word and works, this is a very ugly sin."

"And so is disobedience!" I interrupted. "Imagine refusing to obey the commands of your Maker! Even saying that those commands are of little importance seems rebellious to me.

"I know that we cannot earn salvation. Obedience has nothing to do with merit. Is it so hard to understand 'mandatory' though not 'meritorious'? My children do. When they brush their teeth because I told them to, they don't expect a big reward for it. But they do know the consequences of disobedience."

At this point Luther had to go. The discussion was good. I think we both will profit from it.