Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Salvation Using Primary Scriptures
When studying any doctrine, especially salvation, it is imperative one uses Primary Scriptures. Verses that are so plainly stated that they only have one real interpretation. Lets go through salvation using Primary Scriptures and not interpreted scripture.
Primary Scriptures
Anyone who believes in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, will be saved. Anyone who does not will go to hell...
John 3:18 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
There are a total of 19 Primary salvation scriptures in the Bible.
Primary Salvation Scriptures
When you break them down, there are specifics to what we must believe to be saved.
1) We must believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. -- John 3:18
2) We must believe that Jesus died and God raised Him from the dead. -- Romans 10:9-10
3) We must believe in Jesus as Lord enough that we are willing to claim it to others. -- Romans 10:9-10
Not by Works!
There are plenty of Primary Scriptures telling us we are saved through faith and not by works. What there is not, is a single Primary Scripture that says we are saved by works. There are only scriptures that man interprets to mean as much, but never actually say it. For example James 2:14-17.
Understanding James 2:14-17
More importantly however is when it comes to believing we are saved by works, baptism or refraining from sin, these beliefs are a direct contradiction to Ephesians 2:8-9.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Let us break this verse down....
For by grace you have been saved through faith;
Many like to focus on the saved by grace, but the definition of grace is simply "goodwill" or "kindness". Grace is not 'how' we are saved, but 'why;' we are saved. Because of the goodwill of God, Jesus died for us on the cross so we could be saved. The 'how' of our salvation is through faith. Believing in Jesus as Lord.
and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God;
It is nothing we do of ourselves, it is a gift of God. A gift is something freely given. If one has to do anything for it... if there is anything at all they must intentionally do to earn it, it is no longer a gift. It becomes a reward.
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Here it says it very plainly. It is not a result of works. There is nothing we can possibly do to earn it. For if we could earn it in any way, we would then be able to boast that we saved ourselves.
To say we are saved by works in any way, baptism of water, or refraining from sin, is not only saying Jesus was wrong in John 3:18, but it is also in direct contradiction to Ephesians 2:8-9. You can list a thousand scriptures that are interpreted to mean we are saved by a means other than faith alone, but they hold absolutely no authority so long as you interpret them to contradict Ephesians 2:8-9.
Now there have been some who try to point to Ephesians 2:10 to explain it...
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
However, this does not in any way say that we are saved by good works. If anything, it says that good works is why we are saved.
We Must Obey the Lord to be Saved?
Others will try to point out scripture that says it is those who obey the Lord who will be saved.
Hebrews 5:9 (NASB)
9 And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him,
Clearly this shows we are saved by obeying Jesus, which is a work, and not by faith alone, right? Not quite. First I will point out that interpretation clearly contradicts Ephesians 2:8-9. There are no true contradictions in Gods Word, so one of these verses must be interpreted wrong. I have never had anyone give me a logical explanation for Ephesians 2:8-9, but there is a very logical one for this verse.
If you believe we have to obey everything Jesus says to be saved, then I ask you, does Jesus not tell us to sin no more? Yet John says we all sin...
1 John 1:8 (NASB)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
John uses inclusive words like "we", "us" and "ourselves". He includes himself in this statement. If John says we all still sin, and Paul says we all fall short of the glory of God, then you can bet your bottom dollar that we all still sin. But if we have to obey everything Jesus says to be saved, then that means nobody is saved because we all sin and Jesus says to sin no more. So either it must be understood that nobody is going to heaven, or that we don't have to obey everything Jesus says. This begs the question, which commandments from the Lord do we have to obey then?
The answer is that since Hebrews 5:9 was speaking on the subject of salvation, we must obey all of His commandments on the subject of salvation. Interestingly enough, Jesus only gives us one commandment to follow to be saved. To believe in Him. In a way, this is confirmed in this verse...
John 3:36 (NASB)
36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
In John 3:18, Jesus breaks everyone down into two groups. Those who believe are saved and those who do not believe are condemned. Now in this verse He again breaks us down into two groups, but the condemned group he describes them differently. He says they are the ones who do not obey the Son. So He actually connects those who do not obey to being the ones who do not believe here. These are condemned.
As usual, there will be many who simply cannot accept this, no matter how strongly I prove it. They will say I am just giving my interpretation when I am giving Primary Scriptures that only have one interpretation. Mostly they refuse to accept the truth because it would mean they are wrong. It is always difficult to admit when you are wrong and sometimes when it comes to religious beliefs it is harder yet. Some people simply have too much pride to accept they are wrong about something and so they are willing to continue to believe a false doctrine rather than admit they are wrong.
What About Sin?
Another problem some will have is the consequence of believing this. If we are truly saved just through faith in Jesus alone, what does that mean about sin? A very common response I get to this teaching is that if you believe you are saved through faith alone, you are just saying that you can forget obeying God and live in sin and there are no consequences. Let me be clear, just because I say the consequence of sin is not hell, does not mean there are no consequences. There are still consequences to sin and they are still very dire consequences. However because this article is already long as it is, to learn these consequences I would refer you to another article....
Consequences of Sin
Can We Lose Salvation?
As with those who try to support the salved by works belief with scriptures they only interpret to mean as much but never actually say it, the Once Saved Always Saved crowd does the same thing with the belief that it is impossible to lose our salvation. The truth is, we can indeed lose our salvation. We just don't lose it by sinning.
Yes I know the verses stating that nobody can snatch it out of God's hand. This does not say however that you cannot throw His gift of salvation away yourself. Yes I know the verse saying we are sealed with a promise of salvation. However, with every seal, there is always one who is allowed to break it. That is the one whom it is intended for.
The truth is, if we are truly saved by believing in Jesus as Lord, then if one stops believing they cannot still be saved. Again I will give you John 3:18.
John 3:18 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus clearly puts us into two groups. Those who believe and those who do not believe. He does not add a sub-group for those who once believed and no longer do. They would by default be placed into the group of unbelievers. The condemned. To say someone can truly be saved, then become an atheist and still be saved, is to contradict what Jesus said.
Revelation 13:8 (NASB)
8 All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered.
Some try to use this verse to support their belief that everyone's names are written in the book of life in the beginning and only those who do not turn to Jesus have their names erased. The problem is it doesn't say "those whose names are not erased". It clearly says "Those whose names are not written".
We know for certainty that only those who are truly saved will have their names entered into the book of life. Yet from this next verse, we also know that we absolutely can have our names erased from it as well.
Revelation 3:5 (NASB)
5 The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Jesus often speaks about enduring to the end. There is a reason for that. Salvation is promised to those who believe in Him. Not to those who don't believe. It is entirely possible for a true believer to stop believing.
That is why our relationship with the Lord is so important. Not only does falling into sin make us miserable and eat away our rewards, but it also puts us in danger of losing faith. We become more vulnerable to the lies of the devil. By working on our personal relationship with the Lord, we build our faith. The stronger our faith is, the safer we are. The weaker our faith the more in danger we are. It is imperative that we work on our personal relationship with the Lord.
Your Personal Relationship with the Lord
Primary Scriptures
Anyone who believes in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, will be saved. Anyone who does not will go to hell...
John 3:18 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
There are a total of 19 Primary salvation scriptures in the Bible.
Primary Salvation Scriptures
When you break them down, there are specifics to what we must believe to be saved.
1) We must believe that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. -- John 3:18
2) We must believe that Jesus died and God raised Him from the dead. -- Romans 10:9-10
3) We must believe in Jesus as Lord enough that we are willing to claim it to others. -- Romans 10:9-10
Not by Works!
There are plenty of Primary Scriptures telling us we are saved through faith and not by works. What there is not, is a single Primary Scripture that says we are saved by works. There are only scriptures that man interprets to mean as much, but never actually say it. For example James 2:14-17.
Understanding James 2:14-17
More importantly however is when it comes to believing we are saved by works, baptism or refraining from sin, these beliefs are a direct contradiction to Ephesians 2:8-9.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Let us break this verse down....
For by grace you have been saved through faith;
Many like to focus on the saved by grace, but the definition of grace is simply "goodwill" or "kindness". Grace is not 'how' we are saved, but 'why;' we are saved. Because of the goodwill of God, Jesus died for us on the cross so we could be saved. The 'how' of our salvation is through faith. Believing in Jesus as Lord.
and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God;
It is nothing we do of ourselves, it is a gift of God. A gift is something freely given. If one has to do anything for it... if there is anything at all they must intentionally do to earn it, it is no longer a gift. It becomes a reward.
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Here it says it very plainly. It is not a result of works. There is nothing we can possibly do to earn it. For if we could earn it in any way, we would then be able to boast that we saved ourselves.
To say we are saved by works in any way, baptism of water, or refraining from sin, is not only saying Jesus was wrong in John 3:18, but it is also in direct contradiction to Ephesians 2:8-9. You can list a thousand scriptures that are interpreted to mean we are saved by a means other than faith alone, but they hold absolutely no authority so long as you interpret them to contradict Ephesians 2:8-9.
Now there have been some who try to point to Ephesians 2:10 to explain it...
Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
However, this does not in any way say that we are saved by good works. If anything, it says that good works is why we are saved.
We Must Obey the Lord to be Saved?
Others will try to point out scripture that says it is those who obey the Lord who will be saved.
Hebrews 5:9 (NASB)
9 And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him,
Clearly this shows we are saved by obeying Jesus, which is a work, and not by faith alone, right? Not quite. First I will point out that interpretation clearly contradicts Ephesians 2:8-9. There are no true contradictions in Gods Word, so one of these verses must be interpreted wrong. I have never had anyone give me a logical explanation for Ephesians 2:8-9, but there is a very logical one for this verse.
If you believe we have to obey everything Jesus says to be saved, then I ask you, does Jesus not tell us to sin no more? Yet John says we all sin...
1 John 1:8 (NASB)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
John uses inclusive words like "we", "us" and "ourselves". He includes himself in this statement. If John says we all still sin, and Paul says we all fall short of the glory of God, then you can bet your bottom dollar that we all still sin. But if we have to obey everything Jesus says to be saved, then that means nobody is saved because we all sin and Jesus says to sin no more. So either it must be understood that nobody is going to heaven, or that we don't have to obey everything Jesus says. This begs the question, which commandments from the Lord do we have to obey then?
The answer is that since Hebrews 5:9 was speaking on the subject of salvation, we must obey all of His commandments on the subject of salvation. Interestingly enough, Jesus only gives us one commandment to follow to be saved. To believe in Him. In a way, this is confirmed in this verse...
John 3:36 (NASB)
36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
In John 3:18, Jesus breaks everyone down into two groups. Those who believe are saved and those who do not believe are condemned. Now in this verse He again breaks us down into two groups, but the condemned group he describes them differently. He says they are the ones who do not obey the Son. So He actually connects those who do not obey to being the ones who do not believe here. These are condemned.
As usual, there will be many who simply cannot accept this, no matter how strongly I prove it. They will say I am just giving my interpretation when I am giving Primary Scriptures that only have one interpretation. Mostly they refuse to accept the truth because it would mean they are wrong. It is always difficult to admit when you are wrong and sometimes when it comes to religious beliefs it is harder yet. Some people simply have too much pride to accept they are wrong about something and so they are willing to continue to believe a false doctrine rather than admit they are wrong.
What About Sin?
Another problem some will have is the consequence of believing this. If we are truly saved just through faith in Jesus alone, what does that mean about sin? A very common response I get to this teaching is that if you believe you are saved through faith alone, you are just saying that you can forget obeying God and live in sin and there are no consequences. Let me be clear, just because I say the consequence of sin is not hell, does not mean there are no consequences. There are still consequences to sin and they are still very dire consequences. However because this article is already long as it is, to learn these consequences I would refer you to another article....
Consequences of Sin
Can We Lose Salvation?
As with those who try to support the salved by works belief with scriptures they only interpret to mean as much but never actually say it, the Once Saved Always Saved crowd does the same thing with the belief that it is impossible to lose our salvation. The truth is, we can indeed lose our salvation. We just don't lose it by sinning.
Yes I know the verses stating that nobody can snatch it out of God's hand. This does not say however that you cannot throw His gift of salvation away yourself. Yes I know the verse saying we are sealed with a promise of salvation. However, with every seal, there is always one who is allowed to break it. That is the one whom it is intended for.
The truth is, if we are truly saved by believing in Jesus as Lord, then if one stops believing they cannot still be saved. Again I will give you John 3:18.
John 3:18 (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Jesus clearly puts us into two groups. Those who believe and those who do not believe. He does not add a sub-group for those who once believed and no longer do. They would by default be placed into the group of unbelievers. The condemned. To say someone can truly be saved, then become an atheist and still be saved, is to contradict what Jesus said.
Revelation 13:8 (NASB)
8 All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered.
Some try to use this verse to support their belief that everyone's names are written in the book of life in the beginning and only those who do not turn to Jesus have their names erased. The problem is it doesn't say "those whose names are not erased". It clearly says "Those whose names are not written".
We know for certainty that only those who are truly saved will have their names entered into the book of life. Yet from this next verse, we also know that we absolutely can have our names erased from it as well.
Revelation 3:5 (NASB)
5 The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Jesus often speaks about enduring to the end. There is a reason for that. Salvation is promised to those who believe in Him. Not to those who don't believe. It is entirely possible for a true believer to stop believing.
That is why our relationship with the Lord is so important. Not only does falling into sin make us miserable and eat away our rewards, but it also puts us in danger of losing faith. We become more vulnerable to the lies of the devil. By working on our personal relationship with the Lord, we build our faith. The stronger our faith is, the safer we are. The weaker our faith the more in danger we are. It is imperative that we work on our personal relationship with the Lord.
Your Personal Relationship with the Lord