Scripture teaches that faith alone is required for salvation. There are no acts or ceremonies which contribute to one’s regeneration. It is by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 4:1-8; Gal. 2:15-16; 3:2-3). This reality does not negate the need for repentance (2 Cor. 5:15). Repentance and faith are opposite sides of the same coin. Scripture teaches that for one to exercise saving faith he must first repent of his sin (Luke 24:47; Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10; Heb. 6:1; Acts 17:30-31; 20:21).
In Church History, there have been groups who have erred grievously regarding this doctrine. As the Church grew in the First Century it too faced this error. As Paul and Barnabas were making disciples among the Gentiles a group of Jews began teaching that those Gentile Christians had to be circumcised to be saved (Acts 15:1). Paul and Barnabas strongly disputed this claim. The dispute led to the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. The apostles and elders, along with the Jerusalem church, agreed that Gentiles (and Jews for that matter) were saved by faith alone (Acts 15:8-9). Circumcision does not contribute to salvation (Acts 15:10-11).
The Church has always had to battle syncretism[1], legalism[2], and antinomianism[3]. As time went on a sacramental and sacerdotal system developed. Sacramentalists believe that a sacrament is an act or object that conveys divine grace. Harper’s Bible Dictionary comments, “Some believe the sacraments are the only means of salvation and that they have a special force that guarantees forgiveness of sins. Others think they represent God’s grace, which can be received in many ways; they are traditionally practiced but not required for salvation.”[4] In this present article I will focus on those who believe the sacraments are the only means of salvation. The Roman Catholic Church holds to seven sacraments: Baptism, the Eucharist (i.e. the Mass), Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. The Roman Catholic Church teaches, “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us, the visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1131).[5] This is foreign to New Testament Christianity. The New Testament teaches, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8–10). The works that we do as Christians are a result of the salvation that we have received by grace through faith.
The Orthodox Church also holds to seven sacraments: Baptism, Communion, Chrismation, Penance, Anointing of the sick, Marriage, and Holy Orders. The Orthodox Church teaches, “Not only do the Sacraments disclose and reveal God to us, but also they serve to make us receptive to God. All the Sacraments affect our personal relationship to God and one another. The Holy Spirit works through the Sacraments. He leads us to Christ who unites us with the Father. By participating in the Sacraments, we grow closer to God and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This process of deification, or theosis, as it is known by Orthodoxy, takes place not in isolation from others, but within the context of a believing community” (Understanding the Sacraments of the Orthodox Church).[6] Once again this is foreign to New Testament Christianity.
Sacerdotalists believe that there must be a mediator between God and man. Yet, they do not mean Christ as the only mediator between God and man (cf. 1 Tim. 2:5-6). Sacerdotalists believe that a class of priests must exist and function between God and man. Sacerdotal comes from the Latin word sacer (“sacred”) + dot (“to make”).[7] So, it has the idea, “to make sacred.” Sacerdos or sacerdot came to refer to priests or things relating to priests.[8] Such groups believe that man on his own cannot approach God, even through Christ himself. The priesthood must mediate for him. Fred Zaspel writes, “The greatest defect in the sacerdotal conception of salvation, best represented by the Church of Rome, is that it places sinners in the hands of men rather than a merciful God. Instead of being directed to God, we are ‘referred to an institution.’ According to the sacerdotal scheme, God desires the salvation of all men and has made adequate provision for the salvation of all via the church and its sacraments; but the actual distribution of grace is performed at the hands of the church, and apart from the church there can be no salvation at all.”[9] This is contrary to the teaching of the N.T.
The Old Covenant required a Levitical Priesthood to mediate between God and Israel. Under the New Covenant Christ alone is the mediator between God and man. Paul writes, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:5–6). Jesus is our High Priest (Heb. 7:26-8:13). Under the New Covenant every genuine believer is a priest before God (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6). All true Christians can approach God through Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:16; 10:19-25). All genuine Christians can offer spiritual sacrifices to the Lord (Heb. 13:15; 12:28-29; Phil. 4:18). The New Covenant clearly describes all born-again believers as priests. Jesus is our High Priest, no one else (Heb. 4:14-5:10).
So, the Church in being faithful to the Scriptures holds fast to Sola Fide (i.e. salvation by faith alone). The Word of God is clear on this point. Paul highlights this when he describes Israel (those remaining in unbelief) as not obtaining salvation because they pursued it on the basis of works (Rom. 9:30-33; 11:6-10). Abraham was not justified by works (Rom. 4:1-25). No one is justified by works (Gal. 3:10-14). Salvation has always been by faith alone.
[1] Syncretism refers to the mixing of orthodox (sound doctrine and accompanied biblical practices) and heterodox (false doctrine and accompanied unbiblical practices).
[2] Legalism involves following the Mosaic Law or prescribed liturgical practices to earn favor (even salvation) with God.
[3] Antinomianism is the belief that believers are not required or expected by God to live in obedience to his Word. It is a hyper-grace position that is characterized by licentiousness.
[4] Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, Harper’s Bible Dictionary (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 891.
[5] https://www.gotquestions.org/sacramentalism.html
[6] https://www.goarch.org/-/the-sacraments
[7] Inc Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003).
[8] Ibid.
[9] Fred G. Zaspel, The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 415–416.
Walking in the Way of Christ 