On returning home from an open-air meeting we had been holding one Lord's day, I met at the B—bridge a man who had traveled much in the far west, where he had more than once successfully refuted those who contended that there was no God.
The works of Tom Paine were especially obnoxious to him, but he was still, alas, a stranger to salvation through faith alone. As we were changing from the bridge train to the elevated road, I asked him: "Do you believe, sir, that man is, in God's sight, a total ruin morally?”
"No, I do not," he replied, "there is much that is good in man that may be developed and brought out.”
"But," I continued, "do you not believe that the Scriptures are inspired of God?”
"Yes," he responded, "every word of them." Opening my Bible to the third chapter of Romans, I read as follows: "We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that doeth good, no, not one. * * Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
"But how about Paul," interrupted the man; "was he not doing good when he wrote the Epistle to the Romans?”
"Yes, but he had bowed to God's judgment that all had sinned.”
"Well, then, Paul did do good," he replied.
"Yes, after he believed from the heart, the gospel. Have you ever noticed the Scripture in the 6th chapter of Genesis, 5th verse: "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."?
"Every imagination" being evil did not admit of any good, and that little word "only" shows that there was no intermission, for it was "only evil continually.”
The verse admits of no other interpretation; it interprets itself.
"But how about Noah?" interposed my companion. "Noah, as Paul, believed God," I responded, and accepted God's one means of salvation. We read in Heb. 11:77By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (Hebrews 11:7), "Being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Christ is God's refuge for the lost now; as the ark was for the temporal safety of Noah and his family then; and Noah was justified by faith.
"Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
"Yes, but not altogether lost," said he.
I turned in my Bible to the 2nd chapter of Ephesians, which states, "And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins... For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.
"What is grace?" queried my friend. "The unmerited favor of God," I replied. "Unmerited favor?”
"Yes, unmerited; man deserves nothing from God.”
"You are wrong," he retorted, "it is sometimes merited and sometimes unmerited. What is your ground for stating that grace is always God's unmerited favor?”
From the 4th chapter of Rom., I read him the 4th verse.
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." The apostle shows conclusively that if one merits the reward, he receives it as a payment of debt, and it cannot consequently be grace. The 2nd chapter of Ephesians quite agrees with this, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Paul could not say that our good works form no part of our salvation, if grace meant anything else than unmerited favor.
"But, James tells us that as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
"True," I said, "but Scripture cannot contradict itself; Paul is speaking in Ephesians of salvation and James of justification. Good works form no part in our salvation as Paul so positively states, but they do in our justification.”
"How do you distinguish the two?" he questioned.
"Salvation is God's work," I replied, "through faith in Christ, 'who died for us and rose again,' Christ did the work on the cross for us.' As to justification, in the 4th chapter of Romans, Paul teaches us that before God, it is by faith only, and James tells us we are justified before men by works (3rd chapter of his Epistle.)”
God sees the faith and it is enough for Him; but I cannot see the faith of another, save as it expresses itself in works. This is most clearly shown by Paul and James in these very chapters. They both take Abraham as one who illustrates these truths.
As I have said, faith must always come first; and one is justified by faith, first. The good works only show how real the faith is. Consider, for a moment, what Paul says about Abraham, in the 4th chapter of Romans.
"For what saith the Scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
Now the question would naturally arise, when, in Abraham's life, was his faith counted for righteousness? Was it before or after the time that James speaks about Abraham being justified by works? In Gen. 15:5, 65And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:5‑6) we read that God brought Abraham "forth abroad, and said: Look now towards heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Now let us turn to the 2nd of James 21st verse, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" If you will turn back again to Genesis you will find the account of this given in the 22nd chapter: Many years having elapsed since the time that Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Isaac was not even born at that time.
I think you will see, sir, if you believe the Scriptures, that "To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Rom. 4:55But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5). The statement is simple and cannot be misunderstood.
"Yes, but you are interpreting," retorted the man.
"No," I responded, "it is a simple statement of Scripture.”
I leave the above account with the reader, trusting that through God's rich mercy he may, like Abraham, believe God, and thus give Him the glory (Rom. 4:2020He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; (Romans 4:20)).
The Jews said to Jesus: "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”