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 The
difference in the MEANS by which a thing is accomplished, and
the CONDITIONS upon which the means will be exerted or applied,
is of great significance in understanding salvation by grace.
Salvation is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8). "God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten son..." (Jn.
3:16). God expressed His love by giving His son to die on our
behalf — a gift for "all" (1 Tim. 4:10). But these
passages, and others like them, make it clear that particular
individuals benefit by the "gift" only when they meet
its conditions. "Whosoever believeth—".
Some
wish to make this "faith" the 'gift of God" and
thus avoid any hint of synergism in redemption. The power
or means of redemption is all in the hands of God. Man
forfeits his just right to being pronounced "free from
guilt" when he sins, and "all have sinned." If we
are saved at all it will be because of God's mercy. But the
"faith" of the above and like passages is a human
response to evidence. It is the condition which man must
produce before he will be saved. When God promised the overthrow
of Jericho He said, "See, I have given into thy hand
Jericho..." (Josh. 6:1-f). Later Joshua said, "Jehovah
hath given you the city" (v.16): but they had to
"take" it (v.20). They had to meet certain conditions
before God's power (the means) caused the walls to fall.
Marching, blowing horns, and shouting were not the means
by which the walls were overthrown. God exerted His power to do
that — thus it was a gift of God. There is no conflict
in grace and meeting such conditions — the
"grace-works" conflict of Rom. 4:4 and 11:6 being a
reference to
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hypothetical perfection on man's part whereby he would merit the pronouncement
"free from guilt."
If
the water of Jordan, and the seven dippings of Naaman, had been
the means of his cure, then "grace" would have
been negated. But when we realize that God's power healed this
Syrian captain (2 Kng. 5:1-17) and the dipping was but the condition
imposed by God, we can understand why Naaman gave God the
glory.
And
so it goes, in scriptural example after example. Jesus healed
the blind man (Jn. 9:1-f.), but He did so only after the man had
washed in the pool of Siloam. And Jesus Christ is our Savior —
God's gift to the world. But Jesus said, "Go ...preach the
gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved". (Mk. 16:15-16). The gift was to the world,
and all in the world who will meet the conditions will be saved.
It should be clear, however, that those who refuse to meet the
conditions are lost in their sins.
Trying
to limit "faith" to anything less than a whole-hearted
effort to serve God above all else — to be baptized, to
worship and labor in His vineyard — is a vain exercise. If we
concede that man must do the believing — that this is a
condition man must meet — it is foolish indeed to try
and remove the necessity for all expressions of this faith which
God has ordained. What God relates to remission of sins, or
eternal life, we must consider as essential.
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