A DIALOGUE OF
CONFLICTING CONCEPTS
Wherein Grace and Works
Are Seen Not to Mix
In the
Obtaining of Salvation
“Sir, you profess to be saved, to be born again, — a Christian. Tell
me, how come you are saved? How did it come to be?”
“Well, you see,
Jesus died to save the world and He is not willing that any should perish. He
saves those who accept HIM. I accepted Him and therefore I am saved.”
“Sir, I agree that Christ Jesus died to save a world of sinners and
that He is not willing that they should perish. I further believe that He died
for them because God the Father gave them to Him as His inheritance before the
foundation of the world (Psa. 2:8; 33:12; Eph. 1:4;
Rev. 13:8; John 6:37-40; 10:11,14,15, 25-29; 6:44,45; Matt. 11:27) and that
because the Father gave them to God the Son then they shall all come to God
through Christ. He said, ‘All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no
wise cast out.’ It is true also that such sinners do
accept or receive Christ Jesus the Lord, believing on Him for salvation in time
and eternity. But what is more, they come to this because they are ‘accepted in
the beloved’ (Eph. 1:6). In other words, God the Father has accepted them in
His Son and because by His love He chose them in Christ before the foundation
of the world, then He will never reject them but He will reject others. But
tell me, Sir, why is it that you profess to be among the saved and to have
assurance that Christ will not ever reject you?”
“Well, it is as
I said. I accepted Jesus as my Savior so He will not reject me.”
“But what prompted you to ‘accept’ Jesus?”
“I became
convinced that I was a sinner and that I could not be saved by doing good
works, so I accepted Jesus.”
“But Sir, is your salvation still based on a
good work you did in order to be saved?”
“What do you
mean?”
“Is not receiving Christ a good work?”
“Yes! And I
took care of that!”
“Are you sure you are not still trusting in ‘work’ that you did, thus
actually yet trusting in yourself?”
“Well, I would
never have been saved if I had not trusted in Christ?”
“That is true, but what prompted you to receive Him? You say you were a
sinner, but what took place to convince you that you even needed a Savior? You
did not use to see the need.”
“Why, the Holy
Spirit convicted me.”
“Then you admit that if He. had not convicted
you, you would never have come to Christ?”
“Yes, but He
convicts all men.”
“Well, Sir, if He convicts all men in this way, why do not all men do
as you did, that is, why do not all men come to
Christ?”
“I guess,
because they are too rebellious and blinded by Satan.”
“But were not you rebellious and blinded by Satan?”
“Yes, but I
accepted Jesus.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know
what you are getting at. I already told you why. It was because I was a sinner.”
“Sir, what I am getting at is that if you have truly trusted in Christ,
then you are not trusting in some work you performed, even the work of
receiving Christ. If you came to Christ after Holy Spirit conviction, while
other men do not come, you cannot say you were not as bad as they, therefore
you obtained salvation. For all men by nature are at enmity
against God and the natural man cannot receive Christ or the things of God
because he is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-5).”
“Well, I am not
spiritually dead now; not after I accepted Jesus.”
“If you are truly trusting Him, then you
certainly are not dead, but you would be dead if you are actually trusting in
your trust or trusting in the fact that you accomplished an act that caused you
to be born again. You should know that when you are dead spiritually you do not
discern spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14). A life principle must be worked
in you, your spirit must be quickened to life before
you can see spiritual things. You must have spiritual eyes before you can see
Christ and believe. You were dead and did not even see a need to be saved. If
you are saved now then you were given spiritual eyes to see your lost condition
and to see a revealed Savior as the only way of salvation. Thus if you were
blind but now you see, and in seeing you receive Christ and believe, why are
you different from what you were before?”
“Well, I guess
God made me different.”
“Amen. Now you are seeing some light. God made the difference. It is by
God’s grace that any sinner is brought to the end of himself, is given to see
he needs to be saved, is given a desire to be saved, and is given the
revelation that Jesus Christ is His Savior. Salvation is a personal revelation
of Christ to the soul—not just as the Savior of the world—a world of
sinners—but the revelation that the salvation He purchased is
for me and that consequently lam forgiven. As a sinner, I was guilty
before God. When He showed me this, I appealed to Him for mercy. This was His
drawing me to Himself. By nature I would never have come to Him. Everything
needful He supplied. I needed sight to see myself. I needed sight to see Him. I
needed a heart to love Him. I needed a heart even to want Him. I needed a heart
that would hate sin. I needed spiritual life that could respond to His love.
Being spiritually dead, I did not possess these things. But He gave them. As a
result of such gifts I respond and believe. With such life being given me by
the Savior, I can do none other but believe for that is the result of spiritual
life.
Truly, salvation is of the Lord. I did not cause Him to grant life to
me. I did not know I had been dead. I did not cause Him to speak forgiveness to
me when I petitioned Him for mercy but He did it by pure and free grace. His
grace He bestows in perfect freedom according to His sovereign purpose and good
pleasure. If anything on my part obligated Him to grant His grace, then it
would not be grace; it would be debt on His part. But being free, God does not
work because of debt. If He did then He would not be free. It might seem that
He granted me eternal life because I believed but that is NOT the way it is!
But He granted me eternal life (the new birth) and because I live, I believe.
All glory belongs to God. I did not break the bonds of Satan or give myself
life or spiritual discernment. God did it all in me when I had no ability even
to cry to Him. Even my first cry was a sign of spiritual life. Now I believe
but still cry for Him to help my remaining unbelief.”
“I think these
things you are saying are deep, but I am beginning to see that actually l am not a partner with Christ in my salvation. He did and He
does supply everything. I do trust Him. I have received Him but I see that is
not the cause of my salvation. He was working it all out all the time. Though l
am now active in life I did not know I was so passive
in death! Oh, thank the Lord that He saved me! What if He had not bothered to
even convict me? What if He had not given me desire to be saved? What if He had
not given me a heart to want Him and to hate sin? What if He had not done it?
Oh, I would then still and forever be lost! What a Savior we have to glory in!”
“Yes, my brother, this is a great salvation from the great Savior. We
were totally lost, unable to do anything. We could not know and appreciate our
spiritual state. God does not bring every man to Himself in salvation. It is
not to our credit or because of anything in us by nature that He brought us to
Himself. But we praise Him that He sovereignly chose
us and revealed Himself in salvation. To God alone be
the glory. I could not save myself or even help Christ but He did it all.
‘Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He
called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified’
(Rom.
Reader, what is your response? Do you bow before the sovereign domain
of Christ Jesus or do you refuse to bow? Many think they are saved because they
think they have done a weak, pleading “Jesus” a favor by “accepting” him. They
imagine that Jesus is now helpless to save them since He has “done all He can
do”—supposedly. But this is not the Lord Jesus of the Bible. He does all His
pleasure and works all things after the counsel of His own will according to
His purpose and pleasure. His people He makes willing in the day of His power.
He is never defeated. He works in His people both to will and to do His good
pleasure (Philippians
The true Jesus, the Lord of all, who gave His life for redemption, will
certainly give lesser gifts to bring elect sinners to Himself. But do you
“accept” and worship the Christ Jesus of the Bible or the counterfeit image
made in the likeness of man who is quite powerless to save? Spend much time in
the Scriptures, for they testify of the true Christ. He has the sovereign right
to receive or reject you. He has the right to forgive or withhold forgiveness.
You must deal with the sovereign God of Scripture who sovereignly
draws to Himself whom He will and has mercy on whom He wills (John
—Glen Berry