THE MYSTERY OF SALVATION.

God justifies us, by what we do or by what we believe? Are we justified, just by

obeying the law of Christ? Are we saved, only by faith in the grace of God? Are we
justified by believing in Jesus and obeying him? Do our works serve for justification?
What is the role of our works in salvation?

The salvation of the human being is a mystery that is in the depths of the greatness
of God.

To God, and only to Him, belongs this faculty. The Lord (categorically) told Moses: "I
will have compassion on whomever I want to have it" (Ex. 33:19, Rom. 9:15). He
decides who enters heaven, the choice does not depend on human desire or effort,
but on the mercy of God (Rom. 9:16).

Salvation is not a simple mathematical deduction, however, in the Scriptures we find

some cracks through which some light enters our darkened understanding, which
provides us with certain divine criteria that can illuminate our finite mind.

First of all, it is appropriate to mention that we are responsible before God for our
sins. We all sin in Adam (Rom. 6:18-19). We are sinners because we were born in sin
and because we sin, and that is why we are far from God (Rom. 3:23). The wages of
sin is death (Rom. 6:23).

Furthermore, we do not go to hell because we reject Jesus but because we are

sinners. It is our sin that has condemned us. Consequently, we need to resolve the
issue of sin. We need to be saved. It is urgent. The gospel, with its message of
salvation, gives us that hope (Rom. 6:8).

But what is going to happen to those people who never heard of God's law? Are they
irremediably lost? Do those who have not heard the message of salvation have a
chance?

The Letter to the Romans says, "all who have sinned without knowing the law will
also perish without the law" (2:12). Thus, those who have not heard the message of
salvation will be judged and declared righteous for fulfilling the law written on their
hearts (2:15).

And what is the fate of those who heard God's message? Are they saved only
because they heard or because the law of Moses was given to them?
The Bible says: "It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the
doers of the law will be justified" (Rom. 2:13). The thing is that God does not justify
those who hear the law, but those who fulfill it. Here, works help to gain justification.

To the Galatians, he lets them know that "salvation comes through faith apart from
works" (Gal. 2:16), that circumcision is not a requirement to be Christians, that there
is no need to add any work or rite to be saved, that only faith in Jesus is sufficient
and that to depend again on works would be to deny the gratuitousness of the
salvation won by Christ Jesus.

Paul, the champion of justification by faith in grace, rescues from the OT a lapidary
phrase: "the just will live by faith" (Gal. 3:11), but he also writes that this kind of faith
works through love (Gal. 5:6). When we cut off its loving, working and acting
dimension from faith, it ends up dying and ceases to be. A faith without works
should be considered a false faith. Thus, the faith that justifies us is also a faith that
acts.

Likewise, and with the same force, he rebukes the Ephesians: "by grace you have
been saved through faith... Not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are...
created... for good works..." (Eph. 2:8–10).

Salvation is by faith in the grace of God. Everything we have done before believing is
evil works. All our obedience after believing are good works. But none of them saves
us.

For this reason, he confronts the Philippians to work on their salvation (Phil. 2:12), to
immediately remind them that it is God who works in them (Phil. 2:13). Thus showing
that God wants his children to strive to live the Christian life with intentionality and
purpose, without losing sight of the fact that the loving Father is committed to
finishing the work of grace that began in each of them.

Furthermore, we must remember the many times that Jesus said: "your faith has
saved you", both to the woman who had been suffering from an issue of blood for
twelve years (Lk. 8:43-48), like the man who thanked him again because he had
healed him of leprosy (Lk. 17:11-19), as well as Bartimaeus after restoring his sight
(Mr. 10:52)...and so many others (Mt. 9:22, Mr. 5:34; 17:19, 18:42).

We see a wonderful reminder of saving faith in the story of the sinful woman who
interrupted Jesus' dinner with Simon the Pharisee (Lk. 7:36-50). The woman, well
known for her sin, expressed her regret with tears, kisses and perfume. Jesus praised
their love, but his love flowed from freely received forgiveness. The story concludes
with: “Your faith has saved you, go in peace.”
The story of the Pharisee and the publican also indicates that forgiveness and
justification are not granted to the Pharisee proud of his acts of religious devotion
(Lk. 18:9-14). Instead, Jesus declares that the one who is right with God is the
publican, who realizes that his only hope is God's mercy.

Jesus also teaches that blessing belongs to the poor in spirit (Mt. 5:3), to those who
mourn their sin (Mt. 5:4), to those who are humble (Mt. 5:5), to those who hunger for
a righteousness that is not their own (Mt. 5:6).

Jesus' meals with sinners and publicans point to the same truth (Mt. 9:9-13). Such
meals in the ancient world meant social acceptance, and by eating with tax collectors,
Jesus communicated acceptance, forgiveness, and love toward those who had
repented of their sins.

However, to those listening to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said "not everyone
who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the
will of my heavenly Father" (Mt. 7:21). He told them that saving faith entails
obedience and produces works. The parables: of the Virgins, of the talents, or of the
final judgment (Mt. 25) also go in the same direction.

It was the same Lord who also said: "He who hears My word and believes... has
passed from death to life" (Jn. 5:24). He spoke of complete salvation, without going
through any ritual. The thief on the cross is the classic example, in the most meager
test of his faith, Jesus told him: "today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43).

James, seems to contradict Paul's theology of justification. Paul states that believers
are justified by faith and not by works. James says that justification is by works “and
not by faith alone” (James. 2:24).

James refers to the same verse about Abraham's faith (James. 2:23; Gen. 15:6) that
Paul quotes (Rom. 4:3; Ga. 3:6), but applies the verse in a radically different way,
arguing that the works that followed Abraham's faith justified him, while Paul
maintains that Abraham was justified by his faith, and not by his works.

Can we perhaps be so decisive in saying that our works, obedience, fruits or acts of
devotion do not influence salvation?

Jesus teaches that those who refuse to forgive others will not be forgiven by God
(Mt. 6:14-15; 18:31-35), that those who practice iniquity will not enter the kingdom
(Mt. 7:21-23), that those who produce fruit are saved (Mr. 4:1-20), that only true
disciples belong to him (Lk. 9:57-62; 14:25-35), and that those who do good will be
resurrected (John. 5:29).
Paul also says that those who practice the works of the flesh will not enter the
kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21; 1Co. 6:9-11). God is impartial and just; Those who
practice evil will face the final judgment (Rom. 2:6-11).

And among these little rays of light I hear so many defenders of the Christian faith
teach about salvation. I admire many of these teachers. They use the same version of
the Bible, but with a marked difference of opinion between them. They all claim to
speak of what the Holy Spirit told them to teach although standing at opposite
theological extremes.

Among so many, I will refer only to two groups of them, because as Christians, we
are active in one of them:

In the first group are those who preach that, to enter heaven, I must cling, through
faith in the work of Jesus Christ, to the gratuitousness of salvation, but once I “enter,”
salvation depends on my obedience to God. If so, I wonder: who is obedient enough
to remain?

These ardently assert that the door to salvation is Jesus Christ, but they live in restless
and worried meditation, maintaining that something more must be done, that
salvation depends on the ability to persevere and keep the commandments of Christ,
not only on what Jesus did.

These have no security or certainty of their salvation.

They live in a constant loss and recovery of it based on their actions/obedience,

always striving for moral perfection and believing that without it, their salvation is not
secure, because disobedient believers do not enter heaven.

These, although they do not say it in the speech, their practice seems to indicate that
something is missing from the five Solas that the reformers of the 16th century
raised: “only through Scripture”, “only by faith God saves”, “only by grace,” “through
Christ alone,” and “glory to God alone.”

And like new reformers they raise a new one, one more, in order to "fix" or "correct"
the distortion that caricatured the others, especially the "sole grace", which degraded
it in such a way (they say) until diluted into “cheap grace” or “super grace.”

These, they continue to say, that this scandalous grace led, in some, to a repugnant
passivity, but in others it acted as a license, of debauchery and debauchery to sin,
under the pretext that the work of Jesus has already consummated their salvation
and that this does not implies no commitment or responsibility on the receiving
beneficiary.
For all this, the new sola is more than welcome: “only through obedience.” This "sixth
doctrine" emphasizes that without obedience no one will see the Lord, that only
those who are obedient to God's commandments will inherit eternal life.

Thus they proclaim that neither the work of Christ on the cross nor their own perfect
obedience is sufficient (Rom. 5:19), but to spend eternity with Christ it is also
essential to strictly obey each of the Lord's commandments.

In the other group are those who teach that salvation is by grace alone, through faith
alone, in Christ alone, that we are saved and forgiven and accepted because of what
Jesus did for us, and not because of our good actions.

And so I wonder: what role does obedience to God's Word and works play in the
Christian life?

So I hear them say that obedience is an act of gratitude to God for the grace He has
shown us in Jesus Christ, that we were not saved by our good works, but rather we
were saved to live a life of good works and obedience.

Although we are saved by grace, we are saved to live a life of good works and
obedience, which also gives us the assurance that we are chosen of God. That is what
Paul expresses (1Thes. 1:3-5) after citing the works of faith of the Thessalonians and
praising their labor of love and their perseverance sustained by hope.

On the other hand, good works and obedience in the Christian life are related to the
area of testimony. Peter explains this when he tells us that he wants us to live
exemplarily before the world so that they will observe us and glorify our heavenly
Father, who loved us and saved us by grace (1Pe. 2:12).

So, although we are saved by grace, we are saved to live a life of good works and
obedience. Not so that God loves us, but because God loves us and because we want
to be like His Son, who said: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to
finish His work” (John. 4:34).

In short, both groups believe in salvation through faith in God's grace. Both speak of
faith and obedience, of believing and doing. Some add obedience to be saved, while
others stand only on faith.

I believe with all my might that no one can claim to be a true Christian if he is not
willing to submit to the will of God.
I maintain that we are not saved by obeying God, nor by doing good works; but all
those who have been saved by grace, through faith, show the reality of grace and
faith through their obedience and good works.

I adhere to the fact that we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone,
but by a faith (when it is genuine, when it is from the living God) that is accompanied
by fruits of righteousness (Eph. 2:8-10; Stgo. 2:20, 26).