Refutation of Mike Gendron's "No One Can Merit the Unmerited Favor of God"
Mike's words are in blue; mine are in black.
Satan's greatest lie may be that good works can help sinners escape the punishment of hell and merit the joy of heaven. This lie is used by all world religions to control people and hold them in legalistic bondage. It may be the most damning lie perpetrated on the human race because the saving grace of God is nullified by man's worthless works (Rom. 11:6). Since grace, the unmerited favor of God, is the only means by which God saves sinners, anyone attempting to merit eternal life has instead earned death (Rom. 6:23). Only by God's grace do we get what we don't deserve-heaven. And only by His mercy do we avoid getting what we do deserve-hell.
I agree; the belief that one can obtain salvation through his own works without God's grace is Pelagianism, a heresy condemned by the Catholic Church in the 5th century. The Catholic Church teaches that "Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ" (Catechism paragraph 1992), that "We can have merit in God's site only because of God's free plan to associate man with the work of his grace. Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and secondly to man's collaboration. Man's merit is due to God," (Catechism paragraph 2025), and that "No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion," (Catechism paragraph 2027).
Three Elements of Salvation
First we must understand that there are three tenses in salvation. For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ salvation is past (justification), present (sanctification) and pending (glorification). This is why the Bible reveals that Christians have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved.
No, the three tenses mean that we have been redeemed by Christ's sacrifice (giving us the opportunity to be save) and have been justified our initial acceptance of God, we are being justified continually throughout our life (justification is a process, not a one-time event), and we will finally be saved when we die.
All Christians have been saved (past tense) from the penalty of sin. Paul writes, "you have been saved through faith�not as a result of works" (Eph. 2:8). At the moment of faith, the sinner is justified and has a right standing before God that is permanent (Heb. 10:14). He cannot be condemned again (Rom. 8:1).
I agree that we have been saved from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13) by Jesus' sacrifice and have passed from death to life by our initial acceptance of Gods grace, but it in no way follows that we can't lose this initial justification. In fact, Scripture refutes this idea several times:
"But the one who endures to the end will be saved." - Matthew 24:13
"Note then the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off." - Romans 11:22
"You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from Christ; you have fallen away from grace." - Galatians 5:4
"He has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him - provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard" - Colossians 1:22-23
"Christ, however, was faithful over God's house as a son, and we are his house if we hold firm the confidence and pride that belong to hope." - Hebrews 3:6
"For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end." - Hebrews 3:14
"For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them." - 2 Peter 2:20-21
In Hebrews 10:14, Paul (traditionally identified as the author of Hebrews) is contrasting the Old Covenant sacrifices, which could NEVER forgive sin, with Jesus' sacrifice, which CAN forgive sin. He says that we are "perfected for all time," but this does not mean that we cannot fall away and lose justification. We are perfect because our PAST sins (2 Peter 1:9) have been completely forgiven (for all time); however, this in no way negates all of the warnings in Scripture (and specifically in the book of Hebrews) against falling away and losing justification.
Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus, and I agree completely. However, Paul does not say that we can't fall away from Him and lose that security.
After justification, believers begin working out their salvation with fear and trembling (sanctification) by doing the good works God has prepared for them (Eph. 2:10). Sanctification is an ongoing process whereby Jesus is manifested in Christians which saves them from the power of sin (2 Cor. 4:11). Paul wrote: "to us who are being saved, it [the message of the cross] is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18).
If the continual aspect of salvation is sanctification (which, according to Protestants, does not affect our salvation), why would Scripture not simply say that we are being sanctified rather than being saved? It doesn't make sense.
"For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh." - 2 Corinthians 4:11
For Mike's argument to be cogent, this verse would have to say that we are being saved from the power of sin, but it doesn't. There is no way that he can use this verse to logically connect sanctification and the continual part of salvation. In fact, there is no verse he could use to do that! The fact is, the natural reading of 1 Corinthians 1:18 is that salvation is a process (as in Catholic theology) that we must work out until our death.
"�work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" - Philippians 2:12
This verse teaches justification as a process that must be worked out (meaning that it includes work) for two reasons:
1) If our salvation is secure, why must we fear and tremble?
2) In verse 16, Paul says, "It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." What would
Paul be able to boast about? That he had won over souls for Christ and helped in their salvation. However, he can only boast if the Philippians don't fall away,
meaning that they could have lost their justification.
Glorification is still future and will not occur until Jesus saves believers from the presence of sin. The Bible reveals: "Christ�will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him" (Heb. 9:28).
"And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved." - Matthew 24:12-13
The problem with Mike's view of salvation as a future event (meaning just glorification) is that he bases it on only one verse, overlooking other verses that go against his interpretation. In Matthew 24:12-13, it is clear that salvation is viewed as an event in the future that is not secure until we die.
Justification Is Not A Result of Works
Paul wrote: "The one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness (Rom. 4:5).
"Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness." - Romans 4:4-5
Read in context, it is clear that Paul is saying that God justifies those who do not have the works to legally earn salvation aside from God's grace, and I agree.
In another passage we see "man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law (Rom. 3:28).
Paul was referring to following the Law of Moses for salvation as opposed to believing in Jesus. He meant that the Old Covenant and its law cannot save us, and I agree completely.
Those who believe they can gain a right standing before God with their works and their own righteousness do not know God or His Gospel (Rom. 10:1-4). If they knew the righteousness of God they would know all their righteous works are like filthy rags in His sight (Isa. 64:6).
I agree.
All human works prior to justifying faith are not acceptable to God because "without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11:6).
Exactly. Faith (conversion) is the beginning of our lifelong journey of justification (Catechism paragraph 1989), and our subsequent works and faith continue to justify us throughout our life.
The Bible clearly states over and over again that works are unable to secure salvation. "By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified" (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16).
Again, I agree. The Law of Moses cannot save us.
Salvation is "not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness" (Titus 3:5). God saved us "not according to our works" (2 Tim. 1:9).
Both of these refer to salvation as a past event, meaning that Paul was referring to conversion, the beginning of justification.
Even works done in the name of Christ will not secure salvation (Mat. 7:22-23).
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'" - Matthew 7:21-27
Mike misses the point here. This is at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, which was a sermon about doing good works. Given that context, it's clear that these people, even though they performed miracles, were condemned because they didn't do good works.
Salvation is based entirely on God's doing so "that no man should boast before God" (1 Cor. 1:29; Rom. 4:2).
I agree completely. God chooses to save us because He loves us; we cannot earn salvation aside from His grace.
To help explain the Catholic understanding of salvation, let me give an analogy. Let's say you order a pizza. When you get it, you're probably going to give the deliverer a tip. Now, is that tip a gift that you give freely, or did the person earn it and force you to give it to him? Even though you give the tip because of the work he did, it is still a gift because you didn't have to give it to him. That's how God saves us. Since we can't strictly earn salvation, He sets up a way that, through His grace, we can obtain salvation if we obey Him (Hebrews 5:9).
Now, some passages that teach that works justify us:
"The Phinehas stood up and interceded, and the plague was stopped, and that has been reckoned to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever." - Psalm 106:30-31
"For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done." - Matthew 16:27
"For he will repay according to each one's deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury." - Romans 2:6-8
"If you invoke as God and Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds�" - 1 Peter 1:17
"And the dead were judged according to their works�" - Revelation 20:12
Reconciling James and Paul
How does James appear to contradict Paul by saying: "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone" (Jas. 2:24).
James does not seem to contradict Paul. As I have shown, two key passages in Paul's letters teach that we merit salvation (Romans 2:6-8, Philippians 2:12), and his passages that seam to go against gaining merit teach against being saved by following only the law (without faith) or legally earning salvation without God's grace.
It is because Paul is dealing with the nature of justification and James is dealing with the nature of faith. James is asking professing Christians, who have not shown any evidence for their new life in Christ, to "show me your faith" (Jas. 2:18). But faith is invisible to man. It is an unseen relationship between man and God. Since faith can not be seen, the best way to prove one's faith is to be "doers of the word and not merely hearers" (Jas. 1:22). Those who do the word of God will live a righteous life in obedience to God. That is why James said: "I will show you my faith by my works" (Jas. 2:18).
No, James IS dealing directly with justification. Why, then, did he ask, "What good is it, brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?" (James 2:14).
"But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith." - James 2:18
Mike correctly says that James is asking Christians who don't do good works to show him their faith. However, he then takes an unjustifiable step and says that James meant that works serve ONLY to prove your faith; however, this completely misses the point. All James is doing is saying:
1) You need both faith and works.
2) Faith and works are closely connected.
NOWHERE does James imply that works serve ONLY to show your faith.
Faith alone justifies but faith that justifies is never alone. It gives evidence of its existence by righteous living. James is concerned for professing Christians who have dead faith which is idle, barren, and unfruitful (Jas 2:17). He is saying that dead faith does not justify and it is useless (Jas. 2:20). Only genuine faith is alive and bears fruit. James is saying that a man who claims to have a right relationship with God will live a life of good works. You cannot have faith without works, nor justification without sanctification.
Ok. If Mike is right, then he has some problems to deal with:
1) Why does James use the same word for "justified" ("dikiaoo") that Paul does in his letter to the Romans?
2) If works don't actually justify us, why does James say that they do? He could've been clearer and said specifically that works merely prove our faith.
3) Why did he say, "Can faith save you?" in verse 14? Why did he not specify that he was talking only about a dead, non-saving faith?
4) In 2:24, James says, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." In essence, James is using the word "justified" once, but in (according to
Mike) two different ways (works proving your faith and faith actually justifying you). However, this is absurd. By saying that we are justified by works and not by
faith alone, James is putting works and faith on the same level, indicating that they justify in the same way.
Works Will Be Tested
Only some of the works done after justification are intrinsically good and acceptable to God. All the works of a Christian will be tested by fire. The good works, described by Paul, as gold, silver and precious stones, will survive the fire and result in rewards at the Bema seat. They are works done in faith, motivated by a love of God, in obedience to the will of God and for His glory. The worthless works are described as wood, hay and straw. They will be burned up, and the believer shall suffer the loss of rewards (1 Cor. 3:12-15).
1 Corinthians 3:12-15 does NOT teach that bad works only keep us from rewards rather than actually cutting us off from grace. These bad works were laid on the foundation of Christ, indicating that they were not bad enough to cut the person off from grace (as certain sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 5:5 do). Also, Paul does not say that works serve only to determine our rewards in heaven (as opposed to entrance into heaven).
1) The timing of the works performed. They must be done after justification not before (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12; 1 Thes. 1:3).
They must be done after we have faith and are initially justified.
2) The motivation for the works. They must be done in love and thanksgiving for being chosen and redeemed by God, not to merit salvation (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Thes. 5:18).
"For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:20
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Both of these passages say that we should thank God and glorify Him; however, neither of them says that that should be the ONLY motivation for ALL our good works.
3) The power in which the works are accomplished. They must be accomplished through faith in God's power, not through the power of man's flesh (John 15:5; Rom. 15:13, Phil 2:12; Col. 1:29; 2 Thes. 1:11; Heb. 11:6).
I agree.
4) The glory the works produce. They must glorify God not man (Acts 4:21; Mat. 5:16; John 15:8; 1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:23; 1 Pet. 2:12).
Ok, I agree.
Roman Catholic Justification
Roman Catholic teaching on justification places more emphasis on works, sacraments and obeying the law than on personal faith.
How does Mike come to this conclusion? The Catechism states:
"Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ." (Paragraph 1991)
While it's true that certain Catholics may place less emphasis on faith and that at times the way the Church presents its teaching on justification may seem to under-emphasize faith, her official teaching on salvation does not under-emphasize faith. In fact, many saints and holy people have placed a great emphasis on faith.
Paragraph 2027 teaches Catholics that they can merit the unmerited favor of God: "Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life."
If we read 2 paragraphs earlier, to paragraph 2025, we read:
"We can have merit in God's sight only because of God's free plan to associate man with the work of his grace. Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and secondly to man's collaboration. Man's merit is due to God."
The Church teaches that while we can't earn salvation in a strict legal sense (forcing God to save us), God does set up a system through which He lets us earn merit by His grace.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church opposes God's Word by teaching justification:
1) is not by faith, but is obtained without personal faith through baptism (1992)
Well, Scripture does say, "baptism�now saves you" (1 Peter 3:21).
Mike is taking the Church's teaching out of context. As paragraph 1991 of the Catechism says, "Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ." When it says that justification comes at baptism, it doesn't mean that we are justified by baptism instead of faith. Rather, baptism justifies us because it is our acceptance into the New Covenant; however, we must stay in God's grace (through faith and good works) if we want to retain this justification.
2) is not entirely the work of God, but a cooperative work between God and man (1993)
Here is what paragraph 1993 of the Catechism says:
"Justification establishes cooperation between God's grace and man's freedom. On man's part it is expressed by the assent of faith to the word of God, which invites him to conversion, and in the cooperation of charity with the prompting of the Holy Spirit who precedes and preserves his assent:
When God touches man's heart through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, man himself is not inactive while receiving that inspiration, since he could reject it; and yet, without God's grace, he cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God's site. [Council of Trent (1547): DS 1525]"
Justification is a cooperative work between God and man because we must accept and stay in His grace. Earlier, I quoted a few passages that teach that we CAN fall away from God and lose justification, which supports the belief that justification is a cooperative work between God and man.
It must be stressed that we CANNOT justify ourselves; justification comes SOLELY through God's grace. The part that humans play in this process is that we must accept God's grace and stay in it.
3) is not permanent, but can be lost by sin and regained through sacraments (1446)
Let's take a look at the two Psalms David wrote after committing adultery with Bathsheba.
"Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit away from me. Restore me to the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." - Psalm 51:11-12
It's pretty clear that David had to be re-justified after violating the 6th commandment (or 7th, depending on how you count them).
"So also David speaks of the blessedness of those to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:
'Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the one against whom the Lord will not reckon sin.'" - Romans 4:6-8
Here, Paul quotes from Psalm 32 (the other Psalm David wrote after committing adultery) to show how a man is justified. Let's look at what the Psalm says:
"Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the guilt of my sin." - Psalm 32:1-5
David is speaking of having his adultery forgiven, and Paul says he was justified here! We can clearly see that justification can be lost and regained.
4) is not different from sanctification, but includes it (2019)
"But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." - 1 Corinthians 6:11
Here, Paul actually lists justification AFTER sanctification, implying that either sanctification comes first (although we know that's not true) or they come together.
Plus, if justification is a process that involves doing good works (which, as far as I know, is how Protestants view sanctification), then the two would naturally go together.
5) is not a legal declaration by God, but conforms us to the righteousness of God (2020)
"I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life." - Revelation 21:22, 27
Here, John tells us that nothing unclean in the New Jerusalem, which is where those who are saved go after the apocalypse. It follows logically, then, that the requirements to enter the New Jerusalem would be the same as those for entering heaven when we die. If nothing unclean can enter heaven, then how could we enter it if we are still unclean (in Protestant theology)? Even though we may be covered by Christ's righteousness, we ourselves would still be intrinsically unclean. To claim that John really meant "nothing unclean or not declared clean" does not do justice to the literal, face value meaning of the text. Those who are unclean are not those who have not accepted the alien righteousness of Christ; rather, they are the ones who practice abomination or falsehood, the "dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and idolaters" (Revelation 22:15). For the focus to be on the people's works, John must be talking about being intrinsically clean, that is, having a righteousness of their own infused into them (as in Catholic theology), rather than having the alien righteousness of Christ imputed to them.
"For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:20
According to Protestant theology, Jesus would have to be viewed as basically just contrasting those who have not accepted the alien righteousness of Christ (the scribes and the Pharisees) with those who have. The basic idea is that by accepting Christ's righteousness, you are, by default, more righteous than those who have not. The problem, however, is that Jesus gives works as the requirement for being righteous, not faith. In verse 19, He says, "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heave." Matthew 5:19-20 clearly teaches that our righteousness comes from our works! He then goes on to give the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, which was all about works; Jesus was teaching us how to be righteous. If righteousness depends on our works, then it CANNOT be merely a legal declaration; we must actually BE righteous!
No one can be saved by trying to merit God's favor.
I agree completely. God looks upon us with mercy out of His great love, not because of any intrinsic righteousness we have. After He looks upon us with mercy and initially calls us to Him, He allows us, through His system of grace, to earn merit (which comes solely from Him). I cannot stress enough that this merit does NOT come from us; it comes from God's grace! He allows us to earn it not because we really can, but because of His grace!
This gift can only be received when one forsakes all efforts to save him or her self and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).
"Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" - Romans 5:1
Ok, we're justified by faith; it doesn't say faith alone. Paul's point, if read in context (going back to chapter 3), is that we are justified by faith rather than by following the Law of Moses; however, he does not contradict what he said in Romans 2:6-8:
"For he will repay according to each one's deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury."
