Salvation by
Faith Alone
By Watchman Nee
THE
CONDITION FOR SALVATION—FAITH
All those
who read the Bible know that the condition for salvation is faith. There is no
other condition except faith. Because man has fallen and is corrupted, because
his thoughts are crooked, and because man's flesh is of the law, he thinks that
he must do something before he can be saved or prove that he is saved. But the
Bible shows us that the only condition for our salvation is faith. Besides
faith there is no other condition. The New Testament tells us clearly at least
one hundred and fifteen times that when man believes, he is saved, he has
eternal life and is justified. When man believes, he has all these things. In
addition to these one hundred and fifteen times, the Bible says that man is
justified by faith, or becomes righteous through faith, another thirty-five
times. In the first instance, we have the verb to believe. In the second
instance, we have the noun faith. The verb to believe is used one hundred and
fifteen times. Once a man believes, he is saved (Acts 16:31). Once a man believes,
he has eternal life (John 3:36). Once a man believes, he is justified. In
addition to these verses, there are thirty-five times in which the noun faith
is used. Man is saved through faith. He receives eternal life through faith,
and he is justified by faith. Hence, in the entire New Testament, at least one
hundred and fifty times it says that man is saved, justified, and has eternal
life through faith only. It is not a matter of who one is, what one does, or
what one can do. Everything depends on believing. Everything depends on faith.
Another
thing that deserves special attention is that in all these one hundred and
fifty occurrences of faith and believing, no other condition is added. These
verses do not say that man must believe and then do something to receive
eternal life. They do not say that man must believe and do something before he
can be justified. Neither do they say that man must believe and do something
before he can be saved. The Lord's Word mentions faith in a clear and definite
way. Nothing else is mixed in or attached to the condition of faith. Hence, the
Bible shows us clearly from God's point of view that there is no other
condition to salvation than to believe.
One of the
most well-read and treasured books in the New Testament is the Gospel of John.
If one reads it carefully, he will see that John wrote this book with no other
purpose than to tell us how man can receive life and be saved and how he can be
delivered from condemnation. The Gospel of John mentions eighty-six times that
man receives life, is justified, and does not come into condemnation by faith
alone and nothing else. Hence, the Bible shows us clearly, adequately, and
simply that salvation is not based on who man is, what he has, what he has done,
or what he will do. The Bible shows us that when man believes, he receives
(John 1:12). He receives by believing.
Although the
Bible shows us that through faith one receives God's grace, many doctrines have
emerged as a result of man's misunderstanding. Man comes up with theories that
are based on his own thoughts and darkened mind, involving what he should do
before he can be saved or to confirm his salvation. Just as man has made idols
with his crooked heart and has considered them gods, he has specified
conditions for salvation with his crooked heart and darkened thoughts. For this
reason, I must point out the different conditions that man has set forth for
salvation and consider if these ways of salvation are trustworthy or not. If
man does not see God's truth and does not understand His Word, he will not
realize that the condition for salvation is faith alone. But if a man sees
God's light and understands God's truth, he will not be able to overturn the
New Testament fact that salvation is through faith alone, regardless of works.
The problem today is that after man realizes faith as the condition of
salvation, he adds something else to faith. The point of dispute between God
and man is not that of believing or not believing, but whether it is believing
with repentance, believing with the works of law, believing with baptism, believing
with holiness, believing with abstaining from at least the most defiling sins,
or believing with testifying, as a prerequisite to salvation. Others still will
be more cunning, uttering that while salvation is of faith alone, good works or
deeds doubtlessly follow true belief; this is nothing more than a sneaky
attempt at man to include works in salvation. The Word of God tells us that
once we believe, we are saved. But man today adds a word with. According to his
darkened mind, he claims that man is saved by faith with something. What we
will consider is not if one can be saved by faith. That matter is settled
already. The question today is whether or not faith is enough. Do we need to
add with to faith before we can be saved?
The Believer and Sin
There is a big difference between punishment and discipline.
God's disciplining of His children is not His punishment upon them. Even when
God chastises them, this chastisement is not a punishment, but a discipline.
Discipline is with a definite goal, which is that we may partake of His
holiness, that we may not live foolishly day by day. After a Christian believes
into the Lord Jesus, although he will never lose his salvation, he may receive
severe chastisement from God. We should never say that a Christian can do
whatever he wants after he is saved. The Bible clearly tells us that after a
Christian is saved, even if he is defeated and fallen, he will not perish
eternally in hell and will not lose eternal life. However, he will receive
God's chastising on earth today.
We should not make the mistake of thinking that because we
are eternally saved, we can live loosely on this earth. No one can refute the
fact that once a person is saved, he is eternally saved. This is a fact. If a
Christian unbridles his lusts, commits sins, falls into defilements and
fornications, and does not have God's holiness, God will extend His hand and
will discipline such a one through his environment, his family, his personal health,
his future plans and even end his life. He may encounter difficulties in his
family. He may experience much illness and misfortune in his environment. The
purpose of God in allowing these things to fall upon him is not a matter of
punishing him; they are not there to give him a hard time, but to make him
partake of God's holiness and to become worthy of the grace of His calling.
This is the proper understanding of salvation. One should not say that if a
Christian does not do good or lives in sin, God will deny that he is a child of
God and kick him out like a dog. If one would say such a thing, either he is
blind to the work of the cross of Christ, or he thinks that the work of Christ
is a very light matter.
The Bible shows us that salvation is eternal. At the same
time, the Bible also shows us that there are quite serious punishments among
the believers. If we fail, there will be much punishment for us. God wants us
to partake of His holiness. On this earth He wants us to live like sons of God.
He does not want to intimidate us with hell so that we will pursue holiness. To
be saved is totally of grace, but God has His way to lead us into His holiness.
He causes us to encounter many things in our families, in our bodies, in our
career, and in our environment so that we will turn back to Him. This is the
purpose of discipline. If a believer is stubborn to the chastisement of the
Lord, more severe disciplines and loss of eternal rewards may occur. Eternal salvation,
however, can never be revoked based on sinful lifestyle or lack of works, since
it was not given based on works or with respect to one’s mildness of sin to
begin with.
There is a good example in 1 Corinthians to show that even
an exceedingly sinful lifestyle does not signify a man being unsaved. Even if a
Christian has committed a very gross sin, he is still saved. First Corinthians
5 talks about a Christian who committed adultery. Such an act of adultery with
one's stepmother was not even found among the unbelievers. Those who are clear
about the law of Moses would say that this person will surely perish and is
guaranteed to go to hell. But surprisingly, 1 Corinthians shows us clearly that
here is one who had committed a very grave and despicable sin; it is a sin that
is not committed by ordinary people. Paul says that with the power of the Lord
Jesus, he delivered such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh: that
is to allow Satan to exhibit his power on the body of this one to cause him to
be weak, to be ill, and even to die. The purpose of Paul in doing this was that
this one may be ‘saved in the day of the Lord’. Discipline is something for
this life. It is absolutely not related to salvation in eternity. If it were up
to us, we would say, "It is finished. Although such a one has been saved,
surely he will perish again because of committing such a gross sin."
However, Paul says that this one will not perish even though he has committed
such a sin. A saved one can receive discipline on this earth, but he cannot be
penalized with eternal perdition. This is the teaching of Paul. A Christian can
have temporary discipline in this age, but he cannot perish eternally. We may
need discipline that leads even to death, but we will still be saved in
eternity. Paul made a clear distinction between these two things many times in
the New Testament. The destruction mentioned here and the sleep mentioned
before relate to the body only; they do not refer to the spirit. The matters of
the spirit and of eternal salvation were decided already when we believed in
the Lord.
Some people have a problem with 1 John 5:16, where it says
that we should not make request for anyone who has committed a sin unto death.
They have this problem because they do not understand the Word of God. They
think that to sin unto death as spoken of here means eternal perdition.
Actually there is no such thing. First John 5:16 tells us of some people who
sinned to the extent that God would have them die and their flesh removed from
the world. The death mentioned in 1 Corinthians 11, the destruction in 1
Corinthians 5, and the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira are all deaths of the
flesh and have nothing to do with the death of the spirit. Discipline is
totally a matter with the body. Therefore, in the Bible, many places which seem
to say that believers may perish are actually speaking about discipline.
Rewards and Salvation
There is a big mistake in the churches today. Man thinks that
salvation is the only thing and that there is nothing else besides being saved.
He takes the kingdom of the heavens and eternal life as the same thing. He
considers that since one is saved when he believes, he no longer has to be
concerned with works. The Bible makes a distinction between God's part and
man's part. One part is the salvation given by God, and the other part is the
glory of the millennial kingdom. To be saved has absolutely nothing to do with
one's works. Once anyone believes in the Lord Jesus, he is saved. But after his
salvation, God immediately places the second thing before him, telling him that
besides salvation, there is a reward, a coming glory, a crown, and a throne for
him. God puts His throne, crown, glory, and reward before the believers. If one
is faithful, he will obtain these. If he is unfaithful, he will lose the
rewards, but never his salvation.
Therefore, we do not say that good works are useless.
However, we do say that good works are useless as far as salvation is
concerned. Man cannot be saved by his good works. Neither can he be prevented
from salvation by his evil works. God’s word explicitly says in Romans 4:3 “But
to he that worketh not, but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for righteousness.” Here it is clear that one who believes on
the Lord Jesus, yet is weak and void of good works, is justified nonetheless.
Good works, however, are applicable to the matter of the reward, the matter of
the crown, the matter of the glory, and the matter of the throne. Good works
are useless regarding the matter of salvation. God cannot allow man to be saved
by his work; neither will He allow man to be rewarded by his faith. God cannot
allow man to perish because of his evil works. God can determine only man's
salvation or perdition by whether or not he believes in His Son. Similarly, God
cannot determine a man's receiving of His glory by whether or not one believes
in His Son. Whether or not you have His Son in you determines the matter of
eternal life or perdition. Whether or not you have good works before God determines
the matter of receiving the reward and the glory. In other words, God will
never save a person because he has merits, and He will never reward one who has
no merit. If someone has merits, God will not therefore save such a one. On the
other hand, God will never reward anyone who has no merit. Man has to come
before God totally helpless and meritless in order for God to save him. But
after salvation, we have to be faithful, and we have to endeavor to produce
good works through His Son Jesus Christ in order to obtain the reward.
Please do not think that good works are useless. We are
saying that good works are useless towards salvation. Good works have nothing
to do with salvation at all. Salvation depends on whether or not you would
repent of your former position of unbelief. It depends on whether you would
have regret over your past unbelief to believe in His work on the cross and in
His resurrection as the proof of your justification. This is the crux of all
problems. The matter of work is related to reward. Work is useful, but only in
the matter of reward.
First Corinthians 3:14 says, "Every man’s work shall be
made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by
fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work
which he has built upon the foundation remains, he will receive a reward. If
any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: But he himself shall be
saved" Here it says that if his work remains, he will be rewarded. It does
not say that if his faith remains he will be rewarded. The matter of reward
depends on one's work. We also note that the Apostle clearly illustrates the
fate of the believer who has few or no works, which are burned; he shall suffer
loss of rewards, yet he himself shall be saved. The Bible distinguishes clearly
between salvation and reward. It never mixes up salvation and reward, and it
never mixes up faith and work. Without faith, man cannot be saved. Without good
works, man cannot be rewarded. One's works must withstand before the judgment
seat and survive under the scrutiny of the burning eyes before there is the
possibility of receiving a reward.
