What's Exactly the Problem of the Works Salvation Crowd?
Here's what- the works salvation crowd are indeed a major nuisance. Many of them are simply highly chaotic, paranoid individuals who really have the problem of Christians who preach the REAL message that salvation is never earned nor kept by works but it results to works. In fact, again it goes to to where Ephesians 2:8-10 is clear with the statement "... so NO ONE could boast." That is, nobody can ever say, "I did all the good works to enter Heaven." or "I'll stay away from sin to enter Heaven." Rather, it's "I did all the good works because God is the one who works in me." and "I'll stay away from sin by the grace of God". One takes merits for the good works not meant for him/her while the Christian does good works because God counted them for righteousness.
So here's a big reality- the works salvation crowd counts the doctrine of eternal security to be heretical and a license to sin while sadly MANY of these clowns live a life of sin. The problem is not new. From the time of Cain to today, it's still happening. The Pharisees hated Jesus and the Apostles for always addressing the fact that their good works can't save them. Also, James did not stress out working for salvation rather that saving faith results to works in James 2. This is a doctrine that the world hates because of pride. And one cost that people count before they get saved is, what if they will be insulted for believing that salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ and that the Christian's good works are but of God's grace.
In fact, the works salvation crowd is the type to complain against the following Bible truths:
1.) Salvation is always by faith that results to works
The works salvationist is a self-serving Judas Iscariot NO DOUBT. They hog the glory for themselves, they sell the Lord Jesus Christ for money. Here's the reality- teach in the charismatic rallies that people are never saved by works, at least a huge portion say 99% of the followers are most likely to walk out. Works salvation doctrine keeps the self-righteous preachers popular because the world is full of prideful people. Many people think that there is nothing wrong with them despite the fact their lifestyles do show it!
They teach that teaching salvation by faith alone and eternal security in Jesus grants a license to sin. They call it a washed up Gospel. They misquote the Bible. The Roman Catholic teaching calls it anathema to believe that salvation by grace through faith is sufficient for salvation yet it results to works causing millions of true Christians to be massacred under the brutal hand of the Inquisition. Millions of true Christians are still being killed by the worshipers of Allah, the moon god. For that stand, Christians get rejected by the prideful world and get killed for it.
What part of Romans 4:5 can they not understand when it's obvious that a Christian does no works to get saved YET they get counted for righteousness meaning they will do good works only by God's act of justification. Titus 2:11-15 is clear that salvation by faith alone does not grant a license to sin but rather, it rebukes sin. When a person receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are saved from their sins, they have a new Lord (not lord) and that obeying God doesn't become difficult because of God's grace. On the other hand, the works salvation crowd just wants to take merit for themselves, taking away the glory from God. Hebrews 9:14 is clear that a person gets saved by what Jesus Christ did on the cross, that they are saved from dead works and they become servants of God. Again self? No but by God's grace!
Again Galatians 2:21 comes to mind- if works saved, Christ died for nothing. These works salvation people step on the precious blood of Jesus no doubt!
2.) That perseverance of the saints is but God's grace and not man's work
John Calvin taught that Christians can never fall away because of God's grace. Charles H. Spurgeon stressed that out many times that Christians will be preserved by God's grace. John Macarthur stated that Christians cannot stop believing in Jesus- it's a continuous faith from that one act of faith that saved them forever. Some Christians may ask, "What if one stops believing in Jesus?" The answer is, "True Christians NEVER stop believing." Wow what power God really has. Nobody ever stops becoming a Christian, again it's God's grace. As said, nobody can trust Jesus today and works tomorrow. Rather, trust Jesus today and Christians trust him FOREVER.
In Hell's Best Kept Secret, Ray Comfort is causing discomfort to those heretics when he stated, "What it is, is a sad admission to the amount of confidence we have in the power of our message and in the keeping power of God. If God has saved them, God will keep them. If they’re born of God, they’ll never die. If he’s begun a good work in them, he’ll complete it to that Day. If he is the author of their faith, he’ll be the finisher of their faith. He’s able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him. He’s able to keep them from falling and to present them faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jesus said no one will pluck you from my Father’s hand."
Also, 1 John 2:19 is clear to state what eternal security results to. Christians who are truly converted CANNOT be deconverted only by the grace of God. No Christian even if they stumble completely falls away. Paul Washer said washing away the notion of losing one's second birth, "Those whom God has accepted in the Beloved, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere to the end; and though they may fall, through neglect and temptation, into sin, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, bring reproach on the Church, and temporal judgments on themselves, yet they shall be renewed again unto repentance, and be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."
Again, it's revealed that the works salvation crowd is being self-serving, self-meriting, taking away the glory from God and only for themselves.
Closing:
Yes indeed, they will continue to menace Christians everywhere while many of them show their sinful lifestyles because they are ignorant of God's righteousness and they reject God's only remedy for sin- the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:3, Hebrews 10:26). The Law points to Jesus for salvation, not to itself. Persecution will always happen but so what- this world is not the Christian's home.