P
Pete_Holter
Guest
It may be that Paul’s emphasis on faith in Romans is in contradistinction with works of the law. One of his themes throughout the book of Romans is to explain how not only Jews, but also gentiles have access to God… and his answer is that “one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is One—Who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith” (Rom. 3:28-30). And so justification is through faith and not through adherence to the Law of Moses. Later Paul writes, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom 10:9-10). He concludes this thought with, “For “everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13). Going back to Paul’s conversion, we can ask the question: When do Christians first “call on the Name of the LORD?” And Scripture answers, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His Name” (Acts 22:16).
Paul is also concerned with, not only explaining how it is that both Jews and Gentiles have access to God through faith in Jesus Christ, but also with teaching about the nature of salvation. And the nature of salvation is that it is not based on works at all, but on grace (see footnote 1). But faith is also separated out, by Paul, from all other works. He says in Ephesians that it is “by grace [that] you have been saved through faith …] not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (2:8-9). Here we see Paul saying that salvation is by grace and through faith on the one hand, and not because of works on the other. We see Paul distinguishing faith from works, so that in the sense intended here by Paul, we believe that faith is not a work. Here Paul describes faith as a passive thing and as a vehicle through which grace is conferred and a person is saved. Elsewhere faith is described as something active and as a force, enabled by God’s grace, by which we obey Him, but that is not our concern here. For the purpose of the current inquiry, I am only concerned with proving that baptism is also not a work of man and is meant to be understood as the instrument that confers this saving grace received through faith.
Footnote 1: From the Catechism, paragraph 2011:
“The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.
‘After earth’s exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone. . . . In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself.’ ”
(continued…)
Paul is also concerned with, not only explaining how it is that both Jews and Gentiles have access to God through faith in Jesus Christ, but also with teaching about the nature of salvation. And the nature of salvation is that it is not based on works at all, but on grace (see footnote 1). But faith is also separated out, by Paul, from all other works. He says in Ephesians that it is “by grace [that] you have been saved through faith …] not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (2:8-9). Here we see Paul saying that salvation is by grace and through faith on the one hand, and not because of works on the other. We see Paul distinguishing faith from works, so that in the sense intended here by Paul, we believe that faith is not a work. Here Paul describes faith as a passive thing and as a vehicle through which grace is conferred and a person is saved. Elsewhere faith is described as something active and as a force, enabled by God’s grace, by which we obey Him, but that is not our concern here. For the purpose of the current inquiry, I am only concerned with proving that baptism is also not a work of man and is meant to be understood as the instrument that confers this saving grace received through faith.
Footnote 1: From the Catechism, paragraph 2011:
“The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.
‘After earth’s exile, I hope to go and enjoy you in the fatherland, but I do not want to lay up merits for heaven. I want to work for your love alone. . . . In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands, for I do not ask you, Lord, to count my works. All our justice is blemished in your eyes. I wish, then, to be clothed in your own justice and to receive from your love the eternal possession of yourself.’ ”
(continued…)