Bible on Faith / Belief, etc. “Alone” [?] for Salvation

Fifty Bible Passages Stress Faith or Belief, Regarding the Question of Salvation, Compared to a Hundred that Emphasize or Highlight Works (Flowing from God’s Grace Through Our Faith). Who Woulda Thunk it?!

Recently, I compiled 100 Bible passages proving that works had a direct or causal relationship to salvation (always alongside and brought about by grace and faith). As far as I am concerned, that utterly annihilates any semblance of a “faith alone” Protestant soteriology. Catholics are not Pelagians (the old heresy of works-salvation). That view held that human beings could save themselves without the necessary causation of God’s grace. We believe salvation derives initially from His grace, leading to faith, which in turn organically includes good works within itself (since “faith without works is dead”: James 2). The sacraments are also intimately involved in the process, especially baptism, which regenerates.

In light of this project, I became curious about how many passages could be found that mentioned faith or belief in Jesus or hope or trust in God, as the sole means of salvation and/or justification, without also mentioning good works or actions on our part, in the verse or in the surrounding context. In other words, these would be the passages that Protestants would or could point to as evidence of “faith alone.”

Of course they don’t constitute such evidence, because Protestants — if biblically consistent — must also incorporate passages like the hundred I collected, into their overall view. But let’s just assume for the sake of argument that those hundred passages aren’t in the Bible. Are there more about [supposed] “faith alone” for justification and salvation than there are passages about the role of works? Let’s see! I use RSV for biblical citations.

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Note: the Old Testament has the phrase “Believe[d] in the LORD” many times (similar passages abound in the NT as well), but technically, that could simply be taken as belief that He [God or God the Son Jesus in particular] exists and ought to be followed, even as God and/or the Messiah. It doesn’t say that such belief is the sole determinant of salvation. James 2:19: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder.” Analogously, if I were to collect every passage that commanded or exhorted people to do good works, but didn’t mention salvation, I would have a list of 200.

I did proximity searches of “believe” + “save” / “believe” + “salvation” / “believe” + “heaven” in the Protestant Old Testament and received zero hits; likewise, with “faith” and the other three terms. I did find four instances where “trust” and “save[d]” were together: Ps 22:5; 44:6; 86:2; Is 30:15; two with “trust” and “salvation”: Ps 13:5; Is 12:2, and three with “hope” and “Salvation”: Ps 65:5; 119:81, 166. These nine can be added to the list below. By contrast, in my paper with 100 proofs, I found 22 passage in the OT connecting works and salvation.

Luke 8:12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved.

John 1:12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God;

John 3:15-18 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” [16] For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. [18] He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. (“obey” implies works and actions as well, showing that in the Hebrew mind, belief and obedient action to God’s commands were inseparable, but I’ll include this anyway, with an “asterisk”: as it were)

John 4:42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

John 6:44, 47  No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. . . . [47] Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

John 7:38-39 He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” [39] Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.”

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. . . .

John 12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. . . .

John 12:46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Acts 10:43 To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of God; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

Romans 3:21-26, 28, 30 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, [22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; [23] since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as an expiation by his blood, to be received by faith. [26] it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus. . . . [28] For we hold that a man is justified by faith . . . [30] since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of their faith and the uncircumcised through their faith.

Romans 4:5 And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

Romans 5:1-2 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. [2] Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

Romans 8:22-25, 28-30 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; [23] and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. [24] For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? [25] But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. . . . [28] We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Romans 10:4, 9-11 For Christ is the end of the law, that every one who has faith may be justified. . . . [9] because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. [11] The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”

1 Corinthians 1:21 . . . it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Galatians 2:16, 20 . . . a man is . . . justified . . . through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, . . . [20] I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Galatians 3:8, 14 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, . . . [14] that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:24, 26 So that the law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. . . . [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God —

Colossians 1:23, 27 provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. . . . [27] . . . this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

1 Timothy 1:16 . . . those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

1 Timothy 4:10 . . . we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

2 Timothy 3:15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Titus 1:2 in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago

Titus 3:7 so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

Hebrews 6:11-12 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, [12]. . . imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful;

1 Peter 1:3, 5, 9 . . . By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, . . . [5] who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [9] As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

1 John 5:1, 4-5 Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God . . . [4] For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. [5] Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life.[13] I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

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The total number of scriptural passages, then, indicating the notion of faith / belief for salvation, including the nine Old Testament passages mentioned, is fifty: or half of the 100 passages I found connecting good works and salvation. Now, let me make clear that I am not contending that works are thereby shown as more important than, or twice as important as faith and trust in God in the Bible. No! But what I would vigorously claim, and what Protestants must grapple with (since they believe in inspired, inerrant revelation), is the undeniable fact that the Bible emphasizes or mentions works with regard to salvation more so than faith and belief, etc., by a 2-to-1 margin (at least by my own best reckoning, searching the relevant terms).

This being the case — and I have now documented it — I submit that it’s impossible to maintain that the Bible teaches a “faith alone” position with regard to the way of salvation. Nor does it teach a works-salvation or works alone, Pelagian view. What it teaches is the Catholic view of salvation by grace alone, through a faith that intrinsically includes within itself works (including the sacraments): without which it is dead.