Conversation 2

Mr. Works—Well, here we are again, Neighbor Wright. I am full of confidence this morning. I am pretty sure the Scriptural texts I have collected will convince you that salvation is by works.

Mr. Wright—I am much pleased to have you come. I am sure we shall have a good, friendly time considering the Word of God on this subject. Remember, Brother Works, that I admit that there is a salvation by works.

Mr. Works—I hold that there is no other salvation than that by works. The sinner simply decides that he will live a better life; he goes to leaving off his worst sins and goes to doing good, unites with some church, and takes upon himself the duties and profession of a Christian. I think a man should reform his life to a considerable degree before he takes upon himself the profession of Christianity.

Mr. Wright—You have already admitted that it is sinners who need to be saved?

Mr. Works—Yes, sir; but it is by works that they are saved.

Mr. Wright—At any rate, it is the sinner that needs to be saved. Jesus said, “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.”* (Luke 5:31) According to your plan, a very sick man is not worthy of the attention of a physician, but he should improve himself before he calls for medical aid. Christ will save the vilest sinner. He does not ask for a reformation on the part of the sinner, but only repentance. When a sinner comes in all the vileness of his sins, but penitently, to Christ and believes His promise to save, that act of faith will secure the pardon of Christ, who will wash all his sins away, making him fit to be taken right into heaven.

Mr. Works—I tell you I do not believe in those miraculous conversions we sometimes hear about. The Scriptures say we “grow into grace.”

Mr. Wright—Let us open our Bibles to Luke 23. Here we read of the crucifixion of our blessed Savior. Verse 33 tells us that two malefactors—persons guilty of crime—were led with Him to be put to death. Reading from verse 39, we learn that one was impenitent, railing on Jesus. The other feared God, became penitent, and said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”* (Luke 23:42) Jesus said to him, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”* (Luke 23:43) A man whose soul was stained with the sin of crime became penitent and called on the Lord, and Jesus taking all his sins away, made him fit to be taken with Jesus Himself into paradise. To be a Christian is to be saved from all sin by an act of faith, and with such an experience, we are ready for heaven. If we are not this moment pure enough to be taken into heaven without marring the purity of that place, we should not, were we this moment to die, be taken to heaven at all. Salvation by grace through faith will make us that pure; and when we get such an experience, we shall know it.

Mr. Truman—Thank God, that sounds good to me. My heart hungers for just such an experience.

Mr. Wright—Allow me to correct you, Neighbor Works, in your quotation a short while ago. Open your Bible to 2 Peter 3:18. There we read, “But grow in grace.” The Bible nowhere says, “grow into grace”; we are to “grow in grace”—after we get into grace. Now, here is the truth: good works will keep us growing in grace, but they will never grow us into grace. The only salvation that is by works is after we have been saved by grace (and thus we get into grace); we keep saved, or keep in grace, by good works, living in obedience to all of God’s Word. This is the only salvation by works taught in the Scriptures.

Mr. Truman—I believe with all my heart that that is the truth.

Mr. Works—But the Bible says plainly, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”* (Philippians 2:12 )

Mr. Wright—Certainly enough we must, but not before we are saved. We must live carefully, resist all temptation to do evil, fear to disobey God’s Word. It is in this sense we work out our salvation. We live so that we keep saved. Let me illustrate this to you. A father has a boy who has fallen into the stream and is drowning. There is nothing he can do to save himself; his efforts are all in vain. He calls to his father. The father hears and comes to the rescue. He saves his boy. He now forbids the boy to go near the stream again. The boy keeps saved, works out his salvation by obeying his father. This is the only salvation by works the Bible mentions.

We will take the case of Adam and Eve. God made them and gave them life. They had not one single act in the matter. God told them what they should do and what they should not do. If they had obeyed, they would have kept the life God gave them; but they disobeyed, and died. Now, they could have worked out their eternal life by obedience. They had nothing to do in the giving of life to themselves, but they had something to do to keep it.

Mr. Truman—This is very simple and plain. Can’t you see it, Mr. Works?

Mr. Works—Our church teaches salvation by works, and I know that there are any good faithful Christians among us.

Mr. Wright—Let us read you Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” The Christian is God’s workmanship; not his own. It is only when he has been created in Christ that he can do the good works that God accepts. An infidel may do good, but his good works give him no place in the kingdom of God. I will read you a text from Paul’s letter to Titus that is very positive: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”* (Titus 3:5) Here it is plainly stated that it is not by doing right, or good works, that we are saved. How can you harmonize this text with your theory of salvation by works?

Mr. Works—Well, there are different texts in the Scriptures that are difficult to make harmonize. I know there are some that teach salvation by works.

Mr. Wright—I know that there is, and if you would give the application to them that I have given, they would harmonize with this text I have just read you. One of the men who ate an orange said the fruit is bitter; the other said it is sweet. They were both right; but had one said that it is bitter, and always bitter, he would have been wrong. You are right when you say there is a salvation by works, but when you say that salvation by works is the only salvation—that which makes us Christians, liberates from sin, makes us children of God—you make a mistake and find yourself in opposition to many plain texts of Scripture. Now, if you can get to see that salvation which keeps from sin—not the salvation that makes us new creatures in Christ, but only the salvation by which we humbly keep God’s commandments after we are saved by grace—then you would see the beautiful harmony of the Bible.

Mr. Works—Let me give you a text or two of Scripture; I have not given you the texts I hunted up. Here is one from James that will forever settle the question: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works?”* (James 2:21) Now harmonize your texts with this, will you? Then again, “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works?”* (James 2:25) Here is another: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified.”* (James 2:24) How these texts settle the question. It is by works that a man is justified. You thought I did not know anything about the Bible, but I tell you I know a thing or two. But I must be going now. I will leave these texts for your consideration until I come again. I hope Mr. Truman will also consider them.

Mr. Truman—I must confess I do not understand these texts. It looks plain that a man is justified by works, yet the text Mr. Wright read says we are not saved by works of righteousness. The texts given by you, Mr. Works, halfway convince my head but they do not satisfy my heart.

Mr. Wright—The Scriptures in no wise conflict when rightly interpreted. I will gladly explain these texts to you now, Mr. Works, if you have time to stay awhile.

Mr. Works—I have stayed over time now, so I shall have to go. When I come again, I shall give you even more positive texts than these. Goodbye.

Mr. Wright—Be sure to come again; I enjoy these talks very much. I am sure someone will have more light and be more responsible than they were before. By the way, Mr. Truman, did you read the paper I let you have?

Mr. Truman—I have read every word of it.

Mr. Wright—How do you like it?

Mr. Truman—It is the best paper I have ever read. I see in it a book advertised; I think it is What Shall I Do to Be Saved? I should like to have that book.

Mr. Wright—Yes, you ought to have that book. There are some things for a sinner to do to get saved. This book tells you all about it. Maybe I have one in my library. If I have, I will let you read it; and if I have not, we can get it. Goodbye, gentlemen. Come again.

Mr. Truman—Yes, I want to hear those texts explained. We shall come tomorrow if Mr. Works can come.

Mr. Works—I will see.