“Faith And Works”

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Question: Are we TRULY saved by faith alone, and what is a "true Christian"?

Hello, my name is (omitted), and I am a christian (Protestant).  I had always believed that we were saved by "faith alone," but I read an article that talks about 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and states that those sins can keep you from heaven.  Furthermore, in that same article, they say this:

"However, a true Christian will always repent, will always eventually return to God, and will always resume the struggle against sin.  But the Bible gives no support for the idea that a person who perpetually and unrepentantly engages in sin can indeed be a Christian."

Based off of that, it seems they are saying that even if you have faith (believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior), you have to do "good works" by "repenting" in order to be called a "true Christian" and keep your salvation.

To sum it all up:

I'm confused.  If there is a Christian that practices the sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 without repenting (good works), and even if they believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, is the Bible saying that they are not "true Christians", thus they are not saved?  If that's the case, then aren't we saved by faith + good works instead of just "faith alone"?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Working On My Faith

Dear Working On My Faith,

The Bible says that we are saved by faith (Eph 2:8), but it never says that we are saved by faith only.  The Scriptures mention a lot of things that are involved in our salvation.  We are saved by hope (Rom 8:24).  We are saved by baptism (1 Pet 3:21).  We are saved by the love of the truth (2 Thess 2:10).  All of these things are involved in your salvation.

We are told that in order to be saved, we must believe in Jesus (Jhn 3:16), repent of our sins (Acts 2:38), be baptized (Mk 16:16), and continue to grow in the knowledge of Christ through the Bible (2 Pet 3:18).  Faith is hearing what God says (Rom 10:17)… and then acting upon it.  James says that faith without works is dead (Jas 2:17).  It is impossible to be a faithful person and live an unrepentant life.  Faith is more than belief; even the demons believe in God (Jas 2:19).  Faith is belief combined with action.  We must be hearers and doers of God’s Word (Jas 1:22).  1 Cor 6:9-10 lists a multitude of unrepentant lifestyles.  If someone continues to live a life of sin, they are not faithful, and God will condemn them.

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