BIBLICAL CONTRADICTION: HOW IS A PERSON SAVED?

 One site on the internet lists this among the ten top flaws in the Bible, namely, the confusion concerning the requirements for eternal salvation. I will attempt to deal with each of its criticisms (in bold) in turn before making some general comments.

Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:20 say it is by faith while James 2:21-24 says it is by works.

This old criticism has been hashed out and resolved for centuries now. But in case anyone is still disturbed by the “contradiction,” here are a few things I have written in a previous post:

First, take into consideration the way each author defines the terms “faith” and “works.”

                JAMES                                                                      PAUL IN GALATIANS

FAITH

intellectual assent (2:19)                                                         In Christ, which justifies us (2:16),

enables us to live (2:20), and works

through love (5:6)

Example: Abraham (3:9)

WORKS

showing compassion to the poor (2:14-17)                            of the Old Testament law (2:16, 3:2,5)

                                                                                                that men rely on for salvation

Example: Abraham offering Isaac (2:21) (3:10, 5:4)

Example: Rahab protecting spies (2:28)

Paul considers the source (God and our relation to Him); James concentrates on the effect.

Paul looks at God's perspective; James takes man's perspective. James is not talking about justification

(our standing before God), but about validation (proof to men and ourselves).

Faith to James is a purely intellectual assent, while to Paul it is a working, living thing.

“works” of James = Paul's fruit of the Spirit; “works” of Paul = shallow observances done so as to

merit salvation.

Paul says that the natural consequence of true faith is works; James says that our faith is demonstrated 

by our works.

Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 say that you must call on the name of the Lord. But that is contradicted in Matthew 7:21.

Acts 2:21 is a quote from the OT, and when the people ask what is specifically meant by calling on the name of the Lord, Peter replies that they are to repent and be baptized, and those acts are naturally followed by devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship. (Acts 2:37-42)

And in Romans 10, that same OT verse is used in the context of believing in Christ's sacrifice on our behalf and confessing it out loud to others.

Turning to Jesus' words in Matthew 7, the context there is the contrast between genuine believers and false ones. The proof of the genuineness of their faith is found in their fruits, i.e. whether or not they do the will of God, not whether they seem to accomplish miraculous works (see verses 15-20). So the text never says at all that we aren't to call on the name of the Lord, it just qualifies how helpful that calling will be on the Judgment Day if not accompanied by truly following God's will in our lives.

Both Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 are quotations of Joel 2:32. But Romans 10:13 is really a summary of the passage beginning with v. 9, and those preceding verses make it clear that “calling on the name” includes a confession that Jesus is Lord and the belief that God raised him from the dead.

Concerning Acts 2:21, Marshall points to the framework formed with Acts 2:39 in which the same promise is made to “all whom the Lord our God will call.” Thus, we see the necessary interplay of man's free will and God's predestination/foreknowledge at work.

Regarding Matthew 7:21-23 and the similar passage in 25:11-12, the exact phrase “call on the name of the Lord” is not employed. This one distinction from the previous two passages may hint at one way to resolve the difference between the three: “calling on the name of the Lord” has the implication of relying on the power of the name to save rather than relying on our own works to bring us to salvation. In stark contrast, note that those crying “Lord, Lord” at the time of judgment are those who were still relying on their own works to get them into heaven (Matt. 7:22) while neglecting to do the will of God earlier (7:21,26). We see this also in the case of Matthew 25:11-12; those crying out to be admitted to the wedding banquet were those who were negligent in their assigned duties.

Here are some quotations from the scholarly literature dealing with Matthew 7:21-23:

    “Those who cry 'Lord, Lord', are the false prophets of verses 15f. This identification is suggested by the context as a whole and by the use of the work 'prophesy' in verse 22.” (D. Hill)

    “The people whom Jesus condemns are branded as false because in their case life and lip had not been in harmony. Their exclamation 'Lord, Lord' had been deceitful. By means of it they also now, on this day of the Great Assize, present themselves as Christ's loyal servants; yet in their previous life they by their actions had constantly been claiming lordship for themselves.” (W. Hendricksen)

    “'Doing the will of my Father in heaven' is not a merely ethical category: that will also includes to know and be known by Jesus the 'Lord.' A professed allegiance to Jesus falls short of that...” (France)

    “Verses 21-22 enumerate some of the ways in which individuals can masquerade as Christians. They may verbally affirm that Jesus is their Master, perhaps even with great joy and enthusiasm, but such claims must issue in lives of obedience [an important qualification of Rom. 10:10-13]...It is also interesting that prophecy, exorcisms, and miracle working all characterize 'charismatic' activity which has a tendency, by no means universal, to substitute enthusiasm and the spectacular for more unglamorous obedience in the midst of suffering. But these external demonstrations prove nothing. The question is whether one's heart has been cleansed inwardly (v. 15) or whether apparent acts of ministry still serve only self...” (Blomberg)

Matthew 25:34-46 tells us that salvation can be obtained only by helping the needy.

That is not really what this passage says. In the first place, the earlier part of this chapter places God's words in the context of the parable of the talents. We believers, as the servants in the parable, are those who have been given talents and instructions by God to utilize for the good of others. But if we refuse to help anyone but ourselves and totally ignore those in need, then that is a good indication that we never truly repented of our selfish attitudes when we turned to God in the first place. Again, as James explains, our works serve as external evidence of our faith and inward attitude.

Finally, Romans 8:29-30 and 9:15-16 say that salvation is by election and predestination.

This is another theological issue that has been hashed out many times over the centuries.

The various interpretations of Romans 8:30 include the following: (a) The word "also" denotes that predestination occurred at the same time as foreknowledge (Calvinist view); (b) Foreknowledge of all the decisions a person will do in his or her lifetime precedes predestination; (c) This is a general description of what God has done and will do for every person who believes. This is the ideal that one can refuse; and (d) The whole discussion mainly concerns the election or rejection of large groups as a whole, such as Gentiles or Jews.

This same principle of a chosen vessel for destruction still having responsibility over his own sinful actions is also seen in the case of Judas (John 13:18-19; Luke 22:21-22).

And to those requirements for salvation, I could also add that there are other passages specifically stating that salvation involves repentance, public proclamation of faith, and baptism.

Let me fall back on an analogy here to help answer the overall criticism. What if someone came to me asking how to get to a location in another town? My answer might be one of the following depending on the specific circumstances:

    You need to buy and consult a good road map or look for instructions on the internet.

    First make sure you have the correct address.

    Go north on Hwy X, then after 20 miles turn off on Avenue A, proceed 200 yards east until you a gas station on the right, turn left at that intersection onto Green Street. The address you want is three blocks on the right.

    Make sure you have good walking shoes.

    If you can wait a few hours, I can drive you there.

    Catch a bus.

    Hitchhike after determining the best location for catching a ride.

    Call Uber if you haven't maxxed out your credit card.

    Rent a car if you can afford it.

    Drive your own car, but only after first getting enough gas and/or charging the battery.

These are all completely different but valid responses to the same question. Also note that most of the responses actually involve multiple steps that must be followed in order. For example, merely telling someone to turn left onto Green Street presupposes the several directions that preceded it. And some other requirements require several prior acts on the person's part that are assumed and not specifically mentioned. Thus, telling someone to take a bus necessitates that (a) they have enough money for the ticket, (b) they know the location of the local bus station, (c) they have transportation to get them to the station, (d) they have determined how to get from where the bus drops them off to their actual destination, (e) they have consulted the bus schedule so that they know when they need to be at the station, and (f) they have also looked at the schedule to make sure that the return trip can be made at a convenient time.

Applying this to the subject at hand, the early Restoration Movement in American, as one example, took the individual passages in the NT involving one or more steps for a person to carry out for salvation and put them together in a semi-logical and chronological order: (1) recognize that one is a sinner and repent of one's actions, (2) turn to Jesus as one's personal Lord and Savior, (3) proclaim that decision before others, (4) submit to water baptism, and (5) follow God's will as revealed in the Bible and directed by the Holy Spirit within you.

Within this general five-step process, there are certainly variations among different Christian denominations. For example, some congregations place baptism first, with a confirmation years later. And there is a wide amount of disagreement concerning the exact mode of baptism, its necessity, who is qualified to do the baptizing, and what exact words must be spoken at it. Other Christian groups believe that speaking in tongues is the only sure sign that one has been saved. And yet others require that every single sin must be confessed to God or His appointed delegate before the point of death or one will still not go to heaven.

And all of the above takes only the human actions into account. In some Holiness denominations, it almost seems as if one's actions are all that count. By contrast, Calvinist groups sometimes stress God's overweening supervision of the process to the point where one's salvation is completely divorced from anything one might personally “choose” to do.The whole picture must include both components to be true to all the pertinent passages in the New Testament.