Work Without Faith Is Dread

By Kenny Boles

[Page 76]

     "Brother, are you saved?" The question annoyed me. If my new friend had been going to the right church, he would have known better than to ask a question like that. You can sing it ("Glory, I'm saved..."), you can pray it ("Thank Thee for saving us from sin...") but in orthodox circles you just do not think it or say it.

     Ever since Luther turned his church door into a Protestant bulletin board, good Christian folks have been yearning for a feel of this forbidden confidence of salvation. Common sense and most preachers have warned us to stay clear. Salvation by grace through faith is just too good to be true!

     Besides that, how can you keep the masses in line without a healthy fear of coming up short on judgment day?

     The solution of course is to preach grace only as a prelude to a good stiff sermon on works. With all of the jokes, illustrations, and theological double-talk removed, it comes out like this in everyday language, "Salvation is God's gift! You can't earn it, but if you don't earn it, you can't keep it. Get busy!"

     It is true that trying to do all of this work without an assurance of being saved produces dread, but that is just the price you have to pay. Folks may feel frustrated and lost but, after all, that's what keeps them coming back week after week.

     In customary practice, the clergyman selects each week the virtue necessary for the aspiring saint to keep himself saved. The beautiful part of the program is that

[Page 77]

if the pew-people get close to attaining it, you can switch them next week to a different virtue. Occasionally someone asks why it wouldn't be better if we all simply responded to God with works of love. This is a dangerous question. For one thing, this could cause people to lose their fear. For another, if news of this ever got out, you might have to leave the brotherhood of "the true church" and start working with the Baptists!

     In conclusion, and in order to prevent any more bulletins being tacked on church doors, let me clarify the whole matter with a few definitions:

     Grace. Divine generosity in offering you a chance to earn the right to keep your salvation.

     Faith. Taking God up on His offer.

     Works. The rental fee on the promise of salvation. Anytime you can't quite work up the agreed price, you are evicted from the premises. It is either pay up, or be down and out!

     (Kenny Boles can be addressed at 1111 North Main Street, Joplin, Missouri 64801.)