In my previous post, I covered several arguments on why I do not think sola fide is an original teaching from Jesus, and it is more likely that Jesus taught salvation is achieved through faith and good works.

This post serves to complete my arguments espoused previously, mainly by countering several common arguments against the need for good works for salvation.

What about the penitent thief?

But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:40-43 NRSVUE)

The penitent thief refers to the good thief mentioned in the crucifixion episode only in the gospel of Luke. Here, Jesus is crucified alongside two thieves. One of them mocks Him, telling Jesus to save Himself and them. The other defends Jesus, acknowledging His innocence and asks to be remembered in the coming Kingdom. Jesus complies, answering that he too, will join Him in paradise. As a bonus fun fact, while we will never know the identity of the two thieves in the story, several orthodox traditions have come to venerate the penitent thief as a saint (St. Dismas).

Firstly, do we have good historical attestation that there was indeed such a penitent thief? The other synoptics, Mark and Matthew, are consistent that both thieves mocked Jesus. No other early sources mention such an event. Historically, that is where our assessment ends.

Instead, could this be a narrative Luke made up? While Luke’s gospel appears to strive for historical accuracy (see Luke 1:1-4 on his message to Theophilus), scholars have highlighted that Luke has made several editorial changes to align his gospel to his understanding of Jesus. For example, nowhere in Luke (nor in Acts, Luke’s other book) is Jesus portrayed to “give up his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28). The one occasion where one might encounter Jesus’s death as an atoning sacrifice is in the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:14-20), yet the final clause that contains the sacrificial aspect is suspect due to the lack of consistent attestation in early manuscripts. One would think that among all the episodes and teachings of Jesus, His death as an atonement for sins should have been the one best preserved and agreed on. Yet, this is noticeably absent in Luke.

If Jesus didn’t die to atone for sins, then why did He have to die? Throughout the gospel, the author consistently and emphatically portrayed Jesus as an innocent preacher. He healed the high priest’s servant’s ear when His disciples fought back against Jesus’s arrest party (Luke 22:49-51), and Herod and Pilate proclaimed Him innocent three times (Luke 23). Even the centurion’s exclamation was changed from “certainly this man was the Son of God” to “certainly this man was innocent” (compare Mark 15:39 and Luke 23:47). My guess is that the penitent thief is another one of Luke’s editorial attempts to highlight Jesus’s innocence, rather than an actual historical event. For Luke, Jesus is a martyr. And it is through His tragic death that causes people to turn back to God, who forgives them.

In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth. (Acts 8:33 NRSVUE)

Would the historical Jesus have forgave the penitent thief in Luke’s narrative? I am inclined to say yes because it is in line with Jesus’s call for repentance. Does that mean the thief is guaranteed salvation? I would like to hope so though I can’t be sure. It is very possible given his dire circumstances that God will judge him differently. Yet, I don’t think his unique circumstance and his resulting fate warrants a generalization that the average believer requires only faith in God for salvation.

What about the gospel of John?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16 NRSVUE)

The gospel of John is by far the most popular gospel out of the four. It is not hard to see the appeal given the simple and attractive message the author portrays – anyone can enter eternal life through believing in Christ.    

Yet, for all its theological richness, the gospel of John presents numerous historical difficulties that are perhaps irreconcilable with the synoptic gospels. This makes it difficult to ascertain if John’s theology was something Jesus would have approved. For example, Jesus consistently taught in parables so that only His followers can discern His teachings (Mark 4:10-12; Matthew 13:10-11; Luke 8:9-10) and He was discrete in many of His miraculous works (e.g. Mark 7:31-37; the resurrection of Jairus’s daughter, etc.). In John’s gospel, Jesus taught long, theologically rich expositions and performed miracles (signs) openly and magnificently so that people may believe (John 20:30-31). Which is it?

Judging strictly on which stories have a stronger historical attestation, the synoptics easily wins. Yet, suppose we focused solely on John’s gospel alone, disregarding historicity. In the author’s view, those who truly believe are still expected to be obedient in deeds (John 14:23), though that obedience is borne out of a belonging in Christ (John 15:4-5). Unlike the Synoptics where Jesus makes it explicitly clear what is needed for eternal life (“keep the commandments”, see the parable of the rich man), John seems to imply that good works is a consequence, not requirement for salvation. The logical extension to John’s theology is that true believers always generate good works – a claim I argued doesn’t line up with reality. Thus, I find it hard to accept John’s proposition that good works follows salvation and align more to the synoptics’ portrayal of Jesus’s teachings.

Didn’t Paul teach salvation by faith alone?

I covered in my previous post on the two occasions that Paul talks about justification, which is the precursor to salvation (Romans 3:27-28 and Galatians 2:16). I don’t think Ephesians 2:8-9 is an authentic teaching from Paul – you can read up other sources here to see why scholars are suspect of the Epistles to the Ephesians.

Paul clearly thinks Jesus’s death was important, perhaps so important he neglects to mention pretty much anything else about His ministry (if he ever knew it). In both cases when Paul elaborates on justification, it is always contrasted against “the works of the law”. This is a critique of believers who think they can earn their salvation through strict observance of the Torah (see Galatians 3 for a full exposition). It is less obvious what Paul thought was the place of good works in a believer’s life, though he clearly advocated for some form of ethical living.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 NRSVUE)

My impression from reading the seven undisputed Pauline epistles is that Paul thinks highly of good works and he instructs his congregations to actively live in God-glorifying ways: exercise patience, thankfulness, unity with believers, edifying one another etc. A lot of these ways are very similar to what Jesus Himself taught in the Synoptics to love one’s neighbor. Based on what he preaches in Romans 2:6-11, I am confident that Paul would expect any believer to incorporate said good works into their daily lives while awaiting for God’s final judgement.

He will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life, while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but injustice, there will be wrath and fury. There will be affliction and distress for everyone who does evil, both the Jew first and the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, both the Jew first and the Greek. For God shows no partiality. (Romans 2:6-11 NRSVUE)

Furthermore, the fact that Paul dedicates so much of his letters to ethical living and good works suggests that he thought there is a real danger that believers of Christ will not live godly lives and actually lose their eternal reward that awaits them. This, to me, is the strongest indication that in Paul’s mind, the ultimate and eternal prize (salvation and eternal life) will only come when one believes in the death and resurrection of Christ, and then live a godly life filled with good works.

Doesn’t that mean we are not assured of salvation even after coming into Christ?

Well, yeah.

Proponents of sola fide often claim believers need to be assured of their salvation, else they risk damaging their faith or try too hard to secure their salvation through other means, such as through their own works. Yet, when we turn to the gospels, the people who are most certain of their right standing with God ends up being rejected by Christ. For example, the famous teaching in Matthew 7:21-23 talks about Jesus rejecting “disciples” who proclaim the Lord’s name AND does miracles in His name. Why were they rejected? Because they behaved lawlessly.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you who behave lawlessly.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NRSVUE)

This is a harsh lesson for those who think they are safe simply because they proclaim belief in the Lord and even perform miraculous, mighty works in His name. In Matthew’s view, only those who remain true to the heart of the Law (Matthew 22:34-40) all the way to the end (Matthew 24:13) will be saved, no exceptions given.

Such a strict portrayal of Jesus’s soteriology seems to contradict what St. Paul teaches in his epistles to the various congregations he evangelized to. Yet, it is worth noting that not even Paul who was the greatest evangelist in his time dared declare he was innocent and safe from God’s final judgment. Instead, he wisely exercised humility and taught that only God is capable to make such a judgement when the end comes. In the meantime, all he could do was to live with a clear conscience before God and trust that the Lord will exercise a fair final judgement and reward him accordingly.

I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God. (1 Corinthians 4:4-5 NRSVUE)

To end this section and this post, I don’t think anyone on Earth can ever claim with absolute certainty that they will be saved. None of us wield God’s authority to judge, and the heart is forever prone to self-deception affecting even the most saintly and devout among us. Nevertheless, I don’t think that lack of eternal security should cause believers to despair and panic over their final standing before the Lord. Nor do I think believers should be instigated to burn themselves out by embracing a works-righteous attitude. Both are unbiblical and unhealthy.

Rather, this uncertainty should drive believers to self-reflect rigorously and regularly whether they lived godly lives filled with good works to love their neighbors just as commanded. Believers should learn to exercise humility and grace to those around them and be open to correction and instruction so that their faith becomes robust and life-giving to others. It is in my view that it is only through a lifetime of such faith, careful living and good works that will ultimately please our Lord to be sorted with the sheep on His right and not with the goats on His left (Matthew 25:31-46). Perhaps this is what Paul meant when he taught to work on our own salvation with fear and trembling…

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence but much more now in my absence, work on your own salvation with fear and trembling, (Philippians 2:12 NRSVUE)