COMMENTARY ON AUTHOR JOSH MCDOWELL

Here's Why the Doctrine of Being 'Saved by Faith' Is a Heresy,' According to Josh McDowell

Christian apologist, author and evangelist Josh McDowell said the doctrine of being "saved by faith" that is being taught in many churches today is utter heresy.

McDowell, speaking at a TV program, challenged the popular doctrine, saying many preachers today teach "You're saved by faith" when in fact, it's not true.

He said those who teach and believe that a person is saved by faith are practically a "cult."
"That's a cult. That's a sect," he said in a video recording [https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=842858152417382&_rdr] of the TV program. "It's impossible to be saved by faith."

"One of the greatest heresies taught today is salvation by faith," he emphasized.
McDowell explained that if anybody can be saved by faith, then Jesus didn't have to come because faith would have been enough. He also pointed out that having faith does not save anybody, because if it did, almost everyone would have been saved already.

[If this is true, then Jesus, John, Paul, Luke and Peter are preaching heresy: Lk 7:50; Jn 1:12-13; 3:16; 5:24; 6:27-29, 47; 11:25-26; 20:31; Ro 1:16; 3:21-26; 4:1-9; 5:1; 10:11-14; Eph 1:13-14; 2:8-9; Gal 3:6-9, 14, 22; Phil 3:9; 2 Thes 2:13; 1 Jn 5:1, 9-13;

" does not make sense. Although Scripture teaches that anybody of accountable age can be saved by a single moment of faith alone in Jesus Christ alone which implies a moment of faith in Christ paying for ones sins, IT REQUIRES THAT CHRIST MUST ACTUALLY PAY FOR MANKIND'S SINS AND HE DID JUST THAT ON THE CROSS! . Otherwise why would someone believe that Jesus Christ came to pay for ones sins if He didn't come to do that at all? That does not make sense!!!

[Note that those who are not accountable will be saved for they have not the capacity to refuse to believe until they are accountable.]

In any case Scripture teaches in dozens of places that a moment of faith alone in Christ alone - faith in His propitiation for the sins of the whole world, (1 Jn 2:2) - will indeed result in possession forever of eternal life, (ref. Jn 3:16 and many other passages ). But since all men are born in sin including the attitude that they don't have an accountability before God, then few will choose to believe, despite the availability of salvation unto eternal life to all mankind via a moment of faith alone in Christ alone BECAUSE HE ACTUALLY DID COME AND PAY FOR ALL OF MANKIND'S SINS, (ref. 1 Jn 2:2

- (propitiation defined as atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, ref. 1 Jn 2:2

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Scripture indicates that few will believe in Jesus and make it to heaven - the path is narrow , only a remnant  will believe in Jesus Christ's payment for their sins and be saved unto eternal life.

McDowell goes on to say rather quizzically,

This too does not make sense. Everybody in the world believes in something. Does this make them a believer?????? Yes, they believe something so they are a believer. By they way, I believe that the world is a sphere. That makes me a believer but it won't get me eternal life. What nonsense. Sounds like his mind is impaired. If he intended to mean a believer in Christ unto eternal life he did not so stipulate the content of what one must believe in order to have eternal life. Nevertheless I still don't get what point he is trying to make. It's all about the content of what you believe that determines if you are a believer in Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Just pick one of the many verses that determine the content of what one must believe in order to have eternal life .    

The Greek word "dia" in Eph 2:8 means "by" or "through" [faith]; so there is no distinction in meaning anyway - both words "by" and "through" mean the same thing. One is saved through / by / because of ones expression of a moment of faith alone in Christ alone in the sense of trusting in Christ's payment / propitiation for ones sins and by / through / because of God's grace in making available a gift to the one who believes in His Son of that salvation unto eternal life without requiring anything meritorious in return to deserve that payment, because grace = unmerited favor.

[Note what Jesus said to a woman whom He had forgiven of her sins]:

[Lk 7:50 NASB]:

(Lk 7:50 NASB) "And He [Jesus] said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you; go in peace.' "

Notice that the woman was saved thru / by - same word - faith. Implied in this was the grace - unmerited favor - provision of forgiveness by / through Jesus.

[Compare Acts 15:7-9 NASB]:

7  After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.
8  "And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;
9  and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith."

[So Scripture teaches that one has ones heart cleansed, i.e., one is saved unto eternal life by faith.]

[Compare Ro 3:28-30 NASB]:
 
28  "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
29  Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
30  since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one."

[Since to justify means to be declared Righteous by God unto salvation unto eternal life , then one is saved unto eternal life by faith which is saying the same as to justify through faith.]

[Compare Romans 4:16 NASB]:
   
16  "For this reason it [justification unto a Righteousness of God unto eternal life, i.e., salvation unto eternal life, ref. Ro 4:1-15] is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,"

[Notice that justification, i.e., salvation unto eternal life is by faith]

[Romans 5:1-2 NASB]:
 
1 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2  through Whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God."

Notice that we have been justified / saved by faith into this grace of God in which we stand by faith, i.e.,  as a result of expressing a moment of faith in Christ for justification / salvation unto eternal life. It is by grace in conjunction with faith we are saved - they go hand in hand.

Nevertheless and despite what Scripture says, McDowell said "

as if there is a great distinction between the words "by" and "through;" the former McDowell maintains being all important, the latter completely insignificant to his point that it was all about the all important "by grace" which he thinks is how we are saved outside of the faith in Christ that one expresses, i.e., regardless of the insignificant faith that one evidently expresses. So don't bother believing, just wait for the grace of God?????? This is despite the fact that "by" and "through"  essentially mean the same thing - "dia" in the Greek rendered "through (faith)" in Eph 2:8 can mean either. Check out your dictionary - Greek and English. So we are saved by grace / through grace; by faith / through faith together and even more if you consider that there are other essential things through which we are saved listed below***. First comes the moment of faith alone in Christ's propitiation / sacrifice for sins alone, whereupon God out of no obligation, man with no merit, God freely gives eternal life to the individual who does not merit this in any way. Both God's grace and man's faith are indispensable working together in an individual's salvation unto eternal life, i.e., salvation unto eternal life is not just by the grace of God, but also by / thru the expression of a moment of faith by the man.

***By the way it is either stipulated or implied that faith comes through / by the expresssion of an individual's volition; which faith is by / through a grace gift provided by / through God to that individual which comes through / by the sovereign election of God through / by the individual choosing of his own free will by / through the individual's volition by / through God's decrees from the foundation of the world; through / by God's drawing of the individual by / through that individual's choosing by / through ones own volition to believe in Jesus Christ's provision of eternal life by / through His once for all payment for sins, by / through His sacrificial death on the cross for the sins committed by / through all mankind by / through the fact that an individual exists in God's Creation in the first place and probably more. All of these things are essential! I cannot be saved unless I exist in the first place. All of these by's / through's operate together by / through the Absolute Sovereignty of God by / through the volition of the individual, et al; one not negating the other but operating together - all are essential, none can be left out. Check biblestudymanuals.net for details.

It is interesting to note that implied in every salvation verse is that one is saved by / through the grace of God whether stipulated or not; and that implied in every salvation verse is that one is saved by / through faith. For example, Jn 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes [lit., pas ho pisteuon, who ever is the believing one] should never perish but have everlasting life." Is not God's grace implied here? Is not faith stipulated here. For what did one who believes in God giving His one and only Son to pay the penalty for our sins have to do to make available the payment for ones sins or to afford the reception of eternal life? Nothing. Yet the believing is essential to the reception of eternal life, is it not? Albeit believing is non-contributory , but then this establishes that salvation unto eternal life is all of God His grace = unmerited favor. And so it goes with every salvation passage

"

What does rooted in Christ even mean? Are we speaking figuratively of being like a tree root in order to convey permanently believing without interruption in Jesus Christ for eternal life? No where in the Bible does it indicate that faith is otherwise placed relative to receiving the free gift of eternal life but in Christ alone! Nor does our saving faith have to be rooted in the sense of ongoing 24/7 without fail or even near perfect and only rooted in Christ. For there is nothing on this side of eternity that will be perfect and righteous. Fortunately scripture teaches that it only takes a moment of faith alone in Christ alone unto eternal life to have permanent and forever possession of eternal life because eternal life is eternal by definition regardless of whether or not the faith continues or is interrupted, sporadic, placed somewhere else than in Christ, divided or even gone, etc. ]

"What Jesus did on the cross is death and burial for our sins, but it's by grace through faith in Jesus," he said.

[McDowell said, "

faith in Jesus Christ's payment for the sins of the whole world," result in salvation unto eternal life. Answer, that's what the Bible teaches in many many places . Of course any different content of faith will not result in salvation unto eternal life; but faith in Jesus Christ's payment for the sins of the whole world, will indeed.] 

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Scripture indicates that few will believe in Jesus and make it to heaven - the path is narrow , only a remnant  will believe in Jesus Christ's payment for their sins and be saved unto eternal life.

McDowell goes on to say rather quizzically,

This too does not make sense. Everybody in the world believes in something. Does this make them a believer?????? Yes, they believe something so they are a believer. By they way, I believe that the world is a sphere. That makes me a believer but it won't get me eternal life. What nonsense. Sounds like his mind is impaired. If he intended to mean a believer in Christ unto eternal life he did not so stipulate the content of what one must believe in order to have eternal life. Nevertheless I still don't get what point he is trying to make. It's all about the content of what you believe that determines if you are a believer in Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Just pick one of the many verses that determine the content of what one must believe in order to have eternal life .    

.

Scripture indicates that few will believe in Jesus and make it to heaven - the path is narrow , only a remnant  will believe in Jesus Christ's payment for their sins and be saved unto eternal life.

McDowell goes on to say rather quizzically,

This too does not make sense. Everybody in the world believes in something. Does this make them a believer?????? Yes, they believe something so they are a believer. By they way, I believe that the world is a sphere. That makes me a believer but it won't get me eternal life. What nonsense. Sounds like his mind is impaired. If he intended to mean a believer in Christ unto eternal life he did not so stipulate the content of what one must believe in order to have eternal life. Nevertheless I still don't get what point he is trying to make. It's all about the content of what you believe that determines if you are a believer in Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Just pick one of the many verses that determine the content of what one must believe in order to have eternal life .    

For a complete understanding of Eph 2:8-9