Within the Jewish Economy, Faith and Works were (and will be) Required for Salvation

The two time periods before and after the Church, the body of Christ, include:
1. Moses and the Law until the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 –
  1. This includes Jesus’ earthly ministry.
  2. The Jerusalem Council and Acts 15 mark the “placing on hold” of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
  3. The Gospel of the Kingdom will resume and will be preached during Daniel’s 70^th Week (Mt 24:14) –
    1. This is the same gospel message Jesus was teaching in Mt 4:23 as He had the twelve gathered around Him. It is therefore the very gospel message He commissioned the twelve to preach in Mk 16:15.
2. The time period after the Rapture of the Church –
  1. This includes Daniel’s 70^th Week, the Second Coming of Christ, the Sheep & Goat Judgment, and the Millennial Kingdom.
Salvation has always been by the grace of God through the faith of men:
1. Throughout time, that faith has had differing requirements.
2. Today the requirement is NO WORKS AT ALL lest any man should boast (Eph 2:8-9).
3. In the future, faith will require “enduring till the end” (Mt 24:13, Mk 13:13):
  1. Mt 10:22 – And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
4. We today, in this current dispensation, must realize that we are the utterly hopeless creatures we in fact are and we must have faith that God took care of our problem totally and completely for us.
  1. It is an insult to God to even suggest that we could add anything (works) to such a gift.
  2. Peter and the 12 had no idea that such an arrangement would occur:
    1. Within this dispensation, as members of the body of Christ, we enjoy a present possession of salvation (Rom 5:11, Col 1:12-14, 21-22, Gal 1:4, Col 2:9-14).
    2. Indeed, Peter’s sins will be remitted (future tense) during the times of restitution of all things (Acts 3:19-21) and while Christ is seated on His earthly throne:
      1. Peter, James, and John’s salvation is a future reality (1 Pet 1:13; 1 Pet 2:12) realized within the Millennial Kingdom.
      2. Examine Peter’s own words – the final written record of his speaking in the book of Acts: Acts 15:11 – “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” – Shall be…
      3. Peter is expecting salvation to come in the future which makes perfect sense when we read about “enduring to the end” (Mt 24:13) and “hoping to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you” (1 Peter 1:13).
        Simply compare the second half of verse 1 Peter 1:13 (“and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ“) against Titus 2:11.
        Peter and Paul did not teach the same thing!
      4. Israel’s national salvation is a future occurrence (Acts 3:19-21).
Faith and works were required before the dispensation of the grace of God and will again be required after the dispensation of the grace of God:
1. Mk 10:17 – And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
  1. See also Mt 19:16-26, Lk 18:18-30
  2. This Jew asked a direct and straightforward question – “How do I obtain eternal life?” “How do I get saved?”
  3. Jesus did not answer this man with “believe that I will die for your sins and rise from the dead.”
    1. Mk 10:18-19 – And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
  4. Jesus took the man through the commandments, the Law, and the man responded:
    1. Mk 10:20 – And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
  5. The man answers “all these I’ve observed” – i.e. “I’ve kept the Law.” Jesus then states:
    1. Mk 10:21-27 – Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
  6. Jesus told the man that a requirement to gaining eternal life was keeping the commandments (see Mt 19:17).
  7. Keeping commandments is a work –
    1. 1 Jn 2:4
    2. 1 Jn 3:22
    3. 1 Jn 3:24
    4. 1 Jn 5:2-3
    5. Rev 12:17
    6. Rev 14:12
  8. Jesus added to this exchange by telling the man to sell whatever it was that he owned and to give it to the poor:
    1. This too is a work – selling something and giving something requires one to “do” something.
    2. Note that Jesus could instruct this man to sell everything he had because Jesus was offering the kingdom – the kingdom was nigh (Lk 10:9) – and no one has any need for earthly possessions when they enter the kingdom.
  9. Within this passage, did Jesus teach salvation by works?
    1. Yes, He did.
2. Did Jesus teach salvation by faith?
  1. Lk 5:17-24 – And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
  2. To have your sins forgiven means that you are saved – you have been given eternal life.
  3. Jesus saw the men’s faith and told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven.
  4. Did Jesus teach salvation by faith?
    1. Yes, He did.
Within the Jewish economy, faith AND works were required for salvation.
1. Contrast this fact and the verses above with what the apostle Paul taught:
  1. Rom 4:5
  2. Gal 2:16
  3. Gal 3:10-12
  4. Gal 2:21
  5. Rom 3:18-22
  6. Rom 3:25-26
  7. Rom 4:22-25
  8. Rom 4:19-21
  9. 1 Cor 15:1-2
  10. 1 Cor 15:14-17
2. FAITH is required at all times, in every dispensation, for one to be given salvation –
  1. During the Jewish economy, before and after the dispensation of the grace of God (often referred to as the “Church Age”), faith plus works is required. (James 2:18, 20, 26)
  2. During the dispensation of the grace of God, ONLY faith is required –
    1. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. [Rom 3:28]

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