Christian cannot fail. But this is not an assertion that can be verified from the New Testament" (ibid.,
The Nature of True Faith
Others admit the inefficacy of "faith" that is no more than a barren, academic recognition of the truth, but balk at defining faith in terms that imply submission or commitment of one's life.6 In fact, it is commonly believed that faith and commitment are innately disconnected.7 The typical idea of faith relegates it to a momentary act that takes place in the mind, a decision to believe the facts of the gospel — "nothing more than a response to a divine initiative."8
Herein lies the fallacy of today's popular approach to evangelism. The gospel appeal is tacked onto a wholly inadequate explanation of what it means to believe. The modern definition of faith eliminates repentance; it erases the moral significance of believing; it obviates the work of God in the sinner's heart; it makes an ongoing trust in the Lord optional. Far from championing the truth that human works have no place in salvation, modern easy-believism has made faith itself a wholly human work, a fragile, temporary attribute that may or may not endure.9
in Hodges' words, their faith has become "little more than a creedal corpse" (p. 33). Th ough their faith has lapsed, Hodges believes their eternal salvation is secure. Th e fact that their faith is dead, he says, simply proves that it was once alive — and therefore they must be saved. But that is skewed logic. "Dead faith" does not necessitate faith that was once alive, any more than Ephesians 2:1 ("You were dead in your trespasses and sins") implies that individual sinners were once spiritually alive.
6. Cf. Livingston Blauvelt Jr., "Does the Bible Teach Lordship Salvation?" Bibliotheca Sacra (January – March 1986), 37 – 45. Blauvelt begins his article with a recognition that intellectual assent is not saving faith: "Many people 'say' they have faith (James 2:14) but have no genuine conversion. Mere verbal assent or mental acquiescence to the fact of Christ's death, without any conviction of personal sin, is inadequate" (p. 37).
But Blauvelt's entire discussion of the true nature of faith consists of only four paragraphs arguing that saving faith has nothing to do with commitment, aft er which he writes, "Th e term faith in the New Testament sense involves believing that Jesus of Nazareth is Christ the Son of God and that He died for one's sins and rose from the dead (John 20:31; 1 Cor. 15:3 – 4). Faith is trusting Christ for everlasting life" (p. 43). It is diffi cult to see how such faith apart from any kind of commitment to Christ diff ers from "mere verbal assent or mental acquiescence.
7. Ryrie, Balancing the Chris tian Life, 170. Here Ryrie writes, "Th e message of faith plus commitment of life . . . cannot be the gospel."
8. Hodges, Gospel Under Siege, 21. Although Th e Gospel Under Siege is labeled "a study on faith and works," this brief statement is as close as Hodges comes in the book to giving a defi nition of faith: "Faith, as we have perceived it in the simple, direct statements of the Bible about the saving transaction, is nothing more than a response to a divine initiative. It is the means by which the gift of life is received."
9. Shockingly, Hodges writes, "It is widely held in modern Christendom that the faith of a genuine Chris tian cannot fail. But this is not an assertion that can be verifi ed from the New Testament" (ibid., 68); and "Th ere is nothing to support the view that perseverance in the faith is an inevitable outcome of true salvation" (p. 83). Contrast that statement with Paul's inspired words in Colossians 1:22 – 23: "He has now reconciled you in His fl eshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach — if indeed you continue in the faith fi rmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel" (emphasis added). What is that but a guarantee that if faith is genuine, it will endure to the end? Cf. also 1 Co rin thi ans 15:1 – 2; 2 Tim othy 2:12; Hebrews 2:1 – 3; 3:14; 4:14; 6:11 – 12; 12:14; James 1:2; 1 John 2:19.