Claiming that our salvation is completed by faith can be confusing and lead some to think that they do not need to monitor their moral conduct.
By relying on an eternal security supposedly acquired by faith alone, it becomes tempting to minimize the importance of living in alignment with God’s will. This approach risks creating spiritual neglect, giving the illusion that moral commitment and obedience to God’s law are not necessary to maintain salvation.
Matthew 19:17 If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is everything.
True faith is inseparable from a life of transformation and consecration. It requires more than mere conviction. It calls for total commitment to a life of holiness and observance of God’s commandments. By emphasizing the importance of faith as the root of the fruits of complete holiness without
sin, we understand that grace is not intended to excuse sin, but to
free the individual from its power.
Salvation, in this perspective, is not a mere promise, but a life of spiritual
growth, where faith and obedience work together to prepare
the soul for the encounter with God.
Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. ”
Romans 8:4-8 …that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For those who are in the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who are in the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. For the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) emphasizes the importance of vigilance in holiness and a life of purity. In this parable, the oil symbolizes complete holiness, purity without sin through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, while the lamp represents faith.
The wise virgins prepare themselves by having oil for their lamps, showing that they combine their faith with a life of complete holiness without sin.
Those who lack oil, despite having a lamp, are left outside, illustrating that faith, without purity and spiritual vigilance, is not enough to enter the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ may claim to have faith, just as the
false evangelical movements constantly emphasize faith in Jesus.
However, only those who obey the Law of God in complete and pure holiness will enter the Kingdom
Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
IF the kingdom of God comes into the heart of man through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it cannot do otherwise than produce pure fruits of total holiness without sin.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit… God’s judgment will be based on works, because it is written that everyone will be judged according to their actions, and not according to faith.
The future manifestation of God’s judgment will be based on our way of life, on our obedience and our concrete fidelity to his Law. This judgment will take into account our actions and our choices, by evaluating whether we have effectively respected his commandments in our daily lives.
Romans 2:6 Who will render to every man according
to his works; reserving eternal life to them who by patience in well doing…
Revelation 20:12 …the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works
The heretical and lying movements of our day, who call themselves “Christians”, sit comfortably on a “spiritual couch” of salvation supposedly completed by faith in Christ. They imply that even if someone continues to sin from time to time, he will still be saved, seeking to make people accept
Jesus while remaining in their sins.
They spread the erroneous idea that past, present, and future sins are covered once and for all. However, the standard established by the Word of God is the atonement of past sins , so that from that moment on, man will live in complete holiness all the days of his life.
Ephesians 1:4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. In whom God chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before him.
In his scandalous book “The Slavery of the Will” Luther writes that God’s law shows man’s inability to obey it. What a scandal! The followers of the lying movements have taken up Luther’s theories word for word.
The fallacious interpretation of salvation by faith, as it is widespread in some modern movements, leads believers into a false spiritual security. It makes them believe that obedience to the law, to the will of God, is secondary or optional, as long as they “believe” in Jesus. This view profoundly distorts the message of the Gospel by minimizing the call to a life of complete and permanent victorious sanctification.
It suggests a kind of “faith without fruits or with incomplete fruits, never ripe” where personal transformation, essential to be pleasing to God, takes a back seat that will never be complete . In reality, true faith is manifested by willing and complete conformity to the Law of God, not by compromise or tolerance of occasional sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holiness itself must be brought to maturity here on earth, so that the Lord can gather it in at harvest time. The fruits must be ripe, if holiness does not come to maturity it becomes insufficient, inedible, and not in accordance with God’s
requirements for eternal life.
Simply saying “I believe” does not guarantee eternal life without the full maturity of holiness, that is, a life without sin, matured, and complete life here on earth.
Matthew 3:12 He will gather his wheat into the barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire
Martin Luther’s Lying Heresy: Righteousness by Faith Alone without Conformity to God’s Law
Martin Luther, in a statement that marked a turning point in the history of Christianity, affirmed: “The righteousness of God is revealed in the Gospel as written: the righteous shall live by faith, I began to understand that the righteousness of God means the righteousness that God gives.”
This view profoundly distorts the biblical message by reducing righteousness to a unilateral gift from God, independent of obedience to the Law, and by removing human responsibility for acquiring righteousness through holiness and faithfulness.
According to Luther, the believer, although still a sinner, can be justified before God solely by his faith, even if he persists in his sins. This view is nothing other than a falsification of the Gospel, a poison for the human soul.
Luther, by contrasting faith and obedience, rejects the indissoluble link between authentic faith and obedience to the Law.
Luther’s mistake: “At the same time righteous and a sinner”
According to Luther, man is “at the same time righteous and a sinner.”
This statement suggests that the Christian can commit sin while being declared righteous by God. This view is incompatible with the gospel, because it excuses sin instead of eradicating it. Jesus Christ himself declared:
Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Hebrews 12:14 Persue peace and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
Luther teaches that righteousness is only a legal status that God grants to the believer through faith. This implies that man remains inwardly corrupt, a slave to sin, but is considered righteous before God through faith. Now, the
Bible teaches that righteousness is more than a mere declaration: it is a synergic and active work with the Holy Spirit.
The righteous is the one who walks according to the Law of God and who does not sin at all under the guidance and directive voice of the Holy Spirit
Ezekiel 18:20 The righteousness of the righteous shall
be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
Luther claims that man can be saved by completed faith, regardless of his works or his conformity to the Law. This doctrine is an insult to the Gospel, because it transforms
God’s grace into a license to sin. Paul, often misquoted by
Luther, nevertheless wrote:
Romans 6:1-2 Must we sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!
True faith does not tolerate sin. It leads to total abandonment of sins and complete sanctification.
Luther taught that even if the believer persists in his sins, he can be saved by faith alone. This is a destructive heresy that opens the door to spiritual fatalism and moral laxity. Yet the Bible clearly teaches that persistence in sin is incompatible with salvation:
1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in him does not sin.
Genuine salvation by faith is not only justification from the guilt of sin,
but also deliverance from its power a complete freedom to live
without sin. Is that salvation by faith a reality in your life?
If you believe in Jesus, then has Jesus set you free from sin? Has he
saved you ?
Do you live now without sin by the power of Holy Spirit, in the victorious process of sanctification?
1 John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to renounce ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live
self-controlled, righteous and godly lives in this present world.
Contrary to Luther, justice is not a simple gift from God that one receives passively. It is the fruit of obedience and personal fidelity.
Ezekiel 18:5 The man who is righteous, who does justice and righteousness…
Ezekiel 14:14 If there were in him these three men,
Noah, Daniel, and Job, they would deliver their souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.
In the mindset of false evangelical Protestant movements,
saying that we must be righteous is seen as an attack on the sovereignty of God. They perceive it as prideful and boastful,
because in their understanding, being righteous, holy, without
sin, or pure is something extraordinary and prestigious, impossible to attain.
According to them, striving for such a state elevates a person above others and makes them appear as someone seeking their own glory.
However, this is a complete distortion of biblical truth.
Obeying God, doing His will, and living in righteousness, holiness and without sin is not something extraordinary, but simply normal and expected . There is nothing prestigious or exceptional about following the commands of God, it is simply the way every believer should live. One’s own holiness
or righteousness is not an achievement to boast or take pride
in, but the natural result of a life fully surrendered to the
Moral Law and the Will of God.
Neither Jesus nor the prophets and apostles ever suggested that righteousness, holiness, or obedience to God’s will was something prestigious or extraordinary, leading to pride. Instead, they commanded it as something normal, as it is in the Kingdom of God in heaven.
Matthew 5:48 “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Jesus does not present perfection or completeness as an exceptional achievement, but as the normal standard for the children of God.
Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
Jesus declares purity of heart as a condition to attain for
seeing God, not as something “prestigious” or out of reach.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Doing God’s will is not about pride, but simply what is required to enter the Kingdom.
Thus, striving for righteousness, holiness, and being without sin is not self-glorification, it is the normal life of the Kingdom of God, as it is already practiced by the angels and saints in heaven. Those who reject this truth are the ones exalting themselves above God’s standard by making holiness
seem unattainable when in reality, it is the natural way of life for those who belong to Him.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. It could be so, somone can feels himself pride but for those who think this way, their blood will be on their own heads
(Ezekiel 33:8-9). The grace of God should draw them to glorify
God through their own complete holiness, in their state of
being without sin, and righteousness and feels himself simple,
humble and meek And it will be so for those who, with a
serious and willing desire, seek the glory of God through
obedience and complete holiness without sin (Romans 6:22, 1
Peter 1:15-16, Phillipiens 2:15).
Romans 12:1 : I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
your reasonable service.”
A person who works in a company and receives a salary at the end of the month may say: “I have my salary because of my work.” ?
But does this mean his salary is entirely from his own effort?
Not at all. His ability to work, his physical strength, his
intelligence, all of these were given by God .
It is God who endowed him with the capability to work and placed him in a position where he could earn that money. So where is the pride in acknowledging one’s labor? Where is the self-justification about something ?
Just as a worker’s salary is not purely his own doing, but depends on God’s provision of ability, in the same way, one’s own righteousness which is the result of obedience to God’s
Law and complete holiness without sin is not something to
boast about as if it were independent of God.
It is God who gives the ability to walk in righteousness.
Thus, personal righteousness for final salvation is not selfexaltation, but the natural result of God’s enabling grace working in the believer in synergic way. It does not exclude God’s role, just as earning a salary does not exclude God’s
providence in giving the person the ability to work.
A clear distinction must be made between one’s own normal and required righteousness for final salvation in complete holiness without sin and the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ for the forgiveness of past sins
In Galatians 5:4, Paul directly addresses those who seek justification for the forgiveness of sins through adherence to the ceremonial law rather than through faith in Christ:
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.
Here, Paul makes it clear that justification in this context means receiving forgiveness of sins and being made right before God. He warns that those who seek this justification through obedience to the Mosaic ceremonial law—such as circumcision, temple sacrifices, or purification rituals—are rejecting the grace of Christ. Instead of trusting in the atonement of Jesus, they attempt to earn forgiveness through their own religious works, which Paul calls a departure from grace.
Similarly, in Romans 10:3, Paul rebukes those who reject God’s way of granting forgiveness and righteousness and instead try to achieve it through their own efforts:
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
Here, “God’s righteousness” refers to His way of granting justification the complete forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ. But instead of accepting God’s way, some try to establish their own righteousness through religious
observance, thinking that their works—such as following
Jewish sacrifices, dietary laws, and ritual purity—will secure their justification.
Thus, in both verses, justification is clearly about the forgiveness of sins and being made right before God. Paul strongly emphasizes that this forgiveness is not obtained by personal effort, obedience to the Law, or religious rituals, but
solely through faith in Jesus Christ.
This may also include the Moral Law for those who seek justification for the forgiveness of their sins by obeying it, which Paul exposes as a false way of obtaining righteousness.
We do not deny that. However the Moral Law remains essential for final salvation as a directive and instructive way for the standard of righteousness Romans 2:13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Faithfulness to God’s Law and Faith are closely linked.
James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness: and he was called the
friend of God.
Luther distorts the Gospel by claiming that righteousness is a
mere “imputation” without moral integrity. But true righteousness, according to the Bible, is complete conformity to the Law of God being forgiven by justifying grace in Christ.
John 14:21 He who keeps my commandments, he it is who loves me
Luther made a monumental mistake in separating faith and obedience, reducing righteousness to a mere declaration, and tolerating persistence in sin. Godly righteousness is not just “given”; it is lived by men’s own responsabilty. It is a complete transformation that leads to a life without sin, in conformity with God’s law. The gospel does not promise passive
righteousness, but a life of active holiness:
Colossians 1:10 that ye may walk worthy of the Lord, and please him in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God…
Luther, in his erroneous interpretation of grace and justice, undermined the true power of the Gospel, which is capable of transforming man into a new creature, perfectly conformed to the will of God. The just man will live not only by his faith, but by an active faithfulness, which produces ripe fruits of
righteousness in deeds, thoughts, words and imaginations.
According to the doctrine of the followers of salvation by faith, obedience to the will of God remains partial, imperfect and residual, because man remains simultaneously justified and sinful, (simul justos et peccator) marked by the sinful nature, from which he needs to believe in order to be saved.
According to their doctrine, this faith is the central element that guarantees the person from damnation.
This creates a logical tension. If obedience is imperfect, or residual, then it does not reach its full development of maturity. Jesus describes fruits ripe for harvest, fruits that reach their full holiness on earth .
If faith according to them naturally produces fruits of obedience and holiness, then these fruits must be perfect, pure, and without sin, as Jesus’ parables show. If holiness is residual, incomplete, or imperfect, mixed with occasional sins, this indicates that faith itself has not fully fulfilled its automatic role, calling into question the idea of radical transformation.
Luke 13:6-9 A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came seeking fruit on it, and found none. Then he said to the vinedresser, “These three years I have been coming seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none . Cut it down; why does it waste the ground?” The vinedresser answered him,
“Sir, leave it alone this year also, and I will dig around it and dung it. Perhaps it will bear fruit hereafter; if not, cut it down.”
In this parable, a man has a fig tree that has not produced fruit for three years, and he wants to cut it down. The vinedresser pleads to wait one more season, hoping that fruit will appear with extra care.
This story shows God’s patience and the opportunity for repentance and change, but it also emphasizes that the absence of ripe fruits eventually brings
judgment. The idea here is that God’s grace allows time for
fruit to be produced, but it cannot last indefinitely.
This passage also teaches that God is not satisfied with partial or incomplete fruits as the movements teach about the impossibility of being holy, without sin on earth completely, but that he requires ripe fruits for salvation, those ripe fruits of complete holiness without sin, in purity. These fruits are
neither rotten nor withered.
They are ready for harvest. The grace of God, although given to the believer, requires a total and complete response on his part. To produce ripe fruits
means to manifest a complete holiness and a life aligned with the will of God. A tree that does not bear these fruits is cut down and thrown into the fire, even after having received the care and grace of God, ends up being judged as useless and cut down.
This is a serious call to live a true holiness, without compromise or half measures and is to be taken with the utmost seriousness.
The accounts of the cursed fig tree (Mark 11:12-14, 20-21; Matthew 21:18-22) highlight a vital spiritual truth: God seeks in men the ripe fruit of total holiness, without sin and pure, which He requires for salvation. These passages, although they describe a concrete event in the life of Jesus, reveal
universal spiritual principles related to judgment, obedience, and holiness.
“Jesus was hungry” this phrase is symbolic, he approached the fig tree to find a fruit. This gesture symbolizes God who examines humanity in search of ripe fruits of complete holiness.
Jesus’ hunger can be seen as a representation of divine justice
and the desire to examine the heart requiring each individual
to produce pure fruits of holiness without sin.
The fig tree with leaves but no fruit symbolizes those who, although having faith (the leaves), lack inner reality (the ripe fruit). These are those who profess God by faith, but whose life remains either spiritually sterile or with incomplete fruit that never matures.
John 15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples
Ripe Fruit: The Requirement of Entire Holiness for Salvation God is not satisfied with half measures or partial fruits.
He requires ripe fruits, symbolizing complete holiness: a life completely devoted to Him, obedient to His commandments and producing the works rooted in true faith.
These fruits include: righteousness, love, faith and purity of
heart. Any life that is barren or incomplete in the face of
divine expectations is rejected.
Galatians 5:22-23 describes the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
When Jesus curses the fig tree, he shows the seriousness of
failing to meet God’s requirement of holiness without sin.
A warning that must be taken with greater seriousness. Mark 11:14: “Let no one ever eat fruit from you!”
This illustrates God’s judgment on those who, though warned,
remain spiritually barren. The withered fig tree represents the fate of men who neglect to produce the ripe fruit of holiness without sin required for salvation.
Ezekiel 18:24 If a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity… he shall die because of his sin.
Likewise, Jesus teaches in Matthew 7:19, Every tree that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into
the fire.” This emphasizes the importance of ripe fruit to avoid
eternal condemnation.
Having fruits that are not ripe, that are not complete, that are
spoiled, damaged are not edible, so they should be thrown
away, because they can be toxic.
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin and
become slaves of God, you have your fruit to
holiness and the end eternal life.
Notice well in this salutary verse, the fruit of holiness
precedes as a condition to eternal life.
In other words, this view of salvation completed by faith,
destroys the complete power of changing the believer into a
pure and mature man in complete holiness without sin.
If, according to the thinking of salvation by faith believers, the believer remains simultaneously justified and a sinner with a lingering sinful nature, this effectively calls into question the very idea of the new birth as Jesus taught it.
The new birth should imply that the old sinful man is crucified, sins no more,
and the believer receives a new nature freed from the bondage of sin.
Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body …
Romans 6:14 Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace…
So, if this total transformation does not occur in this life, one might legitimately ask whether, according to Jesus’ teaching, salvation is fully realized.
After all, Jesus is not just referring to an outward declaration, but to a profound inner change linked to fruits reaching their final ripening, their state ready
for harvest.
Without this ripening of fruits, the kingdom of God is impossible to attain.
Let us assume that according to their theory the sinful nature
exists, if the old man (the sinful nature) is not actually crucified and dead, then the new birth is not fully realized, which seems to contradict the biblical teaching on the total transformation of the believer.
The New Birth, which is described in the Scriptures, for
example in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new,” implies a spiritual renewal, where the old man with his sinful nature is crucified and replaced by a new life in Christ. If a believer is still marked by the domination of his sinful nature, this calls into question the reality of this spiritual transformation.
According to this criticism, the thinking of the lying movements minimizes
the impact of God’s grace on total freedom from sin in the present life, by relating it almost entirely to the hereafter, while the Bible teaches that the new life begins here below , with a total rejection of sin .
If God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is able to make the believer a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17) and to free the believer from the bondage of
sin (Romans 6:6), then it is logical to conclude that this work of transformation does not have to wait for the glorification of the body, but can begin to be fully accomplished in this life, for the grace of God is not limited to heaven, but already works powerfully on earth to sanctify man completely.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, God’s promise here that sanctification affects the whole person and that God is faithful to accomplish this work in them in synergic way.
This reinforces the idea that divine grace is able to purify totally, and not partially.
God’s work, as well as his education and his snowmaking, is perfect and not unfinished, or partial. Creation bears witness to this.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared that brings salvation to all men, teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live selfcontrolled, righteous and godly lives in this present world, looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
According to the movements, sanctification is seen as an endless process on earth that will never be completed, matured and remains an ‘incomplete fruit, filled with occasional rot” but which remains coming from faith. What is
completed, pure and perfect according to them is faith in Christ.
In other words, for them, if someone really has faith, he will produce works of sanctification progressively, but these works will be partial mixed with falls into sin in an occasional and punctual manner. Sanctification has no major role in maintaining salvation or justification, because it will never be complete, never pure or without sin.
The phrase “simul justus et peccator,” although central to Luther’s theology, is ingrained in modern movements professing Christianity. It expresses the idea that the believer is simultaneously justified before God by faith while
remaining a sinner in his sinful human nature. This phrase emphasizes God’s sovereign grace as the sole cause for salvation, not human ability or will through the fulfillment of God’s Law.
According to them, moral perfection is attainable only in
heaven. This view emphasizes an abusive and scandalous
dependence on the future and occasional sins of the Christian believer. Luther, Augustine, and Calvin, that trio of famous heretics, believed in a partial purification on earth, not in the complete synergistic work of salvation and holiness without sin on earth.
The heresy of salvation by faith alone dangerously reduces spirituality to a mere emotional, sentimental and hopeful belief, detached from any effort at moral or spiritual uprightness and justice for final salavtion. By asserting that man is entirely incapable of being right before God, it removes any active role from the human person in the process of salvation.
This amounts to denying the power of divine grace, which does not merely forgive sins, but restores and empowers the believer to live in holiness.
1 Timothy 6:14 I charge you… that you keep this commandment, without spot or reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ…
Without spot = without sin
This fallacious view of salvation accomplished by faith, by focusing only on a supposed incapacity, rejects the idea that God, through the Holy Spirit, can enable man to walk in obedience and genuine righteousness.
It thus contradicts the many biblical promises that show that grace transforms man so that he becomes a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians
5:17), living according to righteousness and holiness.
To reduce spirituality to hopeful acheived faith without pure ripe fruits of holiness without sin is to deny the teachings of Jesus and the apostles, who constantly call for works worthy of repentance (Luke 3:8) and for the fulfillment of God’s commandments (John 14:15).
This heresy turns salvation into an abstract transaction and distances faith from everyday reality. By rejecting the idea that man, renewed by grace, can cooperate with God to live a life of holiness, it excuses persistent sin and sets he bar for salvation at a minimalist level. It diminishes the grace of God,
who calls not only to have faith rooted to growth for holiness
without sin but to actively follow Jesus by denying oneself
and living in faithful obedience.
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. He who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap
corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap eternal life.
In the Reformed circle of salvation by faith, the word “effort” is often used to emphasize the difficulty of God’s law and the impossibility for man to obey it fully according to divine requirements. In this perspective, the role of man in salvation is totally excluded.
Philippians 2:12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
This collaboration does not transform man into a simple spectator, but calls him to a deep commitment, an active participation in the work of God in his life.
1 Corinthians 9:25 For all that strive abstain from all manner of self-denial, and do it for a crown that is corruptible: but we for a crown that is incorruptible.
According to their doctrine, it is God who acts entirely in man’s place, basing everything on divine sovereignty and removing human responsibility. They thus reject the idea of a synergistic cooperation between man and the Spirit of God, where man actively works out his salvation in response to divine grace.
Galatians 5:16 Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh
According to them, you have to let God do it for you, your role is to believe. This idea that man must “let God do it for him” reduces the collaboration with God to an almost mechanical passivity, comparable to that of a puppet without a will of its own.
This vision distorts the divine plan, which created man in his image, with a will, a moral responsibility and an active role in his victorious sanctification. God does not seek passive beings, but active partners in his plan of salvation, capable of responding to his grace with obedience, love, and a life of holiness.
By letting “God do it for them,” as if there were no role to play unless to belive just, this approach ignores the biblical call for synergy between God’s grace and human free will ability.
Galatians 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. This verse emphasizes man’s responsibility and work to crucify the flesh.
In Catholicism, salvation is based on faith and works of charity, but the notion of complete holiness without sin in purity is completely absent. This rejection stems directly from the influence of their founder, Augustine of Hippo.
Although they reject the doctrines of the heretics Luther and Calvin on salvation by faith alone, they add charity as an essential element, based on the Epistle of James. “Faith without works is dead.” However, their approach remains insufficient to advocate complete and absolute holiness, because it does not depart from the Augustinian vision of a partial purification on earth.
For, in fact, the heretic Augustine, who was a manichean in his writings and catastrophic in his fight against Saint-
Pelagius, formally rejected the possibility of being holy and pure, that is to say without sin.
The word πίστις (pistis) in ancient Greek means both faith and fidelity, depending on the context. It derives from πείθω (peitho), which means “to persuade” and refers to a relationship of mutual trust. In classical Greek, pistis denotes fidelity, that is, reliability or loyalty in commitments. In the New Testament, pistis also takes on the meaning of faith, a total trust in God and his promises.
This faith is inseparable from an active fidelity, which corresponds to loyalty to the divine commandments.
Pistis embodies both an inner adherence to God and a concrete response in obedience and constancy in one’s relationship with Him. These two dimensions enrich each other: faith nourishes fidelity, and fidelity bears witness to faith.
Nehemiah 9:7-8 You found his (Abraham) heart faithful before you, and you made a covenant with him, and you promised to give to his descendants the
land of the Canaanites…
Abraham’s discussion with God in Genesis 18 about the destruction of Sodom, the righteous and the sinners testifies to this connection between faithfulness to the Law, to God’s moral commandments and Abraham.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith (pistis). These you ought to have done, and not left the rest undone.”
Here, pistis is clearly associated with moral and spiritual fidelity, linked to loyalty to divine law.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (pistis), gentleness, self-control.
In this verse, pistis denotes faithfulness as a fruit of the Spirit,
manifested in a life in harmony with the divine commandments.
Hebrews 11:17-19 “By faith (pistis) Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. […] He thought that God was able even to raise him from the dead.”
Although this passage speaks of faith, it also shows that
Abraham demonstrated absolute faithfulness and complete
loyalty to God’s moral commandments.
Romans 3:3 “For what if some did not believe? Will
their unbelief make void the faithfulness (pistis) of God?”
Here pistis is used to speak of God’s faithfulness to his promises and his covenant, but it also emphasizes that this faithfulness is a model for man.
2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful (pistos), for he cannot deny himself.”
Here God is presented as a model of perfect faithfulness, linked to his loyalty to his own character and his promises.
These passages show that pistis, in the biblical context, often
includes the notion of active fidelity or loyalty to God. This
implies not only an simple trust (faith) but also an obedience (faithfulness) to divine commands.
The apostle Paul uses πίστις (pistis) with two main meanings, which complement and enrich each other. These two meanings are:
Faith (inner trust in God) Paul frequently uses pistis to denote complete trust in God, in his promises, and in the saving work of Jesus Christ. This faith is the basis of the justification for the forgivness of sins with God, an inward act of dependence and conviction.
Example: Romans 3:28 — “We conclude that a man is justified by faith (pistis) apart from the works of the law.”
Here pistis denotes faith in Christ as the means of being justified before God, apart from works.
Example: Ephesians 2:8 — For by grace you have been saved through faith (pistis).
Faith is seen as a channel and a seed implanted through which God’s grace works for salvation.
James 1:21Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
Galatians 5:22 — But the fruit of the Spirit is […] faithfulness (pistis).
Here, pistis denotes fidelity as a Christian virtue, visible in
constant commitment to God and his commandments.
Example: Romans 3:3 — Will their unbelief make void the faithfulness (pistis) of God?
Although this verse speaks of God’s faithfulness, it shows the interconnection between human faith and divine faithfulness.
Why these two meanings?
Paul does not separate faith and fidelity: for him, true faith necessarily leads to active fidelity. These two dimensions are inseparable: Faith implanted initiates the relationship with God as trust in His salvation.
Faithfulness is the logical and visible holy growth in the behavior of the believer.
When Paul takes up the verse from Habakkuk 2:4 – “The just shall live by faith” – in Romans 1:17, he relies on the original Hebrew text where the word הָנָוָּמ ֱא) emunah) designates above all fidelity or loyalty to God and his Law. This Old
Testament passage emphasizes the constancy of the just in his
obedience to the divine commandments and his perseverance in the face of trials.
This reading, although central to the Reformation, distorts the connection between Paul and the prophet Habakkuk. In reality, Habakkuk 2:4 emphasizes the personal righteousness of the believer, a righteousness that is manifested in constant fidelity and loyal obedience to the Law of God. The righteous, in the Hebrew perspective, is the one who lives a harmonious relationship with God through his practical fidelity, expressed in his way of acting.
The word πίστις (pistis), used by Paul in Greek, cannot therefore be reduced to a purely passive faith, as Luther understood it. It also includes this notion of active fidelity.
In Romans 1:17, Paul aligns himself with the Hebrew view by emphasizing that the faith (pistis) of the justified believer is not a simple trust in God, but a living relationship that is expressed in faithfulness and obedience. Paul does not oppose faith to the Law, but shows that true faith leads to practical faithfulness, to a righteousness lived out in daily life.
This righteousness is not only a gift received passively, but also an active and constant response to God’s grace, by remaining faithful to his commandments.
Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers, the fulfillers (poietai) of the law, who will be justified.
Thus, Luther’s interpretation, although influential, oversimplifies the text and breaks with the richness of the concept of emunah in Habakkuk. The “just” does not live only by a faith received, but also by a personal and constant
fidelity, which testifies to his loyalty to God and his Law.
The doctrine of salvation by faith rests on an argument that, while it appears to be logical and spiritually sound, is in reality a fallacious and deceptive rhetoric. It gives the appearance of rigorous orthodoxy and sincere devotion, but it is, in its essence, destructive.
This doctrine distorts the pure character of true holiness and distorts the fundamental teachings of God concerning His Law, total obedience and entire holiness.
Instead of promoting a life of purity and spiritual perfection, it reduces holiness to partial obedience and suggests that salvation can be obtained by faith alone, without attaining the full ripening of the fruits required for salvation. Such a perspective departs from the divine design, which requires
full and complete obedience and a total commitment to sanctification and profound transformation in conformity with the perfect and holy nature of God
.
2 Corinthians 11:2 I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
Pure virgin = without sin
Revelation 14:4 These are they which were not defiled with women: for they are virgins: and these follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb: and in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without blemish.
John Wesley Sermons, Salvation by Faith
You are saved, in short, from sin. This is the deliverance that is
obtained by faith; it is that great salvation announced by the angel before God brought his first-born into the world: “Thou shalt call his name Jesus,” he said, “for he shall save his people from their sins.” There is no limit or restriction to this salvation, either here or anywhere else in Holy Scripture. He
will save his people, or, as it is said in another place, “all them that believe on him,” from all their sins, from their original
and actual sin, past and present; from the sins “of the flesh
and of the spirit.” By faith in Jesus they are delivered both from the guilt and the power of sin.
You are saved, first, from the guilt of all past sin. For, on the one hand, since everyone is guilty before God and who, if he would take heed of iniquities, no man would stand; since the law gives only knowledge and no deliverance from sin, so that “by the works of the law no man will be justified in God’s
sight.”
Moreover, by this faith they are delivered from the power of sin, as well as from its guilt.
This is what the apostle declares: “You know that Jesus Christ
was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him is no sin.
Whoever abides in Him does not sin . My little children, let
no one deceive you. He who commits sin is of the devil.
Everyone who believes is born of God; and he who is born of
God does not commit sin, because his seed remains in him.
And he cannot sin because he is born of God (1Jn 3:5-9).” And
again: “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who is born of God preserves himself, and the evil one touches him not (1 Jn 5:18).” He who through faith is born of God does not sin.
1° He does not commit habitual sin; for every habitual sin is a
dominant sin; but sin cannot reign in a man who believes.
2. He commits no voluntary sin; for his will, as long as he
remains in faith, is entirely opposed to all sin and abhors it as
a deadly poison.
3° He does not sin by any guilty desire; for he desires
unceasingly to do the holy and perfect will of God, and by his
grace he stifles, from its appearance, every tendency to evil
desires.
4. He does not sin through infirmity, either in word, or in
deed, or in thought, for his infirmities do not have the
consent of his will, without which they are not properly
speaking sins. Thus, “he who is born of God does not commit
sin”; and although he cannot say that he has not sinned,
nevertheless “he does not sin” actually.
This is the salvation received by faith even in this world; it is, what is often expressed by the word justification, deliverance from sin and its consequences. To say thus that the mercy of God justifies or saves freely by
faith alone, is it not, however, to encourage men to live in sin? Yes, it may be that this doctrine has this effect; indeed it is certain that it will have it. Many “will continue in sin that grace may abound,” but their blood will be upon their own heads. The goodness of God should have led them to repentance, and it will do so for the sincere in heart.
John Wesley, excerpt sermon 5, justification by faith
But on what condition is he justified who is a complete sinner,
and up to that moment has not done works? On one condition only: FAITH. He “believes in him who justifies the sinner”; and he who believes in him is not condemned, but has passed from death to life. “For the righteousness (mercy) of God is by faith in Jesus Christ in all and upon all who
believe,”
God having “set Him to be a propitiation through faith in His blood;… that He might be justified, and (according to His righteousness) the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus…
.
We conclude therefore that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law”; without previous obedience to the moral law, which he had not been able to fulfil up to that hour. That the moral law, and that law alone, is here in question, is evident from the words which follow:
“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid!
On the contrary, we establish the Law.” What law do we establish by faith? The law of observances, the ceremonial law of Moses? Not at all; but the great and immutable law of holy love to God and our neighbor.
John Wesley, Excerpt, sermon 6, The Righteousness of Faith
For supposing that we now observe every commandment with all our might, one single fault that we have ever committed is enough to utterly destroy our whole right to life. If we have ever sinned in a single point, that righteousness is over; for the law condemns all whose obedience is not uninterrupted, as well as perfect. So that, according to the sentence pronounced by this law, he who has once sinned has nothing more to expect than a terrible judgment and a burning fire which must devour the adversaries of God.