How Important is Doctrine?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.  Here is this week’s question: Dear Dave and Tom, My friend and I were thinking about doing some street witnessing, but we had this theological disagreement which put a damper on it.I wanted to stress to people that it was only by faith that salvation could be received by them.He thought I was being too doctrinally restricted and told me that people were saved by Christ himself, not to an adherence to an exclusive doctrine.I’ve heard that rationale before.What is your reply?

Dave:

Well Tom what are we going to do?Are we going to say to people, it’s by faith?I don’t know whether this person meant that.Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved….”We offer a message of the gospel that must be believed and Christ must be received.This is what the scripture says.“As many as received Him, to them he gave the authority to be called the sons of God, even to those who believe on his name.”So we believe the gospel, we receive Christ, but I don’t try to put a trip on people and say, “Now you’ve got to have the proper kind of faith. I want to emphasize faith now you’ve got to believe.”Tom, maybe I’ve told [this] several times, I hope not, but you remember that was my problem as a boy.I knew the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.This was a few weeks before I entered the 10^th grade and I wanted to be saved, but the thing that bugged me was: It says, “BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”And I said well I believe, but supposing I had a secret doubt somewhere down in my subconscious mind somewhere.I hadn’t even heard of psychology at that point and maybe I don’t really believe.Maybe I say I believe and I don’t really believe and the man who led me to Christ turned me to Revelation:3:20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
See All....This was before Campus Crusade and the four spiritual laws which uses that.He said, “Look, you’re trying to trust your faith.Why don’t you trust Christ?”He said, behold I stand at the door and knock (that’s the door of every human heart).If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in and I will fellowship with you.I will never leave you nor forsake you.It was like a revelation to me.I knew that verse very well by heart.I got on my knees and I just said, Lord I believe in you and you said you would come into my heart if I would open the door.I’m opening the door now Lord and I want to receive you as my Savior, just come in and Tom, we don’t go by feelings, but I can tell you he came in and there was such a transformation in my life, but I was hung up on this thing called faith.Now I don’t know exactly what this person has in mind, maybe you can explain it.

Tom:

Well Dave, I don’t know if I can explain what this person has on their mind, but I just had an experience—of course when this program is aired, it would have been about a month ago, but at a conference of evangelicals and Roman Catholics on the campus of WheatonCollege and this was an issue.If you said you are saved by faith and only by faith, then you had problems with the Catholics who were there because they had some other things.But now the evangelical—

Dave:

This was one of the cries of the Reformers, sola fidae.

Tom:

Right, so the issue was there were fourteen presenters.Seven were Roman Catholic and seven were evangelicals.And I would say across the board, I didn’t hear any of the evangelicals say that it was by faith alone because then that would be a problem between Catholics and evangelicals because Romans Catholics believe, yes, faith, but faith plus these different kinds of works that are supposedly done by grace.So the objection here, or the concern of this question is that this person, this guy’s friend said no, you are being too exclusive.You are saying by faith alone, but God’s bigger than that.If people want to add something or do some things in their own communion, in their own tradition, God’s going to accept all of that.So don’t just say it’s by faith and only by faith.

Dave:

Well Tom, let’s try to clarify it.The only thing that I can do is believe.When we say faith alone, we mean that’s the only thing I can do.I cannot add anything to the work of Christ.Christ said, “It is finished.”He paid the price.“By one sacrifice (Hebrews 10) he has perfected forever them that are sanctified.”He offered one sacrifice for sin.That’s the basis of my salvation which is what Christ did upon the cross.All I can do is believe.That’s the message.Will you believe the gospel?And you are saved; this is what the Bible says.Paul says it, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”I accept the gift.There’s nothing I can do to earn a gift.So faith alone is true on my part.But faith is not what saves me.It’s Christ who saves me.I am simply believing his offer of pardon and so maybe that’s where some confusion lies.Now the problem with Catholics is they never get saved. You know that, you were a Catholic.You have to have—

Tom:

Well it’s a process.

Dave:

That’s right.You have to come back and offer the sacrifice of the mass again and again and again and you wear scapulars, you wear metals, you pray to the saints, you hope that after your death more Eucharists will be offered.

Tom:

You keep the laws of the church which there are multitudes.

Dave:

Right.That’s not salvation, so now they are adding.They are saying, no, Christ didn’t finish the work and I have to do more than just believe in him.I’ve got to add my good works and my ritual and sacramentalism and so forth.

Tom:

Well you had to become righteous.Nobody gets in as a Roman Catholic and they are infused with God’s grace and his righteousness.

Dave:

Page one of Vatican II says, “It is through the sacred liturgy especially in the sacrifice of the Eucharist that the work of our redemption is accomplished.”So redemption is an ongoing process for the Catholic.The Bible says it was finished upon the cross.I must simply believe.