The False Comfort of Flaccid Faith
The modern religious landscape has been profoundly marred by the insidious doctrine of easy-believism, wherein salvation is preached as a one-time intellectual assent requiring no subsequent transformation or costly obedience. This popular distortion of Eternal Security posits that once a prayer is prayed, the soul is sealed, regardless of the life of rebellion or compromise that follows. This view, devoid of the weight of biblical truth, has generated generations of believers who are secure in their idea of grace but utterly devoid of the fruit of God’s life-changing power. It is an unearned peace that omits the necessity of repentance and the ongoing, physical obedience to the King of Kings.
The Inseparable Bond of Faith and Works
The Holy Scriptures utterly condemn a faith that stands alone, divorced from righteous living. The true, living faith that secures the soul is never a mere theoretical belief; it is a vital, energetic principle that compels obedience, sacrifice, and separation from the world’s pollutions. We are saved by grace through faith, but that faith is not a dead, passive thing—it is a faith that works.
The Apostle James lays the axe to the root of this passive doctrine:
Quote: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? … Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:14, 17, KJV)
The proof of one’s possession of life is the living of that life. To claim faith while willfully embracing sin is to demonstrate that the root of conversion has not yet taken hold. Our salvation is eternally secure in Christ, but the evidence that we are in Christ is our uncompromised walk with Him.
The Costly Grace of the New Testament
The grace of God, while freely given, is an enormously costly gift, demanding everything of the recipient. The true Eternal Security is found not in a single decision, but in an enduring discipleship—a life marked by the deliberate taking up of one’s cross.
- The Warning of the Word: Throughout Scripture, the warnings are dire and frequent. The Lord Jesus Christ did not mince words regarding those who call Him “Lord” but fail to obey His commandments. The final judgment is repeatedly framed around the evidence of a life lived for Him, not merely a past profession.Quote: “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.” (Matthew 7:21, KJV)
- Physical Obedience is the Seal: The great heroes of faith, from Abraham offering Isaac to the martyrs holding fast to the truth unto death, demonstrated that their conviction was physical, costly, and uncompromising. This is the Costly Grace that separates the true saint from the casual professor. They knew that a faith that cost them nothing was ultimately worth nothing.
- The Final Apostasy: The notion that one can be saved and live exactly like the world prepares the ground for the final, great Apostasy—the falling away from the true faith. It dulls the spiritual senses, makes the coming of the Lord seem irrelevant, and renders the saint powerless to defend the truth when cultural and political pressures demand compromise.
The Unwavering Call to Perseverance
The saints are called to a state of perseverance, not passive rest. We are to give “diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10, KJV). The certainty of our salvation is rooted in God’s faithfulness, but the biblical test of our possession of that salvation is our continuing, costly obedience until the very day of the Lord’s Return.
We must reject the spiritual narcotic of easy-believism and embrace the firm, demanding, and life-altering truth that genuine faith produces uncompromised action. Only then can the Church stand as a faithful witness, ready for the glorious appearing of her Bridegroom.