Frank Jamerson
There are two extremes on how the Christian is justified by grace. Some teach that God�s grace covers all our sins and that once a person is saved, he cannot fall from grace. The Bible clearly teaches that some fell from grace (Gal. 5:1-4). Paul gave twenty-three thousand examples of apostasy and said, �Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall� (1 Cor. 10:8-12).
The opposite extreme is that if a Christian does not keep law perfectly he will be lost. This is a legalistic view of Scripture and the book of Romans clearly teaches that justification is by grace, not by perfect works (Rom. 4:1-4). Does this mean that we have no law? No! The book of Romans also teaches that �where there is no law, there is no transgression� (v. 15), and �sin is not imputed when there is no law� (5:13). If the Christian has no law, he cannot commit sin and therefore would need no grace.
The book of Romans teaches that we are not justified by the law of Moses. �Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin� (3:20). �Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law� (3:28). The Jews were made �dead to the law through the body of Christ� because when He died on the cross the Old Law was taken away (Rom. 7:4; Col. 2:14).
Justification is not by the law of Moses, nor by perfectly keeping Christ�s law, but it is conditional upon obedience to the �form of doctrine� that was delivered (Rom. 6:17,18). The form of doctrine is �the law of the Spirit of life� (8:2). It is the good news; the gospel of Christ! But those who do not �obey the gospel� will not be saved by it (Rom. 6:17,18; 10:16). No book emphasizes salvation by grace more than the book of Romans, and yet no book more clearly teaches the necessity of obedience in order to be saved by God�s grace.
In the sixth chapter, the apostle teaches that we reach the death (or the blood) of Jesus by being buried in baptism into His death. �Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?� (v. 3). The old man, or the body of sin was crucified with Him when we were baptized into His death and raised to walk a new life. When those dead in sin are buried in baptism, they die to sin and arise to walk a new life because they have been saved by God�s grace through their obedient faith.
In the tenth chapter, Paul teaches that there is more to do than simply believe. He said �whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved� (v. 13). But before a person can call, he must believe, and before he can believe, he must hear. Before he can hear, there must be a preacher (referring to the original messengers of the gospel) (v. 14). Just as a person may hear and not believe, he may believe and not call. Calling, then, cannot be believing. Jesus said, �Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven� (Mt. 7:21). Notice carefully�those who call will be saved (Rom. 10:13); those who do the will of God will be saved (Mt. 7:21), therefore calling on the name of the Lord is obeying the will of God.
Salvation is a gift, but it is a conditional gift. If it were not, everyone would be saved (Tit. 2:11). God has given conditions in His word, the gospel of Christ. We cannot earn His favor, but we can, and must, obey Him in order to receive His grace.