Alright Pastor John, today we address a controversy that you stirred up online back on September 25th of last year, 2017. Just as Protestants around the globe were beginning to celebrate the Reformation's 500th birthday, you spoiled the party with an article titled, "Does God really save us by faith alone?" In which you answered, "No, we are not saved by faith alone." Leaving Protestants everywhere dumbfounded and scratching their heads.

In wishing more clarity here, a podcast listener named Sam wrote us to ask this. "Hello Pastor John, I've read your article on justification saying that we are justified by faith alone, but we are not ultimately saved by faith alone. You argue that works must be present for final salvation or glorification to be completed.

Two questions for you. Number one, can you explain this a little further on air? And number two, what then is the link between justification and glorification? From what I see in Romans 8 30, glorification is secured by our justification. How would salvation and works fit between the link here in Paul's mind?" Well thank you Sam.

I love to talk about this issue because it is endlessly perplexing for people and every effort we can make to clarify it the better. So let's start with some clarifications. The biblical term salvation is used to cover past, present, and future dimensions of God's work to bring us into everlasting perfection and joy.

Ephesians 2 8, "Having been saved." 1 Corinthians 1 18, "We are being saved." Romans 13 11, "Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." So past, present process, future completion. This is why we have to be so careful about using the term justification interchangeably with salvation.

It causes so much confusion. Justification, as we ordinarily use the term, as Paul ordinarily uses the term, refers not to a process, but salvation sometimes does refer to a process. Justification is the point, point, point, like in geometry, where the Holy Spirit opens our blind eyes to see Christ for who he really is, unites us to Christ by faith alone, so that in that instant, at that point, we pass from being under condemnation into God's being 100% for us.

No virtue, no works in us brought about this new standing with God. Justification is instantaneous and unchanging on the basis of the blood and righteousness of Christ alone. We are counted instantaneously as righteous, and God is 100% for us from then on. We're connected with this new experience of acceptance with God by being one with Christ through faith alone, and that happens in an instant.

Now the question rises, how do our good deeds then fit with justification and final salvation? And my answer is, and it's the answer of the entire mainstream of the Reformed tradition, and really not just Calvinists would talk this way, many others would as well, works play no role whatsoever in justification, but are the necessary fruit of justifying faith, which confirm, this fruit confirms our faith and our union with Christ at the last judgment.

So God can make a public pronouncement with a view to these works confirming the faith which alone unites us to Christ, who is alone the foundation of our acceptance as perfect in God's sight. So here's what the Westminster Confession says from 350 years ago. "Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ in his righteousness, is the alone instrument, the only, the sole instrument of justification, distinguishing instrument from basis, the alone instrument or means of justification, yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever," important word, "accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love." End of quote.

Now that is an allusion to Galatians 5, 6, where Paul says, "In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." So the faith that justifies is the sort of faith that bears the fruit of good works, love. James 2, 17, "Faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself." Dead faith doesn't justify anybody, therefore faith without works is not the kind of faith that justifies anybody.

And these works are, and here it starts to get difficult for people, but let me see if I can help, these works are necessary. Hebrews says, "Strive for the peace," strive, key word, "Strive for the peace with everyone, and strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord." Hebrews 12, 14.

So we won't see the Lord Jesus, that is, we won't be finally saved without this "striven for holiness." And what is that? Or why is that? Because the Apostle John says, 1 John 2, 4, 3, 14, other places, "The one who says, 'I have come to know God,' and does not keep his commandments, is a liar.

And the truth is not in him." Or, says later, 3, 14, "We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren." That's how we know, it's confirmed. "He who does not love abides in death." In other words, you haven't been born again, you haven't been united to Christ, you don't have saving faith because it's not confirmed by love.

So, obedience and love are the necessary confirmations that we are born again, truly united to Christ by faith alone. Or here's the way Paul says it in 2 Thessalonians 2, 2, 13, "God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth." So, we are not justified through sanctification.

Let me say it again, we are not justified through sanctification, but we are finally saved through sanctification. That is, through a real change in our hearts and minds and lives, without which we will not see the Lord. Now, people hear this, if they haven't been well taught on these things, here's what people do.

They hear this, they say, "Whoa, necessary? These things are necessary for final salvation?" And they draw two inferences from that statement, and both of them are false. Number one, therefore they say, "Final salvation is dependent on us, decisively on us." And here's the next false inference, "Therefore, it's uncertain.

I could fail. I could lose my salvation. I could be justified and then not be justified. A child of God might lose his justification." Now, both those inferences are dead wrong, both logically wrong and biblically wrong. The second one is wrong because the Bible says, "He who began a good work in you will complete it." At the day of Christ, you won't lose it.

And Romans 8:30 says, "Those whom he predestined, he also called, and those whom he called, he also justified, and those whom he justified, he also glorified." No dropouts, no dropouts at any one of those links in the chain. No dropouts between justification and glorification. I'll say it again. Those whom he justified in the twinkling of an eye, by faith alone, in union with Christ, once and for all, will be, all of them, no exceptions, will be glorified.

The reason no one will lose his justification is because God is the decisive worker. We work, but we're not the decisive worker. Philippians 2:12, "Work out your own salvation by all means. Strive for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling." Why?

Because it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. So God's sovereign keeping and working is the basis of our pursuit of holiness. The basis of it. The basis of it. The ground of it. I start with the fact that I am kept.

I start with the fact that I'm justified. I start with the fact that God is 100% for me, and on the basis of that, I pursue the killing of my sin. Here's what Paul says in Philippians 3:12. I love this. He says, "Not that I am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Christ Jesus has made me his own." Oh, get that logic right.

So when Sam asks, as he does at the end, "How would salvation and works fit between the link in Paul's mind between justification and glorification?" Where Paul says, "All those who are justified are glorified." He's asking, "How does salvation and works fit in there?" The answer is this. Glorification in Paul's thinking is a process that begins at conversion.

It doesn't begin at the last judgment. It begins at conversion and includes sanctification. It's consummated at final salvation. We know this because of 2 Corinthians 3:18, where we look to Jesus and are being chained from one degree of glory to the next. That's glorification right now as we look to Jesus.

And Romans 8:30, then, "All the justified will be glorified," includes the promise, "All the justified will be sanctified," because sanctification is included in glorification. Our assurance of final salvation, which is so precious, we don't believe that people should walk around unsure. Our assurance of final salvation rests on God's past work by Christ and his future work by the Spirit in us and both.

One outside of us, one in us, both rooted in God's faithfulness to his covenant people. And I'll read this as my last verse. This is 1 Corinthians 1, 8, and 9. "He will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Very good.

Hopefully that will clarify things for our listeners. It will for a few minutes. I've given up thinking I could solve this problem for people. And, you know, I think part of that is it's not hard to understand, but the devil hates it so much, he's going to constantly sow seeds, "You've got to do this.

It's all depending on you," and so on. Amen. Yeah, that is a carefully defined understanding of justification and final salvation. And it's rooted in a long history of careful Reformation theology. Thank you, Pastor John. And to read Pastor John's original article, search for the title, "Does God Really Save Us by Faith Alone?" at DesiringGod.org.

And there we have over 7,000 articles on all manner of topics for you to look through. And if you never have, I would encourage you to spend some time this weekend to browse and search through all the resources that we have at DesiringGod.org. It's a massive library, all open to the public 24/7, all free of charge, and all for your joy in God.

Well, thank you for listening and supporting the podcast. You can stay current with the Ask Pastor John podcast episodes on your phone or your device by subscribing through your preferred podcast catcher. And you can search our past episodes in our archive and send us an email of your own, even questions about something controversial from John Piper's ministry, something you've read, something you've seen that you want to ask him about.

You can do all that through our online home at DesiringGod.org/AskPastorJohn. Well, speaking of controversy, why are Christian singles getting married later and later in life? Our good friend Francis Chan says it's because of the prevalence of premarital sex. Other Christians say, "Whoa, wait a minute. I think there are many other factors at play here too, like women trying to pay off student debt and being so busy with the work they can't pursue relationships." We know singles in America are putting off marriage longer and longer, but why?

And what hope does Pastor John have to offer those who are patiently waiting? That's the question on the table Monday when we return. Until then, I'm your host Tony Reinke. Enjoy the weekend. We'll see you on Monday. . .