Tag: salvation

Book Review: Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew W. Bates

Summary

Salvation by Allegiance Alone by Matthew W. Bates can be summed up with one of his early questions: “When the Apostle Paul says, ‘for it is by grace you have been saved through faith’ (Eph. 2:8), what if Paul’s idea of ‘faith’ (pistis) differs from typical contemporary understandings?” (p. 3). The book revolves around that single question, arguing that the Greek word pistis (typically translated as “faith”) ought instead to be rendered “allegiance” or “fidelity.” The title makes this clear. In fact, that sort of blunt clarity is one of the book’s strengths. Whether you agree with him or not, you can’t miss what he’s trying to say.

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The Good News

Oh, how man has fallen. Created in the image of God, but we fell from our place of honor. Sin came into the world through one man. Indeed, this saying is true, “none is righteous, no, not one.” For we have all fallen and deserve nothing more than eternal death. Sin is our way of life. No one is worthy of living since, “the wages of sin is death.” Therefore, God would be justified to kill us all where we stand. For that is nothing more than we deserve. “No one does good, not even one.” Even the things that we do that might be seen as right living are worthless because of our sin. We can never do enough good works to enter the kingdom of heaven for even one single sin creates a chasm between us and God that cannot be crossed by any means that we possess. It is hopeless.

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