Booger McLovin

Paul never taught that works are meaningless. He said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8–10).

In Romans 2:6–7, Paul writes that God “will repay each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.” He warns in Galatians 5:19–21 that “those who practice such things,” referring to the works of the flesh, “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” And in Romans 6:16 he says, “Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?”

This is the consistent teaching of Scripture. Salvation is by grace through faith, but real faith always produces obedience. Without that fruit, there is no saving faith at all.

As an orthodox Protestant, I recognize one of the bigger misunderstandings within Protestantism today is the idea that we are saved merely by confessing “Jesus is Lord” and then living however we please. It is deeper than that. Grace is our path to salvation. That path begins in belief, which becomes faith. Faith leads to conviction, and conviction leads to discipleship. Therefore works are a product of true faith. Once one is convicted in Christ and begins discipleship, the tree producing the fruit becomes healthier, and thus healthier fruit emerges.

In truth, this position is not actually different from the Catholic or Eastern Orthodox position. The disagreement is often more about language than theology. All three affirm that salvation is a gift of grace received by faith, and that such faith must be living and active. The confusion comes from poor teaching within some Protestant denominations, often from progressive pastors trying to distort the Word to attract more parishioners.

Some might point out the criminal on the cross or hear a Protestant using the “I am about to die, how can I be saved” scenario. This is no contradiction. Once one commits to Christ, their sins are forgiven in that moment as long as this is true faith. And remember, true faith will always lead to conviction and then discipleship. This is why salvation cannot be lost, because Christ knows if one truly has faith, for He knows all of the counterfactuals even if one were to be dying in that moment.

True salvation cannot be lost because it is not based on our ability to hold on to Christ, but on His power to hold on to us. The moment a person truly believes, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit and transformed from the inside out. That transformation will always produce the fruit of obedience, whether in a lifetime of discipleship or in the final moments of life, like the thief on the cross. What God begins, He always finishes.