Some may find this hard to believe but the oppressors of the descendants of Israel twisted the gospel to create a guilt-free religion. How did they do it? They used the words of Paul. It has been claimed that the Apostle Paul created the ‘faith without works’ doctrine of salvation. This doctrine teaches that a sinner receives forgiveness and is saved simply by belief in Messiah without obedience to the law or works of any kind. In other words, you can be saved through faith alone. The question is, if Paul really believed this, why did he continue keeping the law? We need to examine how Europeans created a religion that allowed them to commit all sorts of atrocities and then hold themselves blameless.
Many of you already know that the Bible was used to justify slavery and the extreme violence enacted against the enslaved people – to include the laws that were written to dehumanize them. The slavemasters were using the gospel for their own purposes, which is a confirmation that they really didn’t care about the souls of the people they had enslaved. There was a concerted effort to block the enslaved people from being baptized. How was this justified? Slave codes were enacted and they said a slave was considered property or chattel and was deprived of most of the rights ordinarily held by free persons.
So, what is the connection to the salvation by faith alone doctrine vs. faith and works? Quite simply, for those wanting to be saved, they’re saying all you have to do is confess that you believe in Messiah and believe that he was resurrected from the dead. Once you do that, you have secured your eternal salvation; nothing else is needed. You don’t need to observe any particular law. Why? Because you will be sealed until the day of redemption. How convenient for Christian nations involved in the slave trade. They didn’t have to get their greed or lust in check because, hey, they were Christians; they were saved. Side note, the term ‘Christian’ actually meant white, Anglo-Saxon Protestant or those of European descent but, unfortunately, our folks are determined to hold on to that title.
Now let’s look at the passage from Galatians 2:15-17 often referenced to justify this. Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians in response to a controversy created by Pharisees who were harassing the Gentile converts telling them that in order to be saved they had to be circumcised and observe the ritual requirements of the law of Moses. But I want us to pay attention to something else here, how can Paul say that the only requirement was faith alone? The council of apostles and elders in Jerusalem said the Gentiles had to abide by four laws and Paul was okay with that. Not only that, why was he still keeping the law and observing the feast days? So, we’re missing something here. The verse in James 2:14 is showing us that James absolutely did not agree with Paul. He asked this question, “What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith and have not works. can faith save him”? James responded to his own question by saying, your works is a manifestation of what you believe (James 2:17-24). He gives an example of how some proclaim that they believe in one God. This was something that separated the ancient Israelites from the other nations. The other nations believed in many gods but James is saying it has to go beyond that because even the devils believe that there is one God and they tremble. There is an obvious contradiction between the teachings of James and Paul concerning faith and works. Either one of them is wrong or we’re missing something. So, when did this justification by faith alone become the focal point for Christianity?
Do you know what else is connected to the Protestant Reformation? The ‘once saved always saved’ doctrine. Basically, once you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth, you’re sealed forever. So again, how convenient for those people who are Christians, who would go on to become colonizers and commit great atrocities {because they’re Christians} believe they are now saved and they are saved always. No matter what dirt they do, how wicked they are because they believe their salvation is guaranteed.
I want to point to something quite interesting found in Acts 16:30. The backstory here is that when Paul and Silas were in prison. That night, there was a great earthquake that caused all the doors to open and the keeper of the prison came to Paul and Silas and he asked this question, “Sirs what must I do to be saved”? They responded by saying, “believe on Yahshua and you will be saved.” That’s it – just believe. Now let’s compare that to the response Messiah gave when the rich, young ruler asked a similar question. In Matthew 19:16-20, we see that Messiah immediately began talking about the laws. He started saying, keep the commandments and then he started naming some of them. The young man responded, “all these things have I kept from my youth.” Don’t you find it interesting that Messiah immediately pointed to the law. That’s completely opposite to what Paul said to the jailer. Also, Messiah said, “I didn’t come to do away with the law” (Matthew 5;17). You know what else I found interesting? In Hebrews 11, we see a long list of those who pleased YAH because of their faith. It then tells us about the corresponding action to demonstrate their faith in action.
How do we know that they had faith? They acted, they did something, they obeyed what the Most High said. We can disagree about various things written in Scripture but what we believe about matters or is essential for salvation, should not be one of them. As we continue to examine the contradictions and controversies regarding the Apostle Paul, we certainly need to address the faith without works doctrine because folks are saying all I have to do is say I believe in Messiah and I’m saved. Let me ask this question, how is that working out for the Christian church? Because we now see every conceivable sin possible in the church.
Let’s read the passage in Romans 2:12-15 [written by Paul] and you tell me if he’s saying that Gentiles can bypass the law. The first verse is saying that those without law will perish, whether they have law or not (if they sin, they will perish is what he’s saying). So, Gentiles may say, “how is that fair if we don’t have the law”? Paul is saying, even though Gentiles may not have the written law, there is something inside of all of us telling us what is right from wrong. We have a conscience that is bearing witness that they knew they were doing something wrong. When Christians say they don’t have to keep laws, they’re lying. When we do wrong, we are convicted, even if you didn’t have the written law that says, ‘Thou shalt not steal’, your heart will convict you to let you know stealing is wrong. It’s saying the conscience is bearing witness and their thoughts –while accusing– it’s going to accuse you when you sin or else excusing one another. This doctrine of faith only certainly benefited Europeans don’t you think? They created a guilt-free religion that allowed men to cast off restraints. Do you think the slave masters knew they were sinning against our people? Learn more when you view the accompanying video, They Created a Guilt Free Religion.
