Greg and Amy address the debate over “easy believism,” arguing that salvation comes through trusting Christ, not merely agreeing that biblical claims are true, and that genuine faith results in a new direction of life.
Transcript
Amy: Here’s a question from Jordan. “What is Greg’s stance on the idea of easy believism—that is, the idea that all one must do to be saved is believe in God? Many people say that the “belief in” versus “belief that” theology isn’t found in Scripture, but I’ve been raised and surrounded by it as the correct view for my entire walk with God. The ones that bring up easy believism say that the verse in James about how demons believe but they tremble isn’t relevant because salvation isn’t offered to demons in the first place.”
Greg: Well, I’m a little stunned at that response because what’s the point of James writing it if he’s not making an application to believers? You say that you have faith, but you have no works. The demons say they believe in God. Doesn’t do them any good. And it’s not going to do you any good if all you have is what you say. If your so-called faith—and what he says there in James 2 is, “Can that faith save you?” Can that sort of, quote-unquote, faith save you? And his answer is no. That’s not real faith. Then he explains what it actually is.
I mean, the phrase “easy believism” is a kind of pejorative characterization, and I think it oversimplifies the circumstances. I mentioned, I think, a few moments ago about Romans 8 and a trajectory. Paul characterizes or contrasts those who are according to the flesh and those who are according to the Spirit. Okay? It’s my word—trajectory—but I think that’s what’s being captured there. If your life is on a trajectory according to the flesh, that means you’re living like everybody else. It doesn’t mean you’re the worst person in the world. It means that you’re no different from a non-Christian. Then you probably are a non-Christian. If you are, rather, according to the Spirit—and Paul characterizes being according to the Spirit as actually possessing the Spirit—if the Spirit is in you—because if he’s not, you’re none of his, is what Paul says there—if he’s in you, then you are according to the Spirit, even if your life is, kind of, messed up and you’re struggling with things. Paul uses this phrase, “according to the Spirit” or “in the Spirit,” not the way we often use it, like in a state of sinning, but he uses it as a synonym for new birth. So, that’s the best way, I think, to think of it.
When we become Christians, we are putting our trust in Christ, and we are getting on a new trajectory. It isn’t, like, just say, “I believe,” because if the “I believe” does not entail being on a new trajectory, it isn’t the kind of belief that saves. That’s James’ point.
So, I know there’s this kind of fight between Lordship Salvation, and If Jesus isn’t Lord of all, then he’s not Lord at all. Well, that’s equivocation. I’ll tell you right now, I’m a Christian of 51 years plus, and Jesus is not the practical Lord of every aspect of my life. He is the Lord of everything because he’s God, but there is not the lordship of Christ in every avenue of my life. But he’s still my Lord, and I’m still a Christian, and that’s part of sanctification. So, I think that aphorism isn’t helpful. That isn’t what I’m shooting for.
But at the same time, I’m very clear, when I have an opportunity to talk about these things, that we’re not asking people to believe that Jesus did this, that, and the other thing. That’s important. That’s a first step, but it isn’t a step that works—that takes you where you need to go. I can believe that the plane is going to take me to Dallas. A bunch of you guys are getting on that plane next week, I think, or the week after, for Reality. I won’t be there because I’m having surgery. I can say that because it’s already sold out. Right?
Amy: It’s already passed.
Greg: Oh, there we go.
So, I can believe that, and believe accurately, that the plane—but I don’t exercise useful faith or trust in that belief until I get on the plane. Then the plane can do for me what I can’t do for myself. And that analogy, I think, is really helpful in understanding this. If easy believism is just “believing that,” that doesn’t help you at all. The demons also believe all those things, and they tremble. Obviously, there’s no salvation plan for them. But that misses the point. The point is, well, if that were the case, then James would never have made this remark. He makes it because he’s making the point, look, that is not enough—“belief that.” It’s “trust in” that matters and makes the difference. And the “trust in” has ramifications in behavior. The internal manifests itself externally. That’s James’ point in chapter 2.
Amy: And some people will use the word “belief” to mean trust. So, I think “trust” is the key word here.
And I just want to add something about James because even James is talking about the trust specifically. I don’t think he’s actually talking about good works here, because what he says is, if you have faith, then you will have actions that reflect that faith. And then he gives the example: If you say, “Be warmed and filled,” and you don’t give anything to help them, you don’t really mean that you want them to be warmed and filled. So, he gives an example of charity there. But when he’s talking about his point, that’s just an analogy for him. When he’s talking about his point, he actually gives examples that have to do with faith. So, Abraham—believing God, believing his promise, believing that he could raise Isaac from the dead—he acted in faith and trust in God. God told him to do something. He acted in a way that showed that he trusted God would fulfill his promise. So, I think James’ whole point here is it’s all about trust.
Greg: Yes. I’m glad you’re making this point. Yeah. James isn’t a faith-plus-works scenario at all. It’s all about faith, trust, and the manifestations that genuine trust produces. Even Rahab the harlot, which is the second illustration, where she hides this—I mean, look at the dynamic between those two—to be willing to kill your son because you thought God told you to, even though he stayed his hand, versus hiding the spies. I mean, they’re dramatically different in gravity and weight, but they’re still evidences. And she was not a righteous woman, obviously, from her background. But what she did evidenced her trust in the God of Israel.
Amy: It showed that she believed God was real, that he was with them, that he would fulfill his promises to them. So, her actions reflected the fact that she truly believed what God had said— that he was, and that he rewards those who seek him, as Hebrews puts it.
Greg: The details are right there in that passage too, in Joshua.
Amy: So, the point here is, yes, when you trust in God, you will be saved. In Romans 10, Paul talks about how with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. You trust in God. If it is true trust, then you will act in ways that reflect your trust in God. And in addition to that, the Holy Spirit will be shaping you to the character of Christ.
But the main point here is, it’s all about your trust in God because God changes you, and he enables you to see him as he is, and then you trust in him, and then you act in ways that reflect that.
Greg: Incidentally, all of these things that we talk about are the appropriate consequences of genuine regeneration, spiritual regeneration, and are not in any way a work that justifies you. And this is where some of the confusion comes in this debate or discussion about Lordship Salvation. I think there is a justifiable concern, depending on how “lordship” is characterized. But it isn’t easy believism here. People are simply missing that it’s not one or the other. It’s kind of an amalgam that needs to be carefully understood to get a biblical sense of how it works.
Amy: So, if you want to understand, go to Romans.
Greg: There you go.
Amy: Paul lays this out so clearly. He goes through all of chapter 5. It’s all about our justification in Christ by faith. Four and five are all about that. So, then what does he say? “So, does this mean we sin because we’re under grace? May it never be!”
Greg: That’s right.
Amy: And then he explains, we don’t sin, because we have died with Christ. We’ve been raised again. We now submit to righteousness, and we use our body for acts of righteousness because we’ve been changed and we love God. So, he kind of explains how this all works.
Greg: Right. So, it can truly be said that for Amy Hall, all roads lead to Romans.
Amy: It’s kind of true.
Greg: Poor Romans.
Amy: He just does such a great job of explaining theological basics from start to finish.
And then one last thing I want to say, where he says—I think it’s in chapter 8, where he’s talking about how—you mentioned this verse—well, we have the Spirit. If we’re in Christ, we have the Spirit. And then Paul says, “If you are not putting your sin to death, you will die.” And he goes, “But if you’re putting your sin to death, you will live.” And then instead of saying, “Because you’re putting your sin to death and you’re getting better,” he says no, no, that’s not why. It’s because if you’re putting your sin to death, that’s showing you that you are an adopted child of God. So, even there, when he’s using the example of us putting our sin to death, it’s only an example proving to us that we have the Spirit and we’re adopted.
Greg: Actually, the phrase he uses is “led by the Spirit,” and this is universally misunderstood to mean something entirely different. This is what Paul means in that case, and the only other case where he uses it is Galatians 5, and it’s the same thing—just what you described—by the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh.