Nothing To Do To Be Saved?

The "Primitive" or Hardshell Baptists say that there are no conditions, nothing a person does, in order to be saved from sin. They say that if there are things a person must do to be saved, then salvation is not by grace but by works. They are not alone in saying this as some theologians say that to tell sinners that they must do something to be saved is mixing law and gospel. They say the message that tells sinners - "do this and live" is not gospel. I reject that, however, and don't see how anyone can come to that conclusion by reading the scriptures. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas "what must I do to be saved" they got this answer: "believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved and your house." That answer shows that they did not believe that there was nothing a person needed to do to be saved. Nor, did their answer indicate that they were making the gospel into law nor making salvation to be by works. 

Many years ago I learned the following rhyme:

Do this and live the law commands

but gives me neither feet nor hands

Far better news the gospel brings

It bids us fly and gives us wings

Another version (often attributed to John Bunyan) is this:

"Run, John, run, the law commands, 

But gives us neither feet nor hands. 

Far better news the gospel brings: 

It bids us fly and gives us wings."

An earlier version of this is in Charles Spurgeon’s writings, The Salt-Cellars: Being a Collection of Proverbs, Together with Homely Notes Thereon, page 200. It goes: 

 

Run, John and work, the Law commands, 

yet finds me neither feet nor hands. 

But sweeter news the Gospel brings; 

it bids me fly and lends me wings!” 

Spurgeon attributes this to an English revivalist and hymn writer, John Berridge (1716 – 1793). The third quote, however, is: 

 

A rigid matter was the Law, 

demanding brick, denying straw. 

But when with Gospel tongue it sings, 

it bids me fly and gives me wings. 

 

This is ascribed to 17th-18th Century Scottish preacher, Ralph Erskine (1685 – 1752). (Source here)

All these are in essence the same sentiment. The commands of the gospel and new covenant are not like the commands of the law and old covenant. The difference is not always understood, especially when you see what older Calvinists discussed, whether salvation was conditional or unconditional. They argued that it was unconditional in the sense that the conditions are not such that a sinner does them by his own depraved will or by his own strength, but they did believe that the conditions for salvation are sovereignly given to those who God chose to salvation. I wrote several chapters on this in my series The Hardshell Baptist Cult, in chapter 119-122. You can find them in this blog's archives for January - February 2012. The first in that sub-series is (here). See also these posts on this question (here, here). 

In this article I want to look at one or two verses in the Book of Revelation to show that the Hardshell notion that salvation is not conditioned upon anything a person does is false. In introducing those verses I want to cite from a leading song that many Christians sing, even some Hardshell Baptists, titled 

"Are You Washed In The Blood Of The Lamb".

1 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow'r? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Refrain:

Are you washed in the blood, In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? 

2 Are you walking daily by the Savior's side? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Do you rest each moment in the Crucified? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain] 

3 When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright, and be washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain] 

4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin. Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean. O be washed in the blood of the Lamb! [Refrain]

Notice that the song begins with a very important question, i.e. "are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?" It ends with the instruction as to how to be so washed, saying "lay aside the garments that are stained with sin" and "O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!" The Hardshell Hyper Calvinists will say that it is wrong to ask such a question of a person, and most surely wrong to tell him to wash his garments and himself in the blood of the Lamb, for that is doing something and there is nothing a person can do or needs to do to be washed of sin. So, is that scriptural or not? Now let us look at those texts in the Book of Revelation.

"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Rev. 7: 13-14 kjv)

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (22: 14 kjv)

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates." (22: 14 esv)

As you see, there are two different translations for Rev. 22: 14. I will not get into which is correct, since the earlier verse says essentially the same thing. Nevertheless, I will give this information:

"Blessed are they that do his commandments. The Revised Version adopts the reading, οἱ πλύνοντες τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν, "they that wash their robes," which is found in א, A, 1, 33, Vulgate, AEthiopic, Armenian, Primasius, and which is probably correct. The reading of the Textus Receptus, ποιοῦντες τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, "they that do his commandments," is found in B, Syriac, Coptic, etc." (Pulpit Commentary)

In the text (7: 14) the words "they washed" and "made white" are both aorist verbs in the active voice which means the people of the text are the ones who did the washing which made white. There is no way that our Hardshell brethren can try to make the washing in the blood of the text to be what is not necessary for eternal salvation, but for a mere optional "time salvation." They sing the following song which speaks of this being washed in the blood of Christ.

Victory In Jesus

"I heard an old, old story How a Savior came from glory How He gave His life on Calvary To save a wretch like me I heard about His groaning Of His precious blood's atoning Then I repented of my sins And won the victory, yeah 

Oh, victory in Jesus, my Savior forever He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood He loved me 'ere I knew Him and all my love is due Him He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood 

I heard about His healing Of His cleansing power revealing How He made the lame to walk again And caused the blind to see And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit" And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory"

In the hymnbook of the Hardshells they changed the song, taking out the word "won" in the first stanza and put in the word "saw." Why? Because the "victory" the song celebrates came as a result of repenting of sins due to hearing the gospel and this goes against Hardshell views. However, changing that one word does not help them for other parts of the song would have to be changed also, such as when it is said that it was after the convicted sinner cries out to Jesus to come and heal his broken spirit that "Jesus came and brought to me the victory." 

John Gill in his commentary on Rev. 7: 14 wrote:

"The "robes" which they washed in his blood may either design themselves, their consciences, which this blood purges from dead works; or their outward conversation garments, which have their spots, and need continual washing; or else the robe of righteousness, and garments of salvation, or their justification, which is by the blood of Christ, Romans 5:9. The act of washing from sin, by the blood of Christ, is sometimes ascribed to Christ himself, as in Revelation 1:5; but here to the saints, and designs the concern which faith has in the blood of Christ, which deals with it for justification, peace, and pardon, for the removing of sin from the conscience, and for cleansing from all impurity, both of flesh and Spirit: and the effect of this is, that their robes were "made white"; that is, that they were freed from all sin, were without fault before the throne, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing."

Wrote Charles Spurgeon, a successor to the pastorate of the church Gill pastored:

"That the white robes must refer to their own character is clear; I have taken it for granted that it is so, because the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is the righteousness of the saints, cannot possibly be meant here, since that cannot be either defiled or washed. To speak of washing the righteousness of Christ in the blood of Christ would not only be an erroneous idea, but it would involve a conglomeration of metaphor not to be tolerated for a moment. The white robes here intended are the personal characters of the saints as they appear before God himself. They are washed in the blood of the Lamb, and so cleansed that they are absolutely perfect." (From his sermon "Why The Heavenly Robes Are White" for Sept. 24, 1876)

I believe what these two able Baptist ministers said is correct. 

Of course, getting one's garments washed in the blood of Christ the sacrificial Lamb is not literal. A believer's physical garments are not washed by him in the literal blood of Christ. It is symbolic of how the blood of Christ is applied to the garments of the saints. Further, the text is not meant to say that it was only garments that were washed in the blood to the exclusion of their persons. The garments represent the righteousnesses or holy lives of the saints. Earlier in Revelation Christ said this to a few members of the church in Sardis:

"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment..." (Rev. 3: 4-5a kjv)

I think the defiling of garments in this text refers to a Christian's profession and character, to what the Bible calls his "conversation" which denotes a person's manner of life.

"That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." (Eph. 4: 22 kjv)

I wish space allowed for me to cite the many passages in the new testament (kjv) that speak of the Christian and his "conversation" in the world. The character and manner of life is what is meant by a person's conversation or "garments." In keeping their lives morally clean Christians are keeping their garments white. I encourage the reader to look at all the texts in the KJV new testament that uses the word conversation and see how it is important for every Christian to maintain a good manner of life.

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." (Rev. 16: 15 kjv)

By "keeping" one's garments means to protect them from being stolen or defiled. You can discern a lot about a person by the clothes he wears. Keeping one's character (garments) unsoiled is the same as keeping a good name, and by name I mean not a label but one's reputation. When the Bible speaks of having a "good name" (Prov. 22: 1; See also Eccl. 7:1) it means keeping a good character or conversation. Sin in the life of a believer, especially those of the most depraved kind, defile one's garments. Wrote James:  

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (James 1 27 nkjv)

If a professing Christian leaves the Christian religion and embraces another, he has defiled himself. If he does not live his religion, his Christian profession shows it to be worthless and he has become spotted by the world. Jude describes unsaved people this way: "but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh." (Jude 1: 23 nkjv)

The Lord Jesus advised the church of Laodicea as follows: 

"I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." (Rev. 3: 18)

As a result of sin and depravity, sinners are described as follows:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isa. 64: 6 kjv)

Notice that "righteousness" is in the plural, i.e. "righteousnesses." The righteousness therefore alludes not to the imputed righteousness of Christ, but to a person's righteous living, to his righteous deeds. To have one's conduct to be "as filthy rags" means his righteousnesses are really unrighteous. 

A truly saved Christian will begin to live righteously, to have more and more "righteous acts." So we read: "It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." (Rev. 19: 8) The apostle John also wrote: 

"If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him." (I John 2:29 nkjv)

Everyone who is truly born of God "practices righteousness." If you are a professing Christian and yet do not practice righteousness, but sin habitually without remorse and repentance, then you have not been born of God but are a hypocrite and one of those called "false brethren." (Gal. 2:4) When a person is saved and born of the Spirit, he "puts on the new man" (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10), "puts on Christ" (Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27), the word for "put on" is ἐνδύεσθαι, meaning "to be clothed with."

Christians need continual washing of sin by the blood of Christ. So wrote the apostle John:

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1: 9 nkjv)

"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; 

put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: 

for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." 

(Isa. 52: 1 kjv)