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Defense of 50 Bible Passages Against “Faith Alone”

Defense of 50 Bible Passages Against “Faith Alone”

Last updated on: June 13, 2026 at 1:10 pm by Dave Armstrong

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Defense of 50 Bible Passages Against “Faith Alone” 2026-06-13T13:10:46-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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Part I: 1-16: The Gospels and Acts

A Protestant (“Chessfan”) from the Lutheran Church — Missouri Synod (a denomination I have a great deal of respect for) replied to my article, 50 Unanswerable NT Passages Against “Faith Alone” (2-21-26), underneath it in the combox. His words will be in blue. Portions of the above article that I cite (i.e., Bible passages) will be in green.

*****

I don’t know why you think these are against salvation by faith alone.

Well, this debate will thoroughly explain why, and what we think is fairly obvious in Holy Scripture, whereas Protestants don’t view them in the same way (as you will demonstrate!).

1) Matthew 7:18-19 (RSV) A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

I agree. If a tree does not bear good fruit, it gets burned. This has nothing to do with Sola Fide. A good tree – somebody with faith – will bear good fruit. A bad tree – somebody without faith – will bear bad fruit. Faith can be lost (an acceptable position within Sola Fide). So, if somebody is bearing bad fruit, they have lost faith (or never had it). And they will burn in hell

for all eternity. You can’t separate works from faith. The works follow faith – as Luther and Melanchthon claimed, for example.

I understand your position — used to hold it myself — and have articles documenting how both Luther and Calvin contending that. The difference is that Protestants formally separate works / sanctification from justification and salvation. We don’t. We think they are organically connected. These fifty verses (and I have 150 in a larger collection) prove that pretty much beyond any reasonable doubt, in my opinion. We both look at this passage and the Protestant says, “the elect will always bear good fruit.” The Catholic says, “of course they will, and this shows also that you can’t separate faith and works and put them into separate airtight compartments”.

You say they are always together in one sense. We happily agree with that, and rejoice in the commonality, but go further and think they are formally connected as well; i.e., sanctification can’t be separated from justification anymore than an egg yolk and egg white can be separated in scrambled eggs. That is the difference. But in the practical, everyday sense, we totally agree: “the genuinely faithful person will and must do good works.” And that’s fine and good. We only disagree when “faith alone” starts being talked about.

2) Matthew 7:21 Not every one who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.. . .

Agreed. If you do not do the will of God you will not see heaven. Faith is not just saying Lord, Lord, nor is it professing an intellectual belief in God. As Luther said, somebody who thinks that that’s what faith is does not have faith nor know what it really is – for faith is a “living and active thing,” – quick to do the will of the Father – and not merely professing lip service. In addition, we Protestants share with Catholics a believe that God can forgive sins – including a failure to do God’s will at one time or another. This forgiveness – for both Protestants and Catholics – triumphs over all passages of condemnation.

This is similar to the last one. You say what you just said. We say that doing God’s will (a good work) is as crucial of a cause of final salvation as one’s faith and the grace that enabled both, and that this verse is quite consistent with that understanding.

3) Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done.

Agreed. The greatest deed one can do is to give God all glory and render to Him all credit for all good things – that is the most loving thing one could do. And that is faith. So, even though faith is not a work in certain senses, it is a work or deed in another. And it is the greatest and most loving deed. Therefore, those with faith will be repaid well, and those without will be repaid poorly.

It doesn’t mention faith. I don’t deny that it must be present, too, but my point is that the emphasis in all of these passages is not on faith; it’s on works. And so here, God “repays” not according to how much faith one has, but based on “what he has done.” We say that because of passages like this (and I found 150), works cannot be dismissed from the overall totality of what saves us in the final analysis.

However, there are many things one does besides faith, right? And in addition, we shouldn’t be rewarded for works under Sola Fide, right?

No, because you deny the notion of meritorious works (I have fifty biblical proofs of merit).

Well, regarding the many other things people do, we Protestants agree with Catholics that there is forgiveness of sins. The Catholic Church holds that if one lives a terrible life – or if one falls into deep sins – that forgiveness can erase that. Protestants agree. And once forgiveness happens (this is where there is disagreement), the bad deeds are erased and all that remains are good deeds. There is no repayment to given for bad deeds, since they are gone. One only gets repaid for the good deeds!

We see in the Bible that there are certain serious sins that bar one from going to heaven (1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:5; Heb 12:14; Rev 21:27; 22:15). Other sins require purging before we can enter. This gets to the difference between imputed and infused justification. Thankfully, both sides agree that no sin is allowed in heaven. There will be no imputation, where something is declared as “okay” while still being there in reality; in concrete terms. Heaven is much more similar to Catholic infused justification, where a person truly is transformed and made more holy.

But you guys put that in a box of “sanctification” and say it has nothing whatsoever, in and of itself, to do with either justification or salvation. 1 John is very clear about the essence and ideal of a Christian, and it’s talking about actual sin, not the abstraction of imputed justification. The antithesis of the Christian disciple is sin and that word appears 28 times in this short letter:

1 John 2:1 . . . I am writing this to you so that you may not sin . . .

1 John 3:6 No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.

1 John 3:8 He who commits sin is of the devil; . . .

1 John 3:9 No one born of God commits sin; for God’s nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.

1 John 5:18 We know that any one born of God does not sin . . .

Regarding not being rewarded for works, this wrong. Most Protestants do believe in rewards for good works. We just don’t think that salvation from hell is determined on the same basis as rewards and repayment is.

Both sides agree that there are rewards for good deeds in heaven. The Catholic also believes that that goes on in this life, too.

We think that salvation from hell involves being rescued from a repayment for bad deeds. That’s well hell is, right? It’s what you get paid for your bad deeds. If you are saved from having to get paid with hell for your bad deeds, then you only get repaid for your good deeds!

And forgiveness is what erases the payment of hell that we would get. And forgiveness is received through faith. Therefore, salvation from hell is through faith. This seems pretty obvious if you think about the words – and it has nothing to do with this passage.

Well, this is the issue at hand: is it all [grace-filled] faith alone, or is it a combination of [grace-filled] faith which necessarily and intrinsically includes in itself good works? I think that all of these passages taken together, can only lead to one conclusion: grace + faith —> works (without which faith is dead).

4) Matthew 19:16-17, 20-21 And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” [17] And he said to him, “. . . If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” . . . [20] The young man said to him, “All these I have observed; what do I still lack?” [21] Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

You’re missing a key part of this passage and the following verses if you think this speaks against the Protestant position. To begin with, Jesus speaks of entering eternal life by keeping commandments. The young man then says that he has done this but still wonders what he lacks. This implies that he has not yet entered into eternal life in this present time – in spite of keeping the commandments.

If faith alone is true, why doesn’t Jesus mention faith at all? The man asks Him straight out, how to achieve eternal life. Any Protestant would immediately bring up faith, John 3:16, etc. They would argue as you do. But Jesus doesn’t think like a Protestant. He says here — and many other times — that the commandments — not faith alone — are the way to eternal life.

You assume that because Jesus required one more thing, that the commandments cannot save anyone. This doesn’t follow. You wrongly read it into the passage. Jesus already said that the commandments could save and lead to eternal life. If keeping the commandments weren’t part of the requirement, Jesus wouldn’t have brought them up at all. I’ve written about this passage many times. It’s probably my very favorite of the fifty. Here’s my latest video and paper:

The Three Most “UnProtestant” NT Passages [Mk 10:17-21: Rich Young Ruler] [see also the initial transcript, minus our spontaneous discussion] [Catholic Bible Highlights, with Kenny Burchard, 10-9-25]

Jesus does not correct him and say “Well, eternal life doesn’t occur until after you are dead.” Jesus also does not correct him and say “You’d already be in eternal life if you kept the commandments – so you must not have really kept them.” Instead, he proceeds from the young man’s point of view and issues an additional command – a command of selling his possessions to be perfect.

Yes, because (most commentators think) riches were his idol. That’s a mortal sin, since it puts something above God in one’s allegiance, and as such can keep one from heaven. So it was a requirement for him, not everyone.

This additional command is something that no Catholic believes damns you if you fail to follow it. No Catholic thinks that somebody who does not sell all of their possessions is damned to hell. No Protestant believes this. No Christian believes this. So, are we all wrong, or is Jesus getting at something else here? It is obvious that he is laying up an additional command for this particular individual.

Yes: giving up his idol.

He says “Fine, you’ve kept them all? Then do this.” And the young man walks away, because he cannot do this thing. This burden was heaped upon the young man to prove that he was not really someone wholly committed to God – and therefore, he was not somebody truly keeping the commandments from the heart – which is something Jesus was really trying to get at.

Yes; idolatry ultimately residing in the heart . . .

Now, what does keeping the commandments from the heart look like? What does it mean to keep the commandments from the heart. It means to be wholly devoted to and loving of God – it means to be purified from all idols. Many Protestants believe this full love and devotion to God is simply true faith – whereas Catholics believe that this love is separate from faith.

We’re not that different from you in this way. We simply note that they are two different things (not identical), but that they must be together in practice and are closely related. So, for example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

158 “Faith seeks understanding“: it is intrinsic to faith that a believer desires to know better the One in whom he has put his faith, and to understand better what He has revealed; a more penetrating knowledge will in turn call forth a greater faith, increasingly set afire by love. . . .

1698 . . . Jesus Christ . . . is “the way, and the truth, and the life.” It is by looking to him in faith that Christ’s faithful can hope that he himself fulfills his promises in them, and that, by loving him with the same love with which he has loved them, they may perform works in keeping with their dignity: . . .

1815 . . . when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body.

1991 Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness (or “justice”) here means the rectitude of divine love. With justification, faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted us.

2639 Praise is the form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that God is God. It lauds God for his own sake and gives him glory, quite beyond what he does, but simply because HE IS. It shares in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory. By praise, the Spirit is joined to our spirits to bear witness that we are children of God, testifying to the only Son in whom we are adopted and by whom we glorify the Father. . . .

Paul refers to “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6) and “your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 1:3) and “put on the breastplate of faith and love” (1 Thess 5:8). “Love” and “faith” appear together in one verse 31 times in the RSV and the phrase “faith and love” is found five times in Paul.

Regardless, this dispute is neither here nor there, because Protestants believe that nobody fully does this – and Catholics believe that few fully do this.

What is the solution then to help everybody who falls short of this command to still reach eternal life? Protestants and Catholics agree – the answer is forgiveness of sins.

No one disagrees there; only how it is conceived and applied. We all must take refuge in His mercy at the foot of the cross.

But all of this is still besides the point, because you cut the passage off. Jesus goes on to explain how impossible it is for a rich person to get into heaven (even though neither Catholics nor Protestants get into heaven). This lesson shows that Jesus’ real point in this whole exercise was to heap up a burden upon this young man (whom Jesus already knew either was not going to be saved – or was not going to reach salvation at this point in time) – so that he could make a point about rich people going to hell.

That was part of it, yes. More than one thing can be going on at one time. But it doesn’t undo my reasoning regarding faith alone here.

And then the disciples intelligently ask “Who then, can be saved?”

This question implies that all – or most – people are going to hell by this standard.

And Jesus says that with man, this is impossible – but with God all things are possible.

This includes the rich being saved. Even the rich can receive the Spirit, prioritize God, and receive forgiveness of sins for having failed to keep the commandments in such a way that they enter into life.

Of course. God’s grace is always the ultimate cause. Rich men so often fail to find God precisely because riches are so frequently their idol. Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith” (1 Tim 6:10). It remains the case that Jesus’ answer to the rich man as to how to attain eternal life, was not faith, but rather, two works: he needed to keep the commandments and give all of his possessions to the poor.

Yet somehow you think it has no bearing on faith alone. I find that remarkable. But I understand it. It’s how you’ve been taught to think. I used to believe the same thing, so I get it. I now disagree with it, and have provided 150 biblical passages for why I do.

This does not contradict Protestant teaching which holds to the idea that if somebody could keep all commandments, then they would enter into life – something Catholics agree with. The difference is regarding the possibility of such a thing. And in theory, one could always come up with a version of Sola Fide that allows for such a possibility. A major criticism that Catholics levy at Protestants is that Protestants can in theory believe just about anything with no Magisterium to guide them – and Protestants can form new denominations. So be it. If need be, a new denomination can form with the view that one is saved by faith alone – and that perfect faith is synonymous with perfect keeping of commandments in the heart – and that somebody can have this perfect faith with Jesus’ death and resurrection being the source and power of this perfect faith – and the thing that erases original sin. Viola. Sola Fide would then no longer be affected by this verse in any way.

I am not saying that this would be good or noble or right.

I am using this silly example to show that there is no way that this verse can be shown to – in and of itself – defeat Sola Fide.

I don’t think you succeed, but I sincerely appreciate the thought and effort you put into it. All of this for one passage! This is gonna be a long exchange. But that’s far better that than the pat, canned “pet verse” answers and no interaction with my reasoning at all, that I’ve been receiving in droves on my Facebook page.

5) Matthew 19:29 And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. (cf. Mk 10:29-30; Lk 18:26-30)

Indeed. Such are the rewards for those who perform such amazing acts of faith.

Yes, acts of faith that are works! The reward for these extraordinary works includes eternal life. I don’t say there is no faith involved, but you want to say there are no works involved in salvation. That’s simply not what Jesus said.

Does this verse mean that all those who fail to perform such acts of faith are damned to hell with no hope of forgiveness? No.

That’s right, because there are lots of other good works that can help one get to heaven, alongside and within God-caused grace and faith.

This is not what the Catholic Church teaches. The Catholic Church believes that failure to perform such acts do not damn you if you receive forgiveness of sins. The same view is held by Protestants. We believe that forgiveness covers sins in such a way that saves you from the punishment of hell. All that is left is one’s good deeds which will be rewarded. And indeed, somebody with such faith will inherit eternal life through such faith.

Jesus didn’t mention faith (at least not the word). Rather, he noted seven distinct good works: all of which were worthy of receiving “eternal life.” Yet according to Protestants, works have no relation to salvation at all. It’s incoherent and biblically problematic, to put it mildly.

If you wish to say that the work itself is what grants eternal life – and not the faith – then fine. But that is not stated in this passage. Rather it just states that certain people who do these things will receive eternal life.

What better way to say it than that, do you suggest? It’s clearly presented as a cause: “do x, and you will receive y.” If I say, “my son cut the grass, and I bought him a dinner at Burger King, that he received as a reward” it’s clearly the cutting of the grass that brought about the reward. It could have been done in obedience, or out of felt obligation, or joyfulness to serve, or gratefulness for all that I as a parent have done for him; any number of things, but the good work of cutting the grass itself remains the primary cause of the reward of the dinner, and can’t be separated from that.

We’re not the ones denying that it also clearly took faith to leave one’s home, land, etc. You’re the ones who are irrationally denying that works had anything to do with salvation at all in this passage, and alas, every other one that I present, too. It just doesn’t fly. The biblical data is as strong and sure here as it is for just about any other doctrine, and many doctrines that we both hold are based on infinitely less data (e.g., the virgin birth and original sin and infant baptism).

The question as to the precise nature of whether or not the work merited the eternal life – or if it is just a fact that people who do these works will be also receiving the eternal life – is something not spoken of here.

I think the plain, prima facie, common sense reading of the text, if we could try for a moment to suspend all of our previous soteriological assumptions and presuppositions, is that the reward comes as a result of doing these heroically sacrificial acts. And it is also the meaning that fits with many other cross-referenced passages that are conceptually related. That’s why my argument from the cumulative data of 50 or 150 Bible passages, all against faith alone, is so exceedingly strong: like a rope made up of 50 or 150 cords.

And even if this work were somehow meritorious of eternal life, would it erase bad deeds that earn eternal damnation? No. In fact the Bible is clear that bad deeds lead to eternal damnation – no matter how many good deeds one has.

We agree.

What, then, ultimately saves somebody from eternal damnation? The good deed that, in absence of eternal damnation, would merit heaven? Or the forgiveness which erases the bad deeds that damn us – and allow all sorts of works to be rewarded with eternal life?

I contend that the Bible says over and over and over that both do that. I’ve collected 50 passages that stress faith and belief in salvation, and 150 that stress works. They must be harmonized (all being inspired, inerrant revelation). We can’t and don’t ignore “your” faith verses, because we don’t deny for a second that faith is necessary (in other words, they pose no problem for us), but you have to deny our “good works lead to salvation” verses, because your theology forbids you from accepting them. The stakes are high! If I persuade you of this, your Lutheran belief would be in big trouble. Matthew 25, our next passage, is extremely clear about works being a crucial, central — though not the only — reason for who is saved and who isn’t.

The “saving” function would imply to whatever “saves” us from hell – not to what “earns” us heaven?

That’s how you look at it, as a Protestant, because you have ditched the biblical and patristic doctrine of meritorious works.

Being “saved from hell” and “earning heaven” are two different phrases. The thing that “saves us from hell,” is that which erases our bad deeds. That thing is forgiveness – and forgiveness is received by faith. Ergo, we are saved from hell through faith. Sola Fide. This passage in no way, shape, nor form, attacks this principle. It is separate, even if you take a merit-based interpretation of the passage – something not demanded by the text.

Forgiveness is usually in Scripture described as a result of faith, but not always or exclusively. So, for example, Jesus told the woman who washed His feet with her hair, “Your faith has saved you” (Lk 7:50), so you would say that is “faith alone”. But Jesus also said that “her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Lk 7:47). So now all of a sudden it’s not just faith alone; it’s faith and works (she did acts of love) and Jesus said that was why she was forgiven. That fits perfectly within our soteriology. It contradicts yours. In the chapter before, Jesus said, “forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Lk 6:37; cf. Mt 6:14). That’s also an act and not faith, so it, too, contradicts faith alone, as at least 150 Bible passage do.

6) Matthew 25:34-35, 41-43, 46 “Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; [35] for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, . . . [41] Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; [42] for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ . . . [46] And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Yes, those at God’s right hand (aka those who are in Christ, since Christ is at God’s right hand) are Blessed and have a kingdom prepared for them by the Father from before the foundation of the world. This is in the opening part of the passage. There is no indication at that moment that their blessedness, kingdom-preparedness, nor Christ-indwelling (remember, they are at his right hand) has anything to do with what they have done. Rather, he says to those who have been blessed, who are in Christ, and who have a kingdom prepared for them – that they should “Come” and “inherit” that kingdom that is already theirs because of the things that they have done.

Exactly! I couldn’t have said it better myself!

It does not state that they get to be saved from hellfire and damnation because of the things that they have done.

Yes it does, because Jesus said salvation was attained “for” (i.e., “because” in meaning) they did all of the various acts of charity, the lack of which would land them in hell.

The salvation from hellfire and damnation is not explained here.

It is explained. This ain’t rocket science. God says they are saved because they did the good works. It doesn’t mean or require that faith and grace were not present, but it does mean that the works are also part of the whole equation.

Obviously, this would have to do with God’s kindness, mercy, and forgiveness. Such a salvation from damnation through God’s mercy kindness and forgiveness must be received through faith – hence Sola Fide.

. . . and good works, since the passage (of the judgment, after all) makes them central, and faith is never mentioned. That’s another collection I did years ago. Fifty times in passages concerning judgment, works were central, and faith was mentioned in only four of ’em. Revelation 21:8 includes the “faithless” among those who will be damned for eternity. The parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30) uses the word “faithful” four times, in between a bunch of good works. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-12 mentions the “work of faith” (so even there it’s directly joined with a work), and also those who have “believed” twice, and Jude 20-21 states, “build yourselves up on your most holy faith.” The other 46 mention only works and not faith.

However, what is even more telling are the parts of the verses you left out.

C’mon! Do you want me to cite 20-25 verses for every citation I give? No one does that. It’s an unreasonable demand. This is systematic theology, characterized by relatively short Bible quotations. But go ahead and cite all the context you want. It won’t save your case for sola fide. It’ll only help mine.

Is it not true that these righteous individuals asked God when they had ever done anything for God? Yes. They had no clue they had loved God by loving others. And yet, all who are righteous know that you love God when you love others, so it is likely that they never let their “right hand know what their left hand was doing,” when they gave to the poor. They were so self-unaware of their own righteousness that they likely did not even have much cognition of that. Oh yes, they may know that they literally did these things – but then they would put it out of their minds. This would be done by focusing on God constantly – during the deeds and elsewhere. And how do we focus on God? Through faith.

As I’ve said over and over, the Catholic position incorporates grace, faith, and works. This is never a problem for us. But the massive presence of works in these passages is a huge problem for you. I pray that one day you and all Protestants reading this will see that it’s a losing battle and will decide embrace what we believe is the biblical truth regarding the relationship of works to salvation alongside grace and faith that cause and bring about the “supporting environment” for the works.

These people have such great faith centered on God that they do not know of their own acts or deeds.

But Jesus sure did, and that’s what counts for salvation. We’re supposed to be humble and have an attitude of selfless servanthood. That’s a given, but it doesn’t make a meritorious work cease to be what it is, simply because humility is also present. I think you’re grasping at straws.

And that is why they can do them.

They do them by God’s grace, and God rewards them for doing it, even up to eternal life itself in this passage. It’s exactly like what Paul wrote in one of my favorite verses: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me” (1 Cor 15:10).

So, this passage points to the self-unreflectiveness of the faithful. If they had been aware, no doubt, their good deeds would not count much, since they would already “have their reward,” – either from others or from their own high self-esteem.

But these blessed individuals – blessed and saved from hell (since a kingdom was prepared for them) before a single good deed was done – have enticed God to invite them to come and inherit their pre-given kingdom since they have been so good while focusing on Him through faith. Because that’s what faith does. It leads to such wondrous deeds.

It does, and we believe in the predestination of the elect as you do, but this doesn’t wipe out meritorious works, either. You’re doing the common Protestant false dichotomy “either/or” thing. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10 — that I just cited — expresses it perfectly. God does things through and with us. We do them at the same time and can take credit for them. Paul does this himself by saying, “I worked harder than any of them.” He doesn’t deny that he did it. And he even “boasts” a number of times. He simply adds that the grace of God did it at the same time. It’s classic biblical / Hebraic paradox.

And faith is also the thing that receives the forgiveness of sins that saves one from hell – not these deeds. Nowhere in this passage does it say that one is saved from hell by these deeds.

Of course it does. “Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; FOR [because] I was hungry and you gave me food . . .” The ones who didn’t do the works go to hell: “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; FOR I was hungry and you gave me no food, . . .” But you just can’t see it.

It merely says they are invited to eternal life by these deeds.

Nope. It says why they were saved or damned and attributed to those things the cause of both, through the word “for.” One is invited to heaven because they have attained eternal life. They made it! They pressed on like Paul — in God’s grace — to the higher calling.

Obviously, if they had unforgiven bad deeds – those bad deeds would damn them – something the Catholic Church and Protestants agree with. Even if these deeds earn eternal life – they do not save from hell if bad deeds are present that have not been forgiven. That salvation from hell comes from forgiveness – forgiveness which is received through faith alone.

We’ve been through that already.

7) Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; . . .

Agreed. Baptism is a gift received by faith. It is not a work that is done. Rather, it is something God literally does to you.

We agree on this, but as you know, many Protestants don’t. In a sense, baptism is a work also, even though it’s primarily a gift. An adult who gets baptized undergoes the ritual, and it’s a work. For infants, it’s a good work of the parents and godparents. Baptism is a thing that we do.

8) Luke 3:8-9 (+ Mt 3:10; 7:19) Bear fruits that befit repentance, . . . [9] . . . every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Agreed. This is similar to an earlier verse that I already responded to.

And my answer is the same. Here, goods fruit (works) — as opposed to faith — is presented as the key to who is saved or not. You want to say that fruit has nothing to do with salvation. I submit that the text (citing our Lord Jesus) says otherwise.

9) Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.

Agreed. Again, these good things that God rewards do not erase bad deeds that deserve hell. Only forgiveness does that. This forgiveness that saves from hell is received through faith. Sola Fide. And obviously, these deeds are a part of faith.

Works of love, doing good, and lending money are identified as things that make us sons of God, and by implication, among the elect. Faith — as so often — isn’t mentioned. It’s not like “faith” isn’t in the New Testament. It appears 305 times. That’s what makes it so striking and such a good argument: the fact that the word doesn’t appear precisely where Protestantism would expect that it must appear, for faith alone to be true.

10) Luke 6:46-49 Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? [47] Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: [48] he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. [49] But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

Agreed. Somebody who cries “Lord, Lord,” and does not do what God says is somebody without faith.

It’s also someone who has an antinomian view, or “cheap grace” as Bonhoeffer called it. There are millions like that, and I believe this passage is particularly directed towards them.

Somebody who actually does what God says truly believes in God – hence why they can be said to have built a foundation that is on a rock – aka Christ. There is no hint that the works themselves are the foundation nor the rock.

Jesus says that the one who follows His commands (that must include doing works) “laid the foundation” and the foundation withstood the flood (the world, the flesh, and the devil, I think). Works are central; faith isn’t mentioned. This happens over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Rather, somebody who does the works is like somebody who has placed a foundation on the right place – Christ. In other words, somebody who does the works is reliant (or founded upon) Christ. This reliance or foundation on or in Christ refers to a connection we have with him, a confidence in Him, and a trust. These are qualities of faith.

You mention faith every time, but the texts do not. Why is that, do you think? Why wouldn’t Jesus want to make clear — knowing in His omniscience that these debates would occur so often and for 500 years — what you and 500 million Protestants casually assume is so clear? Faith is present in this person, I agree, but not faith alone. It’s always the alone part that we reject, not the faith.

Regardless, nobody interprets this passage to indicate that such a foundation erases bad deeds nor that most people will have a perfect foundation. Bad deeds damn to hell. Only forgiveness removes them so that the foundation can remain. Forgiveness is received through faith – Sola Fide.

This passage says nothing against Sola Fide.

11) Luke 10:25-28 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” [26] He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read?” [27] And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” [28] And he said to him, “You have answered right; do this, and you will live.”

Indeed. All Protestants believe that if somebody does this, they will live. We believe only one person has achieved this feat – Jesus.

That’s not what He Himself says here. This is a variant of the rich young ruler scene. Jesus again centers on the law as the cause of eternal life, not faith. It’s exactly the opposite of what He should say, according to dogmatic Protestantism. The rich young man correctly says that love (again involving good works) is the essence of the law, and so it ends by Jesus affirming the teaching that acts of love — which is different from faith — can save one. The Bible — contrary to Protestantism — also teaches that many people have completely kept the law.

You Catholics believe more people have.

Yes, because the Bible expressly says so, and that’s good enough for us.

What we both believe is that most people have not fully done this and can therefore only be saved from eternal damnation by being forgiven for their sin.

Most have not, yes, but some few have. And works — not works alone! — help to save us.

So far, I have been saying forgiveness for misdeeds – but obviously we both believe in original sin and that that has to be forgiven as well – even though both Catholics and Protestants have different definitions there. This passage has nothing to do with Sola Fide, since forgiveness for failing to love like this (something most Catholics need) is received through faith – and therefore, the salvation from the hell we deserve for our sin (achieved through forgiveness) is received through faith. Sola Fide.

Following the law in its essence by doing acts of love is not faith; sorry. They can be done in faith but they are a different thing. They’re works.

12) John 3:36 He who believes [pisteuō] in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey [apeitheō] the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.

1 Peter 2:7 uses the same parallelism, with pisteuō and apeitheō, though RSV translates the latter as “do not believe.” KJV renders it as “disobedient” in the same way that John 3:36 and several other verses (Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6; 3:3) do.

Yes, one who believes has eternal life, and one who disobeys (and does not get forgiven) will have damnation. Many of us Protestants love this verse. Unrepentant evildoers will burn for all eternity. Amen.

Glad you love it (so do I), because it refutes sola fide. Disobeying means not doing the good works that belief entails. Hence, not doing good works can damn one.

13) John 5:28-29 . . . all who are in the tombs will hear his voice [29] and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

Amen. Obviously only those who render the sacrifice of faith – who credit all to God and thereby love God – can be said to have done good in their life.

But question: Have you done only good in your life, Dave? Or have you done evil and good? I know I have done both evil and good. If you are the same as me, Dave, then which resurrection would you go to? Which would I go to? The resurrection to life or the resurrection to damnation? If we can only go to one, and if there was no forgiveness… I would claim that we would both go to the resurrection of damnation. So, what is it that saves us from that damnation and allows only the good to count? It’s not our good deeds, because we both would admit we would be damned without forgiveness.

The text says it is good deeds or evil deeds that directly impact upon one’s eternal destiny. Once again, you mention faith, but the text doesn’t. WHY?

So, what saves us from damnation is the forgiveness of those bad deeds – not the performance of the good. This forgiveness is received by faith. As such, we are saved from the resurrection by forgiveness received through faith – Sola Fide. In addition, this faith automatically bears good fruit – rendering the good deeds of faith inseparable from the faith itself. So, faith is what is gaining us eternal life. But even if you disagree there, certainly what saves us from damnation is the forgiveness of sin that is received through faith. Hence “salvation” – aka salvation from hell – is given through faith.

You keep repeating yourself. I’ll keep highlighting clear, compelling Scriptures that can’t be gotten over or ignored. It’s impossible. The data is too compelling.

14) John 15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. . . .

Agreed!

In other words, doing works in obedience to Jesus’ commands. That makes us Jesus’ friend, and by implication, saved in the end.

15) Acts 2:38, 40-41 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” . . . [40] And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” [41] So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Wonderful. Baptism indeed gives forgiveness of sins – forgiveness received by faith. Our baptism is received by faith! Wonderful passage.

We agree. Many Protestants don’t, and so all of that error is being promulgated, with no end in sight.

16) Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Lovely. We turn from darkness to light, from Satan to God, and receive forgiveness – through our faith. Even sanctification in this context is something given through faith in Jesus. What a lovely Sola Fide verse!

What you fail to realize is that this refutes a fundamental tenet of faith alone: that sanctification is essentially separate and has nothing to do with justification and salvation. In this passage, sanctification comes through faith and is directly connected to it: precisely as Catholics and the Church fathers teach.

*****

Proceed to Part II: Romans Through Revelation.

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Summary: I reply at length to an amiable critique of my recent article, “50 Unanswerable NT Passages Against ‘Faith Alone’ ” from an articulate Lutheran (Missouri Synod).

Salvation & Justification

salvation caused by actions

Un-Protestant Bible Passages

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February 21, 2026

50 Unanswerable NT Passages Against "Faith Alone"