"Through the law"!

We who are Christians have lifted Paul's argument from its relationship to the Law of Moses and have applied it to godly behavior. We are interpreting Paul to mean that either we are hoping to be saved by grace apart from godly behavior, or else we are attempting futilely to attain righteousness by godly behavior. We have concluded that Paul was warning us not to mix grace with righteous behavior because one is the gift of God and the other is the hopeless works of man.

The concept that godly behavior is an alternate route that people might attempt to use in a vain effort to gain righteousness, and should not be mixed with the righteousness of God given us by grace, is then applied by today's theologians to our life after we receive Christ.

This misapplication of Paul's reasoning with the Jews leads to the current theory that our behavior as a Christian has little or no bearing on our entrance into Paradise when we die.

In actual fact, godly behavior, and not entrance into Paradise when we die, is the goal of the Christian redemption. Godly behavior indeed is the Christian salvation. It can be seen that we have confusion heaped on confusion in our understanding of salvation. This doctrinal confusion is revealed in the present spiritual immaturity of the believers, who are not very concerned with godliness of behavior—the one thing God is endeavoring to produce through Christ.

The reasoning proceeds to the point that salvation is understood to be unconditional, in that at the Day of Judgment God will not regard the behavior of the believer. If he has professed Christ he shall be saved even though there has been no transformation of his behavior. Yet, it is the transformation, the new creation, that is the new covenant, that is the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 8:10; II Corinthians 3:18; 5:17,18; Romans 14:17).

Then, Acts 4:12 is stirred into the poisonous soup:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

The Christian reasoning is: (1) since righteous behavior has no bearing on eternal life; (2) no name other than that of Jesus brings salvation; and (3) the last judgment is based on the works of men—all of which are as filthy rags in God's sight; therefore, every one of these human beings will be tormented forever in the lake of burning sulfur even though the majority of them never have heard of Jesus, Israel, or the Scriptures.

It is unfortunate that they never heard of Jesus (perhaps because the Christians were living in pleasure and spiritual carelessness), but this is the way the formula works. No matter how an individual behaves, the only ticket to Paradise is the profession of Jesus as Savior.

David said:

They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalms 14:3)

Paul repeated:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)

On this basis, the reasoning teaches that there has never been a righteous person in the history of mankind, so every individual at the last judgment will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

But such reasoning may have limited application.

Notice:

And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (Luke 1:6)

To be continued.