The third way of approaching a seeming contradiction is to accept both positions as equally valid, equally necessary to salvation. We have not done this with faith and works. We have received salvation by faith alone as an axiom, a mold on which all statements of the New Testament must be forced whether or not they fit. The result has been moral destruction. How could it be otherwise given that passages commanding godly behavior as essential to salvation are by far in the majority when compared with those that stress righteousness apart from godly behavior? We are denying most of the New Testament! How can we possibly prosper?

We must accept all of the passages without doubt or compromise. They all are the Word of God. The New Testament remains unimpaired. We hold resolutely to the plenary verbal inspiration of the accepted Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.

If therefore there is a seeming contradiction, and yet all is equally true, what method shall we employ to arrive at the Divine will?

Three aspects must be considered if we are to rightly divide the word of truth and resolve all seeming contradictions.

We must consider carefully the immediate contexts of the passages under examination.

We must consider carefully the entire context, that is, the entire Scriptures.

We must consider carefully under what circumstances a given passage is to be emphasized.

If we will apply these three considerations we will find no contradictions in God's Word and we will not create havoc in the Church of God as we have done in the past.

Now, let us look at the doctrine of concern to us. Are we saved by faith, or by works, or by some compromise in which we are "saved" by faith and then try to do good? Or is it true that both faith and works are essential aspects of salvation? If the latter is true the present evangelical churches have a problem of enormous proportions.

Before we begin with our three considerations, the immediate context, the entire context, and the circumstances governing application, let us mention an important factor, and then drop it because it will add complexity that may not be needed at this point.

The important factor is this. Salvation has little or nothing to do with going to Heaven. As long as we think of salvation as being a ticket to Heaven our arguments become hopelessly confused. The process of salvation is that of being conformed to the image of Christ and being brought into untroubled union with God through Christ. It is not a program designed to qualify us for eternal residence in Heaven.

The reason we must be changed into Christ's image and brought into union with God's Person and will is first to please God and have fellowship with Him, and second to be authorized and competent to perform the various roles and tasks necessary to the establishing and operation of the Kingdom of God. Three of the many roles and tasks are as follows: to be a living stone in the Temple of God; to be a member of the Bride of the Lamb; to be a judge of men and angels. None of these many roles and tasks are possible to us until we are in the image of Christ and resting in God's Person. This is not to say however that we cannot in an elementary measure enter the roles and tasks before we have attained the fullness of image and have entered perfectly the rest of God.

Heaven is a place. The goal of salvation is not a movement from one place to another (the earth to Heaven) but a change in the individual so he or she always is acceptable to God (the meaning of righteous).

The reader will see immediately how our concept of what it means to be saved has a most significant bearing on our discussion of whether we are saved by grace or works or some combination of these or by both.

However, I think we can drop the problem of the definition of salvation for the time being and continue with our discussion of applying the three considerations to the issue of the gift of grace versus works of righteousness, the three considerations being immediate context, entire context, and appropriate circumstances governing application of the doctrine.

To be continued.