I do not know how you might define a “bad Christian” or a “good Christian.” All I can say is that Christians enjoy salvation through Spirit-worked faith in Jesus Christ.

Do Christians live perfect lives? Not at all, but they have someone who lived perfectly in their place: Jesus (Hebrews 4:15). As children of God, Christians still have a sinful nature and struggle against it (Romans 7:15-25). Sometimes the sinful nature gets the better of Christians. When that happens, Christians confess their sins to God, receive God’s message of forgiveness in faith and resolve to fight against sin all the more.

It is finally impenitence (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and unbelief (Mark 16:16) that exclude people from the kingdom of God.

Faith in Christ saves (Mark 16:16).

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) That was the confession and request of the father who came to Jesus for help for his demon-possessed son. Many Christians can identify with that man’s words. Because of the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts, we profess faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, we know and confess that there is much room for growth in our faith. Doubt and worry chip away at our trust in God. We confess those sins to God. We receive his forgiveness in faith and with joy. We resolve not to fall into those sins again, but we do.

What is the antidote for doubt and worry? It is the gospel in word and sacrament that our new self treasures so much. Faith is built up—and doubt and worry are correspondingly reduced—when God feeds our souls with his gospel (Acts 20:32; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). So the same gospel that brings you the news of forgiveness for your sins of worry and doubt also deepens your faith and trust in God. That is why we want to immerse ourselves in the word of God—reading it in our homes and hearing it in his house with the congregation of believers. That is why we want to be frequent guests at the Lord’s Supper.

Worry and doubt take place when we focus on ourselves and what we can and cannot do. Worry and doubt take place when we take our eyes off God, minimizing his power and love. We want to “fix our eyes on Jesus” always (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus once asked his followers, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13) After receiving their answers, he asked: “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15). That is when Peter gave his beautiful confession of faith, saying that he regarded Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Peter knew what was in his heart, and so did Jesus. Was Peter’s faith without doubt and worries? Not at all. But his faith was saving faith because Jesus was the object of his faith.

Similarly, you know how you would answer Jesus’ question (Matthew 16:15) if it were posed to you. (God also knows how you would answer that question.) The Holy Spirit has led you to confess Jesus as your Savior (1 Corinthians 12:3). Praise God for that! Recognize that our faith is not perfect, but the object of our faith—Jesus—is. Stay focused on Jesus.

I was not privy to the conversation you referenced, but I can tell you what we in our church body believe about salvation.

“We believe that God has justified all sinners, that is, he has declared them righteous for the sake of Christ. This is the central message of Scripture upon which the very existence of the church depends. It is a message relevant to people of all times and places, of all races and social levels, for ‘the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men’ (Romans 5:18). All need forgiveness of sins before God, and Scripture proclaims that all have been justified, for ‘the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men’ (Romans 5:18).

“We believe that individuals receive this free gift of forgiveness not on the basis of their own works, but only through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9). Justifying faith is trust in Christ and his redemptive work. This faith justifies not because of any power it has in itself, but only because of the salvation prepared by God in Christ, which it embraces (Romans 3:28; 4:5). On the other hand, although Jesus died for all, Scripture says that ‘whoever does not believe will be condemned’ (Mark 16:16). Unbelievers forfeit the forgiveness won for them by Christ (John 8:24).

“We believe that there is one holy Christian church, which is the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16) and the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23; 4:12). The members of this one church are all those who are the ‘sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3:26). The church, then, consists only of believers, or saints, whom God accepts as holy for the sake of Jesus’ righteousness, which has been credited to them (2 Corinthians 5:21). These saints are scattered throughout the world. All people who believe that Jesus is their Savior from sin are members of the holy Christian church, regardless of the nation, race, or church body to which they belong.

“We believe that this holy Christian church is a reality, although it is not an external, visible organization. Because ‘man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’(1 Samuel 16:7), only the Lord knows ‘those who are his’ (2 Timothy 2:19). The members of the holy Christian church are known only to God; we cannot distinguish between true believers and hypocrites. The holy Christian church is therefore invisible and cannot be identified with any one church body or with the total membership of all church bodies.”

Those statements are from This We Believe, a statement of belief of our church body. The first two paragraphs are from the section titled “Justification by grace through faith.” The last two paragraph are from the section titled “Church and ministry.” This link will take you to the complete document. I hope this information is helpful for you.

When it comes to the certainty of our salvation, we want to look to God and not ourselves. Here are some Bible passages that you can think about.

“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory” (Psalm 73:24). This is the confidence we can have because salvation is God’s work.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Notice God’s promise. Notice “whoever believes.”

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Jesus said he gives his followers eternal life.

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). You have Jesus’ promise of eternal life.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Eternal life is God’s gift to you.

“He [God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5). If any part of salvation were up to us, there would be reason for doubt. Because salvation is God’s work, there is every reason for certainty.

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). When you receive the Lord’s Supper, recognize the forgiveness of sins the Lord is giving you.

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29). Remember what your baptism says to you each day of life: “I am a child of God.”

These are some Bible passages that come to mind. “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). That is what a man said to Jesus one day. It is safe to say that the unnamed man speaks for Christians. We believe, but our faith is imperfect. Again, look to Jesus for the certainty of your salvation. Continue to use God’s gospel in word and sacrament to deepen your faith and bolster your certainty of eternal life. God bless you.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describes what we can expect on Judgment Day. Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) informs us that the judgment that took place at people’s death will be made public, and those who are alive on the earth at the time of Jesus’ visible return on the last day will be judged as well. The basis for judgment is faith in Jesus Christ or unbelief (Mark 16:16).

When Jesus sent out his twelve disciples on a preaching mission, he told them: “Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town” (Matthew 10:11-15). Jesus’ words in the closing verse tell us that the unbelieving people of Sodom and Gomorrah will face eternal suffering, but the people who rejected the Lord’s own apostles can expect even greater suffering. The Bible does teach degrees of suffering in hell.

You and I will be judged like everyone else in the world: on the basis of what was in our hearts when life on earth came to an end. Because salvation is God’s work and because saving faith is God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8-9), you and I can have absolute confidence in God’s decree of “not guilty.” You and I can share in the apostle Paul’s attitude, as he thought about the last day: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

When we look to ourselves and remember some of our sins, we can have doubts about our status in God’s family and our future in God’s kingdom. On the other hand, when we look to Jesus—what he has done as our Savior and the sure promises he has made—those doubts can lessen and disappear. I encourage you to look more to Jesus. He lived up to his name, which means “Savior.” That brings certainty to our lives. God bless you.

The Bible teaches that people enjoy forgiveness of sins and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Good works do not play any part in our salvation (Titus 3:4-5).

While it is through faith in Jesus Christ alone that people enjoy salvation, the Bible (especially the book of James) teaches that faith does not exist in a vacuum. Faith is never alone; it displays itself in a life of love. Jesus himself said, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15).

The Lordship salvation controversy that you referenced describes the approach of some who want to quantify saving faith or add to saving faith as the means to enjoying salvation. The book of Galatians addresses that error.

Since you mentioned “confessional Lutherans,” allow me to pass along a couple of appropriate sections from the Augsburg Confession that address your question.

“Also they [our churches] teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.” [Article IV: Of Justification]

“Also they [our churches] teach that this faith is bound to bring forth good fruits, and that it is necessary to do good works commanded by God, because of God’s will, but that we should not rely on those works to merit justification before God. For remission of sins and justification is apprehended by faith, as also the voice of Christ attests: When ye shall have done all these things, say: We are unprofitable servants. Luke 17, 10. The same is also taught by the Fathers. For Ambrose says: It is ordained of God that he who believes in Christ is saved, freely receiving remission of sins, without works, by faith alone.” [Article VI: Of New Obedience]

Your understanding is correct. Let’s see what Jesus’ words mean in the light of their immediate context and the wider context of Scripture.

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In Jesus’ day, many people regarded the Pharisees and the teachers of the law as exemplary models of godly living. The Pharisees prided themselves in outward obedience of God’s laws and their own laws.

Without faith in Jesus, the promised Messiah, their “righteousness,” the outwardly good things they were doing in life, meant nothing to God. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). The only righteousness the Pharisees and the teachers of the law had was what we call “civic righteousness.” They were good citizens.

With that in mind, Jesus stated: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Keep in mind Jesus’ audience. These words are part of the Lord’s sermon on the mount. He was speaking to his followers—people who were joined to him in faith. The only way that his followers’ righteousness could surpass that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law was through his righteousness.

Just a few verses earlier, Jesus had said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Jesus, and only Jesus, kept God’s law perfectly all his life. Jesus is “the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1). Through faith in Jesus his righteousness is credited to people like you and me. And so in that way, “our” righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

Martin Luther put it this way: “Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took on you what was mine; yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.”

I hope this helps clarify your understanding of Matthew 5:20.

Christians are sinners who, through faith in Jesus Christ, enjoy forgiveness of sins. Atheists are people who cannot do anything righteous in God’s sight or pleasing to him (John 15:5; Hebrews 11:6).

Jesus’ words in Mark 16:16 (“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”) answer your question very clearly.

Christian faith is necessary for salvation (Mark 16:16). Faith is a work, but it is God’s work (1 Corinthians 6:11; 12:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Timothy 1:9). In the Scripture verses you cited, we learn that faith is God’s gift to people (Ephesians 2:8).

Saving faith is characterized by trust and reliance on Christ alone for salvation. Christian faith saves not because of the strength of faith on the part of the Christian, but because of the object of faith: Jesus Christ. Salvation is not a matter of having a certain level of faith. Christian faith, even the weakest of faith, saves. That is true because the object of faith is Jesus Christ, and Jesus did everything to live up to his name, which means “Savior.”

I hope this response is helpful for you.

It is faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6).

It is helpful to keep in mind that the Bible uses “repentance” in a narrower and wider sense. When the Bible combines “repentance” and “faith” (for example, Acts 20:21), then “repentance” means “contrition, sorrow over sin.” That is the narrower sense of repentance.

The wider sense of repentance is a meaning that combines “sorrow over sin” and “faith.” You can see examples of this wider sense of repentance in Luke 13:3-5 and Luke 15:7.

What about baptism, you ask? The Bible teaches that baptism saves (1 Peter 3:21). That claim about baptism can be made when we keep in mind that the Holy Spirit can work through baptism to connect people to Jesus Christ in saving faith. In the end, it is the faith that baptism creates that saves. Faith alone—not works—saves.

I hope this helps clarify matters for you.

God does want “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

The Bible teaches that faith in Jesus saves, while unbelief condemns (Mark 16:16). God’s judgment on the Last Day is permanent, eternal. Consider these Bible passages. “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). “He [the Lord Jesus] will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

The Lord’s kingdom is certainly an eternal one (Isaiah 9:7). When it comes to the new heaven and new earth, God will make everything new (Revelation 21:5) for his children. Ecclesiastes 3:11 speaks of people recognizing that there is something more than just this life: an eternity awaits. When people are led to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they have eternal life and they are no longer spiritually dead (John 5:24).

When we recognize that hell is an eternal place, we will want to do whatever we can to spread the gospel so that others, through Spirit-worked faith in Jesus, can avoid that place and, instead, enjoy the eternal love of God (Psalm 23:6).

Faith in Jesus Christ as the promised Savior and the Son of God is absolutely necessary for salvation. Your question has us look at Christian faith that links people to Christ. Is it possible for people who misunderstand the origin of faith to enjoy the benefits of Christian faith?

Let me pass along some thoughts from two of my predecessors in this position. They address your question well.

“Many people who supposedly ask Jesus into their hearts already have saving faith. They got this saving faith from the Holy Spirit working through the gospel and not from any human cooperation or work or contribution — or by asking for it. In fact, by nature we are all opposed to the gospel and do not appreciate the things of God one bit — so if a person is saying, ‘I want Jesus to enter my heart and life; I want him to have his way with me,’ that in itself may be evidence that the Holy Spirit has already created saving faith in that person.

“What is happening, then, is not that these people are necessarily unbelievers, but they are (100% by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s work through the gospel) believers who also are very confused or wrong in their words about how a person (including themselves) obtains saving faith. They have what we want them to have (saving faith), but they are not giving God all glory by ascribing this 100% to God’s love and power — but are in some way including human effort, human cooperation, or human obedience in the matter. Thanks be to God that he still maintains saving faith in some people despite poisonous errors that may also be in a person’s heart.”

Also, “Decision theology makes human sense. However, it is biblical nonsense. In addition to crediting dead sinners with spiritual power they don’t possess, the whole concept of ‘faith’ is distorted. Scripture clearly pictures faith as God’s gift. It is the polar opposite of works. In decision theology, faith becomes at least partially a human work. Adding even the tiniest factor of human effort to God’s salvation equation yields the result of pride (‘I made my decision when others failed’) or despair (‘Was my decision genuine?). Instead of fixing believers’ eyes alone on Jesus where they find certainty (Hebrews 12:2), decision theology directs believers to the vagaries of the human heart where they find uncertainty (Jeremiah 17:9).

“Are those who claim to believe in decision theology our brothers and sisters in Christ? Clinging to false doctrine prevents outward fellowship between us. But are they part of the invisible fellowship of Christ’s church? There is grave danger that false belief leads to unbelieving pride or despair. Such is the danger of all false doctrine. But what if, despite unbiblical reasoning, hearts cling to Christ alone and don’t depend on some ‘decision? Then, despite misunderstanding the ‘how’ of their conversion, they possess Spirit-worked faith! God grant such a ‘happy inconsistency’ to the vast majority of those who claim a ‘decision’ for Jesus.”

I am not able to pass along a digital file of This We Believe: Questions and Answers. It is available from Northwestern Publishing House.

You asked some very important questions about our salvation. You identified the all-important works of Jesus: his perfect life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.

How did those works pay for our sins? God’s law demands that we be perfect in every way and at all times (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:48). Jesus lived life perfectly in our place (Hebrews 4:15). Because we also deserved punishment from God for not living perfectly as he demands, Jesus suffered that punishment in our place (Galatians 3:10-13).

On the cross, Jesus suffered what amounts to hell: he was punished for sin and forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46). Rather than suffering eternally, the eternal punishment all people deserved was compressed into a few hours of suffering on the cross.

Jesus’ resurrection was proof positive that his heavenly Father had accepted his perfect life and sacrificial death as the full payment for the sins of the world (Romans 4:25).

After Jesus’ body and soul were reunited in the grave, he descended into hell to proclaim his victory over sin, Satan and death (1 Peter 3:18-20). He did not descend into hell to suffer or to give people a second chance to believe in him.

Yes, we all deserved an eternity in hell because of our natural sinful condition and our actual sins. Praise be to God for promising and sending a Savior—his Son, Jesus Christ—to be our perfect substitute in life and our innocent substitute in death. Praise be to God for accepting his Son’s works as the full payment for our salvation, as evidenced by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.

Christians are not carnally minded. In Romans 8 the apostle Paul paints a contrast between people who are carnally minded and spiritually minded.

What follows is the pertinent section of Romans 8 in the King James Version (that uses the word “carnal”) and the same section in the New International Version:

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.”

You state that your father “knows God is real, but he doesn’t want to follow God,” I am not entirely sure how to understand that information. We do know from the Bible that mere knowledge of God does not lead to salvation (James 2:19). Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Saving faith goes beyond knowledge and the affirmation that such knowledge is true. The essence of saving faith is trust and reliance on God for salvation (Psalm 31:14).

When you say your father “believes in God but doesn’t follow him,” I try to picture what that looks like. Does that mean your father professes faith in Christ but refuses to be part of a congregation? Does that mean your father refuses to do what God says in the Bible regarding living as a child of God? Does that mean your father rejects the Bible as God’s word?

You could help your father by asking him what he believes. Ask him what he thinks of Jesus Christ. Ask him what he believes will happen to him when his earthly life comes to an end. His answers will tell you how to respond with appropriate verses from the Bible. If you need help finding such verses, your pastor can help.

Like the rest of us, your father is presently enjoying a time of grace. God is granting your father life so that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, he can come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Keep sharing God’s word with your father, so that the Holy Spirit can use that word to work in his heart.

As you share God’s word with your father, keep praying for your father. Pray that God will lead your father to believe the truth of God’s word and confess that with his life. God bless you and your family.

God wants all people to come to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ his Son (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). God gives people a time of grace to confess their sins and confess faith in Jesus Christ. If people are led to those lifelong confessions, it is only because of the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Their faith was not their choosing (John 15:16). Their faith was the result of God electing them to faith (Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:4-6; Romans 8:29-30). If people reject Jesus as their Savior, they are to blame (Ezekiel 33:11; Matthew 23:37; John 3:18-20).

The doctrine of election is intended to be a comfort to Christians, assuring them that their salvation is entirely God’s doing—from beginning to end. Their saving faith is a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8), and their faith exists because God elected them in eternity (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 1:9).

If, according to your question, an unbeliever wonders about election, I would encourage that person not to try to peer into eternity to understand the present but to focus on the present: “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). I would encourage that person to make use of his or her time of grace in the best way possible: by reading and studying God’s word. It is through the word that the Holy Spirit works saving faith in hearts (Romans 10:17).

Northwestern Publishing House offers a book you would find valuable. It is “Predestination.” I commend it for your reading.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) That was the confession and request of a father who came to Jesus for help for his demon-possessed son. Many Christians can identify with that man’s words.

Because of the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts, you and I profess faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Yet, we know and confess that there is much room for growth in our faith. Doubt and worry can chip away at our trust in God. Doubt and worry often take place when we focus on ourselves. Doubt and worry can lessen and disappear when we focus more on the gospel of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2).

That is reason why you and I want to immerse ourselves in the word of God—reading it in our homes and hearing it in his house with the congregation of believers. That is why we want to be frequent guests at the Lord’s Supper. The gospel in word and sacrament strengthens our faith and convinces us all the more that we are God’s redeemed children.

You would be served best by speaking to your pastor. He is in a position to hear your concerns and apply God’s word to your situation. Please don’t let fear of embarrassment prevent you from contacting him. Our pastors welcome opportunities like this to point people to Jesus as their perfect Savior. God bless you.

I do not know which specific Bible passages you might have in mind, but the Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV) is not unique in including “being saved” in its translation. For example, the New International Version (both 1984 and 2011), the English Standard Version (ESV) and the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) are some of the translations that include “being saved” in their translations of 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 2 Corinthians 2:15—as does the EHV. Those translations are accurate renderings of the present participle Greek verbs in those passages.

So what does “being saved” mean? Certainly, the Bible speaks of God accomplishing our salvation in the past (Ephesians 2:5, 8). Passages like 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 2 Corinthians 2:15 speak of Christians presently enjoying God’s gift of salvation. Similarly, a passage like John 3:36 tells Christians that they presently have eternal life.

I hope this helps.

A starting point with your questions is to recognize from the Bible that Christians are saints and sinners at the same time. Those whom the Holy Spirit has brought to saving faith in Jesus Christ are holy in God’s sight (1 Peter 2:9). In spite of that gracious status, Christians do the evil that God forbids and fail to do the good God commands (Romans 7:15-25). As long as this earthly life continues, Christians will be engaged in a battle against their sinful nature that wants to lead them into sin (Galatians 5:17).

The question then is not a matter of “How much can I get away with and still be saved?” The Bible explains that Christians will want to avoid sin as best they can through God’s power and strength (Romans 6:1-4). God’s forgiveness is not a license to sin. Scripture is clear that mere familiarity with Jesus will not lead to eternal blessings (Matthew 7:21).

When Christians look to God’s law, they will see their sins and confess them (Psalm 38:18). When Christians look to God’s gospel, they will see the forgiveness of sins that Jesus Christ has won for them (Ephesians 1:7). In gratitude for that forgiveness, Christians strive to distance themselves from sin and, instead, live life God’s way (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

In this life, Christians will never reach perfection when it comes to their repentance, faith and Christian living (Philippians 3:12). In this life, Christians are saints and sinners at the same time. They are people who enjoy forgiveness of sins because of their connection in faith to Jesus Christ, who lived a holy life in their place and endured the punishment of their sins. They are people who are engaged in the lifelong struggle against their sinful nature and Satan. The Christian’s confidence of salvation results from what Jesus Christ has done for them—not what they have or have not done (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Your question is one that many people ask when they read the Athanasian Creed. Your question also demonstrates the value of providing an explanation—in the service folder or by way of verbal announcement—when congregations use the Athanasian Creed in a worship service.

The section of the creed you cited reflects the language of Scripture regarding God’s judgment of humanity (Matthew 16:27; John 5:28-29; Romans 2:6-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10). God certainly judges what is in the heart. It is faith in Jesus Christ alone that saves, and it is unbelief that condemns (Mark 16:16). Salvation is entirely God’s doing; we do not contribute to our salvation in any way (Romans 3:28; Galatians 3:11; Ephesians 2:8-9).

What Scripture does explain is that saving faith and condemning unbelief manifest themselves in people’s lives. And so on the last day, the Lord will point out the good works that Christians have done and the sins that unbelievers have committed (Matthew 25:31-46). Those good works of Christians were not the payment for their salvation; the good works were the evidence of Spirit-worked saving faith in Jesus who paid the penalty for their sins. The sins of unbelievers will be singled out because they rejected the only means of forgiveness for their sins.

What the parable of the sheep and the goats illustrates is that God will demonstrate how fair a judge he is. He judges what is in the heart. A person cannot see into the heart of another as God can, so God will provide the evidence for the judgment of the heart that he made. Once again, that parable shows us that on the last day no sins of believers will be brought up. That is because there are no sins to bring up; Christians enjoy complete forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ. On the other hand, the sins of unbelievers will be mentioned because they cannot do good works (Romans 14:23) and, because they have rejected the only means of forgiveness, their sins condemn them.

We could think of the section in the Athanasian Creed (“Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into eternal fire.”) this way: “Those who believed in Jesus as their Savior—and saving faith always produces visible fruit—will enter eternal life, but those who rejected Jesus—such people cannot perform good works, nor do they enjoy forgiveness of sins—will go into eternal fire.”

While the wording of the Athanasian Creed will not be changed in the new hymnal, there are plans to include introductory paragraphs that will provide a brief explanation of the sentence you questioned. The explanation will focus on thoughts stated earlier in this response.

That phrase makes clear that Jesus did not become man for the purpose of self-aggrandizement; he did not come to this earth on some kind of divine ego trip. No, Jesus became man “for us.” He entered this world as man because of lost, sinful human beings.

More than that, Jesus took on human flesh not to condemn sinners or teach them how to save themselves. No, he came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Jesus saved the lost by being the world’s perfect substitute in life and its innocent substitute in death. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension prove that his mission was successful.

When we speak the words of the Nicene Creed you cited, we confess belief in being the objects of Jesus’ redeeming work. How blessed we are to be able to make such a confession of faith.

The implication that “there was once an obligation to keep God’s law for salvation and now there isn’t” is not accurate. God’s law points out sin and the need for a Savior (Romans 3:20). The gospel is the good news of salvation (Romans 1:16). Salvation has always been through faith in the gospel message of the Savior and not performance of the law.

The Mosaic Law, given to the people of Israel, contained civil, ceremonial and moral laws. Those laws governed the people of Israel. The people were not free to obey or disregard them; they were obligated to obey them. That obligation did not mean that their performance of the law was contributing to their salvation. No, you noted correctly that “it was their faith in the coming Savior, and God’s promise of that, that saved them.”

Once Jesus came into the world and fulfilled the prophecies of the Messiah, the ceremonial laws in the Mosaic law became obsolete (Colossians 2:16-17). Likewise, the civil laws that governed the Old Testament nation of Israel, as God constituted it for the purpose of bringing the Messiah into the world, are no longer in effect (Galatians 3:22-25). What remains from the Mosaic law is the moral law—God’s will for all people of all time.

I hope this clarifies matters for you.

The context of Matthew 18:3 describes Jesus’ disciples coming to him with the question “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus’ answer included the example of a little child and the instruction to have childlike humility.

Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question warns against sinful pride. Sinful pride certainly can “make a difference in salvation.” When “self” becomes more important than God, the very first of God’s ten commandments is broken. When “self” becomes more important than God, then “self” becomes a god. If life continues that way, then salvation can be forfeited. This is reason why the Bible states: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

So, how do Christians address sinful pride? They confess it to God. Then, they rejoice in the forgiveness of their sins of pride (1 John 1:9). This is not a one-time occurrence in the lives of Christians. Luther’s Catechism reminds us that “Baptism means that the old Adam in us should be drowned by daily contrition and repentance, and that all its evil deeds and desires be put to death. It also means that a new person should daily arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” Bible passages that reinforce that quotation include Psalm 38:18; Acts 20:21; 2 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 4:22-24; and, Colossians 2:11-12.

Along with confessing sins, Christians trust in Christ as their Savior from sin. Faith in Jesus means that he, and not “self,” occupies the throne of the sinner’s heart.

I hope you can see that confessing our sins and confessing faith in Jesus Christ will address the subject of humility. While confessing our sins means that we need to take an honest look at ourselves, I would encourage you to look more to Jesus in faith as your Savior. Focus your attention on him (Hebrews 12:2). As your Lord comes to you in word and sacrament, the Holy Spirit will nurture and strengthen you with his gifts of “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Those attitudes and actions are the opposite of the “acts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21). God’s blessings to you!

Perhaps you are thinking of John 1:11 – “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” There was certainly widespread rejection of Jesus by the Jews. It was not complete rejection, however. Consider this reaction to the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead: “Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.”

What we will want to do is keep in mind what it meant for Old Testament Israel to be “his [God’s] people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 7:6). It did not mean that God’s love was limited to the people of Israel. No, the Lord promised Abraham, “Through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). When Jesus was born, the angel announced to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10).

John 3:16 describes God’s attitude for all people of all time: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In Old Testament times, God’s love was not limited to the people of Israel. God chose Israel to be the people through whom he would fulfill his promises of a Savior—a Savior for all people (1 Timothy 4:10).

God made it clear to the people of Israel that they were not the sole objects of his forgiving love. The psalms contain directives for the people to share their faith. “Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:2, 3). Through the prophet Isaiah, God repeatedly instructed his chosen people to let their light shine. “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘. . . the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise’” (Isaiah 43:10, 21).

Thank God that John 3:16 contains timeless truth. God sent a Savior, Jesus Christ, into the world for you and me. God sent a Savior into the world for every person in the human race, and he desires their salvation (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

The phrase “in Christ” explains the means by which God reconciled sinners to himself. He did that by means of his Son’s saving work in life and in death.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 provides context for that phrase: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”

The Bible teaches that faith in Jesus Christ saves and unbelief condemns (Mark 16:16). Baptism is necessary in the sense that Jesus instructs us to administer it. Baptism is not absolutely necessary in that the Holy Spirit can create saving faith through the word of God alone. Your words tell me that is your situation.

When I read your words, I think of Romans 10:9-10 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Your words describe a person who confesses saving faith in Jesus Christ.

I do not know what other circumstances besides Covid concerns might be delaying your Baptism, but I would encourage you to contact one of our pastors. He will be able to minister to you in a safe manner. Baptism will give you a second guarantee—in addition to the Word of God alone—of God’s forgiveness of all your sins. God’s blessings to you.

The Formula of Concord was written a generation after Martin Luther died. It does teach that people can lose salvation by falling away from the Christian faith. You will find references to that in the Formula of Concord. Epitome. IV. Of Good Works (Page 801 in the Concordia Triglotta) and the Formula of Concord. Thorough Declaration. IV. Of Good Works (Page 947 in the Concordia Triglotta).

Martin Luther taught from Scripture that salvation can be lost. Here is a sampling of his words: “When the Gospel begins to assert its influence, everybody wants to become a Christian. All seems well, and everybody is pleased. But when a wind or rainstorm of temptation comes on, people fall away in droves.” “The Evangelist John has put this down [the account in John 6:59-60 of many followers of the Lord stumbling over his teachings] for our comfort that it may serve us as an illustration and we may know that if the Gospel runs its true course in the world, even those fall away from it of whom one had not expected it and who ought to do their best for it. The fact that Christ acts so weakly in His ministry towards His own that one falls away here and another there has dealt me many a blow, as, on the other hand, has the fact that the devil develops such great strength and opposes the Gospel with all his might so that the best people in the world persecute it and among us also the best fall away from it completely.” [What Luther Says, Volume I, pages 37-38]

Because Christian faith is under attack, Luther offered this prayer in a hymn: “Defend your truth, O God, and stay This evil generation, And from the error of its way Keep your own congregation. The wicked ev’rywhere abound And would your little flock confound, But you are our salvation!” (Christian Worship 205:4)

The Bible teaches that the antecedent will of God is that he wants all people to be saved (Ezekiel 33:11; 1 Timothy 2:4). The Bible teaches that the consequent will of God is that he will condemn those who reject him (Mark 16:16).

While God desires the salvation of all people (2 Peter 3:9) and has provided a Savior for all people (John 3:16), the Bible also teaches that God has elected some to salvation (Ephesians 1:11-14). Those are teachings of the Bible that we human beings cannot harmonize. We entrust them to the counsel of God (Romans 11:33).

When it comes to free will, our free will by nature is limited to making decisions about our earthly lives. Regarding spiritual matters, our free will by nature consists only of sinning and rejecting God. That natural condition underscores the truth of what you wrote: “I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in God.” Saving faith is God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8). Saving faith is the result of God’s election to grace (Acts 13:48).

The doctrine of election can create questions in our minds. That is understandable. God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). What we want to keep in mind is that the doctrine of election was intended for our comfort. The comfort is that our salvation is in God’s hand—from beginning to end. He chose us in eternity. He sent a Savior. He gives us saving faith and he preserves us in that faith to the end of life. If salvation were up to us in any way, there would be reason for doubt and uncertainty. Because salvation is entirely God’s work, it is a sure thing.

You can pass along Scripture passages like these:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-15).

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36).

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

If God is allowed to speak for himself in his word, then it becomes clear that all religions do not lead to the same God.  There is salvation only through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  That truth, along with love for others, compels you and me to share the truths of Scripture.  God bless your efforts!

A distinction needs to be made in answering your question.  “Homosexuals” can refer to Christians who struggle with temptation to engage in same-sex sins.  These individuals recognize the sinfulness of thoughts and actions that run contrary to God’s word that spells out that sexual relations are for men and women in marriage (Hebrews 13:4).  They fight against those temptations.  They confess their sins when they fall into temptation.  They look to Jesus Christ for forgiveness of their sins and strength to fight temptation better in the future.

In contrast to these individuals are “homosexuals” who deny, ignore and rationalize their same-sex sins.  They see no need to confess sins in this regard.  It is people with this impenitent attitude that the apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote:  “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived:  Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  You notice that it is not a particular sin that characterizes people as “wicked” and bars them from the kingdom of God.  It is impenitence.

Are Christians supposed to love homosexuals?  Yes.  Christians are to love people no matter what their characterizing sin might be.  Why?  Because it is pretty loveless to recognize the spiritual danger people are in by their sins and impenitence, and say nothing.  If we love people, we will have every reason to point them to God’s law so they can recognize and confess their sins, and point them to God’s gospel so they can enjoy forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus who came into the world “to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10).

What an important question!  You are correct in understanding that works enter into the teachings of both churches, but the motivation for doing those works is entirely different.

The teaching of the Bible is that we are saved only by God’s grace through God-given faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Scripture makes it clear that we are saved by God’s works, not ours (Titus 3:4-6).  More than that, the Bible emphasizes that we can lose out on salvation by trying to add anything to Jesus’ saving work.

The book of Galatians addresses that very situation.  A group called the Judaizers was telling the Galatians that faith alone was not enough for salvation, and that their obedience of certain parts of God’s law was also necessary for their salvation.  The apostle Paul addressed that situation by condemning the teaching of the Judaizers and warning the Galatians that they were jeopardizing their salvation by thinking they could contribute to their salvation by their obedience of the law.  Rather than pointing out specific passages from Galatians, I would encourage you to read the epistle’s six chapters to see how strongly Paul condemned the teaching of the Judaizers and pointed the Galatians to look to Christ alone for salvation.

Motivation for keeping God’s law, again, is the key to understanding the differences between official Roman Catholic Church and Lutheran Church teachings on the subject of salvation.  The difference in motivation can be illustrated by asking:  am I trying to keep the Ten Commandments to try to get something from God (forgiveness of sins, salvation) or give something to God (praise, gratitude)?  If I’m trying to get something from God (as in contributing to my salvation), I will realize like Luther that I can never do enough.  The law of God demands perfection, and all of us fall woefully short of that standard.  If I’m trying to give something to God through my obedience to his law (giving him my praise and gratitude for his gift of salvation), then I understand the role of good works.  Those works flow from saving faith and comprise a big “thank you” to God (Colossians 3:17).  Thank you for your question.

Article IV of the Formula of Concord takes up your question in great detail. When Scripture says that God saves people who “do not work” (Romans 4:5), and that he saves us “not by works” (Ephesians 2:8-9), “apart from observing the law” (Romans 3:28), “no longer by works” (Romans 11:6), and “not because of righteous things we had done” (Titus 3:5), etc., the answer becomes clear. Our good works are not “necessary for salvation” in any way, shape, or form—directly or indirectly, wholly or in part, before or after we are saved, etc.

But this doesn’t make good works “optional” for a Christian. One reason is that God still commands them. The Bible’s teaching of justification by faith alone does not turn the 10 Commandments into the 10 Suggestions. Through our good works, we worship and glorify our Savior God (Romans 12:1-3). We show that our faith is alive and well in front of others, who can’t see our faith but can see the actions that faith produces (Matthew 5:16). And through our good works we love and serve other people.

As Lutherans like to say, God doesn’t need our works, but our neighbor does. “Good works are necessary for salvation” would be a false statement. “Good works are necessary” is true–not for salvation, but for plenty of other reasons.

What a wonderful and worthwhile reading project you have!  Your question is one that many people ask when they read the Athanasian Creed.  Your question also demonstrates the value of providing an explanation—in the service folder or by way of verbal announcement—when congregations use the Athanasian Creed in a worship service.

The section of the creed you cited reflects the language of Scripture regarding God’s judgment of humanity (Matthew 16:27; John 5:28-29; Romans 2:6-10; 2 Corinthians 5:10).  God certainly judges what is in the heart.  It is faith in Jesus Christ alone that saves, and it is unbelief that condemns (Mark 16:16).  Salvation is entirely God’s doing; we do not contribute to our salvation in any way (Romans 3:28; Galatians 3:11; Ephesians 2:8-9).

What Scripture does explain is that saving faith and condemning unbelief manifest themselves in people’s lives.  And so on the last day, the Lord will point out the good works that Christians have done and the sins that unbelievers have committed (Matthew 25:31-46).  Those good works of Christians were not the payment for their salvation; the good works were the evidence of Spirit-worked saving faith in Jesus who paid the penalty for their sins.  The sins of unbelievers will be singled out because they rejected the only means of forgiveness for their sins.

What the parable of the sheep and the goats illustrates is that God will demonstrate how fair a judge he is.  He judges what is in the heart.  A person cannot see into the heart of another as God can, so God will provide the evidence for the judgment of the heart that he made.

Once again, that parable shows us that on the last day no sins of believers will be brought up.  That is because there are no sins to bring up; Christians enjoy complete forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ.  On the other hand, the sins of unbelievers will be mentioned because they cannot do good works (Romans 14:23) and, because they have rejected the only means of forgiveness, their sins condemn them.

We could think of the section in the Athanasian Creed (“Those who have done good will enter eternal life, but those who have done evil will go into eternal fire.”) this way:  “Those who believed in Jesus as their Savior—and saving faith always produces visible fruit—will enter eternal life, but those who rejected Jesus—such people cannot perform good works, nor do they enjoy forgiveness of sins—will go into eternal fire.”

Keep up your reading and study!

You are asking a question that is often asked and that fills us all with strong emotions. And perhaps the reason why it is so often asked is that the Bible does not explicitly give us an answer, and we then end up emotionally dissatisfied. We rejoice at every mention of people being baptized and receiving the promises of faith and forgiveness and hearing the gospel and being brought to trust Jesus and becoming citizens of heaven. We also grieve because so many in this world do not enjoy these blessings and feel particularly bad when we could not apply the gospel to some people like miscarried or stillborn children.

Regarding miscarried children we must affirm that they, like everyone else, were conceived in an inherited sinful condition and need forgiveness to be saved. We also affirm that Christ is the only revealed Savior for all mankind, regardless of the specific circumstances that prevail from person to person. On the basis of clear Scripture, then, we understand that they need faith in Christ and that faith in Christ is given by God through the Gospel. In saying this we do not wish to be understood as saying God could not create faith in people’s hearts aside from the gospel (recall the amazing work of the Holy Spirit with John the Baptist when he was still a fetus, Luke 1:41-44), or could not have devised other ways and means for doing it if he had seen fit to do so. We merely report that God throughout Scripture reveals that he works through the gospel to create faith and that this faith is necessary for personal salvation.

It would be presumptuous for us to assume that miscarried children are nevertheless headed for heaven. This idea is not based on Scripture. It is quite popular and emotionally pleasing, of course, and we fully understand the motives in adopting such a position. However, we bind ourselves to Scripture alone for doctrine and simply say that there are things we do not fully understand and cannot fully explain — and this subject is one of those. To say it bluntly, here we are in the realm of the unsearchable judgments of God. That is where we should leave this kind of speculation.

We are given the assurance that God is a compassionate God, whose judgments are fair. “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. . . . He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him” (Psalm 103:8-11). We make this the basis of our convictions about what is fair or not fair; whatever God does is fair and right, and good. What “seems fair” to our limited minds and emotions is not to be made the standard of truth.

The way a person seeks to respond to a question like yours tells us a lot about how that person does theology. If we limit ourselves to Scripture alone, we do not have a lot to say. We will stress what God has graciously revealed to us and admit our limitations. And we will recommit ourselves to witnessing and the support of mission work. But if we are willing to manufacture other answers that strike us as reasonable or emotionally satisfying, lots of ideas are possible. I sincerely pray that we never take that route, but commend these issues to the gracious Lord who will answer our questions when we get to glory. “For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (1 Corinthians 13:9-12).

Saving faith is a complete reliance upon Jesus Christ for salvation.  When the panic-stricken jailer in Philippi asked, “What must I do to be saved?” he received the answer:  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your whole household” (Acts 16:30-31).

Faith in Jesus Christ saves because that faith is attached to the One who lived a holy life in our place and who suffered the punishment our sins deserved.  Jesus lived up to his name, which means “Savior.”

While saving faith consists of knowledge and one’s assent to that knowledge as being true, the most significant and important component of saving faith is trust and reliance on Jesus Christ alone for salvation and not on our works of the law.

God works Christian faith in people through his powerful gospel; Christian faith is a gift of God (Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Ephesians 2:8).  No one decides to become a Christian.

Christian faith, finally, is living and active, on display in everyday Christian living (cf. James).

If you are looking for a WELS church in your area, the WELS Locator tool can help.  When you visit a church, please speak to the pastor.  He will be glad to let you know about the church’s Bible classes and worship schedule.  God bless you!

As you rightly say, the Bible affirms that believers are indeed “new creatures” in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Ephesians 2:10 use this kind of language. The Bible also affirms, as does our experience in living as believers, that we remain sinners with a sinful nature, weakness of faith, and spiritual challenges when we’re tempted to sin or doubt God’s promises. Passages like Romans 7:15-25 and Hebrews 12:1-12 testify to this ongoing reality.

You ask “how” this can be, and you seem to be making a logical deduction that if someone is “truly” saved or “truly a Christian,” then a kind of sinless perfection should immediately result in our thought patterns and lifestyles. That may be logical, but it is not biblical or true. It is a false conclusion to be cast aside. The Christian life is one of warfare against sin and Satan and against our own sinful nature that opposes God’s will and is indeed a terrific cross to bear this side of glory. This struggle is also used by God for disciplinary purposes to further our progress in Christian character and endurance when coupled with an active use of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Historically, some have emphasized the passages about our being “new creations” to the exclusion of those passages that speak of our continuing sinfulness (despite our being justified or forgiven in Christ) and have taught a kind of so-called “perfectionism” or “complete sanctification” set of ideas. We believe that is false. Instead, we teach that ALL Bible truths are to be received and embraced rather than adopting some while denying or distorting others. We heartily invite you to accept the same understanding.

Above all else, focusing on your final words, we urge you to stop thinking you are not a true believer simply because you still contend with weaknesses and sins on a daily basis. Continue to focus on Christ’s perfect work on your behalf, rejoice in the unconditional declaration that you are 100% forgiven for his sake, and do not see your sins as clear evidences of unbelief. A focus on Christ and the unconditional good news of his saving work will also strengthen you in your daily battles against sin. We do not expect perfection this side of heaven, but we do expect and may enjoy progress and growth in godliness.

Jesus said, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).  He did not say that part of God’s word or some of God’s word or most of God’s word is truth.  He said all of God’s word is truth.  For people to say otherwise is more than presumptuous; it is forbidden (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19).

Jesus said, “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).  No word of Scripture can be dismissed as false; every word of Scripture is true because it is God’s word (1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:14-16).  Christian faith takes God at his word and believes what he says because he does not lie (Numbers 23:19).

False teachings and beliefs are always dangerous and threatening to saving faith, which looks to Jesus Christ alone for salvation.  While we recognize that impenitent sinners will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10), we leave the judgment of people’s hearts to God (1 Samuel 16:7).

Your questions are a good reminder that you and I have reason to keep testifying to others of the truth of God’s word and praying that God will change their hearts.  God help you do just that.

Through your elementary and high school education in WELS schools, you have received and are receiving a wonderful instruction in God’s word.  Through classes and worship services the Holy Spirit has had numerous opportunities to work through the gospel to strengthen your faith.  The result is that you do recognize that there is salvation only through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

Still, questions about the faith can arise.  In one regard, questions about the faith are good and appropriate.  Scripture provides this instruction:  “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5).  What we don’t want to do is take our faith for granted or take an approach that sees faith as hereditary:  “My parents are Christians.  I’m a Christian.  They believe certain things, and I just believe what they believe.”  We are to be Berean Christians (Acts 17:11), examining the Scriptures and seeing for ourselves what our faith is all about.

So, questioning faith in that context is good and appropriate.  Questioning faith, as in doubting, is not good.  You and I will want to recognize that the source of doubt is the ungodly trio of the devil, the sinful world and our sinful flesh.  Those spiritual enemies want us to doubt the Christian faith and abandon the Christian faith.

What do we do?  We turn to Jesus who came into the world to fulfill all the prophecies of the Messiah.  One of those prophecies was:  “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out” (Matthew 12:20).   The Messiah was to be a person who would be compassionate toward the weak and the doubting, and bolster their faith.  You can be confident that is Jesus’ attitude toward you.  He wants you to be sure and confident about the Christian faith.

To achieve that end, God holds out his gospel in word and sacrament for you to use.  So, especially now, dive into God’s word and be a frequent guest at the Lord’s Supper.  Do recognize that doubts will decrease and faith will increase as God works in your heart through the gospel (Romans 10:17).

Finally, there is a practical matter to consider.  I wonder if you are able to identify the times and sources when your doubts about Christianity arise.  Is there a pattern?  Are there triggers for doubt and uncertainty?  Answering those questions might help you form a strategy in your journey through life as a Christian.

I’m glad you asked this question and I hope you received helpful information.  Do speak with your pastor or high school adviser.  They will not consider your situation unusual by any means.  Rather, they will understand the struggles Christians of all ages experience, and do what they can to help.  God bless you.

Trying to find a correlation between people’s earthly sufferings and salvation can lead a person to go in two directions.  You went in one direction.  Asaph went the other direction in Psalm 73.  He looked around at the cozy, comfy lives of unbelievers and saw a huge contrast with his life of suffering as a child of God.  He was confused until he recognized that people’s earthly circumstances are neither a sure indicator of their relationship with God nor a precursor of eternal conditions (Psalm 73:17).

If we are going to find a connection between earthly suffering and salvation, the person we need to look to is Jesus Christ.  He is the one who suffered in the place of guilty sinners (Isaiah 53:4-6).  That is the focus of our worship during this season of Lent.  Jesus’ suffering, along with his active obedience in obeying the law of God in our place, is our focus throughout life.  What we suffer or do not suffer does not contribute to our salvation.

I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but could it be that God in his wisdom and love has earthly suffering planned for you in the future?  That is a possibility.  But whether or not that suffering takes place, you can be at peace about your salvation. Why?  Because you have the sure words and promises of God.  Words and promises like:  “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).  “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25).  “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist” (Isaiah 44:22).   “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:16)  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  (1 John 3:1)

Look to Jesus.  Stay connected to him through the Bible and the Lord’s Supper.  Remember your baptism (Titus 3:4-7).  It is through the gospel that God convinces us all the more of our salvation and equips us in the daily skirmishes with Satan (Ephesians 6:10-17).  God bless you.

We state our position on this in This We Believe (IV, 9):  “We reject the teaching that believers can never fall from faith (‘once saved, always saved’), because the Bible says it is possible for believers to fall from faith (1 Corinthians 10:12).”

In addition to the Bible verse listed, we could add Luke 8:13; Galatians 5:4; 1 Timothy 1:19; and, 2 Peter 3:17-18.

Those verses warn against self-confidence and the possibility of falling away from faith.  We take those verses seriously.  At the same time we cling to our God’s promise that he will guard and protect our faith to the end (John 10:28).

You can explain that repentance is a work—not done by people to save themselves, but produced in them by the Holy Spirit.  The Bible speaks of repentance in a narrower and wider sense.  In the narrower sense it is contrition and sorrow over sin (Mark 1:15).  In the wider sense repentance refers to both contrition and faith (Luke 13:5; 15:7).  It is the Holy Spirit who works in people to confess their sins and to confess faith in Christ as their Savior.  Repentance, in either sense, is not anything that people manufacture on their own.  Confessing sins is an example of the power of “God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).

Context is so vitally important to understanding Scripture passages. With context in mind, here is a brief explanation of those passages, showing how they are very much in keeping with the Bible’s teaching that salvation comes through faith alone.

Matthew 7:21 – Jesus explains that it is not mere familiarity with him that saves. What saves is doing the will of his heavenly Father. What is his heavenly Father’s will? It is trusting in his Son as Savior (John 6:29, 39, 40).

Matthew 25:31ff – Faith in Jesus Christ saves, but faith is alive and active, accompanied by good works (cf. the book of James). Faith alone saves (Mark 16:16), but saving faith is never alone.

John 5:28-29 – Similar to the preceding section, people will be judged on the basis of faith or unbelief. Saving faith will show itself in good works, while unbelief will manifest itself in evil deeds.

Romans 2:6-8 – The people in verse 7 are believers. The people in verse 8 are unbelievers. Once again, these verses illustrate saving faith and unbelief in action in people’s lives.

1 Corinthians 13:13 – The entire thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians emphasizes the importance of Christian love. While the apostle does not specifically explain why love is “the greatest” of faith, hope and love, we could understand his words in a couple of ways that are consistent with the context of Scripture. In our relationship to God and others, love becomes very important because it is that quality that emulates the very nature of God (1 John 4:16). In addition, God’s love for us and our love for him will be eternal. There is nothing in the verse to undermine the Bible’s consistent teaching of salvation through faith alone.

1 Peter 1:17 – Once again, what people do in life (their “work”) is evidence of what is in their heart: faith or unbelief. God will judge what is in the heart, but neither faith nor unbelief resides in a vacuum.

1 Peter 4:8 – God is encouraging us in this verse to deal with one another with a loving, forgiving spirit.

If there is a theme in the verses you cited, it is that faith and unbelief will give evidence of their existence. God judges on the basis of what is in the heart. What is in the heart reveals itself in daily life. Once again, faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.

The Bible says nothing directly or explicitly about dementia and Alzheimer’s. Ironically, the strong majority of references to the aged, a frequent target of these diseases, view old age as a blessed time of life. The subject of the loss of mental capabilities through diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s does not surface in the Scriptures. I have heard the words of Jesus to Peter in John 21:18 applied to people suffering from this kind of malady, but in context the words refer to physical martyrdom, not disease or a loss of physical or mental capabilities.

Your primary concern is the really important one: do these diseases rob a believer of saving faith in Jesus Christ or give us cause for concern about their faith-life until death? Here we happily report that saving faith is not at all the same as mental knowledge, or the ability to memorize and articulate information about the Savior, or even the power to memorize and repeat truths about Jesus to other people. Faith is ultimately the product of the Holy Spirit who creates and maintains reliance on Jesus Christ in a person’s heart.

Usually this work of the God involves the accompanying use of a person’s mental and emotional abilities, as in the study and learning of the Word of God. The Holy Spirit uses the written and spoken gospel to give and sustain saving faith. But he is also fully able to work saving faith in infants and small children through the instrument of Baptism; and this divine, gracious working is beyond our ability to comprehend. It is also beyond our ability to discern or recognize with our senses. But because God promises that infants and little children can indeed be brought to saving faith (see Matthew 18:6,10 and Acts 2:38-39) we take him as his word and entrust the little ones to his care. Similarly, we do the same with those who have been rendered unable to express themselves or articulate their Christian faith as they once could.

Our convictions and comfort rest on divine promises rather than empirical evidences that this is so. God is faithful and will not abandon his people despite the ravages of disease.

You have a correct understanding:  the Holy Spirit can plant saving faith in a person’s heart, but then that faith can become corrupted by a person believing the false teachings of a church or believing the false teachings that arise from the person’s own thinking.  While ignorance of Scripture may explain why a person has a misguided faith, it does not exempt the person from being accountable to God.

All this is reason why you and I need to keep sharing the truths of Scripture with others.  “For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:28).  “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  God bless your ongoing testimony!

“Penal” refers to punishment, and “substitution” of course speaks of stepping in and taking the place of another. So, did Jesus step in and take the place of all people, receiving the punishment their sins deserved? Yes.

In This We Believe, a statement of belief of our church body, we confess this: “3. We believe that Jesus Christ, the God-man, was sent by the Father to redeem all people, that is, to buy them back from the guilt and punishment of sin. Jesus came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17) so that on the basis of his perfect obedience all people would be declared holy (Romans 5:18,19). He came to bear “the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6), ransoming all people by his sacrifice for sin on the altar of the cross (Matthew 20:28). We believe that he is the God-appointed substitute for all people. His righteousness, or perfect obedience, is accepted by the Father as our righteousness, his death for sin as our death for sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). We believe that his resurrection gives full assurance that God has accepted the payment he made for all (Romans 4:25).”

The message of the Bible is that in Jesus we have a perfect Savior—one who took our place in life and in death. “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’” (Galatians 3:13).

I do see you answering your own question in that you realize the need to “look to the cross and not at myself.” Facts, faith and feelings do not always align properly. Martin Luther wrote much about this. Here’s an excerpt:

“We must not judge by what we feel or by what we see before us. The Word must be followed, and we must firmly hold that these truths are to be believed, not experienced; for to believe is not to experience. Not indeed that what we believe is never to be experienced but that faith is to precede experience. And the Word must be believed even when we feel and experience what differs entirely from the Word. Therefore when in calamities our hearts think that God is angry with us, does not care for us but hates us, faith is nevertheless convinced that God harbors neither wrath nor hatred nor vindictiveness against us nor imputes our guilt…To this conclusion I have come, not by way of my feelings or my present circumstances but through the Word, which says that the mercy of the Lord is over me and all who believe, that His wrath is over all who do not believe. Therefore I shall overcome my thoughts by the Word and shall write this promise in my heart, that after I have come to faith in Jesus Christ and do not doubt that my sins are forgiven me through His blood, I shall not be put to shame though all my senses and my experience speak a different language. Within myself I feel the wrath of God; the devil vents on me his hatred and the world its extreme fury. But the Holy Spirit tells no lies. He bids me hope; for ‘with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption’ (Ps 130:7).” [What Luther Says. Vol. I. Page 513]

Here is a way of understanding the difference between facts and feelings. I am 61 years old. Quite honestly, I feel half that age. But does that youthful feeling change my age? Not at all. I cannot lengthen the span of my life, as Jesus said (Matthew 6:27), and I certainly cannot decrease my age. My age is a fact; I am that old whether or not I feel like it.

In a similar way, God says to you: “I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). He promises you: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18). Your Lord assures you: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). The peace of forgiveness is yours through Jesus Christ. That is a fact. You have God’s own word on that. Your feelings do not negate that fact.

When you find yourself losing the battle against sin, like the apostle Paul did (cf. Romans 7), find comfort and strength in God’s gospel in word and sacrament. Through those means, hear the voice of your Savior who says to you: “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20). Hear those words and, through the Spirit’s power, embrace them in faith. Those words are factual, regardless of what your feelings might say. God bless your walk of faith.

I do not have the context of your conversations, but I would understand your friend to be saying that the Holy Spirit needs to convict us of our sins through the law before he can bring us the comfort of forgiveness through the gospel. Before the Holy Spirit can bring the comfort of spiritual health and healing in the forgiveness of sins, he needs to impress upon people how spiritually sick—spiritually dead—they really are.

The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit going about his “strange work” and “alien task” (Isaiah 28:21), as he convicts people of sin. When people are led to despair of their sins and reject any means of saving themselves, the Holy Spirit can then comfort people with the precious news of the gospel, pointing them to Jesus Christ.

It is the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, who carries out this work in the hearts of people. Through the word he leads people to confess, “What a wretched man I am!” (Romans 7:24). Through the word he leads people to confess, “With you [,Lord,] there is forgiveness” (Psalm 130:4).

All this is the work of the Holy Spirit—to whom we give special praise this Sunday, Pentecost Sunday.

That is a question someone once asked Jesus. “Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, ‘Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to’” (Luke 13:22-24).

Jesus made other, similar statements: “For many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). “…when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Jesus’ words are a reminder for Christians to stay connected to him in faith through faithful use of his gospel (John 15:1-8) and to reach out to others with that same precious gospel (Matthew 28:19-20).

Your question is one that people have long asked. Allow me to respond by sharing what one of my predecessors in this position wrote for Forward in Christ.

“The natural knowledge of God gives everyone powerful witness about his existence. All creation shouts to all with eyes and ears that one great Creator exists (Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:20). Man’s accusing conscience also testifies powerfully to his responsibility to his Creator (Romans 2:14,15). Although such natural knowledge cannot tell anyone this Creator’s exact identity, it should lead people to ‘seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us’ (Acts 17:27).

“Sadly, ‘there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God’ (Romans 3:11). Therefore, ‘the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them’ (Romans 1:18,19). Stubborn rejection of that natural knowledge leaves all without excuse. God is just in judging those in Old or New Testament times who never heard his gospel.

“Yet God has also shown himself zealous to spread that only message that saves man from his well-deserved plight. At least twice in Old Testament history everyone knew the gospel. After Adam and Eve’s fall, God revealed the promise of the woman’s offspring who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). However, as generations passed the vast majority rejected that promise.

“Consider also God’s patient mercy at Noah’s time. God spoke to all who would listen through that ‘preacher of righteousness’ (2 Peter 2:5). Then, when judgment reduced the world’s population to eight, again all knew the true God’s promised salvation. Yet once again the vast majority threw away that knowledge.

“God has continued his persistence in New Testament times. For all the book of Acts tells us, it tells us little about any apostles other than Peter and Paul. From Paul’s letters, it’s clear that Acts doesn’t record even all of Paul’s travels. The missionary zeal of many early Christians and the pages of church history testify to a rapid spread of the gospel. Yet over the centuries, in many places where the gospel was richly abundant, man’s callousness led to a loss of the gospel.

“Human nature blames God—as if he’s somehow unjust in condemning an unbelieving world. Yet consider history’s tragic tale. God zealously hunts down sinful mankind with his gospel. Sinful people zealously refuse to be found, or once found, often run back into darkness.

“There is no other way of salvation. We cannot quiet this concern by suggesting that perhaps there’s some other way God will save those not won by the gospel. Other than Jesus there is ‘no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). There is no other way to come to faith in that gospel. ‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ’ (Romans 10:17).

“Let’s not waste our energy wondering if God will judge those who die without the gospel. He will, with no apologies! Rather, let’s take the challenge God lays before every generation of his children—to spread the powerful gospel message with every ounce of our energy and with every resource at our disposal.”

The conflict concerns the doctrine of justification in the “agreement.”

Confessional Lutheranism states: “Also they [our churches] teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4.” (Augsburg Confession Article IV: Of Justification)

The Joint Declaration states: “38.According to Catholic understanding, good works, made possible by grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, contribute to growth in grace, so that the righteousness that comes from God is preserved and communion with Christ is deepened. When Catholics affirm the “meritorious” character of good works, they wish to say that, according to the biblical witness, a reward in heaven is promised to these works. Their intention is to emphasize the responsibility of persons for their actions, not to contest the character of those works as gifts, or far less to deny that justification always remains the unmerited gift of grace.”

That paragraph uses “grace” according to the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching: that it is “infused grace” to perform good works that contribute to salvation.

The “agreement” is a document of carefully chosen words that each side can interpret according to their belief on the topic. There can be no real agreement if one group believes that salvation is entirely God’s work and another group believes it is a cooperative effort between God and people.

God “saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:5).

Your pastor was stating what Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus is not one of many ways to the Father. He is the only way. The Bible also says about Jesus: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only Savior.

In addition, Jesus said: “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Faith in Jesus saves. Without faith in Jesus, people stand to be condemned.

When it comes to your thoughts about people’s opportunities to hear the gospel, let me pass along the response from one of my predecessors in this position to a similar question.

“The natural knowledge of God gives everyone powerful witness about his existence. All creation shouts to all with eyes and ears that one great Creator exists (Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:20). Man’s accusing conscience also testifies powerfully to his responsibility to his Creator (Romans 2:14,15). Although such natural knowledge cannot tell anyone this Creator’s exact identity, it should lead people to ‘seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us’ (Acts 17:27).

“Sadly, ‘there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God’ (Romans 3:11). Therefore, ‘the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them’ (Romans 1:18,19). Stubborn rejection of that natural knowledge leaves all without excuse. God is just in judging those in Old or New Testament times who never heard his gospel.

“Yet God has also shown himself zealous to spread that only message that saves man from his well-deserved plight. At least twice in Old Testament history everyone knew the gospel. After Adam and Eve’s fall, God revealed the promise of the woman’s offspring who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). However, as generations passed the vast majority rejected that promise.

“Consider also God’s patient mercy at Noah’s time. God spoke to all who would listen through that ‘preacher of righteousness’ (2 Peter 2:5). Then, when judgment reduced the world’s population to eight, again all knew the true God’s promised salvation. Yet once again the vast majority threw away that knowledge.

“God has continued his persistence in New Testament times. For all the book of Acts tells us, it tells us little about any apostles other than Peter and Paul. From Paul’s letters, it’s clear that Acts doesn’t record even all of Paul’s travels. The missionary zeal of many early Christians and the pages of church history testify to a rapid spread of the gospel. Yet over the centuries, in many places where the gospel was richly abundant, man’s callousness led to a loss of the gospel.

“Human nature blames God—as if he’s somehow unjust in condemning an unbelieving world. Yet consider history’s tragic tale. God zealously hunts down sinful mankind with his gospel. Sinful people zealously refuse to be found, or once found, often run back into darkness.

“There is no other way of salvation. We cannot quiet this concern by suggesting that perhaps there’s some other way God will save those not won by the gospel. Other than Jesus there is “no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). There is no other way to come to faith in that gospel. ‘Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ’ (Romans 10:17).

“Let’s not waste our energy wondering if God will judge those who die without the gospel. He will, with no apologies! Rather, let’s take the challenge God lays before every generation of his children—to spread the powerful gospel message with every ounce of our energy and with every resource at our disposal.”

Scripture is very clear that we are justified, declared “not guilty,” through faith and not by what we do (Romans 3:21-28; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Saving faith will show itself in a life of good works (Matthew 25:34-40). Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone. Saving faith demonstrates itself in a life of love for God and others.

Your reference to the hijackers does not follow, as there is salvation only through faith in Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Faith in a false god does not save.

If you would like to read a recent article on Luther’s translation of Romans 3:28, this link will take you to it.

The good works that we do form a big “Thank you” to God for so graciously and freely giving us salvation through Jesus Christ his Son.

Yes. Enjoying salvation is matter of trusting in the Savior who was going to come into the world (in the case of Old Testament believers) or trusting in the Savior who has come into the world (in the case of New Testament believers). It made no difference if people lived and died before Jesus carried out his redeeming work on this earth. If people had faith in the promised Messiah in their hearts, they enjoyed forgiveness in this life and entered God’s presence in heaven upon death.

Consider what the writer to the Hebrews said about Abraham and other Old Testament believers: “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

Old Testament and New Testament believers form the group the apostle John saw in one of the visions God gave him (Revelation 7:1-8).

Classical Arminianism is not at all compatible with WELS doctrine. Arminianism teaches “decision theology,” the idea that people choose to believe in Jesus as their Savior. Here are a couple of sections from This We Believe, a statement of belief of our synod, which address that false doctrine.

“We believe that people cannot produce this justifying faith, or trust, in their own hearts, because ‘the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him’ (1 Corinthians 2:14). In fact, ‘the sinful mind is hostile to God’ (Romans 8:7). It is the Holy Spirit who gives people faith to recognize that ‘Jesus is Lord’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit works this faith by means of the gospel (Romans 10:17). We believe, therefore, that a person’s conversion is entirely the work of God’s grace. Rejection of the gospel is, however, entirely the unbeliever’s own fault (Matthew 23:37).

“We reject every teaching that people in any way contribute to their salvation. We reject the belief that people with their own power can cooperate in their conversion or make a decision for Christ (John 15:16). We reject the belief that those who are converted were less resistant to God’s grace than those who remain unconverted. We reject all efforts to present faith as a condition people must fulfill to complete their justification. We reject all attempts of sinners to justify themselves before God.”

In his explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed in his Small Catechism Martin Luther wrote: “I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

You will find other references in the Lutheran Confessions on this subject in places like these: The Augsburg Confession (Article XXVIII), the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (Article XVIII) and The Formula of Concord (Article II).

One of the hymns in our hymnal very clearly expresses biblical teaching on conversion: “Lord, ‘tis not that I did choose you; That, I know, could never be, For this heart would still refuse you Had your grace not chosen me” (Christian Worship 380:1).

We praise God for his grace in giving us a Savior (Galatians 4:4-5) and giving us faith that connects us to that Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9).

When churches teach that people initiate faith, that certainly puts the pressure on people. As you have come to know, we do not initiate faith; we do not bring ourselves to faith or invite the Lord into our hearts. Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). God the Holy Spirit is responsible for faith. He gives it to people when he works in their hearts through the gospel. Because faith is God’s doing, we can have certainty about it.

What I could suggest is that you focus more on the object of faith, Jesus Christ, and less on the person who says, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth…” You wrote that you “believe that I need Jesus and that he is the only way to everlasting life.” That is a statement of Christian faith. Thank God for that, but focus more on the gospel in word and sacrament.

Scripture certainly tells us: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). While we need to follow that instruction, we don’t need to make it a continuous activity in life.

A man once came to Jesus and said to him, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) It doesn’t take much to identify with that man. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christians like us are able to say about Jesus, “I do believe,” but our faith is not perfect. Our faith can be weak and wavering, plagued with doubts. What do we do? We use the very means that the Holy Spirit utilized to bring us to faith: the gospel. Through the gospel in word and sacrament the Holy Spirit strengthens our faith and deepens our conviction that we are the children of God (1 John 3:1).

Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). You notice Jesus did not qualify the faith that saves. Even the weakest of faith saves. Jesus explained that he is not interested in snuffing out weak faith but fanning it into flame (Matthew 12:20). He can do that when we use the means through which God works to strengthen faith (Romans 10:17).

Satan’s mission is to prevent people from believing in Jesus in the first place and to get Christians to fall from the faith. When Satan attacks your faith, tell him to move on because you belong to God. How do you know? God has given you his word on that through his word and sacraments.