THE STANDARDS OF SALVATION
Saul of Tarsus wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith , and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works , lest anyone should boast.“ Saul says that we are saved by faith in God, and not because of anything that we do. He arrives at this conclusion from reading a story about the thief on the cross who is dying, and he applies the story to all. Saul wants to set this story, a rare exception, as the standard of salvation, saved by faith. This kind of reasoning is an error in reasoning, a flawed concept, that renders an argument invalid. Why? Because we are not thieves on the cross who are dying. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. “ Matthew 7:21 is the standard of salvation. Luke 23:39-43 applies only to the thief on the cross. They do not apply to 99.99% of Christians. Matthew 7:21, however, apply...