Now come the vital questions: “When Paul emphasizes that ‘circumcision’ and ‘work’ play no part in salvation, what ‘work’ does he mean? Which are the ‘works’ Paul excludes?” Here are two parables that illustrate why the answer is so important.
The Parable of the Second Preacher
(Earlier, we read the Parable of the Wall. That story now continues….) A Gospel preacher invites people to come to the place of escape, the hole that God punched through the wall of sin. Seekers gather at the mouth of the tunnel. Some are about to enter when a second preacher arrives. “Don’t go in there!” he shouts. The people hesitate. The new preacher explains, “I heard the great apostle Paul. He said that faith saves you. You all believe, otherwise you would not be here. God can see the faith in your hearts. God already justifies you by that faith. Paul also assured us that there is nothing for man to do. No ‘work’ is involved in salvation. If you make a move to enter that tunnel, you will be trying to save yourself. The tunnel will then collapse and keep you from God forever. Yes, God saves you right where you are, just as you are!”
Is this second preacher right? When Paul excludes “works” is he meaning to exclude the activity of moving through the tunnel? Where once people were about to enter with joy, they now mill about in confusion. Their concern is all the greater for realizing that the correct answer determines their eternal destiny.
The Parable of the Lifeline
Stormy waves sweep a passenger off the deck of a great ship. The passenger falls a long way and hits the water hard. He can hardly keep his head above the wild seas. The ship moves off, and the man is drowning, a tiny speck lost in a vast ocean. Then the miracle that can save him happens. The ship turns around. The captain throws a long rope, a lifeline, down beside him. Knowing that the passenger is exhausted and dying, the captain calls to him, “Don’t try to save yourself! This ship is too high. Don’t try to pull yourself up the rope. You will fall again and certainly die. I will jump in and tie the rope around you. Then we can pull you up!” What does the captain mean by the warning, “Don’t try to save yourself”? Would the exhausted, drowning man be ‘saving himself’ by holding the lifeline thrown to him by the captain? Should he let go of the line, in the hope that he can swim until the captain comes? The way he understands the captain will make the difference between life and death.
These simple stories encourage us to concentrate on Paul’s intended meaning. His words can be misunderstood, and that can lead to disaster. The key question is, “What does Paul mean by ‘works’”?