ALAN P. STANLEY
What did you expect when you began reading this book? Perhaps you already had a view on the role of works at the final judgment and wanted to see if anybody else held your view. Maybe you had no view and thought you had better become informed. Or perhaps you didn’t even realize that there was a variety of views on this issue. Whatever the case, it’s easy to approach a book like this expecting it to answer all your questions. That would certainly be nice. Mind you, given that the whole point of the book is to present four views, we shouldn’t be surprised if we find ourselves coming away with even more questions. But if the book has served its purpose well, I hope our questions will now be more focused and directed with more clarity. At the very least we should now be able to see where the major battles are to be fought.
As we look back on what has been written, we might think of the role of works at the final judgment like a jigsaw puzzle box filled with pieces. The only difference is that there is no picture on the front of the box to show how all the pieces are to come together. However, by and large, the four contributors have all been given the same box with the same number of pieces—the Bible, particularly the New Testament—to work with. Not surprisingly each one has put together the pieces differently.
Interestingly though, the approach in putting the pieces together has been relatively similar. That is, it has been impossible for each contributor to examine the role of works at the final judgment without first looking at the role of works prior to the final judgment. In other words, the pieces to this puzzle are not limited to those passages that speak of judgment in the life hereafter. For the Christian, and indeed for every human being, what happens then is intractably related to the lives we are living now. Invariably this has meant that each contributor has written at some length on the relationship between works, grace, faith, and salvation.
What, then, is the exact role of works at the final judgment? How have Robert Wilkin, Tom Schreiner, James Dunn, and Michael Barber put the pieces of the puzzle together? What do their four pictures end up like?
We might describe Wilkin’s final picture as black and white—that is, there are no apparent grey areas. Black: the New Testament teaches over and over again that once a person believes in Jesus Christ, he or she is saved (has eternal life) once and for all. White: since the final judgment determines where people will spend eternity and since, for the Christian, this question has already been answered when they believed, there is no need for believers even to be at the final judgment.
But there are all those “pieces in the box” that speak of believers being judged by works. Where do these pieces fit? Believers will be judged by their works, but not at the final judgment (the Great White Throne judgment); rather, they will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. Only Christians will appear at this judgment, and therefore what is at stake is not eternal salvation but eternal rewards. Hence, those Christians who have faithfully persevered in good works will be rewarded while those who have been unfaithful will not be rewarded—though they will still be saved. For example, the servant who sat on his money remains a “servant” in spite of his unfaithfulness (Luke 19:11–27). What he forfeits is not his place in the kingdom but his role in the kingdom—he does not get to reign over any cities.
A key point here is that in Wilkin’s approach to sorting out this puzzle, entering the kingdom or to gaining eternal life is not the same as inheriting the kingdom or eternal life. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ enters the kingdom and has eternal life, but only those who persevere actually inherit them. Hence, when Paul promises that those who sow to the flesh will reap corruption and those who sow to the Spirit will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:8), he is not contrasting those who will not be saved and those who will. Rather, he is contrasting those who will not reap the experience and benefits of reigning with Christ. Both groups have eternal life, but only those who do not grow weary in doing good (6:9) will “reap” eternal life.
In Wilkin’s final picture, then, the colors of the various pieces do not run into one another. There are essentially only two colors. Eternal life/salvation is a free gift whereas rewards are given or withheld on the basis of perseverance/works. If we keep these pieces of the puzzle in mind, we will avoid putting together a distorted picture. So quite simply, any Bible passage that is overtly at odds with salvation by grace through faith (e.g., Gal. 6:7–9; Col. 1:21–23) must be speaking of something other than a believer’s eternal salvation. “We do not harbor hidden fears that we will appear at the final judgment only to find we were never saved. Rather, we believe Jesus’ promise that the one who believes in Him ‘has everlasting life … [and] shall not come into judgment …’ (John 5:24). We rejoice in this security. Let us not go through life fearful of the final judgment. Believers will not be judged there” (p. 50).
Schreiner agrees with Wilkin when looking at half of the pieces to the puzzle: “Salvation is not secured by works but by faith” (p. 77); “human beings cannot be justified or saved on the basis of their works…. Justification must be apart from works” (p. 78). But as Schreiner moves on to look at some of the other pieces, he sees a different picture emerging. “Paul disavows justification by works in some texts, but then in other verses he teaches that we are justified by works” (p. 78). Hence Paul could say, “[God] will grant ‘eternal life to those who seek glory and honor and incorruptibility by patiently enduring in a good work’ ([Rom.] 2:7)” (p. 78). While in Wilkin’s picture these two pieces can never fit together, Schreiner sees a coherent blend. The pieces fit quite naturally because the new covenant promised that a time would come when God’s Spirit would enable his people to obey him. Hence, for those who believe in Jesus Christ “obedience … stems from the new covenant work of the Holy Spirit,” and this Spirit-wrought obedience results in eternal life (p. 81). Thus, for Paul at least, “works play a role in the final judgment. They are necessary for final salvation” (p. 81).
So, according to Schreiner, what role do works play at the final judgment? First of all, they are not meritorious. Works do not merit salvation at the final judgment. But nevertheless “works are necessary for eternal life” (p. 83), but only inasmuch as they are “necessary evidence and fruit of a right relation with God. They demonstrate, although imperfectly, that one is truly trusting in Jesus Christ” (p. 97). Works, then, are necessary for eternal life only because faith alone in Jesus Christ is necessary for eternal life.
So there is some tension here as Schreiner puts this puzzle together, but nothing that should cause a distorted picture. The following needs to be kept in mind: “The verdict of the final day is announced in advance for those who trust in Jesus” (p. 91). Hence, “the justification that is ours when we believe guarantees final glorification so that believers are assured that they are right with God when they believe” (p. 91). But even though “salvation and justification are through faith alone … such faith is living and vital and always produces works” (p. 98). Hence, those works will be put forward as evidence at the final judgment.
James Dunn’s putting together of this puzzle is not so neat. In fact, there may even be some gaps; but not for any other reason except that we haven’t been supplied with all the pieces. Dunn himself is reluctant to invent or force pieces where there is no coherent fit. The end result may not be as pretty, but it is, according to Dunn, faithful to the Scriptures.
Dunn’s distinct point is that the writers of the New Testament were not writing a systematic theology. Paul’s teachings, for example, on faith and works are borne out by the different contexts, problems, and circumstances to which he responded. Paul did not write his letters as a disengaged theologian trying to cover all points. He did write, however, as a concerned missionary/pastor seeking to address real life issues, which, as it turns out, does not provide all the answers we would like on this subject.
Dunn, then, rather than squeeze and impose pieces together just to satisfy our desire for a complete, consistent picture, prefers simply to allow the pieces to lie where they fall and let the gaps remain. The resulting picture is that salvation is a “now but not yet” reality, a process in which “Christians most typically are ‘those who are (in process of) being saved’” (p. 125). But this raises the question: Do those who have begun this process complete it? Philippians 1:6 would seem to answer, yes: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in/among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.” But Galatians 3:3 leaves room for doubt: “Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now made complete with the flesh?” Thus, “a disturbing feature of Paul’s theology of the salvation process is the degree of hesitation and concern he shows that it might not be completed…. The disturbing feature is that Paul regarded the possibility of apostasy, of failing to persevere, as a real danger for his converts” (p. 126), a possibility that the apostle believed to which even he was susceptible (see, e.g., 1 Cor. 9.27).
Hence, Dunn concludes, “part of Paul’s pastoral theology was his all-too-real concern that faith could once again be compromised and cease to be simple trust, that commitment could be relaxed and resolve critically weakened. The result would be an estrangement from Christ … and the loss of the prospect of resurrection life” (p. 127). Thus, Paul’s gospel might indeed promise salvation to those who believe, but that salvation was also “conditional, at least in some degree, on his converts’ ‘obedience of faith’” (p. 128). And if obedience (or sanctification, if we prefer that term) is a condition for salvation, it follows that the fulfillment or nonfulfillment of the condition awaits the final judgment. If we were to ask Dunn what salvation at the final judgment ultimately depends on, our works or the work of Christ—thinking back to the debate between Wright and Piper—Dunn would answer: Why should we choose?
This may not be the neat and tidy picture we’d like, but it is, as Dunn evaluates the puzzle, faithful to the pieces we have. The closest that Dunn comes to nailing something down is to say that Paul emphasizes one piece of the puzzle in certain contexts and another piece in other contexts. When reassurance is needed, the work and grace of Christ receives emphasis, but when believers need pulling into line, works and judgment get airtime.
Barber attempts “to show here that the Catholic view of good works at the final judgment seeks to explain the entirety of the biblical witness without minimizing either passages that discuss the priority of God’s grace or texts highlighting the role attributed to good works” (p. 162). How can these two pieces of the puzzle coexist? The answer is that salvation is by God’s grace and yet also by works. Both sets of passages present these two truths. Works will be the criterion by which believers will be judged at the final judgment (see, e.g., Matt. 25:31–46). Quite simply, “It is the presence or absence of works that determines one’s future destiny” (p. 168).
Now as to how the pieces of this puzzle fit together, the answer is a little more complex. Barber, in his words, takes “a more sophisticated approach” (p. 169). Both Jewish tradition and the Bible itself view sins as debts and good works as repayment. Good works, then, merit salvation or eternal life. Hence we find Jesus telling people to give to the poor in order to gain heavenly treasure (e.g., Matt. 19:21; Luke 12:33). Many will think that the picture emerging here is that Christians simply need to make sure they perform more good works than bad in order to gain eternal life. Barber warns against such an understanding for it fails to take into account the other piece of the puzzle—grace!
Good works, and even faith, are humanly impossible apart from God’s grace. People cannot sell all they have and give to the poor. People cannot do good works. However, God’s “grace is so effective it is even able to render weak and sinful humans capable of performing meritorious works” (p. 184). Hence, once a believer is united to Christ, they have the capacity to do what they could not previously do. That which was once impossible is now possible. Believers now, by God’s grace, have the capacity to carry out works that merit salvation.
But we must remember that in Barber’s putting together of the pieces, salvation is a process: past, present, and future. So to say that works merit salvation is not to say that works get one converted. It is to say, rather, that it is only through these works—works performed by the power of grace once a believer is converted—that one is truly and finally saved. Hence, just as works play an indispensable role in our salvation, so too they play an indispensable role at the final judgment, but this is only because they are the result of God’s powerful, working grace within the believer.
As we look at Barber’s final picture, this obviously requires a careful and thoughtful reading, especially by those who are more familiar with the Protestant understanding of salvation. The works of a believer have meritorious value but only because they are the result of Christ’s work. “To insist that the believer’s works lack meritorious value is to claim that Christ’s work lacks meritorious value” (p. 180). So in Barber’s arranging of the pieces, all the glory goes to God. If there is any weakness, any error here, it is, according to Barber, that the Catholic version gives God too much credit and attributes to Christ too much grace.
Remarkably—since this book presents four different views on the role of works at the final judgment—all four contributors agree on the priority of grace or faith. All affirm, for instance, Ephesians 2:8–9: “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.”
Wilkin: “Clearly the one who simply believes in Jesus has eternal life. The New Testament is united on this point” (p. 27); “eternal life comes to the believer as a gift” (p. 31); “salvation is a free gift that comes through faith in Jesus Christ” (p. 32); “the sole condition of having eternal life … is faith in Christ” (p. 47); “the only requirement is faith” (p. 48).
Schreiner: “Justification, then, is a gift given and received” (p. 75); “salvation is not secured by works but by faith” (p. 77); “[salvation] is granted by God as a gift, as a witness to his astonishing love” (p. 77); “salvation and justification are through faith alone” (p. 98).
Dunn: “Assuredly we can affirm that the believer never approaches the throne of grace, whether now or in the future, except as a sinner, wholly dependent on that grace. Assuredly we can say with Paul that before God there can never be ground for boasting in one’s own doings but only in the glory and grace of God” (p. 140).
Barber: “Salvation is given to us as a free gift. This is the clear testimony of Scripture” (p. 165); “the Catholic teaching has always insisted that we are saved by grace” (p. 166); “salvation is first by God’s grace and not by works” (p.180); “according to Catholic teaching, then, salvation is, ultimately, ‘pure grace’” (p. 184).
This agreement, of course, in many ways is rather broad. For instance, in spite of Barber’s insistence that salvation is ultimately pure grace, Wilkin thinks that his “position is clearly one of works-righteousness” (p. 186). So which is it, pure grace or works-righteousness? Clearly, Wilkin and Barber differ as to what exactly pure grace means. We need, therefore, to pay attention to how writers use their terms. The discerning reader will pay particular attention to context—which is true whether we are reading scholars or the Bible.
What this means, however, is that as readers we all have our work cut out for us. One thing I hope this book has done is to show that we cannot so easily dismiss the views of others without thoughtful engagement. It is all too easy for readers to pick up a book like this and with the information they already have accumulated in their time as believers, simply latch on to one view and rather dismissively—and perhaps disrespectfully—brush the others to the side. But each of these four scholars deserves respectful attention. Who knows? You might be persuaded. I personally have found that before critiquing someone’s point of view, it is always helpful to try and put myself in their shoes, to try and see the text with their eyes, and to seek to really understand where they are coming from. Otherwise, I’m tempted to write them off before giving them a hearing. The four contributors here have given us good models, I think, in how to go about responding to one another thoughtfully.
In thinking about the main areas of disagreement between the four, it might be helpful if we think about what we ourselves are now left with. Are there still pieces of the puzzle that need to be sorted through? If you’re wondering how to sort through these pieces yourself, let me suggest three crucial questions that have regularly surfaced in this book and can’t be avoided.
What is the nature of saving grace and faith? This question particularly sets apart the first view (Wilkin) from the three that follow. Wilkin defines faith as mere assent to the truths of the gospel. Wilkin himself acknowledges that this is indeed a key point of contention when he says, “Many would agree that there is a necessary connection between believing in Jesus and obeying His commandments. I would not” (p. 39). Schreiner also acknowledges this as a key point of contention: “while Wilkin and I agree that faith alone saves, we disagree on the nature of faith and on its relationship with works” (Schreiner’s response to Wilkin, p. 51).
The issue is whether faith in Jesus Christ and the grace received inevitably leads to obedience. In other words, is there a real and direct connection between faith and works, so that the latter cannot properly occur without the former; or is faith isolated from obedience? Can someone resist sexual immorality, for instance, without believing in Jesus? Both Schreiner and Barber stress that “faith alone” does not mean that faith is alone. For Schreiner, someone who believes in Jesus also trusts in Jesus and so will respond, albeit imperfectly, trustingly to his commands. For Barber, as for Schreiner, grace is effective, a power that actually transforms those who believe in Jesus Christ. For Wilkin, though, to say that salvation is by grace through faith is to say that salvation is and can only be limited to a point in time, that is, conversion, and therefore obedience is a separate issue. This leads us to our second question:
What is the nature of salvation?This question also sets apart Wilkin from the others, though Schreiner sits somewhere in between Wilkin and Dunn/Barber. The issue is whether salvation is limited to a point in time (Wilkin), a process where the outcome may perhaps be jeopardized (Dunn, Barber), or a process that has begun but its completion is nevertheless guaranteed (Schreiner). The point to wrestle with is whether there is a legitimate tension between being saved now and not yet being saved. Is salvation present once for all from the time of conversion?
Both Wilkin and Schreiner would say yes, salvation is irrevocable. However, that’s where the agreement stops. Wilkin would argue that if salvation cannot be revoked, logically this means that a failure to persevere does not jeopardize one’s place in eternity; it will, however, jeopardize one’s role and experience in eternity. Schreiner, by contrast, would argue that since perseverance/works are necessary for salvation and eternal life, a failure to persevere or the absence of works casts doubt on whether a genuine conversion actually occurred. Dunn likewise says, “the verdict of justification can be pronounced now, already, to those who accept his gospel and believe in Jesus Christ” (p. 122), though he is not at all willing to say that justification is irrevocable (e.g., “Does Wilkin really think that when people first believe, they believe forever, so that it can be said finally and for every case that ‘eternal life is decided [that is, finally and irrevocably decided] at conversion,’” Dunn’s response to Wilkin, p. 61)?
Practically speaking this is probably a more important issue to settle than explaining the relationship between works and salvation at the final judgment. If salvation is not in some sense complete at conversion, then all believers will appear at the final judgment (Schreiner, Dunn, Barber). If, however, salvation is complete at conversion and there is no need for perseverance or works, then there is no need for any believer to be at the final judgment (Wilkin). This leads us naturally to the third and final question:
What is the nature of the biblical teaching on salvation? By this I am referring to something that has cropped up frequently in this book, and of course in many ways is really the essence of the debate: Should we give more weight to one set of texts (grace) over another set (works)? Should one set be subordinate? Does one trump the other, making that one more important? Remember that all four writers affirm the priority of grace, but for Wilkin this means that salvation by grace means that it cannot in any way be by works. This is not the case, however, for the other three. Schreiner, Dunn, and Barber all state plainly that Spirit/grace-produced works are indeed a prerequisite for (final) salvation. Each has a distinct ways of explaining the role works play (Schreiner: evidence; Dunn: certainly necessary; Barber: instrumental/meritorious), but they all agree that works do come into play for the Christian at the final judgment.
The principal of the Bible college where I work, when students bring up this or that scholar or this or that creed or tradition to support an argument, will simply reply, “What does the Bible say?” Ultimately that is the question we must all wrestle with. Of course, the four contributors here all claim that they are indeed asking that question—and yet still we have different answers. But that’s fine, because they have all asked and continue to ask that question. The challenge is now for us to ask the same question, “What does the Bible say?”
The answer we come to may differ from our tradition or denomination, or even what we would like. But the issue is whether we have diligently and faithfully looked into the text. It matters little whether Luther, Calvin, Wesley, or the Pope disagree with it. What matters ultimately is whether we have faithfully handled the biblical text. For those of us who have a particular calling to teaching and preaching that text, this is especially apt. However, we would all do well to pay attention to the apostle Paul, and since our topic has been judgment, it seems apt to finish with his words from 1 Corinthians 4:2–5:
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.