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AVOIDING THE SLIPPERY SLOPE

It was a commonly expressed theological truth following the 2002 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Anaheim Angels. After the Halos won a stunning 6-5 victory in Game Six, scoring all six runs in the 7th and 8th innings, and then closing out Barry Bonds and Company 4-1 in Game Seven, every reporter and announcer at the ballpark said the same thing: “Owner Gene Autry has got to be looking down and smiling.” The singing cowboy had passed away several years earlier, having never seen his beloved Angels even get to the Fall Classic; now Mike Scioscia and the little step-sisters of the glittery L.A. Dodgers were the toast of the town. And Gene Autry, looking down from heaven, was singing “Back in the Saddle Again,” and celebrating with the red-clad fans in Edison Field.

Well, friend, the salvation of Mr. Gene Autry is God’s business and nobody BUT God’s business. But here on the Voice of Prophecy this week, we’re studying the very challenging question of OUR salvation. Are WE going to be in heaven someday? If we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, is that what it takes? And if that’s what it takes, could it possibly slip away from us . . . just as that insurmountable San Francisco lead in Game Six was abruptly snatched away by a Scott Spiezio three-run homer and a Troy Glaus RBI double?

There was an interesting cover article in Newsweek back in August, 2002, entitled Visions of Heaven. According to Lisa Miller, main author of the piece, and the magazine’s own poll, 75% of Americans believe that getting past the pearly gates involves good deeds. “Their actions on earth determine whether they’ll go to heaven,” is the exact wording. That theology is immediately countered, of course, by evangelical Christians. Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham and author of a recent Christian bestseller, Heaven: My Father’s House, disagrees completely.
“The only thing you need to do to get to heaven,” she says, “is accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. With that simple act, murderers can get in, and terrorists can, too.”

Well, friend, the biblical record is unequivocal that salvation is by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. We’ve helped preach that gospel on the radio for well over seven decades now. John 3:16 and Acts 16:31 make it crystal clear that anyone who believes on the name of Jesus is going to be saved.

And yet, even within the church — as reflected in this poll — most believers are on the horns of a precarious dilemma. We can say “salvation by faith alone,” and really mean it. And yet, in the background, we do tend to vote with the 75% and say: “On the other hand, actions do count. Faith without works is dead. A certain level of obedience is necessary.”

In the 1990 book, Eternal Security, Pastor Charles Stanley has a good “Think About It” question:
“Why should God let you into heaven?” he asks. “If your answer includes words such as try my best, church, believe in God, Sunday School, teach, or give, chances are that you still haven’t come to grips with the simple truth that salvation is by faith alone. Let me ask the question another way. What are you trusting in to get you into heaven? Is it Christ plus something? Or can you say with confidence that your hope and your trust are in Christ and Christ alone?”

It’s probably not right to categorize or generalize, but I think it’s especially difficult to come to a clear resolution in three areas. First of all, good deeds and obedience. Do we need at least some? Are some sins, or enough of some sins, going to make you lose your home in heaven?

Secondly, a right attitude toward God. We all sin and make mistakes — even good Christians — and most believers understand that Calvary doesn’t crumble when we do. But does the heart need to be rightly aligned with God and His kingdom in order for salvation to remain intact?

Thirdly, doctrinal truth. Can we be saved — and then later lost — if we begin to believe things that are wrong or unbiblical? One Christian writer characterizes this risk as follows:
“The potential for losing salvation lies not only with those who have a rebellious heart toward God but with those who are innocently led astray by false doctrines as well.”

I’m always wary of what we sometimes call “slippery slope” arguments. Are you familiar with those? They’re often called instead “The Camel’s Nose,” and most philosophers suggest that the famous “slippery slope” is a fallacy. It’s where you say that we simply must not consider or permit “A,” because A will inevitably lead to B, then C, and before you know it, we’ll be wallowing in the horrors of X, Y, and the dreaded Z. One web site writer called the slippery slope “an illegitimate use of the ‘if-then’ operator,” and gave this example:
“If we pass laws against fully-automatic weapons, then it won’t be long before we pass laws on all weapons, and then we will begin to restrict other rights, and finally we will end up living in a communist state. Thus, we should not ban fully-automatic weapons.”

Same thing with partial-birth abortion. Same thing with restricting pornography, etc., etc., etc. You get the idea.
So the danger is duly noted. But right here, friend, let’s carefully look at the slippery slope that is involved in these three propositions regarding salvation.

Let’s say that a certain level of goodness is necessary. Immediately the question comes: how much? How good do you have to be? How faithfully would you need to succeed in keeping the Law of God? As good as the pastor? As good as the previous generation that came before us? On a scale of one to ten . . . a seven? That’s the slippery slope; once we suggest that SOME good deeds are required, when would it ever be enough? And since the benchmark is not clearly defined, the assurance of believers evaporates.

It’s the same with our fallings and our failings. Even good Christians sometimes think, “Well, some sins are enough to make you lose your way.” But which ones? Murder? How many murders? Adultery? How often? King David was a murderer and an adulterer; the Bible is very open in saying David will be saved. And we say, “Well, certainly Timothy McVeigh killing 168 people is over the line. He cannot be saved.” How does the slippery slope have a fence right at 168 and not some other number?

I think we find the same dilemma when we look into our own hearts and think about our attitudes toward heaven. Are they right? Are they pure? Every single day, our feelings about spouses, jobs, religion, the church, the Bible, heaven . . . are colored with both good and bad. Sometimes our faith feels strong, other times no. All through the Bible, men of God sometimes sighed, sometimes cried, sometimes shook their fists at heaven. Elijah just about gave up the ship; John the Baptist openly doubted that his own cousin was the Messiah. David screamed and had tantrums at God all through the Psalms. So we ask, with the ice of the slippery slope beneath us, “If salvation depends on a loyal attitude, then how loyal? How faithfully loyal? For how many years, loyal?”

Friend, do you see the challenge? And it’s just as true in the area of doctrinal debate. Unless you and I belong to the same denomination, and maybe even the same church within that denomination, and maybe even the same little theological faction within that church, within that denomination . . . then we are going to have well-meaning, sincere — but very real — doctrinal differences. Will only one of us be saved then? Must we be right on 85% of Bible truth? And where would salvation assurance be if that were the benchmark?

Do you see how much simpler it is to accept and believe what the Word of God teaches?
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him SHOULD NOT PERISH, but have everlasting life.”

Obedience is a good thing, but it’s not mentioned in that verse. A right heart is a wonderful blessing, a powerful testimony to the power of God, but there’s not a word about it in this verse — except to believe in Jesus. Doctrinal clarity is so important that the friends of this radio ministry pay for the air time so that we can spend these 15 minutes dialoguing with you about it. But John 3:16 is mute on the importance of having all right doctrines, all correct prophetic interpretations, all end-time scenarios according to God’s blueprint.

I mentioned that book, Eternal Security. The writer looks at the so-called “slippery slope” and asks this question:
“To those who believe salvation is maintained by good works, I would ask, What good works maintained the relationship between the father and the [prodigal] son in the parable? It is clear that he left as a son; otherwise he would have received no inheritance. It is equally clear that he returned as a son. Without a word between them, the father ran to him, embraced him, and restored to him the visible signs of sonship.”

We could add the second and third of these Triple Peaks right here as we wonder about the slippery slope. How many good deeds did this kid have? None. How many sins? Millions of them. What was his attitude like? It was terrible; he was rebellious to the core. How were his doctrines? In his confusion and anger, it seems he had rejected his father’s entire slate of beliefs. But when he came home, in the absolute pits of all three slippery slopes, he was still a son. Because salvation doesn’t happen over at the mountain of obedience, or the hill of a good heart, or the soaring peaks of Bible truth. It happens at a place called Calvary.