I recently watched a YouTube video in which the speaker was attacking grace theology. He held the common view that grace theology is heretical because it suggests that a person can be a believer yet not live a godly life. His view was that we know who is truly saved by the works they do.
The speaker said that grace people will ask, “Well, how many good works do I have to do to prove I am saved?” He dismissed that argument by saying, “Some.” Wayne Grudem gives the same answer to that question. A true believer will do “some” good works.
The YouTuber then gave the example of a cat. A real cat meows. It is impossible to be a cat and not meow. The same is true of a believer. It is impossible to be a believer and not do at least “some” good works. Therefore, if you think you are a believer, look to see if you are doing any good works.
Some might see this as a valid argument. Of course, all illustrations fail to some degree, and we can’t press them too far, but even given that leeway, the illustration of a meowing cat is not a good one.
I don’t know much about cats, but I think there might be some cats that don’t meow. Do feral cats, or those who live solitary lives, go long periods without meowing? Are there cats born with a condition that would makes them unable to meow—a cat version of being mute? Do really old cats stop meowing? Maybe there are breeds of cats that don’t meow at all. I have no idea.
The illustration suggests that we recognize an animal as a cat if it meows. If we press that illustration, what about a three-year-old who “talks” to his pet cat by meowing? Is that three-year-old a cat?
I know that I will be accused of special pleading by pushing the illustration of the meowing cat too far. Those who take the view that true believers are known by their works will say that it is a near-universal truth that we can know a cat because of what it does: it meows. Likewise, if you want to know whether you are a believer, you can discover this by observing what you do. If you say you’re a believer but don’t do good works, you’re deceived. Unless you “truly” believe and show it by your works, you will spend eternity in the lake of fire.
But Grudem and the YouTube theologian are disingenuous. Using the illustration of the cat, they say that the “true” believer will do “some” good works, just as a cat will do “some” meowing. Grudem and others leave us with the impression that as long as a person does a few good works, they are saved, just as a solitary feral cat may meow only once a week or so. But that is not what they mean. Their theology requires that you continually perform good works. You have to do a lot of “meowing.”
Every person who claims to be a believer can point to “some” good works. Even the most carnal believer might say that he loves his children and wife. He pays his taxes. He treats his employees well. He gives money to St. Jude’s Hospital to help find a cure for childhood cancer. He even prays occasionally.
What the YouTuber actually believes is that if you are truly a believer, you will meow all the time. You will continue meowing. Of course, it is left to us to determine whether we are meowing enough, and we will never know. For the rest of our lives we must continually examine ourselves to ensure that we are keeping up with our meows. It is not pushing the illustration too far to say that if we see an animal that meows only occasionally, it might not be a cat. It might be a small dog in disguise. It is faking its meows in order to attract real cats to itself. That is the theology of the YouTuber.
When a preacher says that you know you’re saved if you do “some” good works, he thinks he has a cute response to the question: “How many good works do I have to do?” But he hasn’t really answered the question. He isn’t being honest. More importantly, the Bible does not instruct us to look at our works to determine whether we are saved. Based on Jesus’ promise, we know we have been saved from the lake of fire if we have believed in Him for eternal life (John 5:24).
Don’t be fooled by cute illustrations. A cat is a cat, regardless of whether it meows a thousand times a day, once a week, or not at all. A believer is a believer, irrespective of how many good works he does or doesn’t do.
