The article “Evangelism: You Make the Call” [Sept. 1989 GES News] is a creative idea, however, the premise that salvation seekers must trust “solely in the fact that Christ died on the cross for their sins” troubles me.

The Galatians believed they were saved by accepting Christ as Savior, but later mandated law observance as a prerequisite for kingdom entrance. Did their ignorance and confusion invalidate their salvation?

After months of reading your newsletter, I understood you believed if a sinner accepted the message of Christ’s saving death and resurrection, the believer is saved. Period. The article [however] declares that all who add on to Christ’s sacrifice are not saved at all….

Perhaps I miss your point…. Please let me know.

Sincerely,
KFH
Azusa, CA

Thank you for your excellent question.

I was not implying that later confusion about the Gospel invalidates one’s salvation. Nothing can do that. Salvation cannot be lost (Rom 8:38-39).

What I was suggesting is that a person who has never trusted in Christ alone is unsaved. In order to be saved one must at some time trust in Christ alone. Clearly the Galatians had done that prior to the arrival of the Judaizers (Gal 1:9).

Those who now are trusting in Christ-plus but who once trusted in Christ alone are indeed saved. Those, however, who have always believed in some form of Christ-plus gospel have never been saved in the first place.

Ed.