TESTIMONY OF PAUL.
The World:—Paul, when the Philippian jailor asked you and Silas what he should do to be saved, what did you tell him?
Paul:—We told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and he would be saved, and also his house. (Acts 16: 31.)
The World:—We thought so. Now, if the jailor and his household had simply to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to gain salvation, why should other people have to do more?
Paul:—But we did not tell the jailor and his household that that was all they had to do. We taught them other doctrines besides belief in Christ; we taught them the ordinance of baptism. Here is what the record says: "Then he (the jailor) called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his straightway." (Acts 16: 29-33.)
The World:—You have spoken truly, Paul. We see that, according to the record, after you had told the jailor to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you taught him and his household other commandments of the Lord, among them baptism. One more question: Did you preach to the people that Jesus Christ was the author of eternal salvation?
Paul:—I did.
The World:—And Jesus Christ, the author of eternal salvation, taught this doctrine, that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life?"
Paul:—He did. But you have quoted only part of what I said and only part of what Christ said. I did not tell the people that Christ had become the author of eternal salvation to all those who would simply believe in Him. Here is what I said: "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Heb. 5: 8, 9.) Jesus did not tell the people that they would have eternal life by simply believing in Him. This is what He said: "Not every one that sayeth unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt 7: 21.) Now, it would appear from this that there were people in the days of the Savior who believed, as thousands of people believe today, that they could get into the Kingdom of God by simply believing in Christ, and calling Him Lord, Lord. And in order to disabuse their minds of that erroneous belief. Jesus made use of the words which I have just quoted. Now, do you think that I, or any other servant of the Lord, would preach salvation through belief alone when Christ had condemned such doctrine? On one occasion He said: "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6: 46-49.) Here is a Gospel not only of believing, but of doing: a Gospel, not of faith alone, but of faith and works.
The World:—We dare not dispute what you have said; were we to do so, we would be disputing the words of Christ. Permit us, however, to ask you another question.
Paul:—Certainly.
The World:—Isn't it a fact that Christ, when He was upon the cross, and just as He was about to give up the ghost, said, "It is finished"?
Paul:—That is true.
The World:—Did Christ not mean that He had done all that was necessary for man's salvation? that He had paid the price of man's redemption, and that there was nothing left for mankind to do?
Paul:—Part of what you have said is, indeed, true: Christ atoned for our sins on Calvary's cross; He died that we might live, and that He might present us, pure and spotless, to the Father. But when He said, "It is finished," He did not mean that from that time henceforth and forever mankind would have nothing whatever to do but to believe in Him, and by that simple assent of their minds obtain eternal life and an everlasting inheritance in the Kingdom of His Father. He meant that His sufferings were at an end; He meant that He had drunk the bitter cup to the dregs; He meant that He had done the will of the Father, and had thus become, as I told the Hebrew Saints, the author of eternal salvation to all those who would obey Him. After Christ had risen from the dead He tarried for forty days with His disciples, during which time He taught them many things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. In giving them their commission, He said to them, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Matt. 28: 19-20.) So you see, Christ did not tell His Apostles to tell the people that all they had to do was to believe in Him: they were to teach them to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded them.
The World:—Did you write an epistle to the Ephesians?
Paul:—I did.
The World:—Here is an extract from it to which we desire to call your attention: "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2: 8, 9.) Did you write that?
Paul:—I did.
The World:—What did you mean by writing in this way to the Ephesians?
Paul:—Merely this, and nothing more: the Ephesians, as well as many others, thought to justify themselves by the works of the law—by circumcision, for instance. They did not understand that the law had been fulfilled in Christ, and so they wanted to continue in the practice of dead works. These I condemned, but I never spoke one word against the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. On the contrary, I exhorted the people to perform good works. This is what I wrote to the Ephesians: "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." (Ephesians 6: 8.) I wrote practically the same thing to Titus. Here is an extract from my letter to him: "This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works." (Titus 3: 8.) Surely you do not think that I would write to the Ephesians one time condemning good works, and write afterwards to them and also to Titus commending good works? The works that I condemned were dead works, such as circumcision; but God forbid that I should advise anyone against keeping all the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that he who would break one of the least of His commandments, and teach men to do so, the same would be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The World:—That is all, Paul.
Latter-day Saints:—Perhaps you would like to hear the testimony of the Apostles John and James?
The World:—Certainly, if they can give us any additional light on the subject.
Latter-day Saints:—John, we would be pleased to have you tell The World whether you consider good works essential to salvation.