The Means of Salvation – Grace or Faith? Or Both?

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, – Eph. 1:11-13

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. – Eph. 2:4-9

If you have been following the discussion over at PulpitLive on the subject of the age of accountability, you have no doubt seen some very different viewpoints on how people are saved. One position (mine) says that all persons who are saved are saved by the same means, which is by grace, through faith. Another position (MacArthur’s and others) says that, while all persons who have reached an age where they are accountable for their actions are saved by grace, through faith, those persons who have not reached that age where they are accountable for their actions are still saved by grace, but not through faith.

Now, some (MacArthur and others) would say they are the same way – by the grace of God. But, I contend they are not the same. My position is that Scripture lays out one and only one way of salvation, and that way is most definitely by the grace of God, but that grace is appropriated through faith. And I can find no exceptions to that means of saving grace anywhere in Scripture.

If you consider the second passage quoted above from Eph. 2, Paul says that, while we were dead, God made us alive together with Christ. But wait a minute. According to MacArthur’s view on the state of unborn and infant children, even though they possess a fallen nature and are considered sinners, God doesn’t hold them guilty for that. So my question is, what then would they need to be made alive from? If God doesn’t consider them to be actually fallen and effected by the sin of Adam, then were they ever really dead in sin to begin with? The answer would appear to be no, since – according to MacArthur’s view on accountability – God doesn’t consider people actually fallen and sinners until they have personally committed sin themselves.

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again. You can’t have it both ways. After saying that God considers children not having reached an age of accountability as innocent, here is what MacArthur says about original sin and those same children:

It doesn’t mean that they are not fallen; it doesn’t mean that they are not sinful — it does mean that God mercifully treats them as “innocent” in spite of that, and He has to exercise grace to do that, just as He exercises grace to save those who believe.

No matter how you look at this position, it does not adequately address the issue of original sin. In this doctrine, original sin really has no purpose or real significance. The reason being that, in MacArthur’s teaching God considers children innocent (no results from original sin), and then God holds that child guilty for only his own personal sin once he has reached an age where he is accountable. So, where does the effect of Adam’s sin ever really come into play in this doctrine? The answer is…it doesn’t! If children – prior to reaching some age where they are held accountable for their own sin – are considered innocent by God, and if those same children – after reaching this accountable age – are held guilty only for their own personal sin, then original sin (whereby Paul says all were made sinners and condemned) really has no meaning.

So, which view is more consistent with Scripture? That all persons saved are saved through faith, or that some are saved through faith, and others are saved because they are considered innocent because they haven’t reached some age whereby they become accountable for their sin? Emotion and sentiment aside…I believe it is more consistent to teach that all who are saved are saved by grace, through faith. To set up an exception to what Scripture clearly teaches is wrong. But that’s just my opinion. You read it and study it for yourself.