A Personal Remedy for Deserting the Faith

In 1965 a teenager began to attend our church services. He showed an interest in the Bible and gave every evidence of salvation. However, he left us after several weeks to join with the Mormons who had convinced him that he needed more than just a trust in the cross work of Jesus Christ for his salvation. How tragic! His experience represents that of thousands who desert the pure gospel of grace for a false form of Christianity that presumes to improve on the finished work of Christ. Some look for a second work of grace; some, for a commitment to the Lordship of Christ some time after being justified; still others, the baptism of the Holy Spirit which is evidenced by one's speaking in tongues.


In Galatians 3:1–5 the Apostle Paul reminds his readers that a believer's experience of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the Holy Spirit, and of God the Father are uncontested evidence of having been graciously made acceptable to God through personal faith in the perfect, complete work of Christ, apart from any human supplement. John McArthur states, "Although experience in itself is not entirely reliable evidence of spiritual reality, it is nevertheless a powerful apologetic when closely linked with and built on scriptural truth. Because genuine Christian experience verities the gospel of grace, the inspired apostle was led by the Holy Spirit to use it as an effective means of defending the doctrine of justification by faith." In 3:6-4:11 he will deal with the scriptural truth but here in 3:1-5 he helps to draw us back to the pure gospel if ever we were to stray by directing us to a few questions. (1) Was I justified in any other way than by believing in the cross work of Christ? (3:1) (2) Did I receive the Holy Spirit, our greatest evidence of final salvation, in any other way than by faith in the gospel and at the same time as my justification? (3:2-4) (3) Did the Father grant me, as He had promised, the Spirt power for victory over Satan, sin and the world in any other way than by faith in the gospel of grace (3:5)? If not, then how could I hope to enhance any of that out of my own insignificant human resources?