Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon"Rich, Ben. E. (Benjamin Erastus)
Religion
Mr. Durant of Salt Lake City, "That Mormon"
Rich, Ben. E. (Benjamin Erastus)
Latter Day Saints -- Fiction; Salt Lake City (Utah) -- Fiction
"You have referred to the words used by Paul and Silas to the keeper
of the prison. These disciples were asked by this keeper what he
should do to be saved, and was assured, as you have quoted, 'Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.' Then
the disciples immediately laid before them those principles which
constituted true belief, and not until this man and his house had
embraced the principles taught by these disciples were they filled with
true belief and really rejoiced. (Acts xvi: 81-33.) You see by this
example that we must not deceive ourselves by thinking that we can be
hearers of the word only and not doers." (James i: 22,23.)
"But, friend," said the lawyer, "here is a passage found in the tenth
chapter of Romans, which, in my opinion, will be extremely hard for you
to explain. The passage referred to reads as follows: 'If thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' Now,
then, it looks to me as if salvation is here promised through faith
alone. How do you explain it?"
"Very easily. Let us thoroughly examine this passage in all its
different phases. In the first place, this letter was written by
Paul to individuals who were already members of the church. They had
rendered obedience to the laws of salvation, and having complied
with those requirements were entitled to salvation providing their
testimony remained within them like a living spring; and in order
that they should not become lukewarm, Paul exhorted them to continue
bearing testimony of the divinity of Christ, and not let their hearts
lose sight of the fact that God had raised His Son from the dead, and
inasmuch as they kept themselves in this condition, salvation would be
theirs. This is the only sensible view one can take of this passage.
Unquestionably, Paul was speaking to sincere members of the church,
who had been correctly initiated into the folds of Christ, not aliens
living 1800 years after."
"That appears to be correct, and is satisfactory; but further on in
the same chapter we find this expression: 'For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.' It appears to me here that
reference is not made to those who had embraced the gospel and those
who had the faith, but salvation is made general to whomsoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord." (Rom. x: 13.)
"Exactly, but the next verse gives an explanation so simple that none
can fail to understand it: 'How, then, shall they call on Him in whom
they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher? So, then,
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.' In other
words, if there is faith, there have been works, and having true faith,
no person will remain in that condition without complying with further
works of salvation to which that faith urges him."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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