Confusing Statements on Justification by Faith?

It was probably six, seven, eight months ago that somebody sent in a question. I don’t remember exactly what the question was, but the manner in which I answered—I don’t think produced any problems in James’ mind—until somebody rode in from outside the church and said this:

“Hello, I’ve been blessed beyond measure by Tim Conway’s Ministry, yet lately he’s been making confusing statements on justification by faith. The recent Ask Pastor Tim was about whether or not faith by itself saves us. The answer was sadly confusing to me. The answer seems very easy to give: genuine faith will produce works, yet works never save us. I’m so disappointed because I love y’all’s Ministry so much. So why the unclarity on such basic salvation issues? Is Tim leaning away from the doctrine of justification by faith alone? I’d love to have your reassurance. Thank you for all y’all do. Blessings in Christ.”

I want to be transparent: what I said sometime in the last six, seven, eight months created that kind of confusion in someone’s mind. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t create the same level of confusion here. “Are we saved by faith?” they ask. “It’s so easy—why can’t you just say it?” I remember that question clearly. In my answer, I didn’t just say, “Yes, we’re saved by faith.” I pursued it down other paths—and in his mind, that lacked clarity.

…

While preaching through Matthew, I asked myself: if I stripped the gospel down to its essentials—not the neatly packaged version we often hear—what would it look like? I was diving into the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke… and yes, I could easily point to passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 or John 3:16 to support that we are saved by faith. But, brethren, Jesus sets a tone with His words that go far beyond a simple statement of faith.

Jesus begins His sermon with hard-hitting language—talking about gouging out an eye or warning of hell. I wonder how seriously many take that. There are people who claim to have faith, yet they’re busy working; others have reduced faith to a mere mental assent—a belief that doesn’t produce the radical change Jesus demands. Even in Jesus’ day, many thought, “I believe,” but their lives didn’t reflect a true commitment.

I’ve seen this trend even today. Many lean on Paul’s teaching—“It’s by faith, not by works”—and in doing so, they miss how Jesus Himself spoke. When Paul does speak like Jesus, we often overlook it. I’ve come to believe that if reformed folks truly isolate and study Jesus’ own words, they might find His message of active, demanding faith quite confusing—perhaps because we’ve come to expect a gentler, “just believe” approach.

… We ought to be able to talk like He talks…