A slippery slope. The camel’s nose under the tent. These are just two of the many colorful ways to express the danger of taking a small step that can end up with disastrous results. One false step on a slippery slope can plunge one to the bottom. If a camel get’s his nose under the tent, he will slither his way in until his whole body is inside the tent creating chaos and havoc.
Such pungent warnings apply to practically all areas of life, including how Christians express their faith.
Baptists agree that one is saved by God’s grace, through faith. We reject the idea that anyone can earn salvation. Ephesians 2:8–9 is crystal clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast.”
Baptists understand that no one, except Jesus the Christ, ever kept the law of God. That is why the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3 that “by the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (v. 20), because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (v. 23).
To say that one can “work” one’s way to heaven is to say that a human being can put God in one’s debt (Rom. 4:4) and that would be a perversion of the gospel. Salvation by grace means salvation is a free gift on God’s part. Baptist theologian W.T. Conner points out “But God cannot give except as man receives. Receiving salvation as an unmerited gift on God’s part is faith. God gives salvation. Man receives it.”
Obviously faith involves repentance. As one who has “come short of the glory of God,” that is, as one who is a sinner, it is necessary to acknowledge one’s sinful condition and cast one’s self totally on the grace and mercy of God. There are no other conditions of salvation except faith and repentance.
As Baptists we believe this. We preach this truth from our pulpits and teach it in our Bible studies. Still, we sometimes communicate in ways that compromise this essential doctrinal truth. And when we compromise this truth, we take a step on a slippery slope or let the camel get his nose under the tent.
The compromise most often comes when communicating ethical beliefs where we have strong convictions and zealous commitments. Three recent examples illustrate the danger.
On the back of a passing automobile was a bumper sticker which declared “Christians are pro-life.” It was an anti-abortion declaration.
My first inclination was to say “Amen.” For 30 years I have written against abortion. I have worked in state legislatures for pro-life bills and helped write Baptist resolutions advocating pro-life and anti-abortion positions. I did the Bible study at the first national conference on abortion sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention’s former Christian Life Commission. I believe Christians should be pro-life. God’s first gift to humanity was life and, as His people, we should accept and embrace His gift.
But the slogan troubled me. “Christians are pro-life.” Did it mean that as a Christian one had to hold the pro-life position? Did it mean that if one were not pro-life, one was not a Christian? What did such reasoning do to those who professed faith in Jesus Christ but held a different conviction?
More importantly, what did the slogan say about salvation? Did the statement imply that in order to be a Christian one had to hold a certain position about abortion, that is, one had to be pro-life? If so, was that a step toward a works theology? What did it do to salvation by grace alone? Did it add “and a right position on abortion?”
A few days later I spied a poster declaring, “Gambling is not an option for Christians.” Again I wanted to say “Amen.” Alabama Baptists know my strong opposition to gambling in any form. But in light of the questions arising from the bumper sticker, I again questioned the poster’s message.
My conviction is certainly that gambling should not be a part of any person’s life, let alone a Christian’s. But there is a difference between a personal conviction and an absolutist position. Again the question surfaced about the implications about salvation. What does the slogan say about the follower of Christ who does gamble? Does one have to embrace the slogan’s position in order to be a Christian? Is this a step toward a works theology? What does it do to salvation by grace alone? Does it add, “And a right position on gambling.”
The final example came in a letter to the editor reacting to my editorial supporting the proposal to restructure Alabama’s tax system to make the tax burden be more evenly shared by the wealthier among us and the business community. The writer said I had “joined others who imply that opposition to the governor’s tax proposal is not a Christian position.”
If that is how my comments were taken, I apologize. Such a statement would be absolutist. It would indict followers of Christ who hold a different position. It would be a step toward a works theology. It would take away from a commitment to salvation by grace alone. It would add “and a right position on the tax plan.”
Zeal is commendable. It is necessary. But in our zeal for good and godly causes, we must make sure that we do not take a step down a slippery slope that compromises our doctrine of salvation. We must make sure that we do not let the “camel” of a works theology get his nose under our theological tent.
As Baptists, we believe the Bible teaches there is only one way to be saved — through faith in the grace of God made known through Jesus Christ. Nothing must compromise that clear message.
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