As I mentioned in the first part of this series much of Christadelphian theology is false teaching, but I’m focusing on four specific areas of their teaching for this current series:

  • Jesus is not God
  • Jesus didn’t exist before being conceived in Mary’s womb
  • Jesus’ death was not a replacement sacrifice for us
  • People have to work for their salvation

We addressed the false teaching of Jesus not being God in the first part of our series, Jesus not existing before His conception in the second part, and Jesus’ death not being a replacement sacrifice for us in the third and fourth parts. We turn now to the Christadelphian teaching that people have to work for their salvation.

Salvation Is By Works

As we’ve done in previous parts of the series, we will hear first from the Christadelphians.

We reject as unbiblical the idea that Christ could die as a replacement sacrifice for us, thus covering all our sins forever with that one act. Certainly it is through his sacrifice that we may be forgiven, but only if we walk the path of self-denial that he marked out for us. The Christadelphian Faith

The way to enter the kingdom of God is by faith. This involves belief in the Bible and obedience to its requirements that men and women confess their sins, repent, be baptized and follow Jesus faithfully. The Way of Salvation

Repentance is the first step towards pleasing God. The way of salvation is only open to those who have repented for their past and are determined to please God in the future … When we are baptised, we are then participants in the New Covenant, having forgiveness of sins and a hope of eternal life in God’s Kingdom. Baptism and Repentance

We wait therefore, the imminent return of Jesus Christ and acknowledge that…”…by grace are ye saved through faith, and, that NOT of yourselves….IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD”…(Eph 2:8) Even so, Paul stressed the need for an active faith, saying in Philippians 2:12….”Work out your own SALVATION with fear and trembling”, confident in the promise that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Heb 11:6) Salvation may come to you and me when Jesus returns. “BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY AND MY REWARD IS WITH ME to give every man according as his work shall be.” …(Rev 22:12) Salvation

The gospel has the power to save us (Romans 1:16). To obtain salvation we must understand the gospel, believe it, and be obedient to its requirements. The Gospel

God will not automatically “change us”, just because we say we believe in His Son. Nor is it because in some mystical way He will regard us as sinless for the sake of His Son’s self-sacrifice. It lies in His mercy and grace in forgiving sins, on certain conditions. The prime condition is that men and women who come to Him through Jesus must recognise the truth about themselves, and also see in the death of Jesus on the cross the vital atonement for sin. Then they must resolve to live their lives not according to the demands of their own nature for self-satisfaction, but according to the spirit of Jesus in “grace and truth”. Then God will “cancel the charges against us”, and will receive us into a right relationship with Himself. Only then can He treat us as His “sons and daughters”, members of His family, of which the head is Jesus, His only-begotten Son. God’s Conditions

Salvation – is the gift of God given to those men and women who are obedient to his commandments, the first of which is to ‘repent and be baptized’. Belief and baptism allow us to share in the promises given to Abraham and in the future age described in Bible Prophecy. It allows the forgiveness of sins and the possibility of resurrection and eternal life. Our Beliefs

That baptism into the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, after knowledge of God’s plan, and a faithful walk therein, is essential to salvation. Our Beliefs

Man is mortal, having no existence when dead. The reward for the faithful is eternal life on earth after Jesus’ return.

Baptism is essential to gain this eternal life. What We Believe

When he returns he will rule the earth and give immortality to those who have tried to follow him and do the will of God. His followers will help him to rule.

Humans are 100% mortal, having no existence when dead. The reward for the faithful is eternal life on earth after Christ’s return.

Baptism is essential to gain this eternal life. Summary of Christadelphian Beliefs

The punishment for sin is death, the end of all existence … The way to enter the Kingdom of God is by faith in what God has promised and the one through whom God will fulfill His promises, Jesus Christ. This involves believing God’s Word – the Bible – and obedience to its requirements that men and women confess their sins, repent, and be baptized, and follow Jesus faithfully. Our Beliefs

I could share more of the Christadelphian writings with you, but all of the ones I found echoed what you read above. The question is – are they right?

Do people need to work for their salvation?

Do they cease to exist at their physical death and only hope that they did enough good works during their physical life to receive eternal life?

Can they be forgiven of their sins if they walk the path of self-denial that God marked out for them?

Are works necessary to be saved?

The short answer is NO. Here’s a longer answer.

Salvation Is Not By Works

Salvation in the Bible is always based on God’s Mercy and Grace. No one has ever been saved because of their personal efforts. No personal effort could ever meet God’s standard. Why?

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6

As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. Romans 3:10-12

… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

The Apostle Paul made it clear that everyone is dead and trespasses and sins, is under the control of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and by nature children of wrath. If everyone has fallen short of God’s standards, what then is our hope?

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10

Our hope is God! He is rich in mercy because He loves us with a great love. He saves us by grace through faith – “and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

NOT OF WORKS.

That’s about as plain a statement as you can get. What do the words mean from the original Koine Greek? NOT FROM (as a result of) WORKS. Same thing. God will not share His glory with anyone. No one can boast in any way about their salvation.

… being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. Romans 3:24-28

Again, very clear that we are made right (just) before God (saved) “freely by His grace.” That comes “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood.” God is just in doing that and is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” So, where’s the boasting? “It is excluded.” The apostle then puts the capper on his proclamation – “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”

Salvation is not now, has never been, nor will never be by works! Salvation is by grace through faith, and that is not of or from ourselves. It is God’s “gift” to us. It is not something we can earn or deserve.

Does that then mean “works” have no place in a Christian’s life? Read on – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We are God’s work “created in Christ Jesus for good works,” and notice this, “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works. There’s a huge difference between the two ideas.

The Christadelphian Error

As I’ve written before, the Christadelphians made a monumental error when they decided that Jesus was not the Eternal God. That error has led to so many other errors, including this idea that salvation is by good works.

The Christadelphians have made a grievous error similar in some ways to that of some in Galatia who tried to add works and personal merit to their salvation by grace through faith. The Apostle Paul called that a perversion of the Gospel of Christ and wrote – “if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9). Paul had only one Gospel message – not several. There is only one Gospel about salvation and it is “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Anyone who teaches a different salvation message is preaching a false gospel. Period.

Christadelphian teaching is false and perverted. The Christadelphian gospel is a false gospel. It’s not good news at all. Nothing about it is good.

In Conclusion

I chose to focus on just four of the many false teachings of Christadelphia because they concerned the Person of Christ Jesus, the Work of Christ Jesus, and the Glory of Christ Jesus. Christadelphia has done great damage to all of them through their false teachings about Christ Jesus. That’s why the Apostle Paul would say something so strong as, “let him be accursed.”

My prayer for anyone influenced by the Christadelphian heresy is that they will repent and believe the truth that is in Jesus Christ alone.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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