by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 6, 2025 | Pauline Theology |
Series: Not of Works – A Series on the Gospel of Grace
Anchor Text: Hebrews 12:14 (rightly divided)
One of the most misused verses in Scripture is Hebrews 12:14:
“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”
It’s often quoted to claim that holiness is a requirement to get to heaven—as if eternal life is granted only to those who maintain a life of ongoing purity and godliness.
⚠️Many denominations—especially in America—preach some form of “final salvation.”
Over the years, I’ve met countless people who didn’t even realize they were trusting in a faith plus something gospel.
Whether it’s faith plus fruit, obedience, baptism, law-keeping, or perseverance, the result is the same:
They weren’t resting in faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross. But in another gospel!
‘But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ‘
Galatians 1:8
But is that what the verse really teaches?
Let’s take a closer look.
🔎 Who Was Hebrews Written To?
The book of Hebrews was written to… Hebrews.
Specifically, Jewish believers who were being tempted to return to Judaism and abandon the faith, and to Jews that were on the fence about Jesus being the Christ. The entire letter is an about what came before was good but now after the cross it is better. The book of Hebrews is also an exhortation to remain in the truth, not a gospel tract outlining how to be saved.
Hebrews 12:14 is an encouragement to walk worthy—not a condition for salvation.
✝️ Holiness Is a Result, Not a Requirement
Holiness is not what gets you into heaven.
It’s what God produces in you once you’ve been saved.
“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”
—Hebrews 10:14
“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption…”
—1 Corinthians 1:30
You don’t pursue holiness to get saved—you pursue holiness because you are saved.
⚠️ The Danger of Twisting Hebrews 12:14
To say that holiness is a condition for entering heaven is to:
- Add works to the gospel
- Strip the believer of assurance
- Turn sanctification into a salvation requirement
It replaces grace with effort, and it preaches fear instead of freedom.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
—Galatians 5:1
🗝️ Key Takeaway
Holiness matters. But not as a ticket to heaven.
It is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in you—not the basis on which you are accepted by God.
‘I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”’
Galatians 2:21
We are saved by grace through faith in Christ’s finished work—not by our personal holiness.
Explore the Full Series
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 5, 2025 | Pauline Theology |
Series: Not of Works – A Series on the Gospel of Grace
Anchor Text: Galatians 3:3 & Romans 4:5
We are living in a time where spiritual fruit has become the proof of salvation—not the result of it.
If your life doesn’t meet the approved checklist of visible transformation, many say, you were never saved in the first place.
“Many denominations—especially in America—preach some form of “final salvation.”
Over the years, I’ve met countless people who didn’t even realize they were trusting in a faith plus something gospel.
Whether it’s faith plus fruit, obedience, baptism, law-keeping, or perseverance, the result is the same:
They weren’t resting in faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross but instead it was another gospel.”
But Scripture turns that idea upside down.
🍇 Fruit Is Not the Root
The modern gospel says:
“You’re justified by faith, but true faith always produces fruit—and without fruit, you’re not really saved.”
Sounds convincing. Sounds holy. Sounds biblical.
But it’s not.
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”
—Romans 4:5
Paul separates faith and works completely.
He does not say, “You’re justified by faith, which is proven by your behavior.”
He says you’re justified by faith apart from works.
⚠️ Why Fruit-Based Assurance Is So Dangerous
- It shifts your assurance from Christ’s work to your walk.
- It causes constant fear, doubt, and introspection.
- It leads people to either:
- Pretend to be something they’re not, or
- Despair because they’ll never “measure up.”
- It adds works to the gospel under the guise of “evidence.”
This is not a small error—it’s another gospel.
✅ Fruit Comes After Salvation
Of course, God desires our lives to be fruitful and holy. But that comes after we’re saved—not to prove it, not to secure it, and certainly not to keep it.
“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
—Galatians 3:3
🗝️ Key Takeaway
Don’t place your confidence in your fruit.
Place it in Christ alone. The gospel isn’t “faith plus fruit.”
It’s faith in the finished work of Christ—and that alone saves.
Explore the Full Series
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 5, 2025 | Pauline Theology |
Series: Not of Works – A Series on the Gospel of Grace
Anchor Text: Romans 5:1
The popular claim today is that justification is just step one—a sort of “legal standing” that must later be confirmed by fruit, holiness, and endurance.
According to this logic, you’re not truly saved yet. You’ve only started the journey. Final salvation, they say, comes later—if your life proves it.
This is nothing more than salvation by works with new labels.
And Paul demolishes it.
✅ Justified by Faith, Saved Completely
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Romans 5:1
The moment you believe, you are:
- Justified (declared righteous)
- Reconciled to God
- At peace with Him
- Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
- Complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
Justification is not phase one of a two-step process.
It is salvation.
🩸 Justification Means the Debt Is Paid
You are not waiting to be cleared at a future judgment.
“Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
—Romans 5:9
Your sin debt was paid in full at the cross.
There is nothing left to prove, earn, or complete.
❌ A “Justified But Not Yet Saved” Gospel Is Another Gospel
Satan is subtle.
If he can’t get people to deny grace outright, he’ll dress up works as part of the process.
This is how people end up believing they are justified by faith—but will only be saved if they live a holy enough life.
That’s not assurance. That’s bondage.
And it’s not what Paul preached.
“But to him who does not work but believes… his faith is counted for righteousness.”
—Romans 4:5
🗝️ Key Takeaway
Justification is not the beginning of salvation.
It is salvation.
You are not waiting for confirmation.
You are not being weighed and measured.
You are complete in Christ the moment you believe the gospel.
Explore the Full Series
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 5, 2025 | Pauline Theology |
Series: Not of Works – A Series on the Gospel of Grace
Anchor Text: Galatians 1:6–9
One of the most dangerous distortions in Christendom today is the teaching that justification by faith is only “phase one”—that you’re declared righteous by grace, but you won’t receive final salvation unless you persevere in holiness, love, fruit, and obedience.
Many denominations—especially in America—preach some form of “final salvation.”
Over the years, I’ve met countless people who didn’t even realize they were trusting in a faith plus something gospel.
Whether it’s faith plus fruit, obedience, baptism, law-keeping, or perseverance, the result is the same:
They weren’t resting in faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross. And that’s what Paul calls another gospel, a false gospel.
It’s a clever lie.
It sounds spiritual.
It sounds serious.
But it’s another gospel—and Paul said anyone who preaches it is accursed.
“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel—
which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you,
let him be accursed.”
—Galatians 1:6–8
❌ What Is “Final Salvation”?
The term doesn’t appear anywhere in Scripture.
It’s a theological invention used to describe an imagined second tier of salvation—a future reward based on works.
Here’s what this false gospel claims:
- You are justified by faith…
- But you are finally saved by a life of holiness, fruit, and obedience.
That’s not salvation. That’s probation.
And it puts the burden of heaven back on the shoulders of man.
✅ Justification Is Salvation
Paul doesn’t separate justification from salvation.
He doesn’t treat it as the start of a process with an uncertain outcome.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Romans 5:1
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”
—Romans 4:5
The moment you believe the gospel—you’re saved.
Sealed. Forgiven. Righteous. Reconciled. Redeemed.
Not on probation. Not waiting for final approval.
🔥 The True Danger of “Final Salvation”
Here’s why this lie is so destructive:
- It places the assurance of salvation on your performance—not Christ’s finished work.
- It causes fear, confusion, and insecurity in the believer’s heart.
- It makes fruit and obedience conditions for salvation, not results of salvation.
- It shifts the glory from Christ to man.
- It’s exactly what the enemy wants: a Christless, cross-less gospel that sounds right but condemns.
And Paul saw it coming:
“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
—Galatians 3:3
🗝️ Key Takeaway
There is no such thing as “final salvation.”
You’re either saved or you’re not.
Salvation is not a reward for good behavior.
It’s a gift—purchased by the shed blood of Christ, received by faith alone.
Explore the Full Series
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 5, 2025 | Pauline Theology |
Series: Not of Works – A Series on the Gospel of Grace
Anchor Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1–4
When the Bible warns us about “another gospel” in Galatians 1:6–9, it presupposes that there is one true gospel—and only one.
That gospel was not revealed during Jesus’ earthly ministry.
It was revealed later, by the risen, glorified Christ, directly to the apostle Paul (Galatians 1:11–12).
Paul calls it “my gospel” (Romans 2:16) and “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
So what is it?
✅ The Gospel Defined
Paul declares the gospel plainly in 1 Corinthians 15:
“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
by which also you are saved…
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
—1 Corinthians 15:1–4
But it’s not just that He died—it’s how He died and what His death accomplished.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
—Ephesians 1:7
It was the shedding of His blood—the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice—that satisfied God’s justice.
“Without shedding of blood there is no remission.”
—Hebrews 9:22
✝️ The Essential Components
- Christ died for our sins – as a blood sacrifice to pay our sin debt.
- He was buried – proving His death was real and complete.
- He rose again – the proof of our justification (Romans 4:25).
This is the finished work. Nothing more is needed.
Faith in His death, burial and resurrection is all that saves.
‘that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ‘
Romans 10:9
❌ What Paul’s Gospel Is Not
- It is not “believe and behave.”
- It is not “faith plus fruit.”
- It is not “start by grace, finish by effort.”
Those are counterfeit gospels—and Paul says those who preach them are accursed (Galatians 1:8–9).
⚖️ The Gospel You Believe Matters
Paul says in Romans 2:16 that God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ—according to his gospel. Not Peter’s gospel of the kingdom. Not a blended gospel.
Paul’s gospel of grace—centered on the cross, the blood, and the resurrection.
‘in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.’
Romans 2:16
This is the gospel that saves today. The only gospel.
Anything more… or anything less… is another gospel.
Explore the Full Series