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"From Heaven Or Men?" Matthew 21:25

Today we have under consideration another question of the gospel age. The question was asked
by our Lord Jesus Christ He had gone to the temple in Jerusalem, and had overturned the tables
of the moneychangers and had driven them out, and the chief priests and scribes asked him who
gave him the authority to do these things. Jesus promised to answer their question if they would
only answer one for him: "The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or of men?"
Never were would-be captivators more captivated. Instead of the scribes and chief priests
trapping Jesus, they themselves were in a dilemma. If they said that John's baptism was from
heaven, they knew that Jesus would say: "Why didn't you accept John's assessment of me?" If
they said John's baptism was not from heaven, they feared the people. So they took the coward's
way out and said, "We cannot tell" (Mt. 21:27).

John's baptism was from heaven, of course. He received his commission from God, to prepare
the people to receive the Christ (ML 3:1-3). Jesus was baptized by John, and spoke of it as
"righteousness" (ML 3:15). To reject the John's baptism was to "reject the counsel of God" (Lk.
7:30).

The question Jesus asked is a great question. If the baptism of John had originated with man, it
would have been unworthy of practice and belief. On the other hand, if it came from God it was
tragic and reckless to reject it. There are many practices in religion today about which we would
like to raise the question: "From heaven or of men?" The Bible teaches: "Prove all things; hold
fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). There are many things practiced in religion today for
which there is no biblical authority. For every religious practice, we should ask the question, "Is it
from heaven, or of men?" If the Bible teaches it, it is right and it must be accepted. If the Bible
does not teach it, it is wrong, and must be rejected.
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The Doctrine of Faith Only, From Heaven or of Men?

The doctrine of faith only is believed and taught among nearly all denominational people today. In
view of the wide acceptance of this doctrine, it would be well to ask if this doctrine is form heaven
or of men. That man is saved by faith is something that no Bible believing person could deny. I
believe and have always believed that without faith it is impossible to please God, because the
Bible teaches that in Hebrews 11:6. What I do not believe is that man is saved by faith alone, or
faith only, be­cause this idea is contradicted by the plain teaching of the Bible.

"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (Jas. 2:24). Man says:
"We are justified by faith only." But the Bible says, "Not by faith only." Which one is right?
The doctrine of faith only is not from heaven. It originated with men. It originated in the mind of a
young monk in Germany by the name of Martin Luther. In his desire to get away from the false
doctrine of works which was being taught by the apostate church at that time, Luther swung too
far in the other direction, not stopping with the Bible doctrine of salvation by faith, but teaching
the doctrine of faith alone.

What was Luther's trouble? His trouble is the same trouble people have today. He did not
understand the Bible term "works." Luther could not reconcile Ephesians 2:8-9 which teaches that
salvation is "not of works," and James 2:24 which states that we are not justified by faith only but
by works. Do you know how Luther initially solved the problem? He rejected the book of James,
and said it was not inspired because it taught justification by works and not by faith only. He later
abandoned this position and accepted the book of James.

In Romans 3:28, Paul said, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law." Martin Luther rendered the verse to say: "We reckon, therefore that a man is
justified by faith alone." To justify his unscriptural position, Luther inserted the word "alone" in his
translation, although the word "alone" is not in the original text. In combating the error that men
are justified by works of the apostate church, Luther fell into another error. The Bible teaches
that repentance is as much a means of justification as faith, and there is no merit in either of
them. The meritorious cause of our justification is the atoning blood of Christ, and by faith,
repentance, baptism, etc. we appropriate the blood of Christ. These acts do not make us worthy
of salvation or justification, but they are conditions imposed by Christ upon which he justifies us
by his blood.