Where Is the Evidence?
Driscoll insists that Christians are saved by “faith alone,” while Latter-day Saints teach that we are saved by grace, and that obedience, ordinances, and covenants are part of salvation. He declares this a fatal difference.
But let’s replace the burden of proof:
Where does the Bible ever say we are saved by faith alone (sola fide)?
Why does James the apostle explicitly say the opposite?
Where did the apostles ever separate grace from covenant obedience?
If sola fide was the apostolic teaching, why was it not formally articulated until Martin Luther in the 16th century?
Until these questions are answered, the claim that the Latter-day Saint path is “unbiblical” has no foundation.
What the Bible Actually Says: Faith Working Through Love
Scripture is consistent: we are saved by grace, through faith, expressed in obedience.
James 2:24: “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” (The only time “faith only” appears in the Bible, it is explicitly rejected.)
Romans 2:6-7: God “will render to every man according to his deeds, to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life.”
Matthew 7:21: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter, but he that doeth the will of my Father.”
Hebrews 5:9: Christ is “the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”
Philippians 2:12: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Galatians 5:6: Paul himself declares, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.”
Paul’s own language cuts against Luther’s later invention. Faith is not mere belief. Faith is covenantal loyalty that “works through love.”
And most strikingly, Jesus describes the final judgment in Matthew 25:31-46. Those welcomed into eternal life are surprised. They did not realize that in serving “the least of these,” they were serving Him. Their works did not buy heaven, but they revealed hearts sanctified into His image.
In other words, we are not saved by our works. We are saved by Christ’s grace, and He uses our works to sanctify us, shape us, and make us like Him.
What the Greek Says
pistis (πίστις) = faith, trust, loyalty, faithfulness. In the New Testament, pistis is more than mental belief. It implies covenant fidelity.
ergon (ἔργον) = works, deeds, actions. Paul contrasts “works of the law” (circumcision, ritual boundary markers) with faith in Christ, but never dismisses works of righteousness.
dikaiōsis (δικαίωσις) = justification, being set right. In Paul, this is not a legal fiction but participation in Christ’s righteousness.
In other words, Paul’s language is covenantal. Faith means loyalty to Christ. Works of the law (Jewish ritual identity markers) cannot save. But obedience to God’s will, empowered by grace, is essential.
Early Christian Views
The early Fathers consistently taught the need for both faith and obedience.
Clement of Rome (c. 96 AD): “We are justified by faith… and by works also.” (1 Clement 30-33)
Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD): “It is not that I desire to live, but that I desire to suffer for Christ. Only through faith and love shall I attain to God.” (Letter to the Romans 7)
Justin Martyr (c. 100-165 AD): “Each man goes to everlasting punishment or salvation according to the value of his actions.” (First Apology 12)
Irenaeus (c. 130-202 AD): “Those who do not obey him, being disinherited by him, have ceased to be his sons.” (Against Heresies 4.41.3)
There is no trace of “faith alone” in the earliest church. The doctrine appears only with Luther’s break from Catholicism, and even Luther admitted that James contradicted his interpretation.
The Restoration’s Witness
The Book of Mormon and modern revelation make the biblical pattern clear: salvation is by grace, received through faith in Christ, but conditioned on repentance, covenants, and endurance.
2 Nephi 25:23 – “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
Mosiah 18:10 – Baptism is a covenant of obedience: “Now if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized… to serve him and keep his commandments?”
Moroni 10:32 – “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness.”
Doctrine and Covenants 20:29-31 – Faith leads to repentance, baptism, and enduring in faith to the end.
This is not salvation by works. It is salvation by grace through covenant loyalty, the same pattern taught in the Bible.
Replacing the Burden of Proof
So here is the challenge to Mr. Driscoll:
Show us where the Bible teaches “faith alone” (sola fide).
Reconcile James 2:24, which explicitly denies justification by faith only.
Explain why Paul calls faith pistis (loyalty) if it is merely intellectual assent.
Account for the early Fathers, who consistently taught faith and obedience, not sola fide.
Explain why a doctrine first articulated in the 16th century should be considered “biblical Christianity,” while the New Testament and Restoration both reject it.
Until those questions are answered, the charge that Latter-day Saints distort the gospel falls apart. The evidence points the other way. It was post-apostolic Christianity — and later Protestant reformers — who introduced an unbiblical innovation. The Restoration restores the covenantal path of faith, obedience, and grace through Jesus Christ.
Click for Part 6: Heaven and Hell vs. Three Degrees of Glory