I do not always agree with Pastor Bob Yandian, but on this subject, I believe he is right:
Divorce, Re-Marriage and Adultery
Reply
The Preacher’s Job
“I just want you to know, Mr. Washer, 22 people, I believe it was are on their way to heaven now because last night they prayed that little prayer that you are always speaking against.”
And I wrote him back and I said, “I had no idea you were that charismatic.”
And he wrote me back, “Well, I am not charismatic. Why did you say that?”
I said, “Because apart from a supernatural revelation from God, explain to me how you know they were converted.”
And he said, “Well, that is not my job.”
I said, “Then what is your job, sir? Your job is that when you have properly preached the gospel and you have called men to repentance and faith that even though you have surveyed their life for a few hours in counseling, deep counseling, you depart from them with both promises and warnings. Promises that if God truly continues this work, it is evidence that he began it; and warnings that if after this night or after a short period of seeming to walk with Christ they fall away or turn away, it is evidence that nothing happened to them that night.”
Faith
“Faith is nothing but the instrument of our salvation. Nowhere in Scripture will you find that we are justified because of our faith; nowhere in Scripture will you find that we are justified on account of our faith. The Scripture says that we are justified by faith or through faith. Faith is nothing but the instrument or the channel by which this righteousness of God in Christ becomes ours. It is not faith that saves us. What saves us is the Lord Jesus Christ and His perfect work. It is the death of Christ upon Calvary’s Cross that saves us. It is His perfect life that saves us. It is His appealing on our behalf in the presence of God that saves us. It is God putting Christ’s righteousness to our account that saves us. That is the righteousness that saves; faith is but the channel and the instrument by which His righteousness becomes mine. The righteousness is entirely Christ’s. My faith is not my righteousness and I must never think of faith as righteousness. Faith is nothing but that which links us to the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness.” – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“The saving power of faith resides not in itself, but in the Almighty Savior on whom it rests. It is not faith that saves, but faith in Jesus Christ. It is not strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith.” – B. B. Warfield