Does the doctrine of salvation by faith alone exclude obedience of the gospel?
The operative word is alone. I believe that if God had intended that faith AND obedience were required for salvation, the Bible would read differently than it does. For example, Ephesians 2:8,9 would read For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; and obedience, which is of yourselves, so it is not the gift of God, but the just recompense for works, in order that some should boast. Personally, I prefer to go with the original wording: 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. Certainly, after regeneration, one should strive to please God through obedience, charitable works, prayer, etc. All this, however, comes after saving faith. As I state in the Declaration of Faith on my website, I believe that the new birth of the believer comes only through faith in Christ and that repentance is a vital part of believing, and is in no way, in itself, a separate and ind
