A Voice from the Past:

In 1917, Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote a book on Salvation. In chapter five, The One Condition of Salvation, he taught that the only requirement for salvation is to believe. This is known as the doctrine of sola fide—faith alone.

Dr. Chafer explained that:

The one thing God asks of a sinner is to believe—that’s all you can do and all you must do to be saved. Believing means trusting the testimony God has given about His Son. That testimony says Christ fully met every need of our lost condition and, having risen from the dead, is a living Savior for all who put their trust in Him.

Anyone can know whether or not they’ve placed this kind of trust in Him—it’s not a mystery. Saving faith is something you’re aware of: “I know whom I have believed.” Handing over your eternal destiny to someone else is a definite, conscious choice, not something vague or uncertain. Your eternal future rests on placing yourself in His saving grace. To add to this condition—or take anything away from it—is a dangerous distortion of the gospel. (Adapted from Lewis Sperry Chafer, Salvation; The One Condition of Salvation, Chapter Five.)