Does faith plus nothing apply to the whole Christian life or just to salvation?
Paul says faith plus nothing applies to salvation, not to the Christian experience as we go on down the road. He clarifies he is speaking about salvation here, where it is faith plus nothing. If not, Christ died for nothing. The Christian life is a separate matter.
Les explains that Paul’s phrase 'faith plus nothing' is specifically for salvation. He says, 'I'm not talking about the Christian experience as we go on down the road. I'm talking about salvation here.' If salvation were not faith plus nothing, then Christ died for nothing and in vain. In Galatians 3, Paul asks who has bewitched them, that they should not obey the truth, that it is the finished work plus nothing. Les connects this to receiving the Holy Spirit as the evidence of salvation, asking whether they received it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, he points to Romans 10:17: saving faith comes by hearing, not by works, and there is no work in hearing.