Tattoos From A Biblical Doctrinal Viewpoint

Tattoos From A Biblical Doctrinal Viewpoint

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 24, 2026 (Donate)

I know Christians with tattoos. I also know Christians who believe getting a tattoo is sinful. Christians and tattoos have become a hotly debated subject, with some Christians freely getting them and others strongly opposing the practice.

Are tattoos sinful today like they were in the Old Testament?; Image requested by Bodie Hodge* 

Part of the disagreement comes down to how Christians understand the nature of the Old Testament Law and its application today. Scripture tells us:

But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. (1 Timothy 1:8-11, NKJV).

The question, then, isn’t whether God's Law was good, but how laws given under the Old Covenant should be understood under the New Covenant in Christ. This discussion often intersects with the larger doctrinal debate between Covenant theology and Dispensational theology.

What Does The Old Testament Say About Tattoos?

The primary passage is Leviticus 19:28 (NKJV):

“You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.”

The wording is fairly direct. Israel was prohibited from cutting the flesh for the dead and from tattooing marks on the body. Such practices occurred among pagan peoples and were often associated with mourning, idolatry, religious devotion, or identification. We still see these pagan practices today with tattoos.

The debate among Christians is generally not over whether Leviticus 19:28 prohibited tattoos. The debate concerns whether that prohibition continues to apply to Christians today.

The Covenant Theology Approach

Covenant theology recognizes continuity between the Old and New Testaments. God's moral standards don’t simply disappear unless Scripture indicates that a particular command was fulfilled, modified, or set aside under the New Covenant.

For example, Old Testament animal sacrifices are no longer offered because Christ fulfilled the sacrificial system through His once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:1-14). Circumcision is not required for salvation or church membership (Acts 15; Galatians 5:1-6). Dietary restrictions were modified as all foods were now clean in the New Covenant (Mark 7:18-19; Acts 10:9-16; 1 Timothy 4:3-5).

The moral principles expressed in the Law, how ever, continue. Murder, adultery, theft, idolatry, dishonoring parents, sexual immorality, and other sins remain sins in the New Testament.

Even the Sabbath command has a New Covenant fulfillment and modification. The Sabbath pointed forward to the greater rest found in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:1-11).

From this perspective, the Covenant theologian argues that the prohibition against tattoos in Leviticus 19:28 remains applicable because the New Testament never specifically repeals or modifies it. God prohibited the practice, and there is no later passage specifically authorizing it.

The Dispensational Approach

In the 1800s, a new approach emerged. It was called dispensationalism by John Darby (often called the "Father of Dispensationalism"). In this system, many Dispensationalists approach the Mosaic Law differently. They argue that Christians aren’t under the Mosaic covenant because Christ fulfilled the Law (Romans 6:14; 7:4-6; Galatians 3:23-25) and thus it is now set aside.

Under this view, Christians are governed strictly by the teachings given under the New Covenant rather than by the Mosaic Law as a covenantal system. Many moral commands from the Old Testament remain applicable because they are repeated or reaffirmed in the New Testament.

Thus, murder remains sinful, as does adultery, theft, idolatry, homosexuality, and many other sins because the New Testament teaches against them.

Regarding tattoos, however, the argument is that Leviticus 19:28 belonged to the Mosaic Law given to Israel. Since the New Testament contains no explicit prohibition against tattoos, the consistent Dispensationalists conclude that Christians have liberty in this area.

As a caveat, it should be noted that not every Covenant theologian or Dispensationalist will reach the same conclusion about tattoos. There are variations[1] within both theological systems but if they were consistent with their respective systems, this is where they should land.

A Potential Problem With Requiring New Testament Repetition

One difficulty with saying that an Old Testament moral command is irrelevant unless specifically repeated in the New Testament is that the New Testament doesn’t explicitly repeat every possible moral prohibition.

Consider bestiality. The Old Testament clearly condemns it (Exodus 22:19; Leviticus 18:23; 20:15-16; Deuteronomy 27:21). Yet the New Testament contains no similarly explicit command saying, "You shall not commit bestiality." Does one have liberty here? Surely this silence doesn’t mean the practice suddenly became morally acceptable and is no longer condemned under immorality.

This illustrates why Christians should be careful about arguing that anything not explicitly prohibited in the New Testament is therefore permissible. The Old Testament Law remains God's Word—hence Christ’s authoritative Word. And it is profitable for Christians (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6-11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Other Biblical Principles

Even Christians who believe Leviticus 19:28 isn’t directly applicable should consider broader biblical principles before getting a tattoo or cutting oneself.

Our bodies belong to the Lord. Paul writes, "your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" and reminds believers, "you are not your own" because we were "bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

So, Christians should ask: Does this honor Christ? What is my motivation for cutting or tattoos? Is it vanity, rebellion, peer pressure, cultural conformity, or a genuine matter of Christian liberty? Will the image or message glorify something contrary to Scripture? Could it damage my Christian testimony? Am I acting against my conscience? How do tattoos affect by body medically and from a health perspective?

Romans 14 teaches Christians not to violate their consciences in disputed matters. First Corinthians 10:31 gives an even broader principle: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

What About Christians Who Already Have Tattoos?

Before people get all “high and mighty”, Christians should also avoid treating a tattooed person as though tattoos somehow place someone beyond God's grace. Many people received tattoos before becoming Christians. Others may have received them as Christians while believing they had biblical liberty to do so. Some may have gotten them knowing nothing about the debate or the Scriptural prohibition.

A person's standing before God isn’t saved or judged eternally by whether tattoo ink is present beneath his earthly skin. Salvation is by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not through an unmarked body (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, this isn’t a matter of salvation but a matter of interpretation of the Law today.

Consider Brazil’s most tattooed man—Leandro de Souza, who had over 95% of his body tattooed. When He received Christ as Lord he felt convicted and had these tattoos removed, though he doesn’t condemn those who have them.

Final Thoughts

The tattoo and cutting debate ultimately involves more than Leviticus 19:28. It touches on the larger question of how Christians understand and apply the Old Testament Law under the New Covenant. At the same time, be careful about judging another believer's salvation or spirituality merely from outward appearance. 

For someone considering a tattoo, this is not a decision that needs to be made hastily. Study God's Word, pray about the matter, consider the theological arguments, and seek counsel from faithful parents and family members—as your appearance often reflects on their Christian testimony as well.

I also suggest seeking wisdom from your local pastor and elders in your church, examine your motives, and avoid making decisions merely because the surrounding culture approves of something. 

Whatever conclusion one reaches, the ultimate question should always be: Does what I am doing honor the Lord Jesus Christ and conform to the authority of His Word?

□

Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

*Image generated by ChatGPT

---

[1] Variations such as Leaky Dispensationalism, Revised Dispensationalism, Progressive Dispensationalism, New Covenant theology, are mixtures between Covenant theology and Dispensationalism, but really, the individual is picking and choosing which laws they want to follow and which they don’t at their own arbitrary opinion.

Did It Rain Before The Flood?

 Did It Rain Before The Flood?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 21, 2026 (Donate)

An all-to-often Christian teaching is that rain didn’t occur until Noah's Flood. However, a careful reading of the Bible doesn’t actually say this. I humbly suggest that Christians be careful about against being dogmatic about a "no rain before the Flood" position.

A Kentucky rainbow reminder; Photo by Bodie Hodge

What About Genesis 2:5-6?

The main passage used to argue against pre-Flood rain is Genesis 2:5-6 (NKJV):

…before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

However, Genesis 2 is focusing on events surrounding the creation of Adam. And this comment is specifically regarding a time during Creation week, prior to Adam’s creation on Day 6 (i.e., “no man to till the ground”).

Therefore, the passage tells us that God hadn’t caused rain to fall up to that particular point during Creation Week. During this time the dry ground that God created on Day 3 was being watered. There is no passage that reveals that the rain remained absent for the approximately 1,650 years between Creation and the Flood.

The mist mentioned in Genesis 2:6 may have been an important means by which God initially watered the earth. Furthermore, Genesis 2:10-14 describes rivers flowing through the pre-Flood world. Though much of this could also be spring fed, it also reveals that the hydrologic cycle was in place.

Oceans, seas, clouds, rivers vapor, and so on are all part of the hydrologic cycle. Photo of the Gold Coast in Australia by Bodie Hodge

This is to be expected since God made the laws of nature and uphold them into existence and had no reason to change them—thus water evaporated and condensed (natural created-properties of water) so water vapor, cloud condensation, and rain should no doubt be realities.

What About Hebrews 11:7?

Hebrews 11:7 says Noah was warned "of things not yet seen." Some interpret this to mean Noah had never seen rain. This is bit of a stretch!

But the verse doesn’t say that. A global Flood had not been seen either! The unprecedented event Noah hadn’t seen was the coming worldwide catastrophic Flood and God's judgment upon mankind. And Bible reveals that is what Noah endured on the Ark.

Was The Rainbow New?

Genesis 9:12-17 also does not necessarily mean that the first rainbow existed after the Flood. Again, it would call into question the very natural laws by which God upholds things into existence.

God could have taken an already-existing phenomenon and given it a new covenant significance. God does this. Similarly, Christ gave bread and wine a special meaning in the Lord's Supper even though bread and wine already existed. Our bodies have become the Temple of the Holy Spirit (i.e., collectively the third Temple, if you will). Man’s bodies existed beforehand and now take on new responsibilities and meanings.

What About The Water Cycle In More Detail?

Ecclesiastes 1:7 describes rivers flowing into the sea while water continually returns to supply them, and passages like Job 36:27-28 describe evaporation, clouds, ice/snow, and rainfall. Scripture therefore recognizes the normal water cycle.

God provides rain regularly for things like fields, crops, and harvests throughout the Bible (e.g., Deuteronomy 11:11-17). Why assume He didn’t do that in His perfectly created world?

When God told Noah that rain would come in the seven days to begin the global Flood (Genesis 7:4), did Noah react in such a way, as to be confused about what rain was if he hadn’t seen it before and had no concept of it? No. Instead Noah did all that God commanded him, knowing full well what the rains would do.  

Red River Gorge in Kentucky has many waterfalls and natural bridges in the park; Photo by Bodie Hodge

Since the pre-Flood world already possessed oceans, rivers, sunlight, and an atmosphere, there is no biblical requirement that this process was absent before Noah. There is no logical reason to insist that teh normal water cycle did not function before the Flood. Thus, this becomes an arbitrary assertion that really isn’t defensible biblically, logically, or scientifically.

Conclusion

Did it rain before the Flood? Though Scripture does not openly tell us, we have no reason to think it didn’t.

The Bible clearly says there had been no rain before Adam was created (Genesis 2:5-6), but it never says there was no rain during the entire pre-Flood era. So one should be careful about applying this verse to an era of time that it wasn’t intended. Therefore, Christians should not teach "no rain before Noah" as established biblical doctrine. Rain before the Flood is totally consistent with Scripture.

□

Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

 

What Was The Date Of Christ's Resurrection?

What Was The Date Of Christ's Resurrection?

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 19, 2026 (Donate)

This is such a great question! The Bible does not give a modern calendar date for Christ's resurrection—nor did we expect it to. In fact, today, we use the Gregorian calendar which didn’t exist in Christ’s day.

Empty Tomb; Image requested by Bodie Hodge*

An earlier form of the Gregorian was in effect—the Julian calendar—named for Julius Caesar. The Gregorian calendar has leap years and things like that to correct the Julian calendar which would drift slight over centuries.

When we ask the question about Jesus’ resurrection date, it would be convenient to have it on our modern calendars and not use the Julian calendar or the Babylonian calendar (commonly called the Jewish calendar) as the date drifts and moves around compared to our modern calendar.

With that said, the most common date used and defended historically is Sunday, April 5, AD 33 as translated to our modern calendar. This follows from placing the Crucifixion on Friday, April 3, AD 33, with Christ rising on the first day of the week. Of course, you can’t give a date, without some debate, but this date tends to stand up to the scrutiny.

Why Is The Date Debated?

The debate is centered on a range that it could have happened. Obviously, people aren’t arguing the Christ resurrected in AD 1776. We have to go back to time markers given in God’s Word—the absolute authority in all matters.

Then secondarily, we use historical data to help us out. When we do this, we are initially narrowing down the timeframe primarily surrounding AD 33. For example, scriptural time markers give chronological points rather than a numbered Roman year on the Julian calendar.

For instance, historians must correlate the reigns of Tiberius Caesar and Pontius Pilate (Luke 3:1). Both were in power at the same time—one as emperor and the other as governor of Judea under Tiberius.

The Bible tells us that the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry was in Tiberius's fifteenth year. He baptized Jesus after this when He was "about thirty years of age" and this marked when His ministry began (Luke 3:23). Keep in mind that Christ was born about 4 BC (yes, there was an early error in the initial calculation for Christ’s birth—King Herod, who was a lesser king for the region of Judea, under Caesar, died in 3 BC). Jesus was born while King Herod was still alive, but he died soon after that.

The Bible also mentions at least three Passovers that Jesus celebrated (John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55). Some suggest that Jesus, therefore, had His ministry for three years. However, what we can know is that it was at least three years—it could have been a little more.

Another requirement for the crucifixion occurs in connection with the Passover week overlapping with the weekly Sabbath causing it to become a High Day or High Sabbath with Passover itself occurring on the day before the Sabbath (Saturday).

Another mild disagreement arises over ancient Jewish calendars (the Jewish group called the Essenes used a 365-day solar calendar; others used a lunar 354-day calendar with intercalary months). So, mapping these chronological points shows how intense this can get regarding this debate! 

What Dates Sticks Out?

Even with all this, most dates are eliminated quickly as possibilities. First, Pontius Pilate provides firm historical boundaries. Jesus had to have been crucified while Pilate governed Judea, historically and generally without much dispute, this is dated at AD 26-36. Caiaphas provides another historical boundary. Caiaphas served as high priest during the period in which an AD 33 crucifixion would fall (generally from AD 18-36).[1]

Simply consider this next piece of biblical data. The Passover began the day before the Sabbath which is also called the Preparation Day (preparing for the Sabbath, see John 19:31)—that is when the Last Supper took place—it was the Passover meal Jesus shared with His disciples.

Then Jesus was later arrested that night and crucified later that day during the daylight portion of the Passover/Preparation Day; and He was put in the grave prior to the Sabbath which began at sunset. The Pharisees still needed to eat the Passover meal after Jesus was turned over to be crucified (John 18:28).

Doing a little research, we find that (as correlated to our Gregorian calendar), AD 30 was a Thursday, AD 31 was Tuesday, AD 32 was a Monday, AD 33 was a Friday, AD 34 was a Tuesday, AD 35 was a Monday and AD 36 was a Friday.[2]

Crown of Thorns; Image requested by Bodie Hodge*

Thus, most dates can be eliminated as the Passover was not on a Friday for most of these dates. This leaved AD 33 as the reasonable date and AD 36, which is far too late. The AD 36 date would have Jesus being about 40 years old having a about 7-8-year ministry, which seems to be a stretch.

Why Is AD 33 Biblical And Defensible?

Luke places John the Baptist's ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius (Luke 3:1-3). Tiberius's reign, based on Roman historical accounts, is reckoned normally from AD 14. This points toward AD 28/29. Jesus began His ministry afterward, and John records at least three Passovers, indicating a ministry extending several years. This fits AD 33 considerably better than AD 30. AD 30 is based on a Thursday crucifixion but then, there would be no need to rush to get Him buried prior to the Sabbath.

A Friday crucifixion also fits the traditional chronology of Friday (1^st day); Saturday (2^nd day); and Sunday (3^rd day). The Bible repeatedly asserts that Jesus was to rise on the third day (Matthew 16:21, Matthew 17:23, Matthew 20:19, Matthew 27:64, Mark 9:31, Mark 10:34, Luke 9:22, Luke 13:32, Luke 18:33, Luke 24:7, Luke 24:21, Luke 24:46, Acts 10:40, 1 Corinthians 15:4).

Jesus indeed rose on the first day of the week (Sunday, now called the Lord’s Day to honor Christ’s resurrection):

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. (Mark 16:9, NKJV).

See also Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1, John 20:1, John 20:19. So counting backwards from Sunday being the third day, the Sabbath being the second day, then Friday must be the first day.

This is consistent. Christ died Friday, April 3, AD 33, His resurrection occurred Sunday, April 5, AD 33. Christ rose on the third day. So, while Scripture does not require Christians to affirm a particular modern calendar date, April 5, AD 33 is biblically consistent, historically plausible, and strongly defensible.

□

Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

*Image generated by ChatGPT

---

[1] Take note that likely places Caiaphas as a lower level priest around the time Jesus stayed back at the Temple when he was 12.  

[2] As indicated by Larry Pierce in James Ussher, The Annals of the World, translated by Larry and Marion Pierce, Second Printing December 2003, Master Books, Green Forest, Arkansas, page 822.

Salvation by Works: A False Doctrine

Salvation by Works: A False Doctrine

Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI

Biblical Authority Ministries, August 17, 2026 (Donate)

Author and General Editor of the popular book series: World Religion and Cults

If one looks at the state of religion throughout the world, you cannot miss the fact that religions are massively different—even in their ultimate goals. Atheistic worldviews offer no final salvation at all. If death is simply the end of a person and all their works are useless—then there is ultimately no rescue from death, no final restoration, and no eternal hope.

Many Eastern mystical religions offer a very different goal. Some teach various forms of reincarnation that you can work for, enlightenment, liberation, or absorption into an ultimate impersonal reality. The individual hopes to escape the cycle of suffering and distinctions. From a biblical perspective, however, this offers no genuine hope of eternal life with the personal God who created us.

Pagan, moralistic, and works-based religions fare no better. People are told, in one form or another, to do enough good, obey certain rules, perform religious rituals, avoid certain sins, or accumulate enough merit in the hope that things will turn out well in the end. But how much good is enough—and what do you mean by good anyway? How can a sinful person know that the debt of sin has actually been paid? What about the guilt?

Then there are religions that mimic certain aspects of Christianity and look forward to an end result described as heaven, paradise, resurrection with new bodies, or eternal blessing. This includes more than half of the world's population.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge*

But how do we get to heaven? Most religions answer with some form of works. Do this. Avoid that. Perform this ritual. Keep these commandments. Join this religious organization. Accumulate enough merit. Perhaps, if your good outweighs your bad, things will, “cross your fingers”, work out.

Yet God's answer is radically different—and remarkably simple.

God Said What?

According to Scripture, salvation is by God's grace through faith. It is a free gift. We don’t earn it by works.

"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" (Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV).

Salvation is free to us, but it was certainly not without cost to God. We sinned against our infinite and holy Creator and deserved His righteous judgment (Genesis 2:17, 3:19). We could never pay that debt through our own good deeds. In fact, doing good, doesn’t negate that we deserve to be punished by God. We sinned, that needs to be dealt with by a perfect and righteous Judge—God.

Jesus Christ did what we couldn’t do. Christ, God the Son who came in the flesh, lived without sin and died in the place of sinners. He was buried and rose bodily from the dead, showing…and proving…His victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Christ fully satisfied God’s wrath on our sin through His death and resurrection. This is why Paul and Silas could answer the Philippian jailer's question so simply:

"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30, NKJV).

Their response wasn’t, "Perform enough good works." It was:

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31, NKJV).

Those who believe in the Jesus Christ of Scripture, trusting in His death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation, are saved. Genuine saving faith will then produce fruit with God’s help. Repentance, obedience, love for God, and good works should flow from salvation, but they don’t purchase salvation. This distinction is essential. We aren’t saved by good works. Bu t instead we are saved and then do good works because of our love for God to be obedient to Him (Ephesians 2:10).

What Are We Saved From Again?

Why do we need a Savior in the first place? The answer goes back to Genesis. God warned Adam concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, "in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17, NKJV). Adam rebelled against God, and death entered God's once "very good" and perfect creation (Genesis 1:31; Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 5:12).

Image requested by Bodie Hodge*

The problem is therefore much greater than merely needing to become a slightly better person. We have sinned against our infinite Creator.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NKJV).

We sinned in Adam and we sin ever since. And the consequence is death:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23, NKJV).

Apart from Christ, sinners face God's final judgment and the second death (Revelation 20:11-15). We therefore need far more than moral improvement in our actions. We need to be rescued form death!

We need a Savior. The wonderful news is that believers don’t have to live their entire lives wondering whether they have accumulated enough merit. Scripture says believers can know they have eternal life:

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13, NKJV).

When we believe in Jesus Christ (the Son of God), and His death and resurrection, we are saved. Our assurance rests ultimately in Christ, not in our ability to do enough “good works”.

That Seductive Error Of Works

The false doctrine of salvation by works is extremely seductive because it appeals to human pride. We naturally want to contribute something. We want to believe that we helped earn our salvation. But if salvation could be earned, grace would no longer be grace. Paul writes:

"And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6, NKJV).

The world's religions are filled with systems in which people perform works while hoping for something better after death. Islam, for example, rejects the Jesus of Scripture and saving work of Christ and instead incorporates obedience and deeds into its understanding of final judgment—a very sexualized paradise.

Other religious groups likewise require religious works, rituals, ordinances, or organizational loyalty while often redefining Jesus as a created being, lesser divine figure, prophet, or one god among others.

From a Protestant perspective, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theology also creates serious problems where sacramental participation, merit, indulgences, or other works are incorporated into the process of justification rather than justification being received through faith apart from works. Protestants historically—and rightly—objected that such systems obscure the sufficiency of Christ's finished work.

The Reformers repeatedly returned to the biblical teaching summarized by the phrase sola fide - faith alone. But Protestants shouldn’t become proud. Protestant churches can fall into similar errors. Sadly, some Protestants teach:

·       Believe in Jesus plus baptism.

·       Believe in Jesus plus confession.

·       Believe in Jesus plus church membership.

·       Believe in Jesus plus speaking in tongues.

·       Believe in Jesus plus a particular spiritual experience.

·       Believe in Jesus plus enough good behavior.

·       Etc.

Whenever something is presented as an additional basis for justification before God, we should immediately compare that teaching with Scripture. Adding unto salvation can be very dangerous!

What About Repentance?

Repentance deserves special attention because Scripture clearly commands people to repent (Acts 17:30). Does that mean repentance is a good work that earns salvation? No.

Biblical repentance is a change of the state of mind and heart regarding God and sin that accompanies genuine faith. When someone truly turns to Christ, that person is turning away from unbelief and rebellion and turns to God. Repentance is therefore inseparably connected with saving faith, but it should never be turned into a merit-based work that purchases or earns God's forgiveness. Keep in mind that repentance is something granted by God (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

Consider someone who says they believe in Jesus and his death and resurrection, but explicitly says they refuse to repent and they love their sin and want to keep sinning. Does this person really have a saving faith in the Jesus Christ of Scripture? No. They still idolize their sin above Christ, and Christ is secondary at best.

Consider someone who says, they need to clean themselves up and repent first before they consider Christ. They do these works in an effort “to be better” so they think they are earning a worthy place before they receive Christ. This too is in error. We don’t clean ourselves up enough to become worthy of Christ. We come to Christ because we aren’t worthy and desperately need His mercy.

Getting Precise

Adding anything to God’s salvation draws one into error—potentially a grave error. Even those who argue carefully sometimes fall into an error that can be subtle. So, I suggest we be gracious. Let me explain.

Consider if someone is arguing that the work of baptism is a requirement for salvation. This is quite common and stems in part from a misunderstanding of Acts 2:37-38. Baptism is extremely important. Christ commanded it (Matthew 28:19), and believers should gladly obey Him.

However, in Acts 2:37, the crowd was cut to the heart by the Gospel message they heard and now believed unto salvation after hearing about Jesus and His death and resurrection.

So, they were saved at that belief. But then they are told in Acts 2:38 to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. It is easy to see how one might think these factors were conditional for salvation. But these other doctrines of repentance and baptism are distinct from salvation that already occurred in Acts 2:37. This position is called baptismal regeneration.

I once had a person say to me that those who held to baptismal regeneration aren’t saved because they add a work to salvation. But here is where we need to be very careful and get very precise.

A person who errs on the proper understanding of baptism still believes in the Jesus Christ of Scripture and His death and resurrection. So, this person is still saved, regardless of their understanding of the baptism. Just because they have a misunderstanding of baptism—does that negate their salvation in Christ when they believed on Him? No.

But look at the converse. When someone says that a baptismal regenerationist isn’t saved, then they just added something to salvation. Did you catch that? They just added that one must believe in the Jesus Christ of Scripture and His death and resurrection PLUS also they must have the correct understanding of baptism to be saved.

If someone has a false Christ, then we can certainly point out that that person is not saved. For instance, if one denies that Christ came in the flesh (i.e., God in the flesh) then they are an anti-Christ and not saved.

If someone suggest they are good enough for heaven based on their works, then they aren’t saved because they haven’t believed in Jesus. But we need to be careful to see if they believe in the correct Jesus of the Bible and His death and resurrection—that is the key.

Image requested by Bodie Hodge*

This is where Christians need to be careful. It is possible to oppose works-based salvation so aggressively that we accidentally create another requirement for salvation. If perfect doctrinal understanding were necessary for salvation, none of us could have assurance because we would constantly wonder whether some theological misunderstanding had invalidated our faith.

This doesn’t make theological error unimportant. False teaching should be identified and corrected from Scripture. But we must distinguish between an error about a secondary doctrine and an error that destroys the object or basis of saving faith. Throughout Scripture, salvation is repeatedly connected to believing in Christ.

Consider Cornelius and his household. The Holy Spirit came upon them before their water baptism (Acts 10:43-48). Their baptism followed as an act of obedience and public identification with Christ.

The thief on the cross provides another important example. He had no opportunity to be baptized, join a local church, take communion, accumulate years of good works, or complete a religious program. Yet Christ told him:

"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43, NKJV).

Christ was enough. Other passages compliment this (NKJV):

·       Acts 16:30-34: And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

·       John 3:16-18: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

·       Romans 10:9-11: that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

·       Romans 3:22: The righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference.

·       Ephesians 1:13: In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

·       Mark 16:16: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

·       Romans 9:3: As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

·       Romans 10:4: For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

·       Galatians 2:16: “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

·       Galatians 3:22: But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

·       1 Timothy 1:16: However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

When Does Error Become Fatal?

We should distinguish between misunderstanding something about salvation and trusting in something other than Christ for salvation.

Suppose a person says:

"I am going to heaven because I have lived a good enough life."

That person is trusting in his own righteousness rather than Christ. They aren’t saved.

Suppose someone says:

"I don't need Jesus. My religious works will save me."

Again, Christ has been rejected. They aren’t saved.

Or suppose someone denies the biblical identity of Christ altogether. Scripture warns strongly about false Christs and those who deny Jesus Christ coming in the flesh (1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 7). A counterfeit Jesus cannot save.

This is why Paul's warning in Galatians is so severe. Certain teachers wanted to add circumcision and law-keeping to justification. Paul responded:

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians 2:16, NKJV).

The question we should ask isn’t merely, "Does this person have every doctrine perfectly correct?" Rather, we should be asking, who are they trusting to save them?

Are they trusting Jesus Christ and His finished work? Or are they ultimately trusting themselves, their works, their rituals, their church, their goodness, or a false version of Christ? That distinction matters enormously.

But Aren't Good Works Important?

Absolutely! Rejecting salvation by works doesn’t mean rejecting good works. James famously says:

"Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26, NKJV).

James isn’t contradicting Paul. Paul explains the basis of justification: we are justified through faith apart from works. James explains the evidence of genuine faith: real faith produces fruit.

In the same way, Christians do good works because God has saved them. Good works demonstrate genuine faith; they don’t purchase eternal life. If you see someone professing to be a Christian and their works are the opposite…then you can judge a fruit by its tree! That person isn’t living as a saved person does. Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:17-20). Paul likewise teaches that believers were "created in Christ Jesus for good works" (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV).

So good works have their proper place—but they aren’t essential to salvation—Christ is. Works are the fruit of salvation, not the basis of salvation.

Final Thoughts

Don’t add to God's salvation. Christ didn’t “almost accomplish salvation” and leave us to finish the job. His work was sufficient to unto salvation—only His work. On the cross, Jesus declared:

"It is finished!" (John 19:30, NKJV).

That should give every believer tremendous comfort. Our salvation doesn’t rest upon whether we have performed enough religious rituals, accumulated enough good deeds, attended church enough times, been baptized correctly enough, given enough money, or understood every secondary doctrine perfectly. Our salvation rests in Jesus Christ and His work alone.

At the same time, we should be cautious when evaluating others. Some theological errors genuinely undermine the Gospel by replacing the biblical Christ or substituting human merit for His finished work. Other errors are serious misunderstandings held by people who nevertheless genuinely trust Christ. Salvation isn’t Christ plus our works. Salvation is found in Christ alone.

"For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved" (Romans 10:13, NKJV).

□

Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.  

Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.

Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.

His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.

*Image generated by ChatGPT