Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King

by Matthew W. Bates

When the crowds ask Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus responds quite simply, “This is the work of God, that you pisteuēte eis the one whom he has sent” (John 6:28–29). Regardless of how we translate pisteuēte eis, whether “believe in” or “trust in,” or as I am tempted to translate it, “give allegiance to,” there is no doubt that pistis, to whatever degree it constitutes a “work,” is required—and this is not felt to preclude grace under the traditional understandings of faith.

Jesus as the universal Lord is the primary object toward which our saving “faith”—that is, our saving allegiance—is directed. We must stop asking others to invite Jesus into their hearts and start asking them to swear allegiance to Jesus the king.