Faith And Works
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Throughout the Protestant world the reaction in the 1500’s to Catholicism’s “works system” was a swift yet consistent extreme view that works play “no role” in human salvation.
You have, on one hand, those that suggest we are saved by “Faith alone” while on the other hand we have those that argue that God chose the redeemed before the world began, and that redemption is entirely unconditional.
Now these doctrines pour forth mainly from a handful of passages none more cited than Ephesians 2:8-9.
Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Yet, the careful student of God’s word will find and question then the book of James and in particular James 2 where God tells us that we are justified or saved by works.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Obviously the answer is not as Martin Luther desired which is to simply remove the book of James from one’s bible.
So with that in mind let’s us examine today the relationship between “Faith & Works.”
Works Of Merit
Works Of Merit
Trying To Earn Salvation.
Trying To Earn Salvation.
Human merit works come in two different forms, biblically speaking with the first dealing with…
The charitable deeds that people pile up in a normal day to day life.
Teaching and training their kids to be good productive citizens.
Helping one’s neighbor with their lawn.
Being a good friend to someone.
There are billions of people all over the world that one might say is a “good person” based on their work ethic, friendliness, helpfulness, and the like.
These acts, though commendable, if divorced from God are simply “human benevolence” and though they are good they are not “counted as righteousness.”
These acts of kindness are what Paul is talking about in Ephesians 2:8-9 and simply do not save us.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
In other words, there is no amount of “good and kind” things I can do in this life to earn salvation on my own because I cannot “make up” for the devastation of my sin “on my own.”
Ezekiel 18:24 (ESV)
24 But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.
You and I could do “only good works” until we die but without Christ there is no salvation.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
There is no salvation in myself it is only in Christ.
Secondly, the book of Romans makes something very clear.
One is justified or saved by faith not works of the law.
28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Now this verse is combating the false doctrine of the Judaizing teachers that were focused on combining the Law of Moses with the Law of Christ.
We first see this doctrine being fought by the faithful in Acts 15 and several other books deal with these Judaizing teachings such as Galatians, 1 Timothy, and Romans.
However, the concept here is far reaching and consistent throughout the scriptures.
No person can be saved by simply checking off the works of the law.
Hebrews 7:18–19 (ESV)
18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
The reason the law “made nothing perfect” is because one is only perfect if they keep the law perfectly and then they would not be of need of being “made perfect” by the law.
One is already perfect until they commit lawlessness which is sin.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
But because we all, who have reached the age of accountability, have sinned there is no justification or salvation in God’s law.
Had law been able to make us perfect there would have been no need for Christ to die.
21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Summary
Summary
So as you can see there is no way man can “earn his salvation” on his own.
No man or woman can do “enough” charitable deeds to earn their salvation after sinning.
Neither can man or woman perfectly keep the law and be of no need of salvation.
So when Paul writes to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 2:8-9 he is discussing “works of human merit.”
But as we opened up looking at there are “works that justify us or save us and these are called the…
Works Of God
Works Of God
Obedience.
Obedience.
The truth of the matter is, it doesn’t take much study in the scripture to see that there are “works that are required to be saved.”
Though contrary to what many would like to believe in the New Testament, it is filled with such telling truth.
James 2:24 (ESV)
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Philippians 2:12 (ESV)
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
Let’s look at the book of John to prove this point.
In John 6:27 Jesus clearly tells those listening that they had to work for the food that gives eternal life.
John 6:27 (ESV)
27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but work for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.
In John 6:28 the people understood this work to be “the works of God.”
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Notice however, what Jesus said the work of God is, i.e., the work that leads to salvation or eternal life.
John 6:29 (ESV)
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
In other words, the works of God are not those things performed by God but those things ordained by God and that man is expected to obey.
Therefore, anything God ordains is a work we are required to do to achieve justification i.e., salvation.
Summary
Summary
Ones simply cannot suggest they are saved by faith alone and not works.
This is a misunderstanding of God’s grace, our faith, and the works of God.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Yes, it is true we are not saved by man’s meritorious works.
We are saved by faith which is obedience to God and thus a work that leads to eternal life which is salvation.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Now before we go on I want to mention a common argument used by those that teach we are not justified by works.
As one man put it on the popular “Got Questions” website…
“Good works do not contribute to salvation, but they will always be characteristics of one who has been born again. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are the evidence of it.”
Listen, that sounds “nice and neat” but replace the word salvation with justification.
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
A person is justified or saved by what…works.
Now others will point out that this is talking about “after one is saved” and they would be correct.
James is written to Christians but the same work that saves the Christian is the same work that saves the non-Christian.