Saved by Grace

Saved by Grace through Faith

Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (NKJV)

These are the words of Paul in his letter to Gentile Christians living and worshipping in or near the city of Ephesus which was located in Asia Minor.   Many people who lived in the first century and today point to this verse as the proof text of salvation by faith alone.   Did Paul mean that when he wrote this to the Ephesians or was he trying to teach them something else?  And if so, what was he trying to tell them?  In other words, what did Paul mean when he wrote what he did in Eph 2:8-10?  This lesson is going to examine that in detail and at the conclusion of it, we will make some applications from it to our faith as well.  After all, what it meant to Paul’s readership in the first century is what it must mean to us today. 

First of all, Paul wrote we are “saved by grace”.   What’s grace?   Grace is often defined as God’s unmerited favor toward man.  The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), which means eternal separation from God.  Sin caused mankind to lose fellowship with God.   The only way man can regain that fellowship is if he pays the penalty for that sin.  Man sinned, man incurred a debt.  The problem is, the payment for all sin is loss of fellowship with God forever.  It doesn’t matter what that sin is, the penalty is the same.  We have lost our fellowship with God and that cannot be restored unless we pay the penalty in full. 

That poses a real big problem for us in that even though we suffer separation from God for an eternity, we still will not have paid the debt in full.  Even after we have suffered in hell for eternity, we still have not paid the just penalty for disobeying God.  We cannot buy back our fellowship with God, even with an eternity of punishment.  God’s absolute just and holy nature demands this penalty and it is not possible for God to violate His own nature.  All things are possible with God, but only those things which are possible for Him are within His reach.  It is impossible for God to lie (Titus 1:2).  It is impossible for God to be tempted with evil (James 1:13).  It is equally impossible for God to accept sin without just punishment of the sinner.  This leaves man without hope of reconciliation with God. 

Thankfully for us, God is rich in grace and mercy and He doesn’t want to see man suffer for all eternity.  He wants man to have a chance for reconciliation so He came up with a plan where man can have a hope of being reconciled without having to suffer an eternity of punishment.  God was under no obligation to do so.  Nothing man did compelled God to do this.   And this means of reconciliation came at great personal expense for God.  Namely the life of His Son as a substitutionary death penalty for us.  God could have washed His hands of mankind and walked away to leave mankind to his fate forever and God would have been perfectly within His right to do so.  He didn’t owe man anything.  Mankind got himself into this predicament all by himself without any help from God.  God was absolutely blameless in all that man did.   But because God loved us so much, He graciously came up with a means whereby man could be reconciled to Him and escape the death penalty of sin.  That’s grace.  Grace as a comprehensive Biblical term represents everything God did in securing a means of redemption for mankind. 

For God to give man His law is grace.

For God to let man know he sinned is grace.

For God to provide a means of reconciliation is grace.

For God to accept the death of His Son at the hands of man for the sins of man is grace.

For God to make this means of reconciliation known through His word is grace.

For God to allow mankind time to respond is grace. 

All of things God did in providing a way of redemption for mankind is Grace.  Grace is God reaching down from heaven to sinsick, doomed and fallen man with a means and method of reconciliation.  Grace is God’s role in the redemption of Man. 

Are we saved by grace only?  In other words, are we saved simply because God did everything He did with no response from us on our part?  Absolutely not.  If we were saved by grace only, every human that ever lived would be saved simply by being in existence.  Mankind has an obligation to respond to God’s grace before it will be of any benefit at all.  So what is that response?  Let’s go back to Ephesians 2:8.  By “grace ye have been saved through faith“. 

Faith is the response that man must give in order to receive God’s grace.  “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  We are saved by Grace through faith.  Without faith, grace is worthless to us.  We must have faith if God’s grace is going to benefit us in any way whatsoever. 

What did Paul mean “through faith“?  As we mentioned earlier, Eph 2:8-10 is a verse that advocates of the doctrine of salvation by faith alone use as a proof-text in support of this doctrine.  Did Paul mean to say that God’s grace, (in other words, everything God did on man’s behalf) is available simply on the basis of belief in Him?  That’s something we can put to the test very easily.  Let’s look a little further in the letter Paul wrote to the Ephesians.  If Paul taught that anything whatsoever beyond faith is necessary, then he could not have meant “belief only” in Eph 2:8-10.  We need to be very clear on this.  If it can be demonstrated from scripture that anything in addition to belief is required, then Paul could not have meant saved by grace through faith alone. 

Please turn with me to Ephesians 6.  Starting in verse 1 we see “Children, obey your parents in the Lord“.  That’s a command.  In verse 2 Paul writes “Honor your father and mother,”  In verse 4 we see “…fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”

Verse 5:  “Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.“

Verse 9 “And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also* is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

And now V10 and following; “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,* against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.“

Wait a minute Paul.  Hold up a little.  I don’t understand.  If you meant faith only earlier in your letter, then why are you telling me now to do all the things you just said in order to stand against the devil?  Because if I am saved by faith alone, then I all I need to do is to believe in you in order to stand.  I don’t have to do anything but believe in order to stand against the devil.  Why are you telling me to do all these things in order to stand against satan?   

Let’s look a little further.  What about Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter 2 starting in verse 5?

Romans 2:5-11, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:* 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God. ” 

Wait a minute Paul.  I though you taught the Ephesians we were saved by faith alone.  What is this you are saying to the Romans?  “God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:* 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;” 

Paul?  Are you teaching the Ephesians they are saved by faith alone and then teaching the Romans they have to seek eternal life through doing good?  What about VSS 8-10??? “but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good,”  That’s not fair Paul.  If the Ephesians are saved by faith only, why do the Romans have to obey the truth? 

What about the Philippian Christians?  Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling“…  Whoah Paul..  Wait now…  What is this?  You mean the Ephesians are saved by faith alone but the Philippians have to work out their own salvation?  With fear and trembling?   If I were a Christian living in the first century and Paul taught faith only to the Ephesians and a working faith in Rome and Philippi, I’d be checking out land prices in Ephesus.  

Truth is, if salvation were by faith alone, Paul would not have told the Romans and the Philippians and the Colossians and all the others to work at it.  We don’t have the time to go through all of them, but if anyone wants to see them, I’d be happy to show you a whole list of them….Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

Maybe it would be a good idea to go back and have another look at Ephesians 2:8-10 and maybe look at it from the perspective that he is not telling us that we don’t have to do anything but believe in order to be saved, because that’s not what he taught in other places and to other people.  And we know Paul wasn’t preaching different gospels to different cities.  Everyone got the same gospel. 

Ephesians 2:8-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

OK,  so we are saved by grace through faith.  Grace is God’s role.  Faith is man’s role.  “and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God”  What’s the gift?  Looking back, if Grace is God’s role and faith is man’s role, the the gift has to be Grace.  The gift was God’s role.  That makes sense.  The gift cannot be faith because that is man’s role and man’s role is man’s to give.  Grace is God’s role, therefore grace is God’s gift to give. 

What did Paul mean with “and that not of yourselves”?  The gift was God’s grace.  He gave that freely of His own choice.  Man didn’t have any choice or say in God’s decision to graciously offer man a means of reconciliation.  That makes sense.  Romans 5:8, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.“

 So what about V9?  “not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Can any man set back as say he doesn’t need God’s gift of grace because of all the wonderful things he has done in his life?  I’ve been real good God, I don’t need your gift of your grace.  You can keep your grace God, I don’t need it because I’ve been a good person….  No one can set back and boast that his works in any way compelled or obligated God to offer a plan of redemption for mankind. 

The primary object of discussion in Ephesians 2:8 is not salvation, nor faith.  It’s grace.  Grace is the gift.  Grace is what can’t be worked for, or earned.  Grace is God’s role.  Grace was God’s to give.   Man cannot work for, earn or deserve the opportunity God gave him.  Grace was God’s gift to freely give and no one can in any way earn, deserve, merit or pay for it in any way whatsoever. 

Now let’s go on to Verse 10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works“.  workmanship means the product or result of labor.  We are the product and result of God’s labor, created in Jesus Christ for good works.   This means there is a role that has to be fulfilled on both sides.  God has a role, which we understand to be grace.  And His role involved the creation of us for good works.  Paul goes on to say “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”   The NASB more accurately translates the Greek as “which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  The NKJV translation makes it look like walking in these good works is just a good idea.  Translators have been trying to water down the gospel for centuries now.  This passage literally translated says: “which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.”  The word “may” in this context indicates a result or a purpose.  It is used this way only in clauses introduced by “that” or “so that“.  For example:  ‘he preaches so that the average listener may understand’.  The word ‘may’ in this sentence means that the purpose or result of the manner of preaching was easily understood…  that he may understand.  Let’s go back and look at Paul’s phrase again:  “which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk”.  Again…  “which God did before prepare, that [introductory word], in them we may [purpose or result] walk”.  

God did not create us to good works and leave it up to us whether or not we walked in them.  He created us to good works for the purpose or result of us to walk in them.    The reason he created us to good works was for us to walk in them, to do them.  The Christian Faith, faithfully lived, is a walk.  The Christian walk is a chosen conviction resulting in a life of commitment.  A walk is a chosen path down which one must travel.  By faith we walk. 

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace (God’s role) you have been saved through faith (man’s role), and that not of yourselves (you can’t do it by yourself); it (grace) is the gift of God, 9 not of works (nothing you can do can merit what God did), lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship (the result of His labor), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we may (for the purpose of) walk in them.

There’s two kinds of works mentioned in this passage.  There are the works one could boast about, which are worthless.  And then there are good works, which God prepared for the purpose of us walking in them. 

Paul did not write that we are saved by grace through faith only.  He wrote that we are saved by grace through faith and when we understand that it is God’s grace, (God’s role), that was the gift which could not be earned or merited by works which men could boast about and that the faith that saves is the faith that walks in good works prepared by God.  Faith saves when faith becomes a walk or when it becomes a chosen conviction resulting in a life of commitment.  One could just say that faith saves when faith obeys. 

Turn with me to James 2:14-26

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your* works, and I will show you my faith by my* works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?* 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”* And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Abraham’s faith saved when it obeyed God and offered Isaac on the alter.  Rahab’s faith saved when she sent the messengers out another way.  Their faith saved when their faith obeyed.  Abraham’s a Rahab’s faith worked together with their obedience and thus made their faith perfect.  The original language means “complete”  their works made their faith complete.  Their works made their faith alive.  Their faith saved them when it became complete and alive with obedience.

Ephesians 2:8-10 is a difficult passage when it is lifted out of its context and used in a manner contrary to the overall teachings of Paul and the rest of the inspired NT writers.  But when we look at it in harmony with the rest of the NT, we see that in reality it teaches the exact opposite of what many people out in the world think it does.  This is important for us to know because it is our job to teach others and help guide others to the truth.  

By Grace (God’s role) are we saved by faith (man’s role).  All that God did in making salvation possible is a gift that cannot be earned, merited or received as a result of man’s works.  What God did for man was God and God’s alone and man had nothing to do with the planning of it or the implementation of it.  Man did not deserve it, could not earn it, and can never repay it.  But we are God’s workmanship (the result of His labor) Created In Christ Jesus unto good works, works of obedience, works of righteousness, for the purpose of our walking in them, a chosen conviction which results in a lifetime of commitment.  Our faith saves when it obeys.  The wondrous, unmeritable, unearnable, totally undeserved gift of God’s grace becomes available when we become obedient to the faith. 

Now all we need is a verse of scripture which says that and the lesson is complete.  Everyone living under the gospel age receives God’s grace in the exact same way.  Even the Apostles had to be obedient of they wanted to benefit from God’s grace.  Turn with me to Romans 1:5 and let’s close this lesson with one final verse of scripture.  This is Paul writing to the Christians living in Rome.  In his greeting to them, he told them exactly how he and all the others received God’s grace.  This is the same Paul that wrote Ephesians 2:8-10. 

Romans 1:5
Through Him [Christ] we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations [everyone everywhere] for His name,

Paul, and all the other Christians among all nations, received grace (God’s role) for obedience to the faith (man’s role).  That is exactly how we receive grace today.  It’s not earned.  God does not owe us anything because we obeyed.  We have not earned a spot in heaven because of it.  We simply obeyed the will of God, trusting Him, believing Him, Submitting to Him and serving Him in obedience to His will, faithful unto death. 

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His Temple

Devotion to Building His Temple

David made an amazing vow to God when he said, “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob” (Psalm 132:3-5). If you wonder why David was described as a “a man after God’s own heart,” read His words again.

David longed for God, the Mighty One of Jacob, to have a dwelling place. Take time to read 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17. David was in his luxurious palace, built from the cedars from Lebanon, and thought of the ark of the covenant which for centuries had been in tents made of animal skins. For at least twenty years prior to David’s words it had not even been in a tabernacle but the house of Abinadab.

David longed to be personally involved in finding God a place. Some in David’s position could so easily have said that the responsibility for these matters had been given to the Levites. David was from the tribe of Judah, yet he felt that it was his personal responsibility to get involved in a situation he thought needed attention.

David longed for God to have a place and would not rest until it was found. Herein lies a key as to why David’s heart was like the heart of God. He decided he would not go into his house, recline in his bed, give sleep to his eyes or slumber to his eyelids until he found a way to correct a mistake being made by God’s people. Look at his opening word “surely.” He was so determined to do this that it was a certainty of the intentions of his heart.

David did not fully understand about that place. David told Nathan his intentions. At first, Nathan agreed that the king should proceed. However, that same night God revealed that it was not David who was to build the temple but his son, Solomon. God saw that Israel needed a temple, but since David had killed so many, a man of peace, Solomon, would build the house (1 Kings 5:2-5). David accepted this and spent the rest of his life gathering materials for the temple.

What does this have to do with us? The Lord still has a temple, but it is not in Jerusalem. Our bodies are His temple and the church is His abode. Sometimes, we shut Him out and He stands at the door of our hearts. Sometimes, He stands at the “door of a church” asking to come in (Rev. 3:20-21).

Now here is the point. How much do you long as David did for the Lord to find a resting place? How much are you personally concerned about it? Read Psalm 132 again and think of you wanting God to be in your heart.

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Not Saved by the Government

Why Christians are Destined to Lose Playing Politics

The fate of the church has not, does not, and will not hinge upon the fate of our nation, the United States of America.  Indeed, the places where the Lord’s church is growing best are outside of our country.  The church has been around a lot longer than the United States, and is promised by God to be around eternally (Daniel 2:44, 2 Peter 1:11).  I am a member of a greater nation, the government of which is upon the Lord’s shoulders who is called: “Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”  There is no end to the increase of His government and of His peace, and this nation will never change into something that I do not love.  Where is my pride for that nation?  This gets me back to my point: the fate of the church is not tied up with the fate of the nation, and ultimately, all earthly nations will cease to exist; there is no such thing as the United States of Heaven, the United States of God’s Kingdom, or the United States of the Church of Christ.

Because such entities do not exist, focusing my efforts upon the success of a physical nation is at worst a losing proposition, and at best produces temporal results that are bound to be undone.  If I seek to focus my attention on those areas where my influence practically does not exist, what influence I do have is guaranteed to decrease, and my influence is little within the federal government.  Where must I focus my attentions?  I must seek to influence those within my direct sphere, for only so doing will increase my overall influence, and the good that may appertain.  Therefore, my influence is much better spent on that eternal kingdom wherein I know there is a future, and affecting those few individuals that I personally know to either become part of that eternal kingdom, or remain faithful within it.

Moreover, it is not possible for the church, God’s spiritual kingdom, to compete with a physical nation for advances in the arena of carnal accomplishments for several reasons.  First, the focus of the church is not upon the physical, but upon the spiritual.  Can churches compete and outstrip the efforts of the federal government to alleviate physical necessity?  The church simply does not have the resources to do this.  In such a physical battle, the government wins every time because it alone can compel its citizens to forfeit the necessary property to accomplish such ends.  The government will out tax, and out spend the church every single time.  However, the government cannot compete in presenting the spiritual truths that are needed to be believed and acknowledged to maintain a right relationship with both God and man.  Only the church has such resources, and the church must pursue such efforts.

Second, those who promote carnal government as the solution for mankind will always make government their place of worship because it is the only kingdom they have.  When the Christian seeks to effect political change, his efforts are at best divided, because he is concerned both about the government and the church, and balancing his time and efforts between the two.  Those who put their trust in government alone have no such double vision.  Speaking carnally, they are not burdened with the obligation of attending church on Sunday; they have no such restraints as family to distract them from their political work; they do not have any religiously motivated moral constraints that would prevent them from lambasting their political opponent.  To put it bluntly, Christians have a God who is worshiped in our churches on Sunday with our friends and families.  Christians promote the furtherance and growth of God’s kingdom, the church; this is where their primary efforts are oriented, what they believe is eternally necessary, and where the bulk of their time is to be spent.  Those who promote carnal government, however, worship the god of government.  They moderate elections, attend political rallies, participate in town hall meetings, and go to political conventions.  Politics is their religion, and the political party is their church!  The Christian who places his greatest aims and aspirations in the church cannot compete with such political fanaticism, and ought not to try, if he values God’s kingdom, God’s people, and Christ’s church.  Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness has always been, and always will be, the Christians greatest priority whereby he is promised whatever necessities he should require (Matthew 6:33).

Third, while carnal laws can certainly prevent some immorality, they are not the system whereby God brings individuals to salvation, and ultimately the political process is about promoting carnal laws.  Again, this does not mean that I want abortion and homosexual marriage to be legal; neither does this mean that I want to institutionalize entitlements.  But supposing that all of the moral laws that I desired to be passed were passed, and such immoral behavior also became illegal, it would still not be the case that such carnal laws can save man from his sins.  The best that such law could continue to do would be to condemn sinners.  How does such accomplish what Jesus Christ is seeking to accomplish in His church?  Is it going to be easier for men to be saved?  Salvation is not supposed to be easy; this is why Jesus characterized it as taking up His cross.  Moreover, Jesus promised that the world would hate those who seek and promote salvation, and that those who entered His kingdom would only do so under tribulation.  The bottom line is that gaining control of government legislation and passing carnal laws brings us no closer to accomplishing such goals.  Passing all of the carnal laws in the world would not effect the salvation of one single soul!  Such laws are just dead letters.

For these reasons, the political game is an uphill battle for the Christian, and ultimately, a losing one.  For us to put all of our eggs in the political basket is to be disappointed.  This is not to say that we should not stand up for righteousness in the political process, nor is it to say that we ought to oppose those who do.  It is however, to say that we need to remember our priorities, and focus upon what is truly lasting, important, and eternal—God’s spiritual kingdom, the church.  May God help us to recognize the temporal nature of man’s carnal designs and the eternal value of His purposes.

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Forget?

Did You Forget?

Some are notorious for being forgetul. “Now let me see: Where did I put my wallet?” “Where are those keys. I just had them?” “What did I do with my computer?” Ever ask questions like this to yourself? I have and I am thankful that I have others, like my wife, who usually remembers where all these items are. She amazes me. But, while these little things can make us worry ourselves to death and bring frustrations, these are not the most of my worries when it comes to forgetting.

Sometimes, I believe, we forget that God is able. Maybe when you are struggling with something or are overwhelmed with stress, you have forgotten that God is able. As Christians, we sometimes fail to believe. Perhaps you are one who does not want to admit it. But, unless we are sinless, we have all failed to really believe at one point. There are times in our Christian walk when we are forced to look at the task at hand, to look at what we need to do and then we begin to doubt, or just flat out suffer from unbelief. Well, the Bible mentions a conversation like this that took place between Jesus and the father of a child who was in that same situation. In Mk. 9:21-24, Jesus “… asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And oftimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Mk. 9:21-24.

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. I think this statement sums up the faith of so many. Many times we believe in a general sense, but don’t believe for our own circumstances. Or perhaps, we may believe in God, but never go far enough in our belief to obey him. Well, sere is a man who has a small degree of faith in the power of Christ, but it was mixed with much unbelief because of the suffering of his family. The father knew that he had barely any strength in his faith, it was deficient and he was asking the Lord to increase it, to strengthen it so that he might be strong in faith and give God the glory. If we continue to read past these verses, we find that Jesus meets the faith of this father where he is and ends up delivering the child. Well, Jesus in a sense, is like that today. In coming to the earth, dying for us on the cross and asking us to come to Him, He is attempting to meet man where we are and desires us to come to Him. Having unbelief can stop us from seeing what we need to see in God. Having unbelief can bring discouragement to God’s people (Num. 13:31). Having unbelief weakens us (Eph. 6:16), takes peace from us. So, we need to allow God to transform us in the way we think (Rom. 12:2). We need to study the word of God and act upon it, which bring faith (Rom. 10:17). We need to believe in God. We need to take some time sharing with God areas where we are struggling to believe. Ask him to give you faith to trust him like never before. Remember what Jesus said, “all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk. 9:23).

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Three Kinds of Works

In the religious world today there is much confusion regarding works. Some teach that works have nothing to do with salvation, that salvation is by the grace of God and received by faith only. Others hold a doctrine that essentially teaches a kind of works-based salvation; they hold that one who has committed sin can do some kind of penance to compensate for that sin. The religion of Islam teaches salvation by works only. They believe that if a person’s good works outweigh their sins then they will go to heaven and conversely if their sins are more than their good works they believe they will go to Hell. (This belief, in reality, is shared by most Americans. Most people in our country, when you get right down to it, believe that those who do good will go to Heaven, regardless of their religion,  and those who do evil will not.)

As we have noted, religious denominations vary in their teachings on works. Some hold to the extreme position that works and salvation are completely unrelated. While, others hold to the opposite extreme that we are saved by works alone. A great deal of time could be spent studying all of the various positions held in the religious world on the relationship between works and salvation. However, it would be more productive to study the relationship between works and salvation as it is found in the Bible.

As Christians, we must demonstrate our faith by our works. Read James 2:14-18. There are three kinds of works mentioned in the New Testament. Two of which are USELESS – One of these works is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!

 

Works of the Law of Moses

 

To the Christian today, trying to be saved according to the works of the Law of Moses is useless. Read  Romans 3:24-28. The context of that chapter makes it clear that works of the Law of Moses is under discussion. The Holy Spirit working through the apostle Paul here deals with some Jewish Christians who were appealing to the Law of Moses to command circumcision on the Gentile Christians. The Law of Moses has been replaced by the Law of Christ. See also Hebrews 8:13.

 

Works of Self-Righteousness.

 

In the Roman Epistle, Paul speaks of the Jews as establishing their own righteousness. They were appealing to their works of righteousness of their own devising according to their traditions. See context of Romans 10 “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God…” (Romans 10:3). See also Matthew 15:9.

 

Works of God’s Righteousness.

 

Works commanded by God that one must continue in to be Christ’s disciple in deed and thus be made free. See John 8:31-32.

One is justified by the works of God’s righteousness. See James 2:22-24. These works include:

Faith. “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father…” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:29).

Confession. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Repentance. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death…” (2 Corinthians 7:10)  See also Matthew 3:7-8; Acts 17:30-31

Baptism. “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ…” (1 Peter 3:20-21) See also Acts 2:38; 8:36-38; 16:33; 22:16.

Continued Faithfulness. “…Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life…” (Revelation 2:10)

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