If salvation is by faith – why good works?
Most religions and philosophies require you to work your way toward salvation. That seems logical; if we work hard, shouldn’t we be rewarded?
Christianity is radically different in its approach. We depend entirely on the work done by Jesus on the cross.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” Ephesians 2:8-9
That is a countercultural statement. Is salvation a gift? Bonus! I can’t be good enough on my own or do enough good works to make up for my past (and present and likely future).
The Scriptures also say,
The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 2:8b-10
Great, so all I have to do is believe and confess. I can do that. But where do works and effort come into the equation?
James deals with that issue.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. James 2:14-18
Please wait a minute; I thoughts works weren’t necessary. What happened to that grace stuff?
We are saved by grace to do good works. Why? Surely God doesn’t need our good works.
Martin Luther has been credited with saying, “God does not need your good works, but your neighbour does.”
That is a profound truth (regardless of whether or not it was Luther who said it). Our works are to be the outpouring of the love God has poured into us.
The world is a needy, lost and hurting place. God has entrusted filling those needs into our hands. We do the work, and He is responsible for the results.
That is both tremendously humbling and freeing at the same time. It is humbling to think that the Lord has entrusted such a colossal thing into our feeble, fallible hands. Liberating in that we know that we don’t have to make the fruit appear in the lives of others because we can’t do so.
We grow through service. It requires humility and love to serve others. It requires sacrifice to give of our time and resources to invest in the lives of others, the majority of whom will never come to faith. It requires faith and trust that the Lord will shine through despite our faltering efforts.
Being a Christian is primarily about you or me, although we have significantly benefited. It is firstly concerned with the glory of God and His plans for the world. A secondary benefit is the blessing our works bring into the lives of others (through the Holy Spirit’s work).
Our relationship with God is personal but was never designed to be private. It was not intended to be hidden away but displayed for all to see. It was meant to show the glory and faithfulness of God, even when He chooses to use broken and fickle people like us.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
Our good works are evidence of our love for God. He doesn’t need us to do anything. He is more than capable of accomplishing His purposes without us.
Yet, He chooses to bless us by teaching us to love, serve and forgive. He allows us to participate in His glorification.
The Lord permits us to work in building His eternal kingdom. What we do makes a difference forever.
Thank God for the privilege of doing good works in His service.
Be Blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
All contents, “Gleanings From The Word” and “Experience an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Life,” are © 2001, 2023 K.F. “Kevin” Corbin Gleanings From The Word.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is from the English Standard Version (ESV).
From Gleanings From The Word (Kevin Corbin, 2001– ), a Scripture-based devotional work.