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Making Jesus known.
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 NASB
The truth about Works
To keep this conversation from going down a number of rabbit holes, I am going to use the word “redeemed” instead of the many others that could provide distraction.
TERMS DEFINED
Redeemed – The state of being freed from bondage to sin - with the consequence of death – and restored to a relationship with God.
Redemption – The act of being redeemed.
Works – Actions, deeds or labor performed by an individual.
The issue of works is about how they are related to obtaining and retaining redemption.
WORKS TO OBTAIN REDEMPTION
This section will address the question, “Are works required to obtain redemption?”.
For by grace you have been [redeemed] through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) |
Paul sems to make it pretty clear, in his letter to the Ephesians, that redemption is an act of grace accomplished by God without any requirement on the part of the person being redeemed except to have faith in God’s ability to accomplish the task. Considering the fact that it is only by the grace given by the Holy Spirit that person understood their need for redemption, the only action required of the person is to “submit” and “repent” to be redeemed.
A Sharing Moment When I think about who I am at the core of my being (even after 36 years of being worked on by the Holy Spirit) and how far I fall below God’s standard, I still cannot wrap my mind around why He would redeem me. When I consider the cost of my redemption; Jesus humbling Himself to become human, the physical pain of the cross, and separation from the Father as he paid my debt, I cannot imagine anything that I could have brought to the table apart from a broken, contrite, repentant heart.
That said, how could my understanding of His great sacrifice not lead to a response? That brings us to the other side of the topic in the next section. |
BIBLICAL TRUTH
Redemption is a gift from God. Our "works" are not a factor in God's work of redemption.
WORKS TO RETAIN REDEMPTION
This section will answer the question, “Are works required to remain redeemed?”.
So, if we accept that we did not have to do anything to obtain our redemption, what about the question of losing it?
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NASB) --- The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him. John 14:21 (NASB) --- If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. John 15:10 (NASB) |
That was Jesus speaking, it sounds like He was saying:
If we love Jesus, we will keep Jesus’ commands …
If we keep Jesus’ commands, we will remain in Jesus’ love …
If we love Jesus, we will be loved by the Jesus’ Father … and Jesus will reveal Himself to us.
Exactly right, Jesus is saying that we will follow His commands if we love Him. And, if we do, the reward will be that He will reveal more of Himself to us. Wow! He gave everything to redeem us, and now He wants to give us more of Himself if we just obey Him. Keep in mind that He has even given us the Holy Spirit to help us obey Him.
Personal Commentary Jesus did NOT suggest that anything specific would happen if we did not love Him. I think that He did not have to address that because, if you truly were redeemed then you couldn’t NOT love Him. If the Holy Spirit indwells you, it’s just not possible.
On occasion we may exercise a little disobedience, but that was no surprise to an omnipotent God, so it was covered and we’ve already been forgiven. Like little kids, we sometimes have to test the boundaries, and the experience is how we grow. |
Paul now tells us that we are God’s workmanship, created for good works, that He prepared for us beforehand.
Good works are a natural response to a redeemed life. Examples include, daily obedience, holy living, sharing the gospel and serving others.
What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless? Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:14-26 (NASB) |
Is James contradicting Paul? No.
This is a great example of the fact that we need to use scripture to understand scripture and the context of the message is key to interpreting the words.
The context of James’ message is about people who claim to have faith but lack and sign of obedience. Let’s look at two types of faith: real faith and false faith.
The table below illustrates the difference between “real” and “false” faith. I don’t claim divine inspiration for the table content, but I hope it will accomplish the purpose.
Truth Statement | Real Faith | False Faith |
Sin = Fallen short of the standard of God. | Understands Believes | Understands Believes |
I am a sinner. | Believes in Heart | Believes in Head |
Repentance | “I’m not who I should be. Things need to change.” | “I’m not who I should be, but I’m not that bad. There are things I need to change.” |
Savior | “I cannot do this myself; I need a savior.” | “A savior? Sure, maybe that would be a good thing.” |
A relationship with God. | “I’m tired of feeling alone. I’m scared but, yeah that is what I need.” | “I’ve got a full life but that might be cool to have a relationship with God.” |
Church Membership | “I hope I can find some people to help me figure out what it means to be a believer.” | “I’m going to go to that mega-church down the road. They have great music and that bumper sticker will look great on my car.” |
The illustration is of two people coming to God with the desire to be redeemed.
The person with “Real Faith” has been convicted by the Holy Spirit of a need for redemption, they have thought through all of the factors and arrived at a heart felt need for a savior. They come in humility with faith that God will accept them and redeem them. God accepts their heart and they are redeemed. It is likely that this person, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will grow in their relationship. The evidence of their faith will be outward signs of change through good “works” that honor God.
The person with the “False Faith” may have been convicted by the Holy Spirit of a need for redemption, they have thought through all of the factors and arrived at the conclusion that they need for a savior. Their head agrees, and they might believe in what they are doing when they approach God believing they will be redeemed. They may believe that they were redeemed and act differently at first, but it is likely that this person will gradually go on with life. They may do “works” in God’s name, but closer examination will reveal that there was no evidence of true God honoring “works” in their life.
James likened the “false faith” to that of the demons. They know and understand the truth of salvation through faith in Jesus and believe it 100% but that knowledge cannot redeem them.
What about James’ reference to Abraham and Rahab?
Abraham’s “real” faith in God, allowed him to trust the promise of generations through Isaac enough to obey his command to sacrifice Isaac. It did not have to make sense, he trusted God. Abraham did not do what he did to get something from God; he did it because it was the right action according to his faith in God.
Rahab had heard stories of the God of the Israelites. She understood His character and trusted His love for His people. Her “real” faith in God’s character enabled her to trust Him with her life. Rahab did what she did because protecting the spies was the right thing to do based on her understanding God.
BIBLICAL TRUTH
James’ message is consistent with Paul’s message, and both are consistent with God’s message:
Understanding who God is and what He has promised [Head], then believing what you understand [Heart], and then acting in a way that is God honoring [Evidence] is doing the “works” that “God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)