Good Works In The Life Of The Believer
Good works will never get you into heaven, but here's what the bible has to say:
- 1 Corinthians 3:10-15
- By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and
someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than
the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or
straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire
will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
- James 2:14-23
- What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save
him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm
and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not
accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds,
and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered
righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working
together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed
God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.
- Matthew 6:21
- "Wherefore by their FRUITS ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven."
- Ephesians 2:8-9
- "For it is by grace you have been saved and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -
not by works, so no one can boast."
These are four of the primary texts in the New Testament which deal with the subject of "works" or deeds in the life of a
Christian. Let's look at these four scriptures one at a time.
The apostle Paul tells us that the foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ, and that how we build upon that foundation will
determine our rewards in heaven. When he speaks of building upon the foundation using gold or silver or costly stones,
he is talking about those things which we have done in life that are glorifying to God. Examples of this might include
sharing the gospel message with people who have never heard it, or tithing (giving 10% of your income) to the church. Just
as important as what you do, is why you do it. Your motives must be pure - these things are done for His glory, and
not to add another notch on your gun. Giving freely to the poor, or serving in the church Sunday school are precious works
that will stand up under scrutiny on the day of judgment when you "work heartily unto the Lord." On the other hand, works
carried out for selfish motivations (e.g. bigger reward in heaven, impress my church clergy, etc.) will be burned up like wood,
hay or straw, showing it for what it really is. Make no mistake about what Paul says next:
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. Thus, the gospel
message remains intact - salvation (eternal life) is a free gift.
What about the passage in James where we are told that faith without works is dead? Before we get into that, it is important
to remember that the bible is the inspired word of God. The bible can not contradict itself, because God never changes, so
how could He tell us in one place that salvation is a free gift to those who have faith in Jesus Christ, and another that we
must work for it? Reconciliation of these two concepts can only be made when we realize that the faith in Jesus can only be
of a kind where we are motivated to do things for Him. It is this faith which produces "works" that saves us, not the works
themselves. A faith that does not produce any works is a fake.
What then, are the types of works that are evidence of a saving faith? Certainly, there are ample references in the bible to
being baptized upon becoming a believer. Another is repentance. When a person believes, they are also saying that they
are sorry for the multitude of sins they have committed in their lifetime. Without this sorrow for past sins and truly despising
thoughts, words, and deeds that are contrary to God's will, then a person really hasn't humbled themselves before the Lord.
A person who goes on sinning does not have a fear of the Lord, and is not obedient to His will. Such a faith could not be a
saving faith. Certainly there are other examples of "works" that demonstrate the type of faith that saves a person, but it
is not my place to try to come up with an all inclusive list of works that demonstrate our faith. In a sermon by Charles H.
Spurgeon in the mid 1800's, he provided the following illustration (paraphrased)
Assume that a an apple tree is planted in an orchard. The roots of the tree are the source of its life, not the apples. Assume
that Spring rolls around, and the tree has no flowers or leaves, and in the Fall there are no apples. You would say that the tree
is dead. It's not the leaves or the apples that make the tree live, but their absence are proof that the tree has no life. So it
is with in the life of a professing Christian. If he has everlasting life, that life will bring forth fruits or works; if his faith has a
root, but there are no works, then we can only conclude that he is spiritually dead.
The previous discussion of the passages in the book of James feeds nicely into the passage in Matthew which states,
"Wherefore by their FRUITS ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven." God lays on our hearts how he wants us to conduct
our lives. There are truths which Jesus wants us to believe, and when believed, have an effect on our daily life. Could you
really believe that Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins, yet continue to willfully do that which is despised by Him?
Scripture is full of references to faith being linked to grace, and that where faith comes from the grace of God, how could
the gift og God be in the soul, yet a love of sin and a neglect of holiness be there also? I remember meeting a man at church
once who really didn't seem to be living as a Christian would. When I asked him why he was there, he said that he considered
church to be an insurance policy. If there really was a God & heaven, then he believed that he'd be able to say, "Hey God, I
came to church on Sunday, you've just got to let me in!" Unless he has since become a true believer and has changed his
ways, I think he's in for an unpleasant stay in eternity...
The passage from the book of Ephesians is the capstone in the arch of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. It is clear
from this passage that works do not get a person to heaven, it is only through the God's gift of grace. It has been said that
justice is "giving a person what they deserve, mercy is "not giving them what they deserve," and grace is "giving them what
they don't deserve. Because we sin daily, we don't deserve to get to heaven, but through faith in Jesus Christ, we will
be given the eternal life we neither deserve nor earn.
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