Grace,
Works and Salvation, Help Please
3/26/2005
Most Christians have come across the issue. It
may be in their own lives, it may have been asked of them, but many of us have a difficult
time getting a handle on the relationship between salvation by grace, and the role of
works. Many outside the faith, have a difficult time with it also. For them, the question
is troubling. It may take this form: "Do you mean to tell me that all I have to do is
accept Jesus, then I can live however I please"? The New Testament is emphatic on the
point, that we are saved by grace. Salvation is a gift. We understand that a gift is not
earned, but is this gift unconditional? If not, exactly what are the conditions.
When we fail to live our lives as we should,
many of us question our standing as Christians. Some question their own salvation. Others
are confident in their salvation, but experience feelings of guilt. Some people think they
are moving back and forth between being saved, and being lost, and the emotional turmoil
and worry can be tremendous. If the Bible teaches "once saved, always saved" as
some assert, does that mean a person can accept Christ, and sin with immunity? If not, how
much can we sin?
The Bible teaches that Christians can resist
temptation, does that mean we can live sinlessly, live without compromise? Are we instead,
destined to imperfection, due to our human nature?
The answers to some of these questions,
are elusive. The can be difficult to answer with crystal clarity, not because the answers
are not in the Bible, but because we find it difficult so harmonize some of the
dichotomies. In this study, we will examine several passages which shed light on these
issues. Hopefully, if there is an area that we do not understand, we will have a clearer
understanding when we are through.
Who is saved? How do we tell the players
without a scorecard? The hardest thing for people unfamiliar with the Bible to come to
grips with, is the idea that no one can earn salvation.
Rom 3:20-23
20 Therefore no one will
be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become
conscious of sin.
21 But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the
Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness
from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
23 for all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God
Gal 2:16
know that a man is
not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our
faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the
law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.
Those verses, and others like them, show us
that we cannot earn our way to heaven, and mention faith as the vehicle that can get us
there? Now, it seems to be, the believing is something we do. In other words, if God
requires us to do something (believe), then there is a sense in which we do earn out way,
and salvation is not a gift really. One needs to be very careful making assumptions like
that, but this is how that natural man thinks. We as humans, have something built into us
which tries to earn approval, maybe it is how we were raised. Fortunately, there is a
verse that clears even that notion away, but it is very subtle.
Eph 2:8
For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Now, I am going to get technical here,
for a moment, so tolerate me please. In the above verse, if one examines the Greek in
which the New Testament was originally written, one finds that where it says "and THIS not",
"this" is the word "touto". What does the word this refer to, this
what? Because of failure to match gender with the preceding noun, we know that it refers
to the sentence which went before. In other words it is the whole package of grace,
salvation and faith. It is all a gift from God.
John 6:44
44 "No one can come
to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,
So, not only is the grace package a gift, but
the Father must act before one can even seek Jesus. While we are talking about these
things as a gift, let us look at another verse:
Rom 11:29
for God's gifts and his
call are irrevocable.
We just saw that God calls (Jn 6:44) and
that salvation is His gift (Eph 2:8). Putting that together with Romans 11:29, we may
conclude that when God calls and saves you, He will not take that salvation back. Don't
ever worry about losing your salvation, it cannot happen. Some people have the
understanding that we are saved by grace, but kept by works. I can see why they think
that, but that is an error, in my opinion. Before we get to comfortable, I do not think it
is wise to assume that a profession of faith, even if accompanied by works, is equivalent
to salvation. Observe the following passage:
Matt
7:21-23
21 "Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will
say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
23 Then I will tell them
plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Wow! here you have people, apparently thinking
they are believers, as they are doing works in His name, and they are doing works that are
pretty impressive, at least to me, yet Jesus will tell them to hit the road and calls them
evil doers. What was missing from them? Jesus
said that it is those who do the will of God. So, what does He have in mind as the will of
God? Fortunately He elaborates:
Matt 7:24-27
24 "Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who
built his house on the rock.
25 The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall,
because it had its foundation on the rock.
26 But everyone who hears
these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built
his house on sand.
27 The rain came down,
the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great
crash."
So, according to Jesus here, putting His
words into practice, is doing God's will, not putting them into practice, is failure to do
so. The will of God, is a whole other subject, which I will get into in an upcoming study
on Decision Making and the Will of God.
Let's skip forward and consider some other
aspects of our overall topic. Some people seem to start well in the faith, and then sort
of fizzle out. Explaining the parable of the sower, Jesus said:
Matt 13:20-22
20 The one
who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once
receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When
trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who
received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the
worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
Heb 3:14
We have come
to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Phil
1:6
being
confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.
We can see from the above verses, that there
are some who hear the word, and seem to receive it, but then fall away. So, although we
have seen that those who are saved remain so, we also see that there are those who are
self deceived, think they are saved, may act like it too, but for them, it was only a
passing phase.
Remember that we talked about faith being
necessary, what exactly is faith? Is it possible to convince someone through facts and
proofs, to give them faith? Presenting a reasoned case for Christ is known as apologetics.
Apologetics is a good thing. If we could however, prove our claims, then the person who
accepts then, is not believing in faith. They have knowledge, no faith necessary. Faith is
a mysterious thing for adults, although it seems to be easy for children, which is
probably why Jesus said:
Luke 18:17
"Truly I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all."
In
our walk as Christians, and this is difficult for most of us, We walk (live) by faith, not
by sight (2 Cor 5:7)
Look at this description of faith:
Heb 11:1 Now
faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Notice the words assurance and conviction
were used, not hope. In other words, we are acting on it, because we are sure, not hoping,
not speculating, not wishing. This is not optimism, not positive thinking. Buying a
lottery ticket is optimism and positive thinking, most who do that, lose. We are not
buying a lottery ticket, we are accepting a check, sure of it's value, because we know the
check writer and His assets, see the difference!
We need to make sure, that when we
exercise our faith, that we exercise it in His promises. We cannot be foolish and think
that if we screw up, that He will fix our mistakes. We need to do what He said, as He
said, not do what we wish or hope He said.
I got a little sidetracked there, pardon
me. I was talking about faith being different than knowledge. I think that is the point
being made here:
James 2:19
You believe
that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that .......... and shudder.
Now, this does not mean that we should
not provide evidence to unbelievers who question our faith, we are commanded to do that.
So what is faith, what is it like? I like the following illustration:
You are at the edge of a great chasm,
imagine the Grand Canyon. There is a tight rope stretched across it. You want to get to
the other side, but you know you cannot make it on your own. A man comes up with a wheel
barrow full of rocks and goes across to the other side, and dumps the rocks there. He
returns, bringing the wheel barrow back. He offers to take you across in His wheel barrow.
You have a decision to make. He has already demonstrated His ability, He has proven He can
do it, but whether you get in, depends on your exercising the faith that He gave you. It
boils down to trust.
God has made it so that, even though
there is abundant evidence for His claims, it still requires faith. This may seem
difficult, but it is really very simple. It means, that even those who have no proof, can
believe and receive the Kingdom of Heaven. When my children were small, they would leap
across a great gap, knowing full well, that if I did not catch them, they would be hurt.
They knew their father loved them, and would do everything to keep them safe. They had
faith, which is all one needs to obtain salvation. We can make a decision to folow Jesus,
a simple action or decision, rooted in faith.
As far as the question of whether we should we
be giving evidence, when it is faith, not knowledge, which is required:
1 Peter 3:15
But in your
hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks
you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect,
The word "answer", is the Greek
word "apologia", from which the word apologetics comes. It was a term used in
legal proceedings, it is what we call today in a court of law, a defense.
Evidences can never prove all the claims of
God, but they do remove some of the obstacles that hinder people from coming to Him. So,
what does faith look like?
James 2:14-24
14 What good is it, my
brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or
sister is without clothes and daily food.
16 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?
17 In the same way, faith
by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 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.
19 You believe that there
is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.
20 You foolish man, do
you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
21 Was not our ancestor
Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that his faith
and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23 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.
24 You see that a person
is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
Now this might seem to be ad odds with previous
passages saying that faith is it, not works. I do not see that myself. It
seems to me, that James is illustrating something we all know intuitively. We are willing
to get into a car, and drive on a highway, not because we know we will not get hurt, but
because we believe we will not get hurt. In other words, when we believe something, we act
on those beliefs.
Similarly, if we believe that God desires
us to do good works, and will even reward those works, we will act like it. God sees our
heart. It is on the condition of the heart, that God acts. We humans, on the other hand,
can only judge the actions of people, what we can see. We can get a good idea of our faith
and the faith of others, by watching there behavior.
Works do not save, but saving faith
produces works. Many people of other faiths, believe that they are saved by works, and as
such, may even outwork us. Still, it is a sad thing, because it counts for nothing. They
are trying to earn their way to Heaven, but their lack of faith in the Son of God and His
work on the cross on our behalf, disqualifies them from receiving what God has for them.
This is why the message of faith, cannot be overemphasized. As I said, from God's
perspective, it is the heart that He looks at, our ability to do this, even in our own
lives, is severely handicapped:
Jer
17:9
The heart is
deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
So far, we have seen that works cannot save, and faith devoid of works
is useless. What if we believe what God says, or at least, believe what we think He has
said, and we can see that our lives have been changed. We sin less, and do more good, we
go to church, we pray, give to charity, those sorts of things. Is there some level of
performance we must achieve, or will achieve if we are saved?
Let's ask a simple question. Do you love
Jesus? Let's have a show of hands!
John
14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and
show myself to him.
John 15:9-10
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved
you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you
will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's
commands and remain in his love.
1 John 5:3-5
3 This is love for God: to obey his commands.
And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This
is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the
world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Some of us, are so reluctant as
Christians, still rebellious. Do you see the equation here? Faith brings forth obedience
out of love, resulting in works.
Now, I am not asking for a show of hands
this time. I am asking you to examine yourselves, your lives, and see if you really love
Him, or, are just offering lip service. In theological terminology, there is a term
"sanctification". In simple terms,
it is the way we change after believing. However, it is not that we change ourselves
through our own efforts, though that is part of it, it is a process of being set apart
from the world. Our part of the effort, is obedience. However, God has given us, the Holy
Spirit, who changes us from within. He enables us to resist temptation, in ways we were
unable to obey before. God has given us His word, so that we may know what He wants from
us. He has given us a conscience, so that it is uncomfortable for us to disobey. God works
in us, to bring us nearer to perfection, the only thing that holds Him back, is us. We are
empowered, to do things that we cannot imagine, but our power is proportional to our
submission to Him.
Now, sometimes we fail to perform, sometimes we
intentionally sin. God has provided a remedy for that:
1 John 1:7-9
the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be
without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness.
We see that obedience, is expected, but
perfection is not:
1 John 2:1-6
1 My dear
children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have
one who speaks to the Father in our defense-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2 He is the
atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole
world.
3 We know
that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
4 The man who
says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is
not in him.
5 But if
anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we
are in him:
6 Whoever
claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
The first directive to the church is Matt
28:19-20:
19 Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
Our first act of obedience, is to preach the
gospel, make disciples, and teach them to obey Jesus. Many of us shirk our first
responsibility. We are to love God, and to love our neighbor, exactly, how are we loving
our neighbor, if we are willing that they should go to Hell? Evangelism is critical, it is
commanded, if we do not do it, we disobey God.
Now, I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on
anyone, but I do not want them to be ignorant of these basic truths. Some will be
offended, If so, good, that probably means that they know it is true, and that is a start.
People avoid evangelism for different reasons.
Each probably has his/her own. Some think being pushy about their faith, is rude. In is
not rude to share, but it is possible to share rudely. It isnot our job to make people
believe, it is our job to help them believe. Many have a fear about it, and perhaps, do
not even know why. I would like to offer the following:
In the New Testament, the phrase "filled
with the Spirit" occurs several times. Many in the church, associate this phrase with
the sign gifts, speaking in tongues, etc. However, if you look through the N.T. you will
find something much more common associated with the phrase, and that thing is boldness.
So, if I am a believer, why am I fearful? How
is it possible, that the children of the King of the universe, are afraid? Here is
my suggestion, it is very simple:
Be bold! Bravery is not the
absence of fear, it is action in spite of fear. Now, as your practice obedience, think
about this verse:
Acts 5:32 We
are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who
obey him."
I cannot say with conviction, that this means
that if we obey, we will be filled, and if we are filled, we will be bold, and if we are
bold we will obey, and if we obey, we will be filled more etc. It is fascinating to me to think of the possibility
though, and would go a long ways to explaining the awesome bravery and conviction of
martyrs over the centuries, even to this very day.
This study could go on endlessly, I have left
out way more than I have included. As always, I am not trying convince anyone of anything.
My hope is, that by exposing you to verses and ideas, something may resonate with you, and
help you in your walk, or, that you might go away with something that you can use to help
others. So I am going to close, but I would like to leave you with the following verses,
to ponder, without my commentary to make the water murkier:
Rev 3:14-16
These are the
words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know
your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16
So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
2 Peter
1:3-11
3 His divine
power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him
who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very
great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature
and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very
reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and
to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance,
godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For
if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone
does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been
cleansed from his past sins.
10 Therefore,
my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do
these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
and finally . . .
Phil 2:12-18
12 Therefore,
my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in
my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God
who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14 Do
everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure,
children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine
like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast
on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being
poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am
glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
Thank you so much, for being willing to put up
with me, I am not unaware, that I have a dry style, you have no idea, how much this means
to me, that you are patient with me. Thank you for listening.
Omegaman
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