Works or Faith? Yes!

There seems to be this constant back-argument that goes on among Christians regarding works. One side will say, "We are not saved by works; works has nothing to do with being a Christian." The other side will say, "No, it's not possible to be a Christian without works." Of course, most of the time the two sides are talking past each other and not really connecting. You can see this if you know that the other side actually agrees that we are not saved by works, so their statement regarding the necessity of works is not in terms of obtaining salvation, but in terms of being a Christian. However, the one side will always respond with something to the effect that "Oh, you believe in works-based salvation!" which, of course, isn't the case. And the dialog is lost.

I agree at the outset without equivocation that we are saved apart from works. There can be very little that is clearer in the New Testament than that statement. It was Paul's explicit, unavoidable point when he wrote:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9).

Obviously the emphasis was added by me, but I suspect that if Paul had the means, he would have done the same thing. The entire point is "not of works". It is one of the primary things that differentiate Christianity from every other religion on the planet. It is at the core of the Gospel. It is perhaps one of the single most misunderstood points of Christianity as viewed from outside. It is not about being good enough to get to heaven. Salvation is applied, not earned. Righteousness is imputed, not accumulated.

Okay, so, clearly works have nothing to do with it ... right?

That would be a faulty leap of logic. It requires that we ignore a whole lot of Scripture. It doesn't work if you want to keep the Bible in view.

When John the Baptist was preaching to Israel, he told his listeners, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8). Notice that "repentance" preceded (in time) "bear fruits". That is, they were expected to repent, then they would act on that repentance. The actions followed the fact. Paul makes the same argument in Ephesians (and this is problematic for those who would like to argue that John's repentance was just for the Jews, not for us).

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph. 4:1).

In Paul's economy of salvation there was the calling in which you are chosen and come to Christ followed by activities that match that calling. Paul, in essence, urged them to bear fruits in keeping with repentance.

Now, nothing in this formula suggests in the least that the activities brings about salvation. Rather, these works are a product of salvation. I think this is where the problem occurs in the back-argument discussion. One side is arguing against works-based salvation, and the other side is arguing for the product of faith-based salvation. Unfortunately, there is a tendency in thinking that works have no bearing on salvation to conclude that works have no bearing whatsoever. James heartily disagrees.

Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17).

Here James differentiates between "dead faith" and faith that saves. Note that the faith precedes the works. However, faith without works is not living faith. It's dead. It qualifies you to be a demon perhaps (James 2:19), but not to be saved. That kind of faith does nothing for your salvation.

The problem on the other side occurs when people arguing that faith produces works begin to equate salvation with those works. Again, a mistake. Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). There is a definite sequence here. First, abide ... second, fruit. Fruit occurs in time and follows a connection to Christ. Fruit does not cause or even enhance the connection to Christ. It is simply the result. It is, however, the unavoidable, necessary result.

In the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-23), there are various types of soil (people) in their response to the seed (the Word). Some reject the Word outright, but most do not. In some cases it takes shallow root. In other cases it is choked out. The only group that is actually classified as "good soil" has the singular distinction, not of believing, but of bearing fruit. There are many who will claim to believe (Matt. 7:13-21). The difference is visible in the result. The result is fruit. The difference is in how you behave as a follower of Christ.

Now, I would caution us all to be careful about being "fruit inspectors". It's generally not beneficial. On the other hand, it is equally dangerous (for others and yourself) to ignore that fruit. If God says it should be there, who are we to ignore it? So let's see if we can find a helpful balance. Works do not provide salvation. Works, on the other hand, are an unavoidable result of true salvation. Perhaps we ought to watch ourselves more carefully instead of assuming "I believed ... I'm done, right?" And perhaps, if we care about those around us, we can help them keep an eye out as well.