⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-10

As I had mentioned a few days ago, my husband and I have really been trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus during this difficult time in our world. But it is of no credit to us, the credit belongs to God for His provisions and to the Holy Spirit for His leading us to serve and where to serve. All we do is say “yes Lord”.

But there are a number of religions/faiths that would have us take a lot more stock in works then we really should.

In fact we have a friend who is of a different faith than ours and he truly believes that it is his good works that will get him to heaven. We have been trying to minister to him over the years, but when ever we are lead to do something for him or to serve him in some way, he seems to feel like he has to out give us. There by securing his place in Heaven.

I am so glad that works don’t determine whether I am going to be in Heaven or not. Because, prior to knowing Christ, I did NO “good” works. Every work that appeared as though it was good, was really for my own benefit. Perhaps to make people like me or that they would think I was a good person (when I really was not) or perhaps it was to try to make myself indispensable so that no one could push me out of my position in their lives.

When I say that works don’t determine our eternity, they don’t ((God) who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,  2 Timothy 1:9).

Either Jesus was a sufficient offering for the payment of the penalty of our sins, or He wasn’t. If we have to do some sort of works to try and secure our salvation, then Jesus died in vain. (For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23).

But….do works have a place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ? They most certainly do. Our good works are a by product of a christian life, not a means by which we obtain the christian life. Once we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are led to perform good works through the Holy Spirit’s leading. And, we are led to perform those works not for our own glorification, but for God’s (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 5:16).

Good works are such an important element of the christian faith that Ephesians 2:10 says that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for the works that He planned beforehand for us to do.”. God planned, before we even knew Christ as our Savior, the works that He desired for us to do and the ways in which He wanted us to glorify Him to others.

All this to say that good works alone, will not save us. But faith without works is equally ineffective.

James 2:14-26 explains that works apart from faith will not save us and faith apart from works is equally ineffective.

“¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?  ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?¹⁷ So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

¹⁸ Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

¹⁹ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰ How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

Verses 20 – 23 are summarized in verse 24 “²⁴ So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”

Similarly, verses 24 & 25 are summarized by verse 26 ²⁶ Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

If we try to perform good works, but do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we have no salvation. Without salvation we have death (For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23).

If we say we have faith but do not do the works of God (feeding the poor, caring for the elderly, ministering to those who are hurting), we are not submitting to or being led by the Holy Spirit, our faith is dead and Christ is probably not in us. And, if Christ is not in us we have no salvation and, again, without salvation we have death. (Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned– Romans 5:12).

So, works without faith is death and faith without works is death. Not because either are bad, but because a lack of either indicates a lack of Jesus.

True life, is found in Christ alone. When we accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior and then live our lives to serve and glorify our Heavenly Father, we have life. By serving Him and doing good works, others are drawn into a relationship with Him.

Imagine that, a sinner such as I was, can be forgiven and then used by the God of all creation to glorify Himself! Now that is a miracle! Thank you Jesus!

I pray that today we would examine ourselves to insure that we have both faith and works and ultimately that we have Jesus. And, once that is confirmed, and because of our gratitude for His sacrifice, I pray that we would be moved to action. I pray that we would exhibit our faith more boldly and work more diligently for Him.

We only have this short life to make an impact on God’s eternal kingdom, let’s get busy Church!

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I pray that you would go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. God longs to forgive you, love you and has even planned good works for you to do. So, please pray that prayer and once you do, reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer for you.

Luv Ya!