Posted on by Abe Austin

Faith vs Works- One More Type of Good Works

Yesterday I shared about general good works that cultivate our faith in God and Jesus Christ. These are the everyday things that we feel we should do in our conscience. When we do those things, it increases the good in the world and transforms our hearts to be more dedicated to the Lord. This is a very important category of good works, but it is not the only one.

Ordinances and Sacraments)

To ancient Israel God gave a great number of laws and rituals. There were specific customs that had to be observed, sacrifices that had to be made, and holy days that had to be remembered. Of course, when Jesus came, he fulfilled these rituals, and they were done away with, but we are mistaken if we assume that that means that there are no more essential rituals that still apply to us today. Just as Christ’s church brought an end to observing the sabbath on the last day of the week and replaced it with a sabbath on the first day, so too, new mandatory rituals were introduced in place of the old ones.

This is the second category of good works that we must recognize. We don’t just have the things that are generally good for cultivating our faith, we also have mandatory rituals that are essential steps in our salvation. Some traditions may refer to these as “sacraments,” some as “ordinances,” some as “mysteries,” and some as “rites.” The most universal and familiar of these special rituals is baptism.

Sola Fide)

Of course, not every Christian tradition recognizes the existence of ordinances/sacraments that are necessary for salvation. They essentially collapse general good works (prayer, scripture study, service) and essential works (baptism) together as one.

However, we have already shared in this series how the words of Jesus refutes this. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned,”(Mark 16:15-16). Jesus explicitly states that being baptized is a prerequisite for salvation.

This leads us back to our original tension. If there are certain ordinances that are essential for salvation, then how can Paul say, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9)?

Well, one answer to that is that just because a work is required for salvation does not mean that it earns our way into heaven. Notice in Paul’s statement that faith isn’t what is really saving us either. It is grace. Thus, faith and necessary works are actually at the same level of essential but non-saving. Both are commanded of God, but neither is sufficient to gain entry into heaven. We can perform all the ordinances and have all the faith, and thus be eligible for salvation, but we’re still not saved by anything but grace. Just like I might have all the requirements and qualities listed on a job application, and thus be eligible for being hired, but I’m still not hired by anything but the bestowal of the employer.

Now, at this point a person might still have some questions or concerns. For example, what about all those who died without an opportunity for baptism? We will get to those matters in tomorrow’s post, but for now, I want to emphasize the importance of accepting the words of scripture without prior bias. If Paul says that we are saved by grace through faith, believe it. If Jesus says that baptism is a required work for salvation, believe it. If we don’t know how to resolve those two yet, that’s okay. Let us accept some initial confusion and uncertainty and embrace the unknown. Surely that is better than throwing away one half of scripture or the other!

Posted on by Abe Austin

Faith vs Works- One Type of Good Works

Thus far I have been talking about “works” as only one category, but it is actually two. To avoid confusion, I thought I should take a moment to describe these categories, and how each relates to our personal salvation. Today I will examine one type, and tomorrow the other.

Faith-Building Good Works)

The first category of good works is when we do something just because it is a good thing to do. Helping others in need, telling the truth, giving up our vices, singing songs of praise, praying, and other activities like these all fall into this first category.

These practices are important because they help to build our faith in the Almighty. Indeed, they are inseparable from faith. We are motivated to do them by what faith we have and doing them increases our faith over time.

It should be noted, actions like these are available to all people, regardless of their religion. A Hindu from the 7th century could dedicate to himself to good works, and by it develop a heart that is committed to cosmic, universal truth, the same as a modern-day devout Christian. All people can cultivate a soul that is fit for alignment with the author of all good, simply by listening to their conscience and doing as it dictates.

Are These Works necessary?

So, are good works like these necessary for salvation? Well, as we have already noted, these types of works are inseparable with developing our faith in the creator, and in making our hearts submissive to His will, so in a sense, yes. Without these works, we likely won’t be able to accept our Lord and Savior, because our hearts will not have been softened.

But, in another sense, the specific good works are not individually mandatory. Imagine that one man devotes himself to the study of God’s word, hungering for the knowledge of the divine, and by it cultivates a faithful and willing heart, while another man depends primarily on acts of service to keep himself humble and dedicated to the greater good. It is conceivable that while these men grew their faith through different good works, that both will be welcomed with open arms by the Lord. Not because of the specific work they performed, but because of how the work cultivated their faith.

We cannot quantify the significance of each good work. We cannot count the number of prayers offered or the number of hours served and judge a soul by those figures. And of course, no amount of these good works is sufficient to earn a place in heaven.

Thus, believing that good works saves us is wrong. But also thinking that we are saved by faith, and not works, is also wrong. Both views make a categorical error. They both assume that faith and works are separate, when really, they are two sides of the same coin.

We do need to do good works, and we are saved by faith. Both of those conditions are satisfied together. We do good works as part of growing our faith, and having faith in Christ, we become well-aligned to His kingdom and can then be saved by His grace.

Thus, we should tell all people to listen to their conscience and do the work it tells them to do. But they should do it to purify their hearts and to propagate God’s good in the world, with no thought of heavenly transaction. They should do it with their focus on what they are becoming, not on where they are going. They should do good works to be more like Jesus and then leave to Jesus the matter of their salvation.