Faith & Works

"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. For we are his workman- ship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
~Ephesians 2:8-10

Some people have a difficult time accepting that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is all that is needed for the forgiveness of sins. They find it difficult to grasp the idea that one man's death could atone for the sins of everyone else. They also have difficulty believing you don't have to work for forgiveness; that there isn't some kind of personal atonement for sins already committed in this life. And sadly, some religions even teach working for forgiveness. But that's not what God's word says about redemption and the forgiveness of sins. 

We are saved by grace through faith alone, not by works (Ephesians 2:8). People have been working at being "good" for centuries to no avail. If we could save ourselves through works, then Christ died needlessly (Galatians 2:21). But there is only one way to salvation, and that is through faith by believing Jesus is who He says He is.

"Then he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household' (Acts 16:30-31)."

Paul and Silas had been jailed for preaching the Gospel but that night, an earthquake opened the cell doors and they were set free. This scared the guard because losing one's prisoners meant the guard would be put to death. Knowing this, Paul and Silas didn't run, instead, they stayed and led the man to Christ. All that was required for salvation was to believe.

While we cannot be saved by working for salvation, once we know the peace and love of Jesus that comes from salvation, we do want to work. It's not like working to keep a job because the Lord has given us salvation freely, not based on merit. We work for the Lord to show our faith.

"But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless (James 2:18-20)?"

Believing Christ died for our sins saves us from ourselves, our sins, and guarantees our place in Heaven. Faith is what keeps us on track and keeps us going in the face of trials and hardships. The other element is growing our faith, increasing our faith, which is key to long term success in walking our Christian walk without becoming weary. When we prove our faith, it is through works. The two work hand in hand. We do not achieve salvation through works but faith does not allow us to sit on the sidelines either.

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priest- hood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9)."

Read 1 Samuel 24; Psalms 13-22

A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha ©2018