Subscription Lists

We just celebrated work in the form of Labor Day. I think I should talk about work for a moment. As we all know, we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). So, what do works have to do with it?

I recently read this in my Bible readings.

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says "I know Him" but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked" (1 John 2:3-6).

First, note the explicit teaching. Those who know Christ will obey Christ. Those who claim to know Him but make no effort to emulate Him are liars who do not have the truth and do not know Christ. Yes, yes, I know, sounds judgmental, but I'm just telling you what John said here. So John was saying what I said. Those who belong to Christ ("the Elect") end up being godly; they are not godly in order to belong to Christ. In John's terms, "know Him" precedes "keep His commandments".

Second, notice the problem. Well, apparent problem. Now, we know that we don't earn salvation. We know that we are saved by faith apart from works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We're all really clear on this. There can be no doubt, and any time someone pops his head up and says, "You need to work to be saved", we can easily throw this and other passages at him and shut him up. No room for boasting. Works are not involved. And yet, John says here that works are involved. Now wait! Don't we have a contradiction?

It's not just John. James says, "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). Thanks, James. You can sit down now. Not helping. But rest easy. Even Paul follows up his famous "saved through faith not by works" statement with "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Works that God prepared beforehand. Interesting. So we are not saved by works, but we are not saved apart from works.

This seems like a contradiction, but it isn't. This is because the New Testament regards the works of the believer as a result of salvation, not a cause. Works are, in fact, an unavoidable outcome of salvation. So we work out our salvation with fear and trembling because it is God who is at work in us giving us the will and ability to do so (Philippians 2:12-13). We have works because we have faith (James 2:22).

We walk a thin line here. We hold that we are saved sola fide -- by faith alone. That is, we are saved apart from works. God doesn't choose us or save us because we merit anything based on our present or foreseen works. We are saved based on the merit of Christ. We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone. All believers have God's seed abiding in them (1 John 3:9) and, with that, cannot make a practice of sin. We are "born again" to new life, new creatures whose new nature operates with the Spirit to incline us to obedience rather than revolt. We will continue to lack perfection until we end this life, but we won't like it. And that is how we are saved apart from works but not apart from works. Works don't save, but they do matter. And godliness is indeed something to pursue.

"Inspiration For You" from Randy Mitchell

Watching Your Dollars Fly Away