2006-08-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

Many Christians have suffered serious psychological and moral harm as a result of misunderstandings concerning the Bible's teachings on the roles of faith and works in salvation.

"If I am saved by faith, and not by works," they ask, "What role do works play in salvation? Why does St. James say that 'A man is justified by works and not by faith alone' and that 'Faith without works is dead'? (James 2:14-)"

This confusion has caused many Christians to fall into the dangerous trap of thinking that they must somehow "earn" or "keep" their salvation through doing good works. But to their dismay, these "works-righteousness" Christians find that the more they strive to obey God, the more sin overpowers them and prevents them from doing so.

This sort of Christian grows increasingly frustrated, demoralized, and anxiety-stricken. His fear of God's judgment increases each time he disobeys one of Scripture's commandments. Eventually he begins to think that there is no hope whatever in keeping his salvation; he begins to lose his faith in the redemptive work of the Cross.

Gradually the believer becomes morose; he begins to loathe himself on account of his spiritual weakness, despairing over the fact that he will never "live up" to the Lord's seemingly unreasonable moral demands. He forgets altogether that he is a new creation in Christ and begins to wonder whether he was truly born again and whether his confession of faith was genuine.

On the other hand, the misunderstanding of the relation between faith and works may cause quite a different problem in the life of a Christian. A believer may be quite successful in adhering to some of the Lord's commandments (usually those which he has a natural propensity towards obeying and which pose no real difficulty to him in keeping). But his conscience, being as yet undeveloped, remains completely insensitive to the fact that he still engages in many thoughts and deeds upon which the Lord looks unfavorably--that no matter how "righteous" he thinks he is, sin still dwells within his members.

This sort of Christian will tend to think that he is righteous as a result of his works. Though he may still say, "I'm saved by grace, not works," he nevertheless speaks and acts as if he were saved by works, and not grace. He begins to think he is spiritually superior to his brothers and sisters, not realizing that this sort of pride is itself an insidious vice.

This prideful believer will often become judgmental of the "frequent disobedience" of his brothers and sisters, forgetting that mercy and tolerance are also Christian virtues which he should exhibit. One sometimes hears him condescending to fellow discples because they do not share the same conviction as he with respect to moral matters.

The believer who thinks that he actually does "measure up" to God's holy requirements develops over time a false sense of his own worthiness in God's eyes. He tumbles from the mountaintop of grace into the abyss of legalism. This sort of Christian does not recognize how morally imperfect he is because he does not truly have a grasp on how morally perfect God is.

Unfortunately, both types of Christians are in grave spiritual danger (though the second usually doesn't know it). The first type suffers shipwreck in the faith; he is plagued by self-loathing, fear, demoralization, and despair which completely disrupt his fellowship and worship. His despair paralyzes him, inflicting a lethal blow to his self-esteem, and stealing his peace and joy.

The second type also suffers from a kind of shipwreck in the faith, despite the fact that he believes his worship to be sufficient. Sadly, he must be brought low, sometimes through harsh discipline, in order to be restored to a right fellowship with God. He is morally deceived, falling under the delusion that his works, and not the Lord's grace, preserve and complete his salvation. The Lord must show him that it is the finished work of the Cross of Christ--not the presumed worthiness of his own acts--that saves as well as sanctifies him; that "all his righteous acts are like filthy rags," (Isaiah 64:6).

Therefore, it is absolutely crucial that Christians have a correct understanding of the relationship between faith and works. Such misunderstanding can seriously hinder Christian growth.

Law and Sin

The main problem with both types of Christians is that they are works-centered. Each places an inordinate amount of faith in his own works: the first class believes that their bad works will condemn them; the second, that their good works will save them. To correct the problem, they must understand the Bible's teaching on the relationship between works of the law and the power of sin.

Scripture teaches, ironically, that, far from making man righteous, the law of God actually increases his unrighteousness:

"The power of sin is the law" (1 Corinthians 15:56).

"For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by" (Romans 7:5-6).

"The law was added so that the trespass might increase" (Romans 5:20).

These scriptures confirm that the purpose of the law was never to make man righteous. On the contrary, God's law increases the power of sin in our flesh. As a result, anyone who tries to obey God's law activates this dreadful sin principle and finds himself powerless to consistently obey God's commandments:

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

"I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:14-22).

This passage explains why the "works-righteousness" Christian finds that the more he tries to keep God's law, the less able he is to do so. It also explains why he experiences tremendous self-condemnation, demoralization, and despair, and consequently begins to lose his faith in Christ's redemptive work.

Works and Salvation

If works (of the law) cannot produce salvation, then it follows by the same logic that works cannot keep salvation either:

"Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?" (Galatians 3:1-4).

The point Paul is trying to make is that God's gifts come by faith, and not by human effort, good works, or righteous conduct.

In fact, scripture teaches that faith itself is a gift from God which comes in precisely the same manner:

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this [faith] not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

"Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:3-5).

"For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ...to believe on him" (Philippians 1:29).

The implication of these scriptures is clear. Gifts and obligations are polar opposites. Since salvation is a gift of God, this implies that man--who is the beneficiary--is not obligated to receive it. Hence, it is not something which he can work to receive (for if he could, salvation would be a reward God is obligated to give him). The contrary is also true: if salvation were an obligation--that is, a reward owed to man on the basis of his works--then it would cease being a gift.

For example, when I work for my employer, the wage he gives me is not a gift from him, but an obligation; it is something he owes me in exchange for my service to him. In fact, if my employer chose not to pay me for my work, I have legal and ethical grounds to take him before a judge to force him to pay me. It would be silly to speak of my wage as a gift from my employer, precisely because a gift is something that cannot be given under compulsion or obligation. It is something which is given out of the kindness and graciousness of the giver.

These are the terms that the biblical writers use to speak about the gifts of faith and salvation: they are gracious gifts given to man by God. Hence, man cannot earn them through works.

Nor can he keep his salvation through works. In the Galatians passage, Paul argues, through the use of a rhetorical question, that salvation is begun and completed through faith ("Having begun with the Spirit [who is received by faith] are you now trying to attain the goal (of salvation) by works?).

Thus salvation is both received and kept by faith.

The First-Century Controversy

Nevertheless, there was still a good amount of disagreement during the first-century about the doctrine of salvation. There were groups which taught that Christians were required to observe the Law of Moses in order to be saved. At the other end of the spectrum were groups which preached that works played absolutely no role in Christian salvation.

The disputes grew, threatening to rip the early Church apart. In response to the growing controversy, the apostles, along with other church leaders, convened a special council to decide the issue once for all. The council's deliberations and final decision are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 15:

"And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.' Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

"And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.'

"Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: 'Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear (i.e., the law)? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they...'

"...Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, 'You must be circumcised and keep the law'—to whom we gave no such commandment...we have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden..."

Scripture makes clear that the apostles and elders of the early Church did not require the new Gentile converts to follow the Law of Moses. St. Paul corroborates the testimony of the council later on in his letter to the Galatians:

"When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group [the Pharisees mentioned in Acts 15]. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

"When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

"We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:11-16).

Free from Law (Works)

As one can see, scripture is unequivocal on the point. We who are in Christ through faith are delivered forever from the law (cf. Romans 7:1-10). We are not obligated to follow it; hence, we are no longer condemned when we break it. Furthermore, the more we try to put ourselves under it, the less able we are to keep it, and the more powerful sin becomes.

Yet there is always a temptation to try to live by the law. The law holds a certain allure for the flesh. Man always seeks to earn his righteousness through his own effort and achievement, for then he could feel proud of himself and his accomplishments; he could pride himself on his "superior" spirituality. In fact, this is precisely one of St. Paul's accusations against the circumcision faction mentioned in Acts 15:

"Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God" (Galatians 6:12-16).

Moreover, some Christian teachers are reluctant to teach that Christians are not obligated to the dictates of the law because they fear that such "heresy" will give Christians an excuse to "sin and get away with it." However, nowhere in scripture is this kind of licentiousness condoned. Shortly after Paul presents his argument against the Pharisees in his Letter to the Galatians, he writes:

"You, my brothers, were called to be free [from law]. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13).

No matter how reasonable it sounds to preach law, it will not change the fact that the law can never make a man righteous. Quite the contrary, the law increases the power of sin and causes transgressions to multiply. While those who preach law may be doing so from the noble motive of encouraging believers to do good works, we cannot allow the ends to justify the means in spiritual matters.

False teaching will never produce good conduct.

Resolving the Paradox

"So what is the correct understanding of the relationship between faith and works?" you may still be asking. "Granted works neither produce nor keep salvation. But what about the conflict between Paul's teaching and James' teaching? St. Paul says that we are justified by faith, but St. James appears to contradict St. Paul by claiming that we are not justified by faith alone, but also by works. And even though the New Testament says we are no longer under law, it clearly gives many commandments that we are to follow. How do I make sense of this?"

Let me begin by quoting St. James in his discussion on the relationship between faith and works:

"What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

"But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

"Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:14-26).

This one passage has caused serious confusion for a great many Christians--myself included. In fact, Martin Luther, the great Catholic reformer, once said that the Book of James should have been ripped from the pages of the Bible altogether because it threatened the rest of scripture's teaching that one is justified by faith alone.

But St. James is merely saying that works demonstrate true, saving faith, not that they contribute to salvation. ("I will show you my faith by my works.") Another way of saying it is that works demonstrate that one's faith is real. It's not that works can earn one's salvation; they simply confirm that one already possesses the gift of salvation. As one prominent Christian teacher said, "Salvation is not by faith plus works, but by faith that works."

(Note: The term "justified", in James' usage, is a different Greek word than in Paul's usage in Romans, and has a different meaning. For Paul, the term "justified" means "declared innocent of guilt"; justification in this sense is a legal decree of right standing before a superior.

However, for James "justification" connotes the idea of being confirmed or vindicated by one's conduct. In other words, when James says that a man is "justified" by works, he is not saying that a man is declared innocent of guilt by his works--which would contradict Paul's teaching--but that his righteousness is proven, disclosed, or confirmed by his works; his works certify, authenticate, or bear out his righteousness.

Thus, a Christian is first "justified" - declared innocent of sin - through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. But then as he matures in discipleship, he is "justified" - certified or disclosed as being righteous - through his good works).

"The Obedience of Faith"

Next, James explains that through works our faith is refined, established, and matured. There are two primary ways in which works accomplish this.

First, when children of God successfully carry out God's commandments, He often rewards their obedience:

"If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).

When we receive God's blessings as a result of our acts of obedience, our faith is strengthened. We are able to trust more in God promises.

For example, when I tithe regularly, I receive blessings almost inexplicably. I notice an increase in daily provisions, health, financial and career success. These rewards serve to strengthen my faith, making me more eager to tithe the next time. It is as if each time I tithe, and receive a reward, my trust level in the promise of God jumps up a notch.

A Gracious Effect Sin Can Have On Faith

However, there is a second way in which works perfect faith--and that is when I fail to perform them. For instance, when I am beset by some nagging sin which I cannot overcome, this frustration and despair also indirectly refines my faith. For it is during those seasons of perpetual failure and defeat when my only recourse is to throw myself unreservedly onto the mercy of the Lord Jesus.

In this way, even my failures strengthen my faith. They remind me that my righteousness is not my own but is imputed to me by God because of Christ's righteousness; that it is actually Christ's righteousness that I possess, as a free gift, solely through my faith in Him; and that only through Christ's life in me can I truly live a holy life.

Think of it this way. When you fall short of God's commandments, there are two options. One is to continue to focus on yourself, your poor performance, and your weakness. You can bemoan the fact that you are a wretched person, that your flesh is weak, and continue crying to the Lord about your own weakness and failure.

But though this may sound like humility, it is not. It is a false humility that inevitably leads to discouragement and self-contempt. Why? Because my point of reference for righteousness is still myself, my actions, my ability. My trust is not in Christ, the only Righteous One, but in myself. But the Father wants to use our weakness to deepen our faith in Christ--not ourselves.

The second option is to allow your moral weakness to turn your eyes to Jesus. Once you see Him for who he really is, once you realize that He is the only Righteous One, you are immediately freed from all despair and self-condemnation. You begin to understand the truth of the Scripture,

"'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Thus, works do not produce salvation, but they do strengthen and refine one's faith in various ways. And it is this faith--not the works proceeding therefrom--which brings salvation.

Conclusion

Vernand Eller, a Christian writer, quoting the great 19th century Danish theologian Soren Kierkegaard, perhaps best sums up the matter of faith and works:

" 'Take any Christian principle of action--dare to follow it...In this action you will collide with the outer world in which to a certain degree your life essentially consists...In this tension you likewise will discover that, quite contrary to your own idealism, you are still a wretched weakling so that you need grace unconditionally. Without this [desperation which forces him to humbly confess that the harder he works, the more he despairs], a man never comes to faith...Thus you shall indeed learn the truth of the Teacher, learn how He alone can save you from despairing or going under.'

"Only the man who earnestly has striven after works and consequently realized his own inability--only he is in position truly to appreciate and receive grace," Eller writes. "But the total effect of this procedure is not as negative as it might appear; quite the contrary:

" 'You cannot worship God by good works, still less by [lawlessness], and just as little by sinking into a soft slumber and doing nothing. No, in order to worship aright and rightly to have joy in worshipping, a man must... strive with might and main...to produce as many as possible of what upright men, humanly speaking, might call 'good works'. Then when he takes them and, deeply humbled before God, beholds them transformed to wretchedness and vileness, that is to worship God.'

"This is the conception of works that feeds into grace," Eller concludes. "S.K. also understood the more usual conception of works that proceed from grace." (For a fuller study of this thesis, see Kierkegaard and Radical Discipleship: A New Perspective, by Vernand Eller, 1968, Princeton University Press, at http://www.hccentral.com/eller2/part6e.html).

The point of all this is that a Christian should never base God's gift of salvation on his own moral conduct--whether good or poor. His salvation is a gift from God to him accessible only by faith, and not by any works of obedience. Nevertheless, the man who has a true faith will wish to do good works as an expression of his faith in and love for God.

Moreover, works mature and refine a Christian's faith in two primary ways. First, works deepen a Christian's trust in God's promises when he is rewarded for his acts of obedience. Second, works can deepen the believer's faith in Christ's redemptive work even when he is chronically disobedient; the Christian's recurring moral weakness and failure impress upon him the need to unswervingly depend upon the grace of God and the mercy of Christ for his salvation and sanctification.

Faith, Works, and Christian Salvation