The Response to Salvation: Faith AND Works – 5

The Response to Salvation:

So, is it Works without Faith?

Or, is it Faith without Works?

Could it be …

Faith AND Works?

What is to be the Christian Response to Salvation?

Faith AND Works?

Yes, our salvation is by grace, through Faith.

But there’s more …

²²But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25 NAS

As Christians, our acts and actions of response to the gift of salvation are our Works.

We are to respond with acts of Love.

³⁴ “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34, 35 NAS

Love, according to the New Testament, is not the means of salvation, but it is the finest fruit of it; a man is saved by faith, not by love; but he is saved by faith in order that he may love. J Gresham Machen, Faith and Works

We are to respond with acts of Trust.

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 NAS

We are to respond with acts of Obedience.

²²Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, ²³ for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:22, 23 NAS

By “works” we aren’t talking about works of merit (none of us merit salvation, cf. Romans 3:10). We are talking about works of obedience. … Faith cannot save you if it doesn’t move you to obey Him (James 2:14). Plain and Simple Faith

We are to respond with acts of Worship

¹Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of of worship. Romans 12:1 NAS

Our acts are our “fruit,” i.e., God’s love made visible to the world.

² “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2 NAS

We are saved by faith alone. … This ‘fruit’ provides evidence to the world of the reality of a believer’s faith, and experiential security to the believer that he has been born again. Faith vs Works, CRU

What is My Response to Salvation?

Faith AND Works

I believe:

I am not saved by Works of the Law.

²⁸ For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Romans 3:28 NAS

⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 NAS

Good works, then, are not the ground of justification but are possible only as its consequences. How Faith Works, Christianity Today

I am saved by grace, through Faith in Jesus, the Christ.

⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8,9 NAS

I am saved by Faith, through God’s love and mercy.

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 NAS

The work is love … It is not a mere emotion, it is not even a mere benevolent desire; it is a practical thing. … Christian love includes not merely the wish for the welfare of one’s fellow men, not merely even the willingness to help, but also the power. J Gresham Machen, Faith and Works

Yes, I am saved by Faith

And I respond by my actions, my Works

I respond to being saved with love and thanksgiving.

My response to this gift is shown by my Works.

⁴ Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:4 NAS

True salvation produces a heart that voluntarily responds to the ever-awakening reality of Christ’s lordship. John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith? Zondervan, Harper Collins Publishing, 2009

Through my Works, my Faith is seen by others.

My Works are my “fruit,” evidence of my Faith.

⁸ “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. John 15:8 NAS

We are saved by faith alone. Yet, if one truly has a saving faith and has Christ indwelling them, this should manifest itself in some form of obedience and fruit. Faith vs Works, CRU

What is the evidence of your Faith?

What is your “fruit”?

If it were against the law to be a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Can There be Transformative Faith Without Visible Works?

More…

…next time:

Blessings,

TLThomas

It’s ok to doubt, if you check it out!

Be a Berean!

¹⁰The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Acts 17:10, 11 ESV

My Word On The Word

The Response to Salvation: Faith AND Works – 5