Ephesians 2:8-10
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— The moment you have to pay for something it’s no longer a gift.
not by works, so that no one can boast. Salvation is something to be thankful for, not prideful over.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” While works have nothing to do with salvation, they do have value in other areas. Since verse 10 is often left out when quoting this, we leave people thinking Christianity is a passive thing. Therein lies the heart of so many issues that the church faces today.
People often counterpoint this next passage with the previous one as a contradiction. Especially if they overlook verse 10. It’s a weak argument That is easily dismissed if you look beyond the mere surface.
James 2:14-26
“What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Faith is not meant to be passive.
Can that faith save him? A battery can save you if placed in the right device during an emergency, but it does you no good if it remains in the package.
If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? This idea of helping the poor is constant throughout scripture, but it is a constantly neglected truth as well. Is this false idea that works have no value to blame for this oversight?
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. Like that proverbial flashlight that was made in advance to cast light into dark places. Without batteries, it cannot fulfill its purpose.
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Faith is not some abstract concept you just put on a pedestal. That kind of passive faith won’t get you through the hard times.
You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. I dare say you need to be more righteous than demons. (Matthew 5:20, 46-47)
But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Even batteries waste away over time on the shelf.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? Abraham trusted God, even though he did not understand what was being asked of him and why.
You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. Would we even know who Abraham was if he had not perfected his faith like this? Would he have succeeded here, if he hadn’t failed previously? As I often say, today's success is built upon yesterday's failures.
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Not saved but justified. What would our faith even be in, if we weren’t already saved?
In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? Even a harlot can be justified, if she acts in faith.
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Where works without faith are empty and done more for self than God. We don’t buy our salvation through works, we do works because we are saved, and have faith in the one who saved us.
Isaiah 29:13
“The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”
These words that also happened to be quoted by Jesus himself in Matthew 15:8-9 can be summed up in a single word, sincerity. We can debate the value of works until we are blue in the face, but does any of it change how we show our appreciation towards God. If we truly love God, if we appreciate his Grace, if we are thankful for his salvation, we certainly would want to show it somehow, some way. Sincerity turns commands we must fulfill into a genuine desire.
Gratitude is a big element of worship after all. Thanks to the new covenant, the sacrificial system outlined in Leviticus has been traded out for living sacrifice. As indicated in Romans 12:1. Meaning, it’s just as much about honoring God in our everyday lives, not just scripted rituals.
Works may not earn us salvation. But it shows gratitude towards God, it shows honor towards God, it expresses love towards God, it counts as worship towards God, and it also builds God's church. Again, a devoted disciple shouldn’t have to be commanded to do any of this. If they do, then they need to check their heart, because there is likely a fault in it.
As Romans 1:21 & 22 says “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools” Are you passive in your gratitude towards God's salvation? Consider the ramifications of an ungrateful spirit: Foolishness, a futile mind, and a darkened heart. All from simply being a passive ingrate.
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