But as it is written: WHAT NO EYE HAS SEEN AND NO EAR HAS HEARD, AND WHAT HAS NEVER COME INTO A MAN'S HEART, IS WHAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." (1 Cor. 2:9, HCSB, boldface mine).
"[Who] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim. 1:9, HCSB, italics mine).
You might have heard someone say that his religion is the Golden Rule or the Sermon on the Mount. When you reduce Christianity to a formula, creed (you aren't saved by creeds, but by trusting in the person and work of Christ), or list of dos and don'ts (legalism), you make it a philosophy or religion (they all deny grace and are based on good works for merit), but Christianity is essentially a living, growing, vital relationship with the Savior Himself--knowing Him and making Him known! Two persons of different faiths can feel unity in that they have the same creed: Do all the good you can! (borrowed from John Wesley). But this is not salvation!
Many people actually believe that living a righteous life is living the good life, achieving the American dream--that blessing is a sign of God's approbation. However, some people's reward is in this life (cf. Psalm 17:15). We are not saved by service but unto service. Good deeds is a sign we are saved and have faith, not the substitute for it. We cannot merit or earn our way to heaven by self-reformation. The new life in Christ is not an improvement, but a transformation! We are new creatures in Christ, behold, all things become new (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).
Religion says, "Do!" Christianity says, "Done!" We don't do good works because we "have to" but because we "want to." There's a world of difference: We don't say, "In order to..." but "therefore!" The believer's works are a byproduct of his faith and not the way to gain approval with God, however, he wants to please God and wonders, "What would Jesus do?" in the situations of life. There's a big difference because we cannot reach out to God, He has to reach down and condescend to us and make the first move. James and Paul said complimentary comments about their works: James would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith!"
"[Who] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim. 1:9, HCSB, italics mine).
You might have heard someone say that his religion is the Golden Rule or the Sermon on the Mount. When you reduce Christianity to a formula, creed (you aren't saved by creeds, but by trusting in the person and work of Christ), or list of dos and don'ts (legalism), you make it a philosophy or religion (they all deny grace and are based on good works for merit), but Christianity is essentially a living, growing, vital relationship with the Savior Himself--knowing Him and making Him known! Two persons of different faiths can feel unity in that they have the same creed: Do all the good you can! (borrowed from John Wesley). But this is not salvation!
Many people actually believe that living a righteous life is living the good life, achieving the American dream--that blessing is a sign of God's approbation. However, some people's reward is in this life (cf. Psalm 17:15). We are not saved by service but unto service. Good deeds is a sign we are saved and have faith, not the substitute for it. We cannot merit or earn our way to heaven by self-reformation. The new life in Christ is not an improvement, but a transformation! We are new creatures in Christ, behold, all things become new (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).
Religion says, "Do!" Christianity says, "Done!" We don't do good works because we "have to" but because we "want to." There's a world of difference: We don't say, "In order to..." but "therefore!" The believer's works are a byproduct of his faith and not the way to gain approval with God, however, he wants to please God and wonders, "What would Jesus do?" in the situations of life. There's a big difference because we cannot reach out to God, He has to reach down and condescend to us and make the first move. James and Paul said complimentary comments about their works: James would say, "I'll show you my works by my faith!"
Paul would counter, "I'll show you my faith by my works." James was dealing with people who were do-nothings and needed to realize that that kind of faith doesn't save ("Faith without works is dead," per James 2:17). Paul dealt with the other end of the spectrum: Those trying to earn their way in by obeying the law of Moses and legalism--they were doing too much and had no faith either--begun in the Spirit, but finishing in the flesh (cf. Gal. 3:3)! They were nullifying grace or as Paul says to the Galatians 5:4 (HCSB), "... [You] have fallen from grace."
The point is that if you have no good works, your faith is suspect and no fruit means no faith, because we are known by our fruits. We will be judged by our deeds, not our faith (cf. Romans 2:6)! We are not saved by works, however, but not without them either--they go hand-in-hand and can be distinguished, but not separated. The Reformed formula of salvation was: "Saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." Works are the natural result of true faith just like apples from an apple tree. They prove the faith is genuine and not bogus. There is a difference between a profession of faith and the reality of faith.
Faith is not something you have, but something you see and do, and it is abstract and must be demonstrated: "By faith Abraham obeyed...." We must put it into action, according to the measure of faith God has granted us (cf. Rom. 12:3). The book of James, not the epistle of straw that Martin Luther thought it was before he saw the reconciliation, shows us that the faith you have is the faith you show! We must not just talk the talk, but walk the talk and put it into action--faith is a verb and has feet! It is well put that "only he who is obedient believes, and only he who believes is obedient," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, et al. We must bring forth the fruits of salvation and we can distinguish them but not separate them: There's no such thing as faith without works, but there are works without faith (the kind that doesn't please God, for all our "righteousness, is as filthy rags," per Isaiah 64:6).
We are not saved by our service, but unto service, as we are vessels of honor being used by God for His glory. Paul said in Romans 15:18 that he ventured not to speak, but of what Christ had accomplished through him! God crowns His own work done through us by His Spirit and power. It is a futile and vain hope to believe you can be good enough to merit salvation or do enough good deeds---God's requisite is perfection and the standard is Christ Himself. Some people's creed is to do all the good they can, but no one does good according to Romans 3. I'm not against good deeds and sincere works, but only those done in the energy of the flesh. The problem with doing good deeds is that God sees the motive and most people just do them out of self-interest or to gain the applause of others or get attention or approval.
You cannot tell an unbeliever to "do good," because he is incapable (Paul declares that no one does good in Romans 3:12); only believers can do the works of God, which is to believe in Jesus (cf. John 6:29). The best motto or creed would be to determine to be used by God and submit to His will and be obedient and willing to do it--God doesn't want works, He wants us! Submit and see what He can accomplish through you in the power of the Spirit!
Don't ever let someone add something to grace, such as merit, because (the Reformed formula says) we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, God alone be the glory, and on the authority of Scripture alone. You are saved through Jesus alone; not Jesus plus works, which would be moralism; nor Jesus plus feeling, which is emotionalism or sentimentality; nor Jesus plus knowledge, which is intellectualism or the cult of Gnosticism. Remember this: A motto to do all the good you can is a good and rewarding philosophy, but it won't bring salvation. Soli Deo Gloria!
The point is that if you have no good works, your faith is suspect and no fruit means no faith, because we are known by our fruits. We will be judged by our deeds, not our faith (cf. Romans 2:6)! We are not saved by works, however, but not without them either--they go hand-in-hand and can be distinguished, but not separated. The Reformed formula of salvation was: "Saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." Works are the natural result of true faith just like apples from an apple tree. They prove the faith is genuine and not bogus. There is a difference between a profession of faith and the reality of faith.
Faith is not something you have, but something you see and do, and it is abstract and must be demonstrated: "By faith Abraham obeyed...." We must put it into action, according to the measure of faith God has granted us (cf. Rom. 12:3). The book of James, not the epistle of straw that Martin Luther thought it was before he saw the reconciliation, shows us that the faith you have is the faith you show! We must not just talk the talk, but walk the talk and put it into action--faith is a verb and has feet! It is well put that "only he who is obedient believes, and only he who believes is obedient," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, et al. We must bring forth the fruits of salvation and we can distinguish them but not separate them: There's no such thing as faith without works, but there are works without faith (the kind that doesn't please God, for all our "righteousness, is as filthy rags," per Isaiah 64:6).
We are not saved by our service, but unto service, as we are vessels of honor being used by God for His glory. Paul said in Romans 15:18 that he ventured not to speak, but of what Christ had accomplished through him! God crowns His own work done through us by His Spirit and power. It is a futile and vain hope to believe you can be good enough to merit salvation or do enough good deeds---God's requisite is perfection and the standard is Christ Himself. Some people's creed is to do all the good they can, but no one does good according to Romans 3. I'm not against good deeds and sincere works, but only those done in the energy of the flesh. The problem with doing good deeds is that God sees the motive and most people just do them out of self-interest or to gain the applause of others or get attention or approval.
You cannot tell an unbeliever to "do good," because he is incapable (Paul declares that no one does good in Romans 3:12); only believers can do the works of God, which is to believe in Jesus (cf. John 6:29). The best motto or creed would be to determine to be used by God and submit to His will and be obedient and willing to do it--God doesn't want works, He wants us! Submit and see what He can accomplish through you in the power of the Spirit!
Don't ever let someone add something to grace, such as merit, because (the Reformed formula says) we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, God alone be the glory, and on the authority of Scripture alone. You are saved through Jesus alone; not Jesus plus works, which would be moralism; nor Jesus plus feeling, which is emotionalism or sentimentality; nor Jesus plus knowledge, which is intellectualism or the cult of Gnosticism. Remember this: A motto to do all the good you can is a good and rewarding philosophy, but it won't bring salvation. Soli Deo Gloria!
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