**If works are worthless, who cares?**
It is worthless in the realm of justification. That’s where the Papists and various legalistic denominations get it wrong.
The new man will want to do works because of the love showed us. It is evidence to the outside world we are saved, but does nothing to improve our rightstanding before God.
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." -- Titus 3:7-8 "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
First men are justified by Christ on the cross according to the will and purpose of God. Then they believe by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit freely given to them, and from that faith comes good works, the fruit of the Spirit.
In other words, the Samaritan's help to the man who had been robbed, would go unrewarded by God. Which brings me back to my original question; why bother? I'd be with the Levite. Carry on walking. I'm already saved.
Which makes a mockery of the words of Jesus who commended the "mercy" shown by the Samaritan and instructed his listeners to do likewise. Apparently, when we show mercy to others, it makes no difference to our relationship with God.
Was Jesus just jerking them around, then? Did he forget to say...."Oh by the way, this won't help you one iota to enter into paradise..."?
Interestingly (lurkers take note), immediately after the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke, we have the story of Martha and Mary. This is the other side of the coin. Martha runs around busy, busy and Jesus rebukes her for not first sitting at the his feet like Mary.
We take from these two episodes in Luke the teaching that first comes our relationship with Jesus (we sit at his feet) and from this springs our works. Our works are therefore testament to our faith and are proof that it is real.
So yes, works alone are not salvific, but neither is a faith that smugly thinks that it need not be put into action. See James. Anyone who thinks that all that is necessary to attain paradise is to maintain a gut feeling of being saved........or else damnation.......is deluded.