The Gospel Part 5: Reconciling Faith And Works

Unsealed.org ^ | 5/19/16 | Gary

[amessenger4god]

Faith vs. works.  Christians have debated this topic for two thousand years and still do.  At the heart of the debate you have two (seemingly) opposing sides:

Team Faith says works are not required for salvation.  Salvation is received by grace through faith alone (John 6:28-29, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 4:5, Romans 11:6, Galatians 2:21).  They believe that making works a requirement for salvation ignores the very message of the Gospel that Jesus died for our sins and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), which the Apostle Paul calls "of first importance."  This is Christianity 101.  If Jesus died for your sins as a substitutionary sacrifice how can sin or lack of works now separate the Believer from God since our sins were the very reason He died?  Isn't the point of the Cross that under the law works were a requirement for salvation and because we couldn't keep the law perfectly (James 2:10) Jesus did it for us?

Team Works doesn't deny that faith is necessary for salvation, but adds performing good works and/or avoiding sin enough as necessary components of salvation.  The works-righteousness side relies heavily on James 2:14-24 and Philippians 2:12, which both prima facie seem to indicate the opposite of such often referenced sola fide verses as Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 4:5.  This is the position taken by Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians, as well as some Protestants such as N.T. Wright.

While there are essentially two sides to the debate, there are actually three ways to explain the relationship between faith and works, because Team Faith can be further split into two categories: first, those who think that faith and salvation have no relationship to works and thus grace is a license to sin (these are called antinomians: anti = against and nomian = law, so "against law").  Second, those who believe we are saved by faith alone, but the type of faith that saves is a faith that consequentially results in obedience to God and thus good works.  The second view differentiates between a professed faith and a penitent faith.  To summarize the three views:

1. Faith + works = salvation.  This is Team Works and is the official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church per the sixth session of the Council of Trent (1547).  Eastern Orthodox and some Protestant churches also subscribe to this view.  It uses James 2:14-24 as the chief proof text.

2. Faith = salvation - works.  This is one of the two camps in Team Faith.  Unfortunately for this team, it is condemned at least twice in the Bible (Romans 6:1-2, Jude 1:4), and universally by the early Church.  The Bible repeatedly describes the Believer's life as characterized by love and good deeds - avoidance of sin and works stemming from faith.  For this reason antinomianism is not compatible with God's Word.  There are virtually no denominations or churches that officially subscribe to this view, although there are a large and growing number of churches and professing Christians who in practice are antinomians because they justify things that the Bible clearly defines as sin (e.g. homosexuality, adultery, abortion, obscenity, etc).

3. Faith = salvation + works.  This is the position held by a large majority of Protestant groups including Evangelicals, Anglicans, Pentecostals, and Lutherans.  It is also the official position of most Protestant denominations even if many Protestants themselves may reject the view in favor of either view #1 or view #2.  In my understanding this is also the view espoused in the Bible and in the early Church, which over centuries was diluted until Luther and Melanchthon attempted to restore the doctrine to the Church.  Galatians 2:11-3:26, Romans 3:21-5:2, and Ephesians 2:8-9 are proof texts.

For argument's sake let's all agree that view #2 is not biblical and is in fact heresy (as evidenced by many of the same scriptures that view #1 emphasizes).  We are left with #1 and #3.  Here are the reasons why I believe #3 is the biblical view:

1. It is the only view that can reconcile all scriptures.  View #1 can only sustain itself by ignoring and de-emphasizing literally dozens and dozens of scriptures that indicate salvation is wrought by faith in or belief in Jesus.  Some of the passages ignored include long discourses on faith apart from works such as the aforementioned Galatians 2:11-3:26 and Romans 3:21-5:2.  View #3 can actually reconcile James 2:14-24 prima facie, whereas view #1 cannot reconcile the Galatians, Romans, and Ephesians passages prima facie.  View #3 can also reconcile Philippians 2:12, because the Greek κατεργάζεσθε means "work out" (your salvation), not "work for" (your salvation).

2. It is the only view that preserves the simple Gospel message.  In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 the Gospel is defined simply as Jesus dying for our sins, being buried, and rising again.  Arguing that not sinning or avoiding sin enough is how one obtains eternal life makes the Gospel pointless since that is the very reason Christ died (Galatians 2:21).  View #1 proponents attempt in a variety of ways to explain how we are saved by God's grace yet works are also necessary, but as the Apostle Paul explains, any mixture of grace and works defeats the very meaning of grace in the first place (Romans 11:6).  Paul appears to demonstrate the absurd dichotomy between faith and works in Galatians 3:1-6.  You can't have it both ways.  There is no compromise.  You can't simultaneously maintain that Jesus paid the price for your sins and yet you still have to pay.

3. It is the only view that correctly understands and defines grace.  The Bible is crystal clear that we are saved by God's grace which came through Christ's atoning sacrifice and resurrection.  Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches this.  Yet, because of the absurdity of saying we are saved by grace and works, some theologians have changed the basic, general understanding of what the word grace means.  In a dictionary or in common conversation grace simply means "unmerited favor" or "undeserved kindness."  Yet to the works-righteousness theologian they tag "sanctifying" onto "grace" to define it as something else entirely: fuel in your spiritual tank to keep you going.

4. Sola fide has more supporting scriptures.  I don't offer this as proof because every verse must be accounted for, but for argument's sake, even if every verse that indicated works were necessary and every verse that indicated faith was necessary could not be reconciled, sola fide would still have more supporting verses.

There are 24 verses that seem to indicate the necessity of works:

James 2:14
James 2:20
James 2:24
James 2:26
Revelation 2:23
Revelation 3:2
Matthew 3:10 (good fruit necessary)
Matthew 6:15
Matthew 13:41 (all who do evil)
Luke 3:9 (good fruit necessary)
Philippians 2:12
Hebrews 10:26 (any sin after conversion; see Hebrews 10:39)
Revelation 20:12 (judged according to deeds)
Revelation 20:13 (judged according to deeds)
1 John 2:4
1 John 2:5
1 John 3:6 (no one who continues to sin)
1 John 3:7
1 John 3:8
1 John 3:9 (no one who continues to sin)
1 John 3:15
1 John 4:20
1 John 5:18 (no one who continues to sin)
3 John 1:11

Yet there are 88 verses that indicate the exclusive necessity of grace, faith, or belief (x represents where condemnation is actually tied to unbelief rather than bad deeds):

John 6:29
Romans 3:20
Romans 3:28
Romans 4:2
Romans 4:6
Romans 9:32 X
Romans 11:6
Galatians 2:16 X
Galatians 3:2
Galatians 3:5
Galatians 3:10 X
Ephesians 2:9
Matthew 9:2
Mark 2:5
Luke 5:20
Luke 7:50
Acts 15:9
Acts 20:21
Acts 26:18
Romans 1:17
Romans 3:22
Romans 3:25
Romans 3:26
Romans 3:27
Romans 3:30
Romans 4:5
Romans 4:9
Romans 4:11
Romans 4:13
Romans 4:14
Romans 4:16
Romans 5:1
Romans 5:2
Romans 9:30
Romans 10:10
Romans 11:20
Galatians 3:8
Galatians 2:21
Galatians 3:11 X
Galatians 3:14
Galatians 3:22
Galatians 3:24
Galatians 3:26
Galatians 5:6
Ephesians 2:8
Ephesians 3:12
Ephesians 3:17
Philippians 3:9
2 Timothy 3:15
Hebrews 10:39 X
1 Peter 1:9
Luke 8:12 X
John 1:12
John 3:15
John 3:16
John 3:18 X
John 3:36 X
John 5:24
John 6:29
John 6:40
John 6:47
John 8:24 X
John 11:25
John 11:26
John 20:31
Acts 10:43
Acts 11:17
Acts 13:39 X
Acts 15:11
Acts 16:31
Romans 1:16
Romans 4:3
Romans 4:24
Romans 9:33
Romans 10:4
Romans 10:9
Romans 10:11
1 Corinthians 1:21
1 Corinthians 15:2 X
Ephesians 1:13
2 Thessalonians 2:12 X
2 Thessalonians 2:13
1 Timothy 1:16
Hebrews 4:3 X
James 2:23
1 John 5:1
1 John 5:5
1 John 5:13
Hebrews 3:19 X

And since there are 88 verses that indicate grace, faith, or belief are exclusively necessary for salvation, and 0 verses indicating the necessity of works apart from faith, that tells me the biblical equation cannot be faith + works = salvation.

Take a look at this very quick video explanation of how faith and works relate.

[WENDLE]

John 3:16. There are no “works”.

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

This is a good article. Thanks for it. One thing I want to add: N.T Wright is the sort of Protestant who upholds the heresy of the NPP movement, emphasizes unity with Roman Catholics and the like, and thus is a “Protestant” who doesn’t protest anything other than what Protestants believe.

[metmom]

Nice.

Good work.

Thanks.

Ping

[metmom]

ping

[Chaguito]

How about trying to get inside the New Testament writers’ minds. They were Hebrews, not hellenistic theorists. A Hebrew would not contemplate a faith that was simply a matter of assent. Their thought patterns were holistic. To “believe” would mean to put one’s entire weight on the object of belief, as evidenced by the corresponding verbal and physical manifestations.

Poor Paul, he was trying to put hebraic thoughts into hellenistic categories, and the western world thought by this that he really did mean to break the gospel into tiny pieces.

[Cvengr]

Paul was inspired by God when he presented the Word to us.

[Just another Joe]

You can have works without faith. You can do good things without believing in God.
You can have faith without works, although I can't understand that myself.

Works should stem from faith.
Faith should stem from Grace.
Grace is God's to extend. I have no control over that.

I can be thankful that he extends that Grace to me, and I have the decision to accept, or refuse, that Grace.

[MHGinTN]

ping-a-ling-a-ling

[Chaguito]

Paul was inspired by God when he presented the Word to us...

using human language, which is highly linked to culture.

In this case, the culture was hellenism and cared little for actual production of results, rather beauty of the system. The western world has chosen the beauty of the system as its goal. Jesus consistently thought otherwise. He was a Hebrew, too.

[WKB]

Baptist ping

[Greetings_Puny_Humans]

A Hebrew would not contemplate a faith that was simply a matter of assent. Their thought patterns were holistic. To “believe” would mean to put one’s entire weight on the object of belief, as evidenced by the corresponding verbal and physical manifestations.

If by "put their entire weight," you mean: "fulfill the law perfectly," Paul very specifically disputes the Jewish understanding of salvation by declaring that the unrighteous are justified and have their sins forgiven them through no obedience or merit of their own, but by faith only.

[MHGinTN]

The mind that was in Paul was also in Christ Jesus ... read what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:14-18 and refer back to the brass snake of Numbers 21:4-9.

GOD sees the inward parts and has a view of all of time, anytime. He needs no works by us ... butwe need the works to be raised up in the way that we should go as His newborns.

When Paul instructed to 'work out your own salvation', he was not saying work to be saved, he was saying that with fear and trembling work/behave as directed by GOD, because it is GOD Who is in you doing the changing as you yield to His Holy Spirit leadership. James says he will show his saved status/the degree of his belief/ his faith through the changes taking place, the works done with God in him.

God has all of time, so he could birth individuals from above and go from one to the next, then in some distant epoch change each one into the image He desires for them. But that is not how He is building the Body of Christ, so ONLY those who will accept the Holy Spirit changing their 'want to', as evidenced by their behaviors, ARE the redeemed from the sin nature of Adam's descendants.

When reading James's comments on faith and works, try substituting 'belief' where he is translated as using the word faith. Belief without works, without the changes, is dead belief not transforming belief. James will show his belief with his transforming works. ... James didn't even believe Jesus was The Christ until after the resurrection! He shows how his belief changed by the works of his life thereafter. ... It is said that the knees of James looked like camel knees because he spent so much of his time on his knees.

[unlearner]

Good article.

It is, however, incorrect to assert that “under the law works were a requirement for salvation”.

Salvation was always by faith, through grace. The law always served to bring knowledge of sin and the need for repentance.

Also, many Protestants who believe in salvation by grace alone, acknowledge that grace is not merely “unmerited favor”. God’s grace is transformative.

1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

It was God’s grace working in Paul that caused him to labor more abundantly than the other apostles.

Lastly, the Gospel summary given here is incomplete: “In 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 the Gospel is defined simply as Jesus dying for our sins, being buried, and rising again.” Close but not quite.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures...

Notice that this passage reveals that the Gospel includes that Christ’s death and resurrection were the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This is an essential element of the Gospel. So, instead of merely 3 elements (substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection of Christ), the fulfillment of scripture is essential. But there is more.

1 Corinthians 15:5-8
and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

In addition to the first four elements of the Gospel message, it is also essential that Christ was seen by many witnesses AFTER He was raised from the dead. This is a requirement for an apostle. All apostles saw the resurrected Christ and were personally taught by Him. The New Testament is, among other things, a record of those who were witnesses of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The Gospel message is not simply a made up fairy tale. It is an actual historical record with more evidence than any other event in history.

So there are actually 5 elements of the Gospel message. But there is still more. The Gospel is more than just information. It has power and authority. And comes with commands. And the first 2 commands are inseparable from the Gospel itself. The two commands are to repent and believe.

Acts 17:30
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

Luke 24:46-48
Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.”

A careful study of the Gospel message, including the Great Commission, and actual sermons to unbelievers recorded in the book of Acts, demonstrate that all of these elements are present. This is the sevenfold Gospel.

[Iscool]

How do you reconcile Rev. 20:12-13 then??? Just pretend they don't exist???

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

What about that one??? You don't get saved until you endure to the end...

Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Mat 25:38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Faith is no where mentioned regarding the sheep and goats...The sheep get the kingdom due to good works...

And how about the rich guy who 'couldn't get in' because he wouldn't sell everything he had and give it away???

Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

How do you reconcile these scriptures and many others that you didn't reference??? Just ignore them???

[MHGinTN]

Context, context, context ... if you refuse to believe in dispensations of God dealing with humankind, with Jews, and Gentiels, and then Jews again, and the location and to whom God directs His Word, then it will be impossible to reconcile these seemingly contradictory passages.

Here is one very fundamental too for The Revelation: to whom is a passage referring, where is that reference directed (on earth or to those already in Heaven) and for what purpose is God referencing these 'raised dead'; the ones resurrected at the end of the Age, after Jesus has set foot again on the earth and destroyed the armies sent to annihilate Israel, and proclaimed the end, these being resurrected ARE NOT THE EKKLESIA OF THE CHURCH AGE. They are those who refused to trust in/believe in Jesus as The Deliverer, and the Jews who were hidden for the purpose of saving a living remnant to repopulate the Earth.

One second AFTER the Rapture, there will be not one believer on Earth. BUT, during the tribulation period, a number so great no man could number it will get saved and show up in Heaven. But there will be a stubborn group who will refuse to call upon Jesus for deliverance. At the Great White Throne of Judgment, the Church is not standing for judgment. That 'judging' (really, evaluation) took place in Heaven.

[MHGinTN]

You asked, “And how about the rich guy who ‘couldn’t get in’ because he wouldn’t sell everything he had and give it away???” Perhaps you would do well to see that scene as Jesus revealing that this young man had some other God than The Father Almighty. That passage is not about works, it is about what was the young man’s ‘god’, what had central importance in his life such that he was unable to follow Jesus ... cannot serve two masters.

[boatbums]

Well done. It was when the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the truth of the gospel as Jesus taught it in John 10:27-30 that I left the works "camp" and became a believer - a child of God. I am in the 3rd. group and am more assured of its truth every day.

I love this quote from Scofield as it confirms very well what God's word teaches us:

"A prince, while he is a little child, is presumably as willful and as ignorant as other little children. Sometimes he may be very obedient and teachable and affectionate, and then he is happy and approved. At other times he may be unruly, self-willed, and disobedient, and then he is unhappy, and perhaps is chastised—but he is just as much a prince on the one day as on the other. It may be hoped that, as time goes on, he will learn to bring himself into willing and affectionate subjection to every right way, and then he will be more princely, but not more really a prince. He was born a prince" (C.I.Scofield, Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth).

[boatbums]

Faith is nowhere mentioned regarding the sheep and goats...The sheep get the kingdom due to good works...

Disagree. Don't forget that those who were gathered at that final judgment were already either a sheep or a goat. Their works didn't determine that. Jesus' sheep hear His voice and follow Him, He knows them and they shall NEVER perish or be plucked from His hands (John 10:27-29). The "goats" are the ones Jesus told He "NEVER knew" them even after they boasted of all the mighty works they did in His name (Matthew 7:22,23).

[Iscool]

Context, context, context ... if you refuse to believe in dispensations of God dealing with humankind, with Jews, and Gentiels, and then Jews again, and the location and to whom God directs His Word, then it will be impossible to reconcile these seemingly contradictory passages.

I agree wholeheartedly...My point is that no one (or very few) can reconcile all of the scriptures pertaining to salvation and numerous scriptures have to be thrown out on one side or the other to justify their belief...