Faith and Works

Chuckle:  Can it be a mistake that "stressed" is "desserts" spelled backwards?

 

Good Quote:  "If we have faith without works, or works without faith, we have washed the window on one side only."   --William Arthur Ward 

 

FAITH AND WORKS   

 

    "The gentiles have been made right with God by faith, even though they were not seeking him. But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of depending on faith" (Romans 9:30-32 NLT).

 

What a difference it would make in our world if everyone understood the letter, the spirit, and the implications of this passage.  There is a deep-seated conviction in the minds of many that goodness (righteousness) is measured by what we do -- the good things we accomplish in this life. 

 

We continue to think we must impress God by our good deeds/ works to earn his acceptance and approval so we can be assured a place in his heavenly presence.  This salvation by works idea blinds people to the blessed truth that it is the righteousness of Jesus, not ours, that reconciles us to God.  Believing that we must earn God's approval serves as a stumbling block to attaining true righteousness through faith.

 

The only righteousness that makes us acceptable in God's sight is the righteousness imputed to us by Jesus Christ, and this righteousness only becomes our own through faith in Him.  We may think that attending church, doing church work, giving offerings, and being nice to people will be enough to earn God's favor.  Paul tells us the approach will never succeed. 

 

We can only be saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and what he has done on the cross at Calvary. "God saved you by his special favor (grace) when you believed. And you can't take credit for this: it is a gift of God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it" (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).

 

If salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ, what place does good deeds have in our lives?  It's really quite simple.  Good deeds that please God are those done for his glory as a result of our relationship to Him through Christ, not to earn that relationship.  "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things (works) he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

 

Our salvation is something only God can do through his creative power at work in us.  We become Christians through God's grace (unmerited favor), not as the result of our own efforts, abilities, or acts of service.  God's intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service.  We work for him out of love and gratitude because we have been saved, not to be saved.

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse