3. Works / Faith, The Debate
Truth That Transforms
If you listen to the preachers, or watch “Christian” movies that are considered Evangelical, most of them will instruct you to be careful not to rely on your “good works” to obtain your salvation. This is of course correct and good. But unfortunately they do not go on and tell you that after God sanctifies you He will expect you to be rich in good works.
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Jesus said this, it is a command of God; it is one of the reasons that God saves us from our unregenerate state. He wants us to be a light in this very dark (sinful) world. In order that others can see by our lives that they are not living right, and need something that they do not have –; becoming a new creature; receiving the power from on high, yes these things are proof that we are on the narrow road that leads to Eternal life!
All Christians in the Bible are always referred to as Saints. Yes, you read this correctly I said, “Saints” not sinners. We were all sinners before we were converted, this is what conversion is, going from a state of rebellion to God to a state of obedience to God!
This might sound so strange to you that maybe I ought to include a few Scripture references for this fantastic claim.
Acts 9:13. But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem
Acts 9:32. Now it came about that as Peter was traveling through all those parts, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
Acts 9:41. And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
Acts 26:10. "And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them.
Romans 1:7. To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:25. but now, I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints.
There are so many other references that it would take up the rest of this little tract to record them. No where in the Bible does anyone ever refer to born again, sanctified, Holy Ghost filled believers as sinners! It has become very popular for preachers and professed believers to refer to one another as sinners. I guess it sounds humble, or perhaps it is in reality a more correct title for most of the people today that profess to being a Christian. Be that as it may, no where in the Bible do we find this being said. Sinners are always impenitent people, that are considered rebellious to God's causes, never people that are in a right way with God!
What is all the fuss about?
We have had an argument going on for many years. The center of this argument is the "works / faith question". It has been believed that there is a difference between a Christian that has works and one who has faith, this is silly. Gospel works are always and only the results of Gospel faith. And you cannot separate one from the other.
The real basis for the contention centers around two fellows: John Calvin (1509-1564) and James Arminius (1560-1609) It is most interesting to point out that James Arminius started out as a Calvinist. He believed in what Calvin had taught, but, he had not really looked deeply into Calvin's teachings. His departure from the Calvinistic view of predestination, was brought about by the government of the United Netherlands! He was asked to examine the Calvinistic view of predestination, because the United Netherlands wanted to make it the official stand for all of the Churches in the United Netherlands. James concurred with John Calvin's doctrines, but as he had not really looked into Johns doctrines very deeply, he started to study them. He did not go to Augustine's teachings as Calvin had done, but instead he went directly to God's Word. To James' surprise he found that the Scriptures did not defend many points of Calvin's writings, and instead he discovered several truths about predestination, some of which would bring about much persecution for him.
Arminius was the ablest exponent of what various other people had already been teaching: that God's predestination of the destiny of individuals is based on God's foreknowledge of the way in which they freely (in the context of prevenient grace) accept or reject Christ by receiving or rejecting His teachings. Arminius's teachings were promoted especially by John Wesley, the Methodists, and also Charles Finney and, in our time, by the denominations which constitute the Christian Holiness Association.
Unfortunately even James missed the deeper truth about all of this. I will try to put it in the simplest way I know how. The preacher says of himself and all men, we are poor, blind, imperfect creatures; all our natural faculties are perverted, corrupted, and out of their right state; and therefore nothing that is perfect can come from us, or be done by us. Truth enough! And the very same truth, as when the apostle says, "The natural man knows not the things that are of God, he cannot know them, for they are foolishness to him." This is the man that we all are by nature. But what Scripture ever spoke of, or required any perfect works from this old man, anymore than they would require an elephant to fly? The Scriptures require us to become a NEW creature in Christ!
What an educated pastor must he be, who considers this old natural man as the Christian, and therefore rejects Christian perfection, because this old man cannot attain it? What greater blindness, than to appeal to our fallen state, as a proof of a weakness and corruption which we must have, when we have been redeemed from it? Is this any wiser than saying, that sin and corruption must be there where Christ is, because it is there where He is not?
What this new birth is in us, and what it accomplishes in us, is as expressly told us by his beloved apostle John, saying, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” John 3:9. This is as true and unalterable, as to say, that which is not new creature can do nothing else but sin.
Look at all of the good works you can think of, they have no goodness for you, except when the Spirit of God is the one who did them in and through you. For all the outward works of religion may be done by the natural man, he can observe all Church-duties, stick close to doctrines, and put on the semblance of every outward virtue; but, this is as high as he can go, he can only
Pretend!
Do not ask if we are saved by faith, or by works. For we are saved by neither of them. Faith and works are in the beginning only preparatory to the new birth; afterwards they become the true genuine fruits and effects of it. But the new birth, a life from heaven, the new creature, called Christ in us; is the one and only salvation of the fallen soul. Nothing can enter into heaven, but this life which is born of, and comes from heaven.
Try to grasp this great truth, that it is God who works all in humility and weakness; we are to wait and to trust in His working. Learn this well, that God can only work in us as He dwells in us.
“The Father abiding in Me does the works.”
Christ had revealed the secret of His, and all Divine service, man yielding himself up for God to dwell and work in him. Because it is God who works through us, and not we who do the holy works! We simply become an empty vessel for God to dwell in. How this is to be, is taught us in these words, “He that believes on Me.” That does not only mean, for salvation, as a Savior from sin. But much more. Christ had just said,
‘Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me: the Father abiding in Me does the works.’
We need to believe in Christ as the one in and through whom the Father unceasingly works. The works His disciples are to do cannot possibly be done in any other way than Christ own works were done. Not of works which we have done, as the source from which our salvation comes. Our works to attain salvation will never save us or anyone else! Good works are the fruit and outcome of our salvation, it is part of God’s work in us. This is the one thing for which we have been created anew.
As the eye, because it was created for the light, is most perfectly adapted for its work; and the vine, because it was created to bear grapes, also does its work so naturally; so it is with us who have been created in Christ Jesus for good works. God has prepared us for good works, and the good works are already prepared for us.
Eph. 2:10. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
And so just as strong and clear as the teaching is, Salvation not of works is its blessed counterpart, We are converted so we can do good works!
God created us for them, and even prepared them for us. Let each of us seek to understand the deep Spiritual truth of the message,
“Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has prepared beforehand , that we should walk in them.”
God is even now waiting for us to do this.
One great failure of believers in their working for God is that when they think that God has given them something to do, they undertake to do this work in their own strength. They have not learned the lesson, that because God has created us in Christ Jesus for good works, and has already prepared the good works in which we are to walk, He will most certainly, Himself work them all in us. "It is God which works in you."
The power to exercise and show love is a work. There is no such thing as power in the abstract; it only acts as it is exercised. a grace must be acted before we can rejoice in its possession.
This work of the Lord is no easy one it cost Christ His life to conquer sin and Satan and gain the risen life. It will cost us our life, we must deny ourselves as He did!
"And God is able to make all grace abound unto you, that you may abound unto every good work."
What Scripture calls the "works of the law", "our own works"; and the "works of righteousness which we have done," or "dead works;" or any work by which we seek to merit or to be made fit for God’s favor, all of these are indeed the very opposite of grace. But they are the very opposite of the good works which spring from grace, and for which alone grace is bestowed. Abounding grace has abounding work for its aim. And abounding work needs abounding grace as its source and strength.
Just as any man may be very diligent in an earthly pursuit, or a heathen in his religious service of an idol; so men may be very diligent in doing religious works in their own strength, with but little thought of that grace which alone can do true Spiritually effective work. For all work that is to be really acceptable to God, and truly fruitful, not only for some visible result here on earth, but for eternity; the grace of God is always indispensable.
“For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
Working in our own strength, with very little prayer and not waiting on God for His spirit, is the main cause of failure.
“That you may abound to every good work.”
Pray over this now until you know that this is what God has prepared for you. Take into your heart, as a living seed, this precious truth:
“God is able to make all grace abound in you.”
Trust His power and His faithfulness. The Apostle James said. James 2:14-17
What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 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? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
After we have been born anew in Christ we must make certain that we are not deceived, have the “Old things truly passed away?”
2 Cor. 5:17. “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” This is the Christian life.
Works and faith are in an indissoluble bond that cannot be broken, if you have faith, you will have works connected with that faith. If in fact you say that you have faith but no works follow, you have what the Apostle James would call a dead faith!
Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
I wrote this to point people to the truth; you will want to have this truth in your life when you face a God who spared nothing, and gave everything in order for you to have salvation.
Luke 13:7. "And he said to the vineyard-keeper, `Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?”
If you are in earnest about becoming a true son or daughter of God, and become truly born of the Spirit of God, please read the tracts that are on our web site - www.matthew548.org
These tracts are designed for the purpose of showing you, with the Holy Scriptures, God's definition of salvation, and just what we must do to be born of God's Spirit and become a 'New Creature' we have no denomination for you to join. We only want you to truly be a part of the real Church of the Living God.
May God truly bless you