SAVED BY WORKS

By Rick Mathes

James 2:17 (NASB77) ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

Did the title get your attention? I’ll bet it did!

We as evangelicals are so adverse to the word “works” that we really don’t get a handle on how important getting His business done is. So look at it as the works of God or the works of man: in the Spirit or in the flesh.

Follow this syllogism: God is love means God loves. The continuous actions of love then loves, get it? If He wasn’t loving, He wouldn’t be love manifest. Now let’s try the word Savior. What is the effect of the Savior? He is Lord. Lordship obedience naturally follows the grace of our Savior. If the cause is belief, what is the effect? You got it, obedience. And what is the continuous action of faith? Yes, works. Faith produces and precedes the good works of which we were fashioned in the womb by Go to do. So we have then:

 

• God is Love          God is Loving
• Jesus is Savior     Jesus is Lord
• I Believe                I Obey
• Faith                     Works

If you do not love, if He isn’t your Lord, you don’t obey Him and have no good works, it is my judgment that you are going to hell and you don’t even know it. Understand then that there is a difference between saving faith and temporal faith as well as saving works and temporal works. Saving works are the effect of the cause, faith!

Temporal faith is a worldly leap of unbelief that results in indifference and willful ignorance. “Don’t confuse me with facts.” “Well, I don’t care what it says, this is what I believe.” “The Bible contains the Word of God that speaks to me, not the rest.”

Saving faith involves a lot of tears, prayers and unworthiness that drops us to our knees in humility and repentance in the presence of a Holy God. There, at the foot of the Cross, we find true trembling in the pit of our soul in fear of the glory of Jesus we are about to face in judgment.

The witnesses agree of our conscience, the Word of God, the throne of God, Jesus, the Holy spirit and Father God agree and see where your faith has been placed. If nothing else, see where the works of your efforts are leading you. Are the flames drawing nearer or can you hear in the distance the voice of our Lord saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

It’s by grace only we are saved that only is His grace when it produces His works

St. Francis of Assisi said it best, “All I want to do is go about the Fathers business and not know it!” That is the works of saving grace!