The Question of Faith and Works

The Question of Faith and Works

One of the most debated questions in Christianity is whether salvation comes through faith or through works.

Some teach that salvation comes solely through faith in Jesus Christ. They point to passages that state a person is saved by believing in Jesus and not by works.

Others point to passages that say faith without works is dead.

As a result, many Christians have spent centuries arguing over whether salvation comes through faith alone or through obedience and works.

The question remains:

How can salvation come through faith alone while Scripture also teaches that faith without works is dead?

Salvation Under the Law

Before the coming of Jesus, God gave humanity the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses.

A person seeking salvation was expected to obey God's commandments.

Those who desired to advance further in their spiritual walk devoted themselves to the entire Law of Moses.

This is what is meant by being saved through works.

A person strives to obey God's commandments. A person works to avoid sin. A person works to live according to God's law.

Under this system, people continually studied God's laws in order to understand how they should live in every situation.

Their relationship with God depended upon their ability to obey what had been commanded.

The Problem of Human Weakness

The difficulty is that human beings lack the strength to keep God's law perfectly.

The first commandment alone requires a person to love God completely and place Him above all things.

Human beings are weak. They are easily distracted. They struggle with temptation. They struggle with sin.

Because of this weakness, people repeatedly fail to keep God's commandments perfectly.

Scripture teaches that if a person breaks even one part of the law, he becomes guilty of violating it.

For this reason, salvation through human effort alone becomes impossible.

As Jesus taught:

"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

The Purpose of Jesus

God's commandments were never canceled. God's words are eternal. His standards remain unchanged.

This is why Jesus said:

"I did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it."

According to this understanding, Jesus spent His life fulfilling the law completely.

He kept the Ten Commandments. He fulfilled the Law of Moses. He lived in complete obedience. He achieved sinless perfection.

When Jesus fulfilled the law, He completed what humanity could not complete through its own strength.

The law was not abolished. It was fulfilled through Him.

The New Covenant

Because people could not keep God's law through their own strength, God established a new covenant.

The purpose of this covenant was not to remove the law but to place it within people.

God promised:

"I will write My laws in their hearts and minds."

This promise is fulfilled through Jesus.

Under the old covenant, people attempted to obey God's commandments through their own willpower.

Under the new covenant, people receive the Spirit of Jesus.

The Spirit accomplishes within them what they could never accomplish on their own.

The commandments become written within the heart. Obedience becomes part of a person's nature.

The law is no longer carried externally. It becomes internal.

What It Means to Believe in Jesus

Many people think believing in Jesus means accepting certain historical facts.

They believe that acknowledging His death and resurrection is enough.

According to this teaching, believing in Jesus means believing His teachings.

It means trusting His words. It means obeying His commandments.

The commandments of Jesus are found particularly in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

A person begins by applying those teachings in daily life.

He practices them. He prays. He seeks Jesus sincerely.

As he does so, Jesus reveals Himself and grants His Spirit.

This is the beginning of the new covenant.

Receiving the Spirit of Jesus

When a person receives the Spirit of Jesus, something changes within him.

The law becomes written in his heart and mind.

The desire to sin begins to disappear. The desire to obey God increases.

This is what it means to be born again.

The transformation does not come from human effort. It comes from Jesus.

A person may have struggled with sin for years, yet after receiving the Spirit of Jesus, his entire attitude toward sin changes.

He begins to hate what he once loved. He begins to love what he once ignored.

His character changes. His desires change. His priorities change.

The transformation is so significant that it can feel as though he has become a completely different person.

Grace and Obedience

Many people misunderstand grace.

They hear that salvation is a gift and conclude that nothing is required of them.

They assume they can continue living however they wish because Jesus has already done everything.

According to this teaching, grace is not permission to continue in sin.

Grace is the gift of receiving the Spirit of Jesus.

Grace is the power that transforms a person.

Grace enables obedience. Grace produces righteousness. Grace allows a person to fulfill God's commandments through the work of Jesus within him.

This is why salvation is described as a gift.

The transformation does not originate from human effort. It comes from God.

Therefore, no one can boast.

Faith Produces Works

When the Spirit of Jesus enters a person's life, works naturally follow.

Faith produces fruit. Faith produces obedience. Faith produces righteousness. Faith produces service. Faith produces action.

The works do not create salvation. They reveal the presence of genuine faith.

A person who possesses the Spirit of Jesus begins doing the will of God.

Good works become evidence that Jesus is working through that person's life.

This is why faith and works cannot be separated.

Faith without works is dead. True faith produces fruit.

The Beginning of the Journey

The starting point is simple.

Read the teachings of Jesus. Study Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7.

Apply those teachings in daily life. Pray sincerely. Seek Jesus. Receive His Spirit.

Allow Him to write His laws within your heart and mind.

This is the path by which faith becomes living faith.

This is the path by which obedience becomes possible.

This is what it means to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

A Warning

Many people believe they are saved because they possess religious knowledge.

They know Scripture. They participate in religious practices. They confess belief in Jesus.

Yet knowledge alone is not enough.

A person may know the Bible well and still fail to obey the words of Jesus.

The path to eternal life is narrow.

It is not enough to know about Jesus. A person must know Him. A person must obey Him. A person must follow Him. A person must live according to His words.

The question is not merely whether a person believes that Jesus exists.

The question is whether he has received the Spirit of Jesus and allowed that Spirit to transform his life.