VIEWPOINT
WORKS
Every time I get into a discussion with a new acquaintance about Christianity, the topic always seems to quickly get around to works. Not the job-related activities we all must do in order to make a living, but following the rules that God lays down for everyone to follow. In fact, just narrowing down the topic with that last sentence usually sparks a negative emotional reaction from the standard Sunday Christian, the majority of the "Christian" population today. They believe that the rules God "gave only to the Israelites" don't apply to them - except, of course, the ones that they feel do apply to them. And anyone who actually obeys those rules are, in their eyes, trying to get to heaven by works.
Now, what are we talking about here? We need to define works. Limiting it to Christian works, Wikipedia defines it like this:
Good works, or simply, Works
In Christian theology, good works, or simply works, are a person's (exterior) actions and deeds that align with the moral teachings, emphasizing compassion, charity, kindness and adherence to biblical principles, in contrast to inner qualities such as grace or faith. Rooted in the belief that faith should manifest in positive actions, the concept underscores the importance of living out one's faith through generosity. Adherents emphasize the significance of engaging in altruism as a demonstration of their devotion to God. These actions, guided by the moral and ethical teachings of the Bible, are viewed as tangible expressions of love, obedience and righteousness within the framework of the Christian worldview. The concept of good works is intricately linked to the theological belief in salvation through faith (sola fide) rather than a means of earning salvation, as Christians seek to manifest their gratitude for God's grace by actively participating in acts of service to others. This theological perspective places significance on the transformative power of good works in fostering a life reflective of Christian values. Christians are often encouraged to love their neighbors, care for the unfortunate, and promote moral values in their communities.
This concept transcends denominational boundaries, reflecting a shared commitment to social responsibility and the pursuit of a virtuous life guided by Christian principles. The theological understanding of good works continues to be a subject of discourse and interpretation within the broader Christian community.
Faith and Works
What I see here is that, according to Wikipedia and the vast majority of churches, our outer actions are called works and are not to be confused with faith or "inner beliefs". The concept is that works will not save you, but your faith alone will save you. There is some confusion on the site's definition as to whether or not actions are part of that faith (shown in their definition of sola fide as having works "intricately linked" to the theological belief). The Wikipedia definition of sola fide includes the following:
The doctrine asserts that it is on the basis of faith alone that believers are made right of sin (such as their transgressions of divine law); and not on the basis of what Paul the Apostle calls "works of the law", which sola fide proponents interpret as including not only moral, legal or ceremonial requirements but any good works or "works of charity."
We see some "silly" Christians try to demonstrate their faith, and show their gratitude to God, by their actions in obedience to His will (you know, what Sunday "Christians" call trying to "work" their way to heaven). Obviously, according to this explanation in the box above, we don't have to help people or do anything God says in order to spend eternity with Him.
Now, if you go to the Biblical references listed in the FACT box above, each of them will list a word that is rejected by many denominations as having anything to do with God's recognition of someone as worthy for living with Him in eternity - "works" or "deeds". For example: James 2:14-20
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
and James 2:25-26
25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
.
Here is where everyone jumps in and says, "Yeah, but those deeds are helping others - not following God's laws. And, helping others won't help...you...get to Heaven...uh... unless you have faith. OK, maybe, but just following God's laws won't get you to heaven, even if you have faith! Those are two different things..."
Wow, what clarity of thought. Notice that James realized that even demons have faith, but I would guess that they do not expect to be saved because of it. According to the latest "once saved, always saved" motto, since they "believe" in Jesus, those demons will be there with the Lord in eternity, regardless of their actions. Sounds rather silly doesn't it? Well, maybe when they combine their faith with their evil actions, they won't make it. Still don't think works make a difference?
OK, that didn't work. Let's try this...
So, having not made a point, we take the opposite track. OK, if, according to you, we don't have to follow God's laws, can we murder someone we don't like? You respond, "Don't be silly, we can't do that! That's a commandment!" Oh, you mean like the fourth commandment saying to keep the Sabbath Day holy. "No! We don't have to keep that, it's a ceremony, not a commandment!" This is a statement once made by John MacArthur, look it up. (I searched again for the page where he first made the statement and it is no longer available.
However, his discussion on the Sabbath will take an extremely long path to explain why we don't have to keep it, but we do have to keep the other commandments. See John MacArthur - Understanding the Sabbath for a very round about way of explaining why we no longer have to keep the Saturday Sabbath - at least, I think that's what he says. he even says that the Seventh Day Baptists have changed their day of worship to Sunday, but call it the seventh day. That's an outright lie, but so many people think John MacArthur is holy, he can't possibly lie. Well, read the link above, or watch the video, and see for yourself.
OK, so a commandment is a ceremony, so we don't have to keep it? Then, I can steal your wallet, as long as I do it ceremoniously? You say, "That's silly, it's a commandment, we can't steal!" How about the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."? By the way, I had a recent conversation with a Baptist the other day who said that, since we do not have to follow the law, we can have other gods without penalty. Honest. And, he meant like Budda, Brahma, and others. So, according to him, "Sure, we can as long as we don't make them more important than God!"
Obeying God means "doing works to get to heaven"?
At least, according to John MacArthur. If you keep the fourth commandment, the seventh-day Sabbath, you are trying to work your way to heaven. If you are interested, there is an article at Christian Commentator that pretty much explains many of the errors that John MacArthur makes during his sermons. It includes examples of many errors committed by most of the Sunday-keeping pastors in the world. They all say that you can't get to heaven by obeying God, even if you have faith. In fact, they say in so many words that if you obey God, even with faith, you won't make it to heaven because you are evidently trying to make it on your own terms. However, if you disobey God and have faith in Jesus, you're in because "you're doing it His way" by not doing what He said. (???)
So, summarizing what we have so far, if we try to follow God's laws, even the ten commandments, we are trying to work our way to heaven. Wait, doesn't that mean that when I don't murder you, I'm trying to get to heaven by works? The same for stealing and adultery. If I obey the law of God, then I am supposedly trying to work my way to heaven. So the solution is that when God gives commandments, I should do the opposite so that my path to heaven is secure??? Does that even make sense to you?
The common view today is that the ten commandments apply to us as long as they don't interfere with anything we want to do. Otherwise, people feel that they become suggestions or ceremonies that are not mandatory. My question is, "When did these changes take place and who had the authority to change them?" Jesus said nothing about a change before or after His death.
Now, in fairness to the site listing the 100 verses about works, there are some that say that works alone will not get you saved. The second verse listed on the site was Ephesians 2:8-10
8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
, which does say you are saved by grace, not works. Add to that James statement that faith alone will not save you, and where does that leave us? We need both. If you read through verse 10, we were created for good works and that we should walk in them.
If you disagree with this, then I guess that you also must believe that if we do the good works for which we were made, we will be discarded by the One Who made us to walk in them...? My interpretation of this verse is that our salvation is not by works, only by grace, but that we should do those works as we were created to do so that we can have the grace of God. In other words, if you don't do the works you were created to do, then you aren't acting as you were intended to do, so you won't get the grace (James 2:20
20You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
). And what about Jesus' praise for His obedient apostles (John 17:6
6I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.
)?
What principles?
So, now we have defined works above as actions and deeds that align with the moral teachings, emphasizing compassion, charity, kindness and adherence to biblical principles. Regarding that, what is a biblical principle? The site at Bible Hub defines it like this:
In the context of the Bible, the term "principle" refers to fundamental truths or doctrines that guide behavior and belief. These principles are derived from the teachings and commandments found in Scripture and serve as the foundation for Christian living and moral decision-making.
Commandments
Now, the only way I can see that this does not apply to our discussion is if the actions we take because of our faith are not listed in the bible as "teachings and commandments". The fourth commandment clearly is for us to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy. So, if I take this to heart and practice keeping it by exercising my faith and trust in God, that supposedly means to many that I am trying to get to heaven by works.
If you are working for a person and he or she tells you to do something within your job requirements, and you tell them, "No!", do you think you will keep your job? How about if you have a list of things from them that tell you not to do some things and to do other things. If you do the opposite of each, do you think you will continue getting a paycheck? Well, our faith "paycheck" also depends on our obedience.
How about the fifth commandment, honor your mother and father. If I do that, am I trying to get to heaven by works?
The bottom line here is that when someone who controls your destiny in the activity you are doing commands you to do something, then the benefits of your activity depend on your obedience to that command. You can call that works if you want, but to me it is called obedience.
"Those aren't for us"
What most people do in this situation involving the biblical commandments is to deny that the biblical commandments even apply to them because those commands were given only to the Jews. Yet the same ones who say the fourth commandment does not apply to Gentiles then go on to obey the other 9 religiously (except, I guess, the Baptist I mentioned earlier). That is called being selective in your obedience.
Performing works, when done in obedience to the commands of God, is a way of demonstrating to those around you, and Him above you, that you have faith in His plan and not one you have devised that makes you feel good. Any plan you have devised to replace the plan of God makes you an idolater, one who considers the commands of God to be less important than those of yourself. Yet, the vast majority of churches in denominations have decided to worship in their own way rather than follow the will of God. Now, that, to me, is works - but not the good kind.
Commandments
Right off the top we can show that ignoring Sabbath, celebrating Pagan holidays, and eating things detestable to God are all ways of telling God that His plan is not how you are going to worship Him. That is a different kind of works, kind of like doing something your boss told you not to do so that he will give you a raise and let you go on vacation. Trying to please your boss by disobeying him will usually get you fired instead of rewarded. In the world of faith, that would be the one of the only two destinations for eternity - the one that no one wants.
It's kind of like real life. Everyone wants a paycheck, but few want to do the necessary "work" to get it.
So what do we have? Not following God's commands will lose you your "paycheck" of salvation. So, are we working for a paycheck (2 John 1:8
8Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.
) or trying to make others comfortable who don't want to obey God's commands? Remember, this is not a popularity contest, but a way of life called Christianity. We have a "boss" that told His "employees" what He expects of them. I, for one, do not want to be "fired". So, if you call obedience trying to work your way to eternal life, then I guess I am guilty. But, if obedience is the only way to get there, what will you do?
Disagree? Find an error? Contact us at glenjjr@gmail.com and give us your view.
