The Right Equation

Q: Thank you for this website (GotQuestions.org)! I love everything here except one thing. You talk about true believers as people who are producing fruit. While I do believe that our faith should/enables us to produce fruit I do not see works being any part of salvation (justification). Whether you add works to faith or you add it after faith it is still adding works. Do you see the issue with this? If we judge our salvation based on our works we diminish Salvation by faith in Christ alone. On the other hand if all those passages in scripture (the ones you are probably thinking right now) are pointing to a greater salvation in Christ that is depending on bearing fruit then we have something more in line with justification only being by faith in the finished work of Christ. Look at the following two equations and see if you can tell me there is something wrong: Faith + Works = Salvation or Faith = Salvation + Works. See, I believe the equation is: Faith = Salvation. Hope to hear from you soon about this topic.

A: Thank you for your question. You are 100% correct in your observation. Salvation is exactly how you say it is in your last "equation:" Faith = Salvation. As a volunteer writer, I am not up on all the writings of the website. However, true believers are those who believe in Jesus Christ, nothing more and nothing less. It was the Apostle Paul who said, "For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (Romans 3:28)." Faith is an individual's response to the truth God has revealed to them. When a person realizes that they are dead in their sins and need to have the life of God restored to them, then they will respond to Jesus Christ's offer of life in His resurrection. Once a person has accepted Jesus Christ by faith, they are saved. Period. The life of God has been restored to them and there is no sin that will cause that life to leave because of the eternal forgiveness we have because of the death of Jesus Christ. Now, as a person grows in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and all they have in Him, we should expect to see works from that person. However, we must stop short of identifying what those works are for fear of getting into legalism and fruit inspection. 

The other day, I was discussing what the Bible means when it says "faith without works is dead." Here is how the conversation unfolded. I said, "When it comes to James 2:26, I believe what many Christians say it means and what James meant are two different things. Christians say that if you have faith in Jesus Christ, you will have works that give credence to your faith. This is true. However, I would caution against defining what these works are for fear of getting into legalism and judging people. Besides, according to Ephesians 2:10, any works we do are prepared by God in advance for Him to do through us. As for James, I believe he didn't understand the fullness of the Gospel and was saying that if a person doesn't have works, they are not saved. I say this because of the question he asks in James 2:14 when he says, "Can such faith (without works) save them?" Well, the answer is yes. Faith alone is what saves (Romans 3:28). So while we should presume to see works in accordance with our faith, those works are not what saves us or are they proof of faith." 

Later, someone responded to me by saying, "James may have been talking about non Christians being able to learn about God. Although Salvation is free for the asking, someone has to go and tell the others. My having faith and believing saves me, but my works will allow others to have faith and believe. If I get saved and then just sit on my faith and belief then who will tell the others? It is almost like Multilevel Marketing were you sponsor 2 people and each one of them sponsors 2 people and it grows out of works so works are involved in salvation but they won't get you into heaven. If you stop sponsoring people and educating them on being a Christian it will die."  I responded with, "What I am saying is that if you are saved and just "sit on" your faith and belief, you are still saved. There may be many reasons why a person doesn't speak about their faith. That is for another conversation. I am simply addressing the fact that I believe James is saying that works saves, which I do not believe. The conflict between James and Paul that scripture alludes to is further evidence why I believe this way. I get what you are saying. If someone appears to be keeping their faith to themselves, then we, in love, can go to them and inquire about it. But, they are still saved. Those who do not hear this person proclaim the Gospel will still not have an excuse before the Lord if they fail to accept Jesus as their savior. God may have a word with the person who doesn't speak about their faith, but, again, that is between them and God." Thankfully, we were able to end the discussion at this point.

Jesus was asked, "What must we do to do the works God requires (John 6:28)?” He responded to the question by saying, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent (John 6:29).” The work we do is believing in Him. It is God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who produces the fruit (work) we bear. In Colossians, Paul underscores how we live as Christians. "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me (Colossians 1:29)." We do not live the Christian life in the energy of our flesh, but in the energy of Jesus Christ working through us. Furthermore, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)." The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of Spirit. It is not our fruit. We do not produce it. As we rest in the love of God for us, we will then share His love with others. There is no work involved in our salvation. We are saved by faith and we live by faith. It is as simple as that. If we insert works anywhere into the Gospel or the Christian life, we have taken away from the work Jesus Christ has done for us and wants to do through us. Grace and Peace.