Faith Without Works Is Dead
“Faith Without Works Is Dead”
Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” James Montgomery Boice posed questions about the role of works versus faith in a Christian’s life, “But does this mean that works no longer have any place in Christianity?...If we must have works, then isn’t it the case that we are not saved solely by the work of Christ after all?” To a Roman Catholic and to some Protestants, the answer to the last question would be that indeed works are essential to our being saved. To these souls, works enter into the act of justification, in that, part of the justification is God producing good works in us, so that we are justified by faith plus those works. The proponents of this position would quickly turn to James 2:14-17, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Those who hold to this position would ask, “Are we not also told bluntly that we are to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’?” (Phil 2:12) To demonstrate this point, they would move to Matthew 25 and expound on three parables found there. The “Wise and Foolish Virgins” seem to teach a works salvation in that the foolish maidens neglected to perform their work of keeping the oil lamps filled, with the result that they are locked out of the marriage feast. Those holding to the necessity of saving works would point out that an obvious cause and effect relationship is at play in this parable. The parable of “The Talents”
Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” James Montgomery Boice posed questions about the role of works versus faith in a Christian’s life, “But does this mean that works no longer have any place in Christianity?...If we must have works, then isn’t it the case that we are not saved solely by the work of Christ after all?” To a Roman Catholic and to some Protestants, the answer to the last question would be that indeed works are essential to our being saved. To these souls, works enter into the act of justification, in that, part of the justification is God producing good works in us, so that we are justified by faith plus those works. The proponents of this position would quickly turn to James 2:14-17, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Those who hold to this position would ask, “Are we not also told bluntly that we are to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’?” (Phil 2:12) To demonstrate this point, they would move to Matthew 25 and expound on three parables found there. The “Wise and Foolish Virgins” seem to teach a works salvation in that the foolish maidens neglected to perform their work of keeping the oil lamps filled, with the result that they are locked out of the marriage feast. Those holding to the necessity of saving works would point out that an obvious cause and effect relationship is at play in this parable. The parable of “The Talents”