ALONE WITH GOD------

QUESTION: Are there "methods" of working for or earning our salvation and healing? I know a preacher who preaches this way strongly.

ANSWER: No, there are no "methods" of working for or earning our salvation or healing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast." Again, Titus 3:4-7 says, "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

These texts and many more make it clear that salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. I remember a day when God told me straight out that I would be worthy of His blessings only as long as I put my faith in the merits of the shed blood of His Son, and that only, for every favor I ever got from Him. And that as soon as I began to think that He was obligated to me or owed me anything or that I had earned or merited any blessing from Him because of any good thing I had done or any sacrifice I had made or any service I had rendered, that very moment I became unworthy of the least of His favors.

However, we must recognize that the promises of God for salvation or healing or any other favors are conditional promises; and the fulfillment of them is contingent upon our doing certain things and meeting certain conditions set forth in connection with the promises. To the sinner seeking salvation the requirements are: Confess and forsake his sins (I John 1:9, Psalm 32:5 and Proverbs 28:13), Repent (Acts 17:30, Luke 24:47, II Corinthians 7:10-11, Mark 1:14-15 and Acts 3:19), Forgiveness of those who have wronged him (Matthew 6:12, 14-15, Mark 11:25-26 and more), Restitution making his wrongs right (Ezekiel 33:15 and Luke 19:8) and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Son and his Saviour (John 3:16, John 5:24, John 8:24, John 20:31 and Mark 16:16). If a sinner does not do all of these things and meet Bible conditions, he can never be saved. It is the same with promises for healing or any other favor from God. Possibly the minister you refer to in the question may have been dealing with this angle. To teach a doctrine of salvation by works constitutes a corruption of the pure gospel of Christ and is contrary to the doctrine which we have learned and those who teach such things are in error and should not be accepted. (Romans 16:17).

QUESTION: We can’t be saved by "works," but what part do "works" play in the lives of God’s children?

ANSWER: This is a good question, indeed, and to properly differentiate in it is very important. In the scriptures pertaining to our salvation in respect to our works, it is necessary to "rightly divide the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15), and to keep everything in its proper context in order to get a balanced perspective in regard to works and the part they play in the Christian life. We need to understand that a subject as big as "Salvation" cannot possibly be set forth in any one text of Scripture. One text may deal with one aspect of salvation and another text present another phase and represent it in a different way to correspond with the particular point in discussion. Therefore it is never good to over-extend any text to cover more ground than it does. The result may be gross confusion. For an example of this principle, let us consider the various representations of the CHURCH OF GOD in the Scriptures. One scripture refers to it as a "city," another as a "body", another as a woman (bride), another as a mother, another as a vine or vineyard, another as a house, another as a family, etc. Well, you may say, "This all confuses me and I can’t understand the Church; what is it? Is it a city, or is it a bride, or is it a mother with children, or is it a vine or vineyard, or is it a body, or is it a house? I can’t tell from all of these just what it is." Well, the fact is, it is all of these and more too. Each of these scriptures just describe a different phase or operation of the Church. If one will keep this in mind when studying the Word on this subject and just keep each scripture in its proper place and context, and not try to over-extend it into some other scripture to which it does not relate and that is describing some entirely different phase and function of the Church; when he gets through with his overall study, he will have a good, clear, concise picture and understanding of the Church and how it functions. It is the same with this subject of salvation and if one will keep this in mind when he is studying the Scriptures on this subject and be careful to keep every point properly divided and everything in its proper context and place, he will come out with a clear understanding of salvation and how our works relate to it.

Now, we must realize that some scriptures deal with the actual experience of salvation itself and many relate to the holy Christian life which salvation produces and our "works" will hold a different relation and play a different part in these two phases of salvation and its effects in the life. Romans 5:1 says that we are justified by FAITH. To be justified is to be saved. In this case the emphasis is on faith. The entire 4^th chapter of Romans is on faith and especially Abraham’s faith which was imputed unto him for righteousness (verse 22). In verses 23 and 24, it says this was not written for Abraham’s sake only but for our sakes also if we believe. Then follows in chapter 5, verse 1, that we are justified by faith. Since Paul here was speaking to a people who desperately needed a faith in Christ and were having problems with it, he focused in on FAITH and never mentioned any other ingredients of salvation. But there are some others.

In Ephesians 2:8 the same man (Paul) wrote this "For by grace are ye saved through faith;..." Here he introduces the thought of GRACE in connection with salvation. But he says, "By grace through faith." Grace is bestowed because of faith and he says in this verse that this is not of ourselves but is a gift of God. Then verse 9 says, "Not of works, lest any man should boast." But we need to observe here the premise of rightly dividing the word of truth and keeping everything in its place and in the proper context or we will run into problems with some other texts on the subject; even with other parts of this man’s teaching. Paul understood, as clearly as any and more than most, that the law was fulfilled and abolished when Christ came and set up the new order and established grace. Therefore he taught all the time and in every place that the works of the law (circumcision and other rituals and observances) had no further merit as pertained to salvation but he taught salvation through faith in Christ only without the works of the law.

Titus 3:5-7 says, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." He speaks here of the "works of righteousness" not being any basis to found our faith in for salvation. The law’s righteousness was no longer acceptable to God and had no salvation virtue in it and Paul was teaching all his people this and to not put their confidence in those "dead works" as any part of their salvation but just put their faith in Jesus Christ and the merits of His shed blood and that only for their salvation.

In I Corinthians 1:30, Paul says that God has made Jesus our RIGHTEOUSNESS. And in Philippians 3:9, Paul said concerning himself, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." His reference here to his own righteousness which is of the law referred to the works, ordinances, rituals and observances of the law. But he did not want that any more because there was no value in it any more. In Jeremiah 23:5-6 is a prophecy of Christ and verse 6 says, "...And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." In this day of salvation and grace, God recognizes no righteousness at all but just Jesus and it is through our faith in Him and our relationship with Him through faith that we have any righteousness at all that God will put His seal on and recognize. In Isaiah 64:6 it says, "...all OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS are as filthy rags;..." Paul believed in this and preached this universally, and the places where he spoke out against works was in regard to this and had no reference to the essential and required work of repentance, restitution, confession of sins, restoring the pledge, giving again that we have robbed, forgiving our enemies and those who have wronged us, straightening and clearing up our lives in general, etc., all of which works we cannot be saved without. So let us not rule out all works from our salvation for there are some works we cannot be saved without. At the same time let us realize that all these works within themselves do not save us. It is faith in Christ and the all-atoning efficacy in His shed blood that obtains for us the mercy of God and the forgiveness of our sins for His Son’s sake. Then we conclude that our salvation comes through FAITH (Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8), GRACE (Ephesians 2:8), and WORKS (James 2:24).

James 2:14 says, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" James 2:20 calls this man a "vain man" who says, "I believe and that is all that is necessary for me. I don’t have to do anything or give up anything; just believe." James informs this man in this verse that "faith without works is dead." James 2:21 declared Abraham was justified by works when he had offered his son, Isaac, upon the altar. Verse 22 says that faith wrought with his works and faith was made perfect (manifested, demonstrated) by works. Verse 24 says, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

We readily agree and understand that a person cannot be saved by works alone, even good works with no bad ones at all. Good works and morality will never save a person. But faith alone without some works won’t either. But faith accompanied by works will bring a grace into the soul which translates into salvation.

When one has obtained salvation, he begins to live a Christian life and that life is full of good works. In I Timothy 6:18 we are instructed to "...do good,...be rich in good works,..." Titus 3:1 instructs saints "...to be ready to every good work," and verse 8 says, "that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works...." In Titus 3:14 we are instructed to maintain good works for necessary uses, that we be not unfruitful. In this text "works" is related with "fruits" which brings the focus on another text, in James 3:17, which says that the wisdom from above is full of good fruits (works). And so on and on and on and on; the New Testament abounds in this kind of teaching. But let us never make the fatal mistake of identifying our works with ourselves and claiming them as of us (our works). But let us realize that our lives and the fruits or works of them are of God and not of us as we read in Philippians 2:13, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."