Is Salvation Defined By Faith Or Deeds?
Ephesians 2:8-9 8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
We know we can’t earn our salvation because we have been saved by grace through faith. But how do you know if your faith is based on a life transforming relationship with Christ? God’s word says the answer is found in how we live.
James 2:18-20
18 But 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. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Faith in Jesus as your personal Savior is more than just believing in the God of the Bible. Satan believes in Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, but we won’t be hanging out with the prince of darkness in heaven. Believing in Jesus as Your Lord and Savior means we know Him and trust that He will fulfill His promises.
How are faith and works both a part of our growing Christian lives? When we go from spiritual death to spiritual life, we have a new identity and how we live flows from who we are. When God is in us, we aren’t asking what can we get away with? We are looking for ways to adjust our will to His. We can’t just continue business as usual and move forward with God at the same time. Yes, we will still struggle with sin, but that struggle is part of what shows us that we are different on the inside. Our identity is different so what we value has changed.
What James is saying is that our belief and commitment to Jesus is reflected in the things we do. Our good deeds are evidence of our real and trusting faith. Our faith changes how we live.
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through these Scriptures?
