Good Works Cannot Save
Maybe you have heard that “salvation is by faith alone” (see this article) and no amount of good works will help to save you. If you are wondering about this, then I hope to clear up this idea for you.
The first thing to understand is salvation is by faith alone. There are no good works that will give you salvation. Unfortunately, many religions teach you must do good works to get to Heaven. This is a way of buying your way into God’s Kingdom. When you come to realise why this is a false teaching, you will understand better the nature of God.
When you read Ephesians 2:8-9, the answer to your question is very obvious.
Eph 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not of works, that no one would boast.
Here in verse eight, we see our faith in Jesus Christ saves us, and this is a gift from God.
Who Can Boast
I can just imagine a scenario in Heaven where two people are discussion how they got to be there. The first one says he got there because he was rich and could afford to do many good deeds. He built schools and hospitals and spent millions on helping others. All very worthy things to do, and no doubt pleasing to God.
The other man was very poor and not in good health. All he could do was to do a little volunteer work and pray for those in need of prayers. This man may not have accomplished as much as the first man, but he did what he could with what he had.
To better understand the principle here, please read Mark 12:41-44
The Widow’s Offering
Mar 12:41 Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much.
12:42 A poor widow came, and she cast in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin.
12:43 He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury,
12:44 for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”
In this story being told by Jesus, we see in the mind of Jesus the poor widow gave more than all the others. Whereas the rich gave out of their wealth, she gave all she had. Therefore, her gift to God was of greater value to God than the other offerings.
This is not the way man thinks today. The modern prevailing thought is “he who gives the most is the best”. Fortunately for the poor and underprivileged, God has a completely different view of things. This is made apparent in Romans 3:20.
Rom 3:20 Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight. For through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
Can you see what God means here? No works will justify anyone, no matter how great the sacrifice the person has made. Read Ephesians 2:9 again, and you should see why we are not saved by the works we do. It is to stop the wealthy from bragging to the poor about how much more they did to please God.
God sees things differently
God is not looking at how much a person gives, but what the cost is to the individual. The rich can afford to give much, but as with the poor widow, she gave everything. God saw her gift as more costly than all the other offerings given from wealth.
When Jesus died for us on the cross. Those who have faith in Him inherited His righteousness. We traded in our sins and have been declared perfect before God. This is only by our accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. It has absolutely nothing to do with any good works we may do.
Rom 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
As you can see from the above verse in Romans, we are justified by faith. This gives us peace with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we accept this salvation, we find we are all equal. The rich and the poor are both justified before God simply because of their faith in Jesus. No one has any right to boast about their salvation. It is all a gift from God and only on the grounds of faith in Jesus.
Once you come to terms with this idea, you better comprehend why people do good works. It is because they know they are justified before God and therefore want to do good works. Not for salvation, but as a way of thanking God for His incredible mercy and grace.
Dead Faith
Anyone who claims to be saved, but still does not do any good works, is deceiving themselves. Their faith is a dead faith. They may have faith, but as we can easily see in James 2:17-18, we also need works.
Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
Jas 2:18 Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
With no works, it is difficult to show you have faith. But if you have faith. Then you will want to do the works to thank God for His incredibly grace.
So, our good works may not save us, but we will do them regardless because the grace of God has saved us. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:16.
Mat 5:16 Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Do the works to bring glory to our heavenly Father, and not to promote yourself in God’s eyes.
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