Grace - Works - Faith

 

Grace – Works – Faith

 

Philippians 2:12-16, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is GOD Who works in you both to will and to do for His Good Pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of GOD without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast The Word of Life, so that I my rejoice in The Day of CHRIST that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”

 

Ephesians 2:4-10, “But GOD, Who is Rich in Mercy, because of His Great Love with which He Loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with CHRIST (by Grace you have been Saved), and raised up together, and made us sit together in the Heavenly Places with CHRIST JESUS, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding Riches of His Grace by His Kindness toward us in CHRIST JESUS. For by Grace you have been Saved through Faith, and that not of yourselves; it is The Gift of GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boost. For we are His Workmanship, created in CHRIST JESUS for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

 

There has and probably always will be some confusion over Grace, Works and Faith:

Grace is GOD’s undeserved favor toward us! “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, Grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so Grace might reign through Righteousness to Eternal Life through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.” Romans 5: 20-21

Works are the process of our Salvation as we allow The SPIRIT of GOD to conform us to the image of CHRIST! “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12b

Faith is the proof of our complete trust in GOD, no matter our circumstance or situation! “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

 

The easiest way to explain this is water baptism: water baptism is a work that we do in faith because of GOD’s Grace. We come to salvation through GOD’s Grace and by the Faith that He gives us at the time; we are told about water baptism as a sign of our faith to complete our salvation. (That of itself is wrong – our salvation is not complete until we die or are raptured. And you can be born again and not be water baptized.) So we get water baptized as a demonstration of our faith (trust in GOD) that we are dead to the flesh, buried and raised to a new life (this is what being born again is – we die to ourself, are cleansed from our sin and raised to a new life in CHRIST.) Colossians 2:11-14, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by the putting off the body of sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of CHRIST, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through Faith in the Working of GOD, Who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the Uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us. And He has taken it away, having nailed it to the cross.”

 

[As a side note, there have and always will be those who make Grace, Works and Faith into a legalistic bondage to make you like they are, rather than as a process to make you like CHRIST created you to be.]

 

The Balance: You Cannot Have Faith Without Works or Works Without Faith!

 

Philippians 3:7-11, “But what things were gain for me, these I have counted loss for CHRIST. Yet indeed I have also counted all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of CHRIST JESUS my LORD, for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain CHRIST,  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in CHRIST, The Righteousness which is from GOD by Faith; that I may know Him and the Power of His Resurrection, and the Fellowship of His Sufferings, being conformed to His Death, if by any means, I may attain to The Resurrection from the dead.”

 

James 2:14-26, “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 or 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 that are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have Faith, and I have Works.’ Show me your Faith without your Works, and I will show you my Faith by my Works. You believe that there is One GOD. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble! But do you want to know O foolish man, that Faith without Works is dead?...For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

 

Paul said in Romans 1:16-17, “For I am not ashamed of The Gospel of CHRIST, for it is the Power of GOD to Salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in It the Righteousness of GOD is revealed from Faith to Faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by Faith.’” And in 2 Corinthians 5:13-15, “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for GOD; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For The Love of CHRIST compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and rose again.”

 

The Call!

 

JESUS told the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-15, He said in verse 16, “So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” In Matthew 22:1-13 He told the parable of the wedding feast, in verse 14 He said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” In Matthew 7:13-14 He said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to Life, and there are few who fine it.”

In John 3:16 JESUS said, “For GOD so Loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting Life.”

 

The Psalmist said in Psalm 139:13-18, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am Fearfully and Wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your Works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your Book, they were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your Thoughts to me, O GOD! How Great is the sum of them. If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake I am still with You.”

 

Paul said in Romans 8:27-30, “Now He Who searches the hearts knows what the mind of The SPIRIT is, because He makes intercession for the Saints according to The Will of GOD. And we know that all things work together for good to those who Love GOD, to those who are the called according to His Purpose. For whom He foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also Called; whom He Called, these He also Justified, these He also Glorified.”

 

JESUS also taught us to pray, “Our Father in Heaven, Holy is Your Name, You Kingdom come Your Will be done in the earth as it is in Heaven…” Matthew 6:9-10

 

So we live by, in and under GOD’s Grace, by our Trust (Faith) in GOD’s Faithfulness so that we can do GOD’s Will for our life, in the earth as it is in heaven!

Or, By GOD’s Grace through the Faith He gives us we do the Works of His Kingdom in the earth!