What role do works play in the life of a Christian, and how should we balance grace and works?
If you’ve been a believer long enough, you’ve heard of the concept of grace vs. works.
By the end of this article, you’ll understand how grace and works fit into the life of a modern believer and how you can apply them.
Let’s get started!
What Is Grace and Works?
As always, it’s good to start with basic definitions so we can all be on the same page.
Biblical Definition of Grace
You know that “grace” is the unmerited favor God gives us apart from ourselves.
It is a gift—the loving-kindness of God bestowed upon us that results in salvation by simply believing.
We could not earn salvation, so God had to credit it to us, even though we didn’t deserve it.
Biblical Definition of Works
“Works” is pretty much the opposite.
However, “works” has a few more meanings in the New Testament.
1. Most of the time it refers to “the works of the law.”
In the Old Testament, the Israelites earned their right standing with God by performing the Mosaic Law.
If they kept the law, they were good. Keeping the law was their “works” that Paul talked about in the New Testament. It was based on their performance.
Romans 3:20 ESV
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
In this scripture, Paul discusses the Mosaic Law and gives a brief history.
He says that no one will be made right by obeying it.
2. “Works” could also be a general reference to anything we do to obtain favor with God, not just specifically whatever was found in the Mosaic Law.
I see a lot of this today in the modern church.
For example, people might think they’re “good” with God because they pray or attend church.
How often have you heard someone say, “I’m not perfect, but I try! I go to church when I can!”
They’re essentially saying that their “work” of attending church gives them “points” with God.
There’s nothing wrong with praying or going to church. Believers should do these things.
However, if we do them to earn God's favor, they become “bad works.”
Luke 18:11-12
11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’
In the law, there is no commandment to “fast twice a week.” So, this was simply a pious work that the Pharisee was doing.
It wasn’t inherently wrong for him to do this, but he did it with the wrong motives.
3. “Works” could also refer to the good things believers do with pure motives that flow effortlessly out of their hearts.
In the grace camp, the word “works” is a bit of a cuss word.
We yell, “Works do not save us! Stop preaching works!”
In my opinion, this could lead to a general perception that works are evil and unimportant.
Worse, it could cause churches, believers, and leaders to cast a bad light on the world by appearing to accept sin and indulging in things they still shouldn’t.
But here’s the thing: No one is arguing that works save us. We all believe they don’t.
But good works that flow from the changed heart of a believer are biblical and necessary.
These kinds of works are good. The Christian doing them doesn’t think they earn him salvation or favor, but he acknowledges that God would want him to do them.
For example, a believer desires church because she sees it in the Word and wants to grow. This is a good work.
Or a brother chooses to pray every day. When there are days when he can’t, he doesn’t feel as though he has lost his salvation. He just gets hungrier.
Many places in the New Testament teach that works will flow from a person’s life if they’re genuinely changed.
If they don’t flow, then this person could possibly not even be saved.
This doesn’t mean a believer will be perfect.
It also doesn’t mean that if you make a mistake, it is automatic, undeniable proof that you were never saved in the first place.
But if you’re saved, you’ll always return home. And the more you yield to Christ, eventually, bad works will leave, and good works will take their place.
James 1:26-27
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world
While some state that “religion” is bad, giving the impression that all religion is bad and not clearly defining what “religion” is, James says there are two types:
Good and bad. “Worthless” and “pure.”
His version of “pure” religion results in “pure” works and keeping yourself unstained from the world.
The James Dilemma
Since we’re on the topic of James, know that James is a hot topic within the grace community.
Paul says that grace alone saves.
But James says:
James 2:14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
This confuses people because it appears that James is contradicting Paul.
I thought we weren’t saved by works?
But if you really understand what James is saying, you’ll see that works play an essential role in a believer’s life and are necessary…
Necessary, but not necessary for salvation, that is.
One of the phrases that stands out to me in the above scripture is “that faith.” James says, “There is a kind of faith that has no works, but can that faith save him?”
Admittedly, the word “that” is not in the original Greek. But I can see what the ESV translation is doing here.
It’s trying to convey the true meaning of the scripture.
The meaning is not that grace through faith alone does not save us. Of course, it does. The New Testament makes this clear.
James’ meaning is that the kind of faith that has no works behind it actually reveals that there is no genuine faith at all.
I think this becomes clearer as we keep reading. James goes on to say:
James 2:21-24
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Abraham was justified by faith. But James says that this faith was “fulfilled” by the work he did because of that faith—sacrificing Isaac.
In this sense, a person is justified by their works.
Really, the whole chapter is about a believer’s works that flow from sincere faith.
It’s basically saying that people cannot see and recognize that faith if it is just faith alone. We cannot “see” someone else’s faith. Only God can.
But what they can see is our works. So, the justification that James is talking about is our justification before men, not God.
Conclusion
Grace and works are not at odds with each other.
Leave a comment below and tell me: Why do you think works are essential in the life of a believer?
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