OPINION
Larry Pendergrass
Debate abounds when it comes to the subject of faith versus works. Many would say “Just ask Paul and James,” who seemed to be at odds over it. I think, however, that if we could have asked James and Paul they would have said they actually agreed.
What do YOU think? Do works of any kind bear in any way upon our status of eternal life? Or are you one who says that any work I do has nothing to do with my eternal destiny; my salvation is TOTALLY by “grace alone” or “faith alone”?
I want to propose here that there is another side to the discussion that seems to get rare attention. I refer to mercy as opposed to grace. Yes, there is a difference, and I will address that shortly. Whether it makes any difference in how God will ultimately judge us is not so much the point for this discussion, although the matter certainly should not be taken lightly.
The point here is to call attention to EFFORT. To me, I would like to ask those who equate any kind of “effort” with “works” to please clarify. Let me put it this way. Throughout Paul’s writings he makes it abundantly clear that it is not good “works” (cf. Eph 2:8-10) or “works of the law” (cf. Rom 3) that saves us. Fair enough. But not far enough.
What about the “lazy Christian”—one who simply says “I believe and have been baptized and therefore it really doesn’t matter whether I do any good deed at all the rest of my life. I know I should do some good things when I get an opportunity, but when it comes down to it all the good I do means nothing toward saving me. It only has to do with the rewards I stand to receive in heaven.” Even if we allow that this attitude may be honored by God, didn’t it take some EFFORT to maintain his or her faith? To that many may say, “Well now you are getting into an area of us judging whether that person has ever been saved in the first place, and only God can make that judgement.” Agreed. The point is that it takes EFFORT, even if we don’t want to call it a “work,” to simply maintain faith to a level that one doesn’t backslide so much that we even find ourselves asking this question. You may say, “Well, it really takes discipline.” Yes, but that takes EFFORT. I agree it has little or nothing to do with keeping the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, or even with whether one regularly observes communion under the New Testament. What about baptism? Isn’t that a “work”? And do you consider it necessary for salvation?
But this is also where I say the matter of MERCY, as opposed to grace, must be considered. Grace is generally defined as God’s (or man’s) willingness to cover for something we could have or should have done and did not do it. More technically, MERCY is defined as God’s (and man’s) willingness to forgive us for something we knew was wrong and dared to go ahead and do it anyway. Is there a difference here that you see? To me there is a BIG difference, even though both grace and mercy are necessary to ultimately get to heaven. It takes EFFORT to maintain faith just as it takes EFFORT to choose to deliberately do wrong. If we are not putting forth continual EFFORT to maintain our faith, then it CAN get to where we find ourselves having on faith at all. So, even if faith alone is sufficient to save us, what good will it do if over the course of the rest of our lives we make no effort to sustain it, and find that we have totally lost it? Then, all of a sudden Paul’s good-sounding “faith and grace alone” passages can’t apply—simply on the basis that we go to judgement as a faithless person when we die.
So, it does take EFFORT to be found as a “good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23), even if that does go against the grain of what we may have been taught.
Is there X amount of things that we are required to do in order to get to heaven? Of course not. On the other hand, can there be things that we can do which we know are wrong—VERY wrong—that if we continue in them to our dying day might result in the Lord telling us, “Depart from me, I never knew you?” (Matthew 7:23) Well, I’ll do you the favor of not answering that here. But I do hope I’ve made my point that it takes EFFORT to prove you are a Christian, both to God and fellowman. And I think James especially would give me an Amen! And frankly, those who disagree make me nervous.
Debate abounds when it comes to the subject of faith versus works. Many would say “Just ask Paul and James,” who seemed to be at odds over it. I think, however, that if we could have asked James and Paul they would have said they actually agreed.
What do YOU think? Do works of any kind bear in any way upon our status of eternal life? Or are you one who says that any work I do has nothing to do with my eternal destiny; my salvation is TOTALLY by “grace alone” or “faith alone”?
I want to propose here that there is another side to the discussion that seems to get rare attention. I refer to mercy as opposed to grace. Yes, there is a difference, and I will address that shortly. Whether it makes any difference in how God will ultimately judge us is not so much the point for this discussion, although the matter certainly should not be taken lightly.
The point here is to call attention to EFFORT. To me, I would like to ask those who equate any kind of “effort” with “works” to please clarify. Let me put it this way. Throughout Paul’s writings he makes it abundantly clear that it is not good “works” (cf. Eph 2:8-10) or “works of the law” (cf. Rom 3) that saves us. Fair enough. But not far enough.
What about the “lazy Christian”—one who simply says “I believe and have been baptized and therefore it really doesn’t matter whether I do any good deed at all the rest of my life. I know I should do some good things when I get an opportunity, but when it comes down to it all the good I do means nothing toward saving me. It only has to do with the rewards I stand to receive in heaven.” Even if we allow that this attitude may be honored by God, didn’t it take some EFFORT to maintain his or her faith? To that many may say, “Well now you are getting into an area of us judging whether that person has ever been saved in the first place, and only God can make that judgement.” Agreed. The point is that it takes EFFORT, even if we don’t want to call it a “work,” to simply maintain faith to a level that one doesn’t backslide so much that we even find ourselves asking this question. You may say, “Well, it really takes discipline.” Yes, but that takes EFFORT. I agree it has little or nothing to do with keeping the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, or even with whether one regularly observes communion under the New Testament. What about baptism? Isn’t that a “work”? And do you consider it necessary for salvation?
But this is also where I say the matter of MERCY, as opposed to grace, must be considered. Grace is generally defined as God’s (or man’s) willingness to cover for something we could have or should have done and did not do it. More technically, MERCY is defined as God’s (and man’s) willingness to forgive us for something we knew was wrong and dared to go ahead and do it anyway. Is there a difference here that you see? To me there is a BIG difference, even though both grace and mercy are necessary to ultimately get to heaven. It takes EFFORT to maintain faith just as it takes EFFORT to choose to deliberately do wrong. If we are not putting forth continual EFFORT to maintain our faith, then it CAN get to where we find ourselves having on faith at all. So, even if faith alone is sufficient to save us, what good will it do if over the course of the rest of our lives we make no effort to sustain it, and find that we have totally lost it? Then, all of a sudden Paul’s good-sounding “faith and grace alone” passages can’t apply—simply on the basis that we go to judgement as a faithless person when we die.
So, it does take EFFORT to be found as a “good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23), even if that does go against the grain of what we may have been taught.
Is there X amount of things that we are required to do in order to get to heaven? Of course not. On the other hand, can there be things that we can do which we know are wrong—VERY wrong—that if we continue in them to our dying day might result in the Lord telling us, “Depart from me, I never knew you?” (Matthew 7:23) Well, I’ll do you the favor of not answering that here. But I do hope I’ve made my point that it takes EFFORT to prove you are a Christian, both to God and fellowman. And I think James especially would give me an Amen! And frankly, those who disagree make me nervous.
Coming Soon