Do Works Play a Part in Your Salvation?

Do your good works play a part in your salvation, or your sins being forgiven by God? If you ever want to go to heaven, do you have to be careful to have good works to get there?

If you listen to some, the answer is yes. In the article, What Must We Do to be Saved," on the official Jehovah's Witness website, watchtower.org, the answer given is that one has to believe in Jesus and "it does require effort on our part. Thus, 'accepting Christ' involves far more than just accepting the blessings that Jesus' superlative sacrifice offers. Obedience is required." Consequently, Jehovah's Witnesses hope they can knock on enough doors and tell enough people about their faith so that maybe their sins will be forgiven and God will let them into heaven. The problem is, if you read their article, you are never given a definitive answer of when one can know his sins are forgiven and he has a home in heaven.

There are many other so-called Christian groups and non-Christian groups that teach that if you do enough good works, or if you obey the teachings of that group well enough, or if you are baptized in their group, or if you give enough money to the less fortunate, then maybe you might be forgiven. As for non-Christian groups, according to the article, Do Muslims Believe in Original Sin, Muslims do not believe in the original sin of Adam and Eve, do not believe man is born naturally sinful, do not believe man needs a Savior or the blood of Jesus Christ applied to their lives, but do believe that man becomes accountable for his sin only after he chooses to sin. In other words, the do not believe Jesus was the Son of God, that He died for the sins of man so he could be forgiven, do not believe he rose on the third day, do not believe those who put their faith in Him have an assurance of eternal life. They believe only that He was a good teacher. They attempt to earn God's grace by their own efforts.

Some so-called Christian groups even quote the Bible to "prove" that man needs to have good works to have a home in heaven. Let us look at the Bible ourselves, not only verses that show that man is saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone but also the verses they twist to prove their point.

Ephesians 2:8-10 teach: "For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

What do these verses teach about saving faith? If you read them carefully they clearly show the faith to save ourselves is not our own, but "a gift of God." They show we are saved: "by grace, through faith." The verses say this about good works: that we are God's "workmanship created unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Who do the verses say cause us to do good works, ourselves? No, they say God. They do say we will have good works, because "God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Those verses certainly contradict what Jehovah's Witnesses and other so-called Christian groups teach about good works. They do not say we must have them to be saved; but they say we will have them because we are saved.

Ah, a Jehovah's Witness will say: James 2:24 teaches that a man is saved by works. Does it really? It only says that if you take it out of context, reading that verse alone and ignoring the verses around it.

James 2:21-26 teach: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God. Ye see how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Yes, if you read only James 2:24 by itself it seems to teach what a Jehovah's Witness teaches, but no verse should ever be read out of context. That is what the other verses are around it for, so we can understand what God meant and said. Verse 23 says: "Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness." Why does the Bible teach God counted Abraham for righteous, because of his work, not because he believed God. How does that contradict Ephesians? It does not! What about his work? The Bible teaches his "faith wrought with his works, and by works faith was made perfect." In other words, because he had a genuine faith, he had works. That does not contradict Ephesians 2:10 at all! It teaches the same thing.

My friend, if you are curious about the role of works in salvation, believe what the Bible says, that we are saved by faith in the shed blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his resurrection. Read John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 15: and Romans 10:9-13. Ask Jesus to be your Savior and ignore what man says.

Citations:

What Must We Do to Be Saved? No author listed, watchtower.org

Do Muslims Believe in Original Sin? Christine Benlafquih, suite101.com