What Role Do Works Play in Life?

In the business world many people believe that if a person works hard and gives their all, then that person will have unlimited opportunities for advancement. In contrast even Jesus Christ gave an example of a lending manager in Luke 16:1-15 that was about to be fired, and since the man knew he was going to be fired he lessened the debts of all the debtors in order to have future opportunities with clients after his termination. The point of the story that Jesus told was that the manager acted out of faith to do just the opposite works of what he had been charged to do from the very beginning, and the manager went against everything that he would have been taught because he knew the future that awaited him. The wise manager thus reduced debts of the master's creditors knowing that it would not cost the manager anything, and he looked forward to the future rewards. The point is that the wise manager had correct faith, and his works had been produced by that faith.

Ephesians 2:8-10 shows the reader that people are saved by grace through faith as it is a gift from God, and the text makes clear that a person's works are prepared by God in advance. In this regard Ephesians 2:8-10 can reflect the meaning of John 15:4 that can be seen to show Christ promising fruit if a person remains in him. Just as James 2:17 shows that faith must be accompanied by action, so too a person must remain in Christ (John 15) in order to have the works of Jesus Christ promised to them.

Faith is described like a mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-43, and the point is that if a person has that seed, then it will develop itself into the largest garden plan if planted. Faith in this regard is as small as a mustard seed, and is received by God as the Word of God but it produces its own works that eventually overshadow everything. Works are thus the product of faith.

Exodus 33:18-19 shows that God has compassion and mercy on those that he chooses to have mercy and compassion on, and Romans 9:11-13 reinforces this point by showing that God hated Esau and loved Jacob before either one was born. The point is that just like a family business will give special provisions to family members and treat all other employees as dispensable, so too God saves men (adopts them into his family) by his choice in election. The existence of faith in the individual thus shows God's choice in election having been made. A family member could be fired from a family business for doing nothing at all because his works would not match the plan of the family, and in a similar way works are important because they confirm (or show the results of) a person's identity, faith, purpose, and election.