Grace or Works? Part 1

Grace vs. good works is a complex topic. In this post I will attempt to explain what the Bible says about doing good works, and what kind of good works  He desires from us and then seek out why  He desires such good works from us.

First of all I should put to rest that grace and good works are antithetical to each other; they are not. They only come in conflict in the area of obtaining or maintaining salvific justification. Good works that come from God’s saving grace is evidence of saving faith. More about that in a future posting.

There are some religious sects which stress certain rituals and observances as the proof of being saved, such as Sabbath keeping, or being water baptized a certain way with certain words that need to be spoken while being submerged under water. There can be some benefit of good feelings of a soothed conscience in doing or saying certain things, but the only saving action was the one Jesus performed by submitting His life fully to the Father’s will by dying a substitutionary death for sin in our place. This also will be explored in greater detail in a future post.

It seems every religion puts emphasis on good works to earn a good report card to bring us, like a passport, into paradise. The Bible also speaks of doing good works. If you type “good works” into the search box of any electronic Bible many references in both Old and New Testaments will pop up. Let’s examine a few:

Matthew 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

1Peter 2:11, 12Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

What do you notice when you read these verses? Will good works bring glory to yourself or to God? Does God redeem us because of our good works? Or does His saving grace cause a purification which He performs in the lives of His saints?

When we are saved by His grace, it is His goodness that is imparted to us by His Holy Spirit so that through His goodness others might come to a knowledge of the truth and bring glory to God’s name as we rejoice in the truth of His goodness and mercy because He has saved us from the perils of this world. That doesn’t mean we won’t experience trouble. In this world we will have trouble, but Jesus overcame the world, and He likewise will help us overcome this world revealing that He keeps His promises. The knowledge of the truth brings joy and peace in the midst of suffering knowing that the pain suffered in this world will be eclipsed by the glory awaiting us.

 ❤️🙏