One of the biggest controversies in religion today is whether we are saved by faith (often called antinomianism) or by works ( often called legalism). It seems that most people view “faith” and “works” as if they are on opposite ends of a spectrum – and maybe they are. However, even if they are it does not follow that two things on opposite ends of a spectrum are necessarily in conflict or opposition.
In addition, the words “antinomianism” and “legalism” remind me a lot of the “package deals” of political ideologies. You are either “red” or “blue”. We should remember, however, that red and blue (when mixed) make purple, and there is nothing contradictory about purple.
Pro 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
We should never stray too far from God’s Word when seeking truth. Truth is only measured by the Master of all truth, God. Since we have God’s Word we no longer have to seek the opinions of men or “groups” to find ultimate truth.
So, Faith or Works?!?!?
Let’s break this down a little bit. the Bible tells us that all scripture is from God and should be treated as such (respected and adhered to). Most people would agree with this assertion, but just in case you need a little proof, here is some scripture to back up this claim:
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Even so, many denominations today say that Paul and James are in conflict or they ignore the part of scripture that does no suit their traditional values (usually that of faith only). Here is an example (from Romans) of the teaching that most denominations assert to be true:
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
And here is a section of scripture that is either ignored or explained away in an insufficient manner:
Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Now, one has to make a decision. Are we going to believe both James and Paul? If we say yes then we must work to achieve harmony by rightly dividing the Word of God. This means we must see if we can make these verses about faith and works (and many other verses on this topic in the Bible) harmonize. We do that by reading the rest of the Bible and applying a rational study of the gospel.
Thankfully, when one puts in the necessary Bible study they are easily able to see that “faith” and “works” are not exclusive to one another. We are able to see from the story of Abraham that it was both faith and obedience that made him a friend to God. If we look at what is commonly called the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 we see countless examples of faith and then action (Noah, Rahab, even Sampson, etc.).
The Bible affirms that faith and works are not in conflict and that both faith and works (obedience) are required to attain eternal life. That is how we show our faith:
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
What Kind of “Works” is Paul Speaking of?
Why does Paul seem to be preaching against works in many verses? Because he was preaching against the tendency of many Jewish Christians to demand that the Law of Moses continue to be kept despite Christ’s bringing in of the New Covenant (Acts 15: 1, 5). Jesus had brought in the New Covenant which enhanced and fulfilled these old “laws”. Paul wanted the Jewish Christians to let go of the past and embrace the New Covenant brought in by Christ.
Still, we can see that Paul also preached that faith and works were necessary:
Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
This short article is not designed to fully explain faith and works, however, I think it shows enough to get an adherent of the “faith only” doctrine to stop and think. If you believe in faith only then you simply need to reexamine the scriptures with an open mind. You need to see that faith and works are not at odds with one another and that the Christian can (and in fact must) both obey and have faith. It’s only then that Jesus’ blood will be able to cover his/her sins.
Please do not think this means you have to be perfect. None of us are worthy of salvation (we are all sinners) but thanks to Christ’s blood we can have our sins remitted, remitted by His ultimate sacrifice. Let us all be grateful for this sacrifice and seek to live in a way that incorporates both faith and obedience.