<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Untitled Document

Faith AND Works Are Necessary For Salvation
(Part One)
• James 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

• Introduction
• This lesson will be very simple.
• By the grace of Christ, we achieve the salvation God desires for us through perseverance in both faith and works.
• Many Protestants, on the other hand, believe that one just has to accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior to be saved, and good works are not necessary.
• But these verses, and many others, teach us that our performance of good works is necessary for our salvation.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Luke 23:41; John 3:19-21, Romans 8:13, 2 Timothy 4:14, Titus 3:8,14, Revelation 22:12 - these verses teach us that we all will be judged by God according to our deeds.
• There is no distinction between the "saved" and the "unsaved."
• 1 Corinthians 3:15 - if works are unnecessary for salvation as many Protestants believe, then why is a man saved (not just rewarded) through fire by a judgment of his works?
• Matthew 7:1-3 - we are not judged just by faith, but actually how we judge others, and we get what we have given.
• Hence, we are judged according to how we responded to God's grace during our lives.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Matthew 10:22, 24:13; Mark 13:13 - Jesus taught that we must endure to the very end to be saved.
• If this is true, then how can Protestants believe in the erroneous teaching of "Once saved, always saved?"
• If salvation occurred at a specific point in time when we accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, there would be no need to endure to the end.
• We would already be saved.
• Matthew 16:27 – Jesus says He will repay every man for what he has done (works).

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Matthew 25:31-46 - Jesus' teaching on the separation of the sheep from the goats is based on the works that were done during their lives, not just on their acceptance of Christ as Savior.
• Matthew 25:40,45 - Jesus says "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers, you did it to Me."
• We are judged and our eternal destiny is determined in accordance with our works.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Mark 10:21 - Jesus says sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
• This means that our salvation depends upon our works.
• Luke 12:43-48 - these verses teach us that we must act according to the Lord's will.
• We are judged based upon what we know and then do, not just upon what we know.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Luke 14:14 – Jesus says we are repaid for the works we have done at the resurrection of the just.
• Our works lead to salvation.
• Luke 23:41 - some Protestants argue that Jesus gave salvation to the good thief even though the thief did not do any good works.
• However, the good thief did in fact do a good work, which was rebuking the bad thief when he and others were reviling Jesus. This was a "work" which justified the good thief before Jesus and gained His favor.
• Moreover, we don't know if the good thief asked God for forgiveness, did works of penance and charity and was reconciled to God before he was crucified.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Romans 2:6-10, 13 - God will judge every man according to his works.
• Our salvation depends on how we cooperate with God's grace.
• 2 Corinthians 5:10 - at the judgment Seat of Christ, we are judged according to what we have done in the body, not how much faith we had.
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 – Paul says that he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully, in connection with God’s judgment.
• 2 Corinthians 11:15 - our end will correspond to our deeds. Our works are necessary to both our justification and salvation.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Galatians 6:7-9 – whatever a man sows, he will reap. Paul warns the Galatians not to grow weary in doing good works, for in due season they will reap (the rewards of eternal life).
• Ephesians 6:8 – whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same again from the Lord.
• Colossians 3:24-25 - we will receive due payment according to what we have done.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• 1 Timothy 6:18-19 – the rich are to be rich in good deeds so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed, that is, eternal life.
• 2 Timothy 4:14 – Alexander the coppersmith did Paul great harm, and Paul says the Lord will requite him for his deeds.
• Hebrews 6:10 - God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for His sake.
• God rewards our works on earth and in heaven.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Hebrews 12:14 – without holiness, no one will see the Lord.
• Holiness requires works of self-denial and charity, and does not come about simply by a profession of faith.
• 1 Peter 1:17 - God judges us impartially according to our deeds.
• We participate in applying the grace Jesus won for us at Calvary in our daily lives.
• Revelation 2:5 - Jesus tells the Ephesians they have fallen from love they used to have, and orders them to do good works.
• He is not satisfied with their faith alone.
• They need to do more than accept Him as personal Lord and Savior.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Revelation 2:10 – Jesus tells the church in Smyrna to be faithful unto death, and He will give them the crown of life.
• This is the faith of obedience to His commandments.
• Revelation 2:19 - Jesus judges the works of the Thyatirans, and despises their tolerance of Jezebel, calling them to repentance.
• Revelation 2:23 - Jesus tells us He will give to each of us as our works deserve.
• He crowns His own gifts by rewarding our good works.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Revelation 2:26 - Jesus says he who conquers and keeps my works until the end will be rewarded in heaven.
• Jesus thus instructs us to keep his works to the very end.
• This is not necessary if we are "once saved, always saved."
• Revelation 3:2-5,8,15 – Jesus is judging our works from heaven, and these works bear upon our eternal salvation.
• If we conquer sin through faith and works, He will not blot our names out of the book of life.
• This means that works bear upon our salvation.
• Our “works” do not just deal with level of reward we will receive, but whether we will in fact be saved.

• What Does The Bible Teach?
• Revelation 3:15 – Jesus says, “I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot. Because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth.” Jesus is condemning indifferentism, which is often based on our works.
• Revelation 14:13 - we are judged by the Lord by our works – “for their deeds follow them!”
• Our faith during our life is completed and judged by our works.
• Revelation 20:12 – “the dead are judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.”
• Revelation 22:12 – Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay everyone for what he has done.”

• Conclusion (Part One)
• These verses teach us that we all will be judged by God according to our deeds.
• There is no distinction between the "saved" and the "unsaved.“
• The saved have no special privileges.
• Everyone will be facing the same judgment upon the same standard.
• Are you obedient to the teaching of God?

By Carey Scott from material by John Reynolds

Return to the Sermon Outlines page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /