The New Testament mentions “works” time and again. Some of these works are necessary to please Christ, some are works of human invention with which He is not pleased. Some are “works of the law of Moses” by which no one may be justified. Some works are “boastful works” and cannot therefore save. Some works are condemned as  “works of iniquity” even though those doing them considered them as being in service to God. We will be judged on the great day of judgment in part at least based on the works we have or have not engaged in. Therefore, it becomes increasingly and abundantly clear that this subject needs investigation on every man’s part.  Some have concluded that Paul and James are at odds on this subject and have tried to “patch up” what James said about works that justify us before man as opposed to works that justify us before God, saying the former are essential but the latter are not insofar as salvation from alien sins is concerned. As for Paul in the Roman  letter,  they  add one little word to what Paul wrote by divine inspiration, the word  “only.” This is a  “fly in the ointment”  and has been for hundreds of  years now, ever since  Martin Luther made that same mistake  in the 1500’s. If only folks would not read into a text something that  isn’t there! My brethren and I believe that we are “justified  by faith.” We accept every passage in the Bible that so states.  There is no passage stating that we are “justified by faith alone,” nor one saying we are “justified at the point of faith” in Jesus Christ. This contradicts the “Great Commission” as given by Christ to His Apostles which is to last until the end of this age (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:45-49).

   In addition to adding “only” to the ‘saved by faith’ passages in Romans three - five, the most commonly used  passages that are perverted to teach the “faith alone” doctrine are the ones cited above.  “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (V’s 8-9). Verse (10) is usually omitted when writing or speaking about this context, or is perverted to teach that it is because we are saved that we are to do “good works.” What it actually is saying is, that unless a work is “foreordained” it cannot justify, it would be a work of man’s invention and we could boast! It reads, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).  Nothing the unconverted man does is seen as acceptable before God, because He has ordained that those who glorify Him must do so as a part of His spiritual family, the church (1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 3:21). The Ephesian passage last cited says it clearly. “Unto Him be glory  ‘in the church’  by Christ Jesus  throughout  all ages, world without end. A-men.”  This simply means that one may not glorify God who isn’t a member of the church of Christ.  This may be seen in the scene come judgement day, of which Christ spoke when He said, “Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).  To be a “good work,” or to be  “a work of God,” a  work must be ordained by God as well as performed by a citizen of His kingdom. Those in Satan’s kingdom cannot glorify God by Christ Jesus. Those who are not for Him, are against Him (Matthew 12:30). Jesus Himself said so in that passage.  We are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works” or we are “born again into His church or kingdom” and there, in this relationship, our works that are before ordained are accounted as works by which God is glorified. See?   Add (Ephesians 2:13-16) to the contexts, showing that only in this relationship (the church of Christ, His kingdom), are men made friends by the blood shed on Calvary’s cross.  A child of Satan cannot glorify God regardless of how many “good works” in which he may engage.  That is the sum total of what  “created in Christ Jesus unto good works,” means! When denominationalist try and make it mean something else, when they try to rule out the need to “obey the gospel” culminating in baptism for the remission of alien sins, they are perverting the passage.  The very first gospel sermon ever preached after the ascension and crowning of Jesus as King on David’s throne at God’s right hand, called on those who believed those facts to “do something to be saved” and this is while yet “out of Christ, lost!”  What were they told to do? Believers were told to “..repent, and be immersed every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ  for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). Later Luke records the following; “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation” (Acts 2:40).  “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  Three thousand souls saw the need to obey Peter’s instructions so they could be “born again” into the kingdom, the church of Christ (John 3:3-5; Acts 2:38-41, 47; Colossians 1:13-14).  Have you ever stopped to ask yourself any of the following questions?  (1). What did they believe?  (2). What were they told to do? (3). To what church were they added? (4). What name did they wear?

   Mr. Edward T. Hiscox  wrote the truth about this matter in language too clear to misunderstand in (The Standard Manual For Southern Baptist Churches, page 22). “It is most likely that in the Apostolic age when there was but “one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, and no differing denominations existed....In that sense, baptism was the door into the church.” (I ask you, which church? ket), Now it is different;.....The churches therefore have candidates come before them, make their statement, give their “experience,”  and then their reception is decided by a vote of the members.  And while they cannot become members (of the Baptist church ket) without baptism, yet it is the vote of the body which admits them to its fellowship on receiving baptism.” (Emphasis, bolding, etc., mine ket).  Question?  Does the New Testament still say that “there is one body, and one Spirit..., one Lord, one faith, and one baptism?  You’d better believe it does, just as was so in the Apostolic age. You may read it in (Ephesians 4:1-6).   This is why my brethren and I often ask our Baptist friends, “who made it different?  Has the Lord changed His mind and rewritten His book in this matter?  Is denominational division now acceptable contrary to the prayer of Christ and the teaching of His apostles? The very context shows the need for Christians to “give diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”, then proceeds to give the seven plank platform on which this is to be accomplished as can be seen in the passage last cited.
 

   God provided for lost  man, what he could not provide for himself, a sacrifice to appease His wrath against sin (of which all accountable persons are guilty, Romans 3:23).  This is the “free gift of God’s grace.”  It has been provided so every one who desires may ultimately be saved “in Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 1:3; Galatians 3:26-29; Romans 6:3-6).  This can be seen by such clear passages as (Titus 2:11-14; John 3:16-17; Romans 5:6-8; Hebrews 2:9; 2 Timothy 2:1-4;  Hebrews 10:4-9; 2 Peter 3:9).   It would be good if you would take the time to read each of these passages just cited before proceeding.

    The Bible mentions various “kinds of works.”  Some, man must work or do to be saved; some cannot and will not save man.  If I am correct in my statements, then it becomes very important that we understand which are and which aren’t essential to ones initial salvation from past or alien sins, and which are and which aren’t essential to eternal salvation in heaven after awhile.

   We have already noticed that there are such things as “foreordained works” or what the Bible calls “works of God.”  These are things which God has prescribed. They originated in heaven in the mind of God and not on earth in the minds of men. Faith itself falls into this category.  Some Jews asked of Jesus the following.  “Then said they unto Him, what shall we do, that we might work the works of God?  Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:28-29).  Who must work this work?  Obviously it is something we must do, God doesn’t do it for us. It is a “work of God” in that He has ordained it as a necessity for man’s salvation.  All boasting is excluded when men meet the terms God has placed on certain blessings He provides for the whole world.  If not for what has been written in the creeds of the various denominations, we would not have the difficulties we have in understanding these matters. What the Bible itself teaches seems to be quite clear. It is not what the Bible teaches that has us divided, it is what men teach that isn’t in the Bible that’s causing all the division.  You see, we cannot understand the Bible differently; if we understand it at all, we will understand it alike. We may misunderstand it differently, and many do. A fact which all must admit.  I admit it with sadness for it is contrary to the wishes and the prayer of Jesus as well as His inspired Apostles (John 17:2-21; 1 Corinthians 1:10-12; Ephesians 4:1-3).  Saving faith is always an obedient faith, which comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17; James 2:14-16; Hebrews 5:8-9; Matthew 7:21-28).

   A couple of Old Testament examples should suffice to show this principle to be true. Paul says the things “written before were written for our learning..” (Romans 5:4). Too, he said they were for “examples to us in this age..” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12).   Two clear cut examples are  (1). Joshua and Israel Joshua 6. (2).  Noah Genesis 6-7; Hebrews 11).  My intent is to show that “doing what was commanded” in no way negates the fact that it was a “gift of God.”  God told Joshua concerning the city of Jericho, “..See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.  And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.  And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets or ram’s horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.  And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him......the wall fell down flat...” (Joshua 6:1-20).  The Hebrew writer said, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days” (Hebrews 11:30).
 
   God’s patience had run out with most of the people in the days of Noah, but righteous Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).  Subsequently, God gave instructions to Noah as to how he and his family, (eight souls altogether) could be spared the impending doom. They were to make an ark according to God’s instructions and ride out the great world wide flood (Genesis 6:5-8:22).  The Hebrew writer likewise tells of how Noah and his family were saved “by grace through faith” in doing as God had instructed them even to the minutest details of the great boat or ark.  He wrote, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

  Another New Testament writer used this case of “salvation by grace through faith”, coupled with obedience, to show the connection with the final act of the “new birth” of the water and of the Spirit, and our salvation from alien sins, escaping the doom which will surely come to all who have not been “born again” into the kingdom, the church through water baptism. “..When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him” (1 Peter 3:20-22).  After every possible quibble has been made by Protestants who deny the essentiality of water baptism to save one from past, alien sins has been made, this passage will still teach as it always has, “baptism doth also now save us..”  If my brethren and I should be so dishonest as to use this passage the way the Protestants do the passages in Romans and other places which teach that we are saved “by faith,” we would add “only” and teach “baptismal regeneration” or “baptism only” as the way our sins are forgiven. We do not believe in “baptismal regeneration.” We only believe what the Bible says about baptism being one of the pre-conditions for the penitent believer being washed in the blood of Jesus (Acts 22:16; Romans 6:3-4).  Those who believe in inborn sin, who “baptize” infants to remove the so called “Adamic sin” or the “sins of their parents,” are actually the ones guilty of teaching or at least practicing “baptismal regeneration,” not we who are members of the church of Christ.  But whether or not we are “born in sin” is another subject for another lesson. Suffice it to say, the Bible teaches no such doctrine, period (Ezekiel 18:20; Matthew 18:1-4; 19:14; James 1:13-15; 1 John 3:4).

 I’m sure I will miss some of the works mentioned in the Bible, but here is at least a partial listing of various kinds of works mentioned in the word of God.

(1). The works of God:  We have noticed already that any thing which God commands us to believe or do, is a “work of God,” even faith is in this category. Sometimes folks make an arbitrary distinction in the “works they believe one must do,” and the “works” they class (not God) as works of human merit. Our Protestant friends place baptism in this class in their ignorance or their rejection of New Testament doctrine (2 John 9-10; Romans 16:16-18).  Some very interesting and informative instruction is given in (Titus 3:5), about how God saves us. What Paul is actually saying is that “God saves us by baptism, not by works of righteousness which we have done.”   Read the whole verse then get a good Bible commentary and you will notice the scholars without exception (at least all I have read after ket) will say that Paul is here referring to “the water baptism” or words to that effect.  This clearly shows that baptism is not a work of man or a boastful work. It certainly isn’t a work of the Law of Moses, nor a work of our own righteousness, etc.

(2). Works of Faith:    Paul wrote to the brethren at Thessalonica, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. in the sight of God and our Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3).   James is clear on the matter of the kind of faith with which God is well pleased. It is a faith which is exhibited by doing what the Lord commands us.  In fact we have in the book of  James what I often call “a divine commentary on the faith that saves.”  It is an Abrahamic type of faith. We cannot be said to be believers in the Biblical sense of the word if we aren’t “doer of the work” prescribed by God, or “ works of faith.”  Having written about the need to do and not only to say, James continues by saying, “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. You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only” (James 2:22-24). As we have often pointed out to our Protestant friends,  “the only time faith and only are found in the Bible together, they are preceded by a “not.”  Salvation initially, nor salvation eternally are based on “faith only.” See again, (Acts 2:38, 40,41). Then notice Paul’s admonition to the Philippian brethren who were once obedient, to continue obeying and in this way, said Paul, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).  Hebrews the eleventh chapter if filled with this kind of saving faith examples, some of which we have used already in this study.

(3). Works of Righteousness:    There are some “works of God’s righteousness” which man must do to please Him. This is different from “works of man’s own devising” of which Paul wrote in (Romans 10:1-4). Those guilty of those works stood condemned before God. But there is a means by which God makes men righteous through forgiveness in the blood of Jesus by the Gospel, which if men do not obey, they will be punished with everlasting punishment...” (2 Thessalonians  1:6-10; Romans 1:16-17).  Luke records Peter’s words after the events which transpired at the house of Cornelius.  Remember that Cornelius was commanded to be baptized in water (Acts 10:47-48). This is said after Cornelius was told to send for Simon whose surname is Peter; who “shall tell you words whereby you and all your house shall be saved (Acts 11:13-14)”  As Peter rehearsed this before some Jewish brethren who had called him into question for going in unto these uncircumcised folks, he told them of what Cornelius was told in a vision.  It was clearly Peter’s words by which he and his house would be saved. Reading what Peter commanded these first Gentiles to do as guided by the Holy Spirit, it is plain that he commanded water baptism.  All manner of quibbles have been made about this case of conversion, but the honest heart knows they were not saved at the point of faith, nor before they did what Peter was instructed by the Spirit to command them to do.   Peter learned a lesson from this event. The lesson was, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him” (Acts 10:34-35).

(4). Good Works:  We have already noticed that to be “good works,” they must be authorized works. We also noted that we are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works that are foreordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Meaning that out of Christ nothing one may do is to the glory of our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 3:21). Paul admonished those of us who are “in Christ”  to be careful to “maintain good works”.  Read the following passages (Titus 3:1; Galatians 1:6-10; 1 Peter 4:16).

(5). Works of the Law of Moses:    The Roman letter as well as the Galatian letter, argues at length the fact that “By the works of the law of Moses none are justified” (Galatians 2:16). Paul uses Abraham’s being blessed by faith 430 years before the law of Moses was ever  given, to argue this point. This is his argument to the Jews who were placing their trust for righteousness by “law keeping.”  In the first place the only way to be saved strictly by law, is to keep law perfectly. Since
none did this, they all stood guilty before God and in need of mercy and grace. This, the New Testament “law of grace,” “the gospel of the gace of God” (Acts 20:24), provided. This was righteousness by forgiveness in the blood of Jesus by the terms of the gospel, not
 

by the letter of the law. The only one ever to keep law perfectly was
Jesus Christ. This qualified Him to be our sin offering and then having paid our “sin debt,” God could be just in that He could punish sin by sacrificing the perfect lamb, His only begotten Son, and allow the sinners to go free by the righteousness of God, the gospel (Romans 1:16-17;  Romans 3:26; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Mark 16:15-16). One needs to read Romans chapters three through five along with (Galatians 3:9-29 & 2 Corinthians 3:1-18).  All spiritual blessings are “in Christ,” (Ephesians 1:3), but men are “baptized into Christ” (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27).  There are no spiritual blessings out of Christ. To be “in Christ,” is identical to being in His blood bought church, for the same acts of faith which put one into Christ makes that one a member of His church when washed in Jesus’ blood (Romans 6:2-4; Acts 22:16; Ephesians 213-16; Acts 2:38, 41, 47; Colossians 1:13-14).

(6). Works of our own Righteousness:   We have learned that we aren’t saved by works of our own righteousness, or works of human merit. We cannot do enough to put God in our debt. That isn’t to say that there are no works that we must do as we have abundantly and clearly shown already. See (Titus 3:5; Romans 10:1-4; Isaiah 64:6; Philippians 3:9).

   The works that save us are “works of faith,” or obedience to God’s will in all things. Even then, we need continual cleansing in the blood of Jesus as we do our best, which is never good enough. Then seeing our failures we repent and confess then we are  continually cleansed in the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:1-9; Acts 8:22).  Think of this, in closing: If there are no works to be done to be pleasing to Christ, pray tell me why does Scripture say we will be “judged according to the deeds done in the body..”(2 Corinthians 5:10-11)? Too, how do those who so teach reconcile the fact that we will be judged  “by our works” (Revelation 20:12-15; Romans  2:1-11; Romans 14:12; Matthew 25:31-46)?

   My friend if you have not submitted your will to that of the Lord Jesus Christ who loved and died for us all, you need to come study with us and allow us to assist you in “putting on Christ” and thereby becoming a member of His church, a citizen in His spiritual kingdom.