Sola Fide | Faith and Works
The idea of works stems closely from the idea of faith within the beliefs of Christianity. One cannot read the whole of scripture and conclude that works and what we do has no bearing or importance to the expression of faith. Yet, we must be cautious in our discussion to not imply that works provide the foundation of our salvation and justification. The book of James provides the best discussion of works in relationship to faith. In fact, it was the book of James which has, on numerous occasions throughout history had its place in canon called into question because of how it communicates the role of works.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
James 2:14-17, ESV
Works do not obligate God to provide us with salvation but instead they provide the evidence that a transformation has taken place within a person. One cannot encounter the risen Lord without some sort of inward transformation that displays in an outward expression. Where justification declares a guilty person to be innocent, righteousness an unholy person as holy, and adoption an enemy of God as a child of God, salvation works in person to bring the dead to life. No one can come from death to life without displaying the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives through faith in Him and
The Result of Lordship
Faith comes by the intentional dying of ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, by the grace of God who provides us the means of faith through Himself. When we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we put to death the flesh and everything that we desire that runs antithetical to goodness that God has set apart for us. God transforms the hearts of those who come to Him and those who put their faith and hope that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Yet, it would be foolish to think that a renewal and rebirth in the deepest corners of our heart and should would not result in significant changes to our behavior. Take, for instance, the discussion of words in Matthew 12:34, where the overflow of the abundance of the heart manifests itself in speech.
Works, then, are the result of our faith. We would expect those who have been redeemed by the Savior to reflect the person of God. When we identify with Jesus Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection (as is evidenced by our baptism) our actions become redeemed to reflect the will of God. Works are the evidence of salvation, not the justification of it. What we do reflects and displays the faith we hold in God. This is precisely why faith without works is dead. When works are the evidence of an internal working, a lack of works would imply that there has been no internal working and that any faith held does not produce salvation, being dead. Our faith is expressed through our works.
The Lord Defines Truth and Morality
Society’s growing and persistent debates on right and wrong, good and evil, have been around since the dawn of mankind. Everyone seems to have an opinion on what has become acceptable for mankind or not. Furthermore, truth, having become subjective, anyone has become welcome to define their truth. The issue has come that contradictory truths and morality clash with one another. When a Christian submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in faith, we crucify the flesh and the desires to come alive to the purpose and plan that Jesus Christ has for us. God, as the creator and making of all things, gets to define truth and morality. We are simply confined to the omniscient will of God in obedient faith.
Since our works stem from the faith we hold, then obedience to God would display the glory of God. As we have discussed earlier, scripture is the self-revelation of the mind of Christ as the ultimate authority for what is good and bad, right and wrong. Therefore, as we are confronted with ethical decisions on what is right and wrong, we must be willing to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to the authority of scripture. We do not get to define the will and mind of God but can only submit to the Lordship of God in every aspect of our life as a display of our faith. No matter the topic, how we feel, or even how we may be personally affected, when our faith rests in Jesus Christ, we would be able to be obedient to God.
