Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. (Titus 2: 7-8, ESV)
I’ve rarely, if ever, seen anyone great at golf who doesn’t work at it. I’m sure you can think of an exception or two who make the game look easy. However, even those who are God-gifted golfers, will have to work at it if they are to perform at the highest levels. Mind you, there are those of us who will battle envy when we see someone for whom the game seems effortless. But make no mistake, even those who make it look simple (e.g., Oosthuizen), work at it. It is a universal maxim that to excel in anything, you must work at it. Somehow, though, “work” has gotten a bad name in some Christian circles.
In some church circles, you might get the impression that “work” is a four-letter word. Literally it is, but you get the point. In other circles, work is considered exclusively in a negative light. More commonly, the concept of work is merely neglected.
I want to suggest, at least in part, that the noble desire to protect the heart of the gospel—the truth of salvation “by grace alone”—is a major driving motive. And that is a good thing. The motive, that is. The three above-mentioned overreactions to work are logical fallacies. Work, biblically understood, is a good thing. And it needs to be recovered.
Five hundred years ago, the Reformation was largely about this very issue. At the heart of the struggle was a recovery of the great doctrine of justification (i.e., God’s legal declaration that a sinner is righteous based on the person and work of Christ Jesus). Five rallying cries emerged from this pivotal time in the life of the Church. The Reformers championed that we are saved “by grace alone,” “through faith alone,” “in Christ alone,” and “to the glory of God alone.” The fifth and final “alone” was “according to Scripture alone.” Known as the Five Sola’s (sola is Latin for alone), these five phrases were shorthand for understanding salvation.
While it is emphatically true that we are not saved by works (Rom. 3:20), neither are we saved by grace plus works. Nevertheless, it remains true that we are saved by grace “for good works.”The gospel, at its heart, is that God forgives, redeems, reconciles, and renews by “grace alone” on the merits (works) of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. We contribute no works to our salvation. Christ saves us by his “unmerited favor.”
Please don’t misunderstand. From this “great salvation,” repentance for sin and faith in the Savior are vitally important. It just that our repentance and our faith don’t save us. Jesus does. We can’t get the cart before the horse. The sequence matters.
Out of all of this, though, more than a few confusions have arisen. Not the least of which is the neglect of the biblical truths concerning work. While it is emphatically true that we are not saved by works (Rom. 3:20), neither are we saved by grace plus works. Nevertheless, it remains true that we are saved by grace “for good works.”
In more than a few places, Paul reminds us that it was pure grace that saved us (Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 3:8-10; Matt. 5:14-16). But he is also quick to keep before our minds that grace—true grace—always leads to a changed life, a life filled with good works. Our new life in Christ is now empowered by grace and the indwelling of the Spirit to work.
If we are to grow up into the maturity to which Christ is calling us, we must work the works of God by the enabling power of the Spirit and the grace of God so freely given us by the purchase of Christ at Calvary. Let’s go to work!
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Dennis Darville
January 10, 2022
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