FAITH & WORKS
   
   
   Many in the religious world today believe and teach the doctrine
that we are saved by faith only. They teach that all one has to do
is pray a "sinners prayer" and God will forgive their sins and at 
that point, they will be saved. 
   I believe with all my heart that man is saved by faith in the Lord.
And that men will be saved eternally by faith in  the Lord Jesus
Christ. I have always believed that without faith it is impossible to
please God, I believe this because the Bible teaches this. I do not
believe in the doctrine of " salvation by faith only" because it is
false, not taught in the Bible. There is a great difference between
the two.
   The doctrine of faith only was made popular by Martin Luther. His
break from the Roman Catholic Church resulted in the first protestant
denomination. Martin Luther's protest to the false doctrine of
salvation by the works of the Catholic Church was the cause of his
contending for salvation by faith only. In other words, as a protest
against one false doctrine he fathered another. In his swing away
from the accepted idea of saved by Catholic works doctrine, he did
not stop with the Bible truth of salvation by faith, but ended up
teaching the doctrine of faith alone.
   His trouble and the trouble with most people that believe this false
doctrine was and is a misunderstanding of what the Bible means by the
term "works." In other words, a misunderstanding of the Bible word,
"works," was really the cause of Luther's preaching the doctrine of
salvation by faith alone. here is what i mean. Luther saw Paul
teaching in Eph. 2:8, 9 salvation is not by works and then read James
2:24 were James says we are not justified by faith only but by works.
He could not correlate the two. His decision was to reject the
inspired writings of James. The trouble was not with James and the
trouble was not with Paul; the trouble was with Luther's
misunderstanding of the term "works" and how it is often used in the
New Testament.
   The word works is used in at least three ways in the New Testament.

   1. Sometimes the word refers to the works of the Old Testament or the
      works of the law of Moses.

   2. Sometimes the word is used to refer to our own personal plans,
      mans ideas, or traditions devised by men. Of course we don't believe
      that these works will lead us to God or save us from sin. We could
      call these our own works or works of men, or works of men's
      righteousness.

    3. And there is the kind the Bible calls the "works of God."
       If we do not under stand the clear difference between these terms as
       used in the Bible then we will always have a difficulty understanding
       Gods plan of salvation By faith in Christ.

* The works of God

   In John 6:28 people came and asked Jesus " What shall we do that we
may work the works of God?" Jesus answers in verse 29 "this is the
work of God that you believe on him whom He hath sent." Yes Jesus
said that to believe on Christ is to do the works of God. Yes,faith
in the Lord is a work of God. FAITH IS A WORK. It is not the kind of
works that Paul is speaking of in Eph. 2:8, 9. Jesus said it was the
work of God. When God gives a command and man obeys man is working
the works of God. The act of obedience to Gods command is not the
work of man. It is the work of God. Personal obedience to the will of
the Lord is the Work of God. Faith is a work. Jesus said so. If you
are saved by faith, you are saved by works. You cannot believe in
salvation by faith and disbelieve in salvation by the works of God.
You can believe in salvation by faith and reject the doctrine of
salvation by the works of men. You can Believe in salvation by faith
in the Lord and disbelieve the proposition of salvation by the works
of the law of Moses. Neither salvation by the works of man nor by the
works of the law of Moses is true. But, salvation by faith in Christ
and salvation by the works of God-they are both true.They are both
taught in the New Testament.
 
 *THE WORKS OF MEN

   Eph. 2:8,9" By grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of
yourselves. It is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast." Study the context you will see that Paul does not have in
mind the same kind of works that James is referring to in James 2:24
where James says we are justified by works.In Eph. 2: Paul is
speaking of our own personal goodness. He means our own deeds that we
devised ourselves. to paraphrase, you can't do it yourself; you can
not devise yourself schemes or plans or traditions or righteous
ceremonies that will save you. You can not do enough of your own
invention to save yourself or make yourself worthy of salvation.
 
 * THE WORKS OF THE LAW

   Paul in Romans chapter four discusses Abraham and the justification
of this patriarch of God ages before the law of the Jews was was
given to them at sinai. He is proving that Abraham was not justified
by works but rather by faith in God. Careful reading shows that Paul
has in mind the Works of the law of Moses-the deeds of the law of the
Jewish nation.. Rom. 3:20 says, "for by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in his sight." Paul speaks here of the
law of Moses, "by the deeds of that law"-by the obedience of that law
you cannot be redeemed or saved in Gods sight. Paul says that Abraham
was not saved by that old law. He is arguing with those Jews in Rome
who were still holding to the idea that the rites and ceremonies and
traditions handed down to them by their fathers and received from
Moses would save them. The works of the O. T. law will not save us.

* "SAVING FAITH" IS "OBEDIENT FAITH"
 
   Often times  in the New Testament the word faith is used as"saving
faith" and often the term believer means a " saved believer."
Whenever you find that faith saves, or the expression saving faith,
it always means obedient faith. Saving faith is obedient faith.
Whenever you find a believer that is saved you always find an
obedient believer. His obedience is always included in the expression
or idea of faith. If the believer is saved then that believer has
obeyed. Saving faith always includes obedience. In Rom.13:11 talks of
those that believed, these were obedient believers as we see when we
go back and see them in Rom. 6:3,4. Paul tells us when and how they
believed in chapter 6 he tells us very plainly that these same
persons had been baptized by a burial and that is when their newness
of life began. Rom. 13 talks about "obedient faith" Rom. 6 explains
that "obedient faith", Look at Rom. 6:17 "

* EPHESIANS' FAITH INCLUDES OBEDIENCE
 
   Check out acts 19. Paul goes to Ephesus and there finds 12 disciples
who knew only the baptism of John and Paul said "Have ye received the
Holy Ghost SINCE YE BELIEVED?" Look at what they said; "We have not
so much as heard that there be any Holy Ghost." Paul said unto them,
" Unto what then were ye baptized?" They said "Unto Johns baptism."
Reading this passage carefully you can see that their baptism was
included in the term "believed." Baptism is a command of
God.Repentance is a command of God and these are included in the idea
of Bible faith or saving faith because saving faith is obeying faith.

* CRISPUS SAVED BY OBEDIENT FAITH
 
   Read Acts 18 for this example.

* JAILER'S BELIEVING INCLUDES OBEYING
 
   Read Acts 16 for this example.

* THE KIND OF FAITH THAT WILL NOT SAVE
 
    John 12:42-43 is an example of the kind of faith that will not save.
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many BELIEVED on Him but
because of the pharisees they  did not confess him lest they should
be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more
than the praise of God." Saving faith is faith that obeys.
   Is there any one that cannot quote Jno. 3:16, I do not think so.
Lets look at verse 36 of this same chapter. " He that believeth on
the son hath everlasting life, but he that obeyeth not the Son shall
not see life, for the wrath of God abideth on him.(R.S.V.) Look at it
carefully, what's the negative of he that believeth. He that obeyeth
not. Why should this be worded like this? He that believeth on the
son means the obedient believer. That is why he then could logically
say in the next part,"he that obeyeth not" or " he that believeth
not."
   Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect he became the author of eternal
salvation unto all who obey him; Author of eternal salvation to who?
Believers that obey him.
Gal.3:26" For ye are all children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus."
Faith made them Gods children, the question is if faith made them
God's children then how did faith do it? God answers this in the very
next verse. Verse 27 " for as many of you as were baptized into
Christ have put on Christ." That is the inspired writers explanation
of how faith makes us God's children. Obedience is again included in
saving faith.

* HOW TO LET YOUR FAITH SAVE YOU
 
   Mankind has devised so many different plans of salvation it seems
difficult to know who to listen to. Man is not the author of
salvation, Jesus Christ is. lets hear Him, Christ said, "Believe on
me." Then he tells me to repent of my sins, and then he commands me
to be baptized for the forgiveness of my sins ( Acts 2:38 ). He
promises to save the baptized believer Mark 16:16. That is Gods plan
of redemption for mankind revealed to us in his Holy Word.