Bible Questions Answered:
“...doesn't James say we are saved by
our good works?...”
Oliver/ Milan, Italy
Bible Answer:
Bible Texts:
No, James does not say that.
James 2:18-26 NLT
18 Now someone
may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But
I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have
good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you
have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even
the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
20 How foolish! Can’t you see that
faith without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our
ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his
actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his
actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the
Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him
as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the
friend of God.
24 So you see, we are shown to be
right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another
example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions
when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a
different road.
26 Just as the body is dead without
breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
Their righteousness, was seen and known
by their good works. First righteousness, then it was followed by the kind of works, righteousness produces.
We are not saved by works!
Romans 4:1-25 NLT The Faith of
Abraham
1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the
founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made
right with God?
2 If his good deeds had made him
acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But
that was not God’s way.
3 For the Scriptures tell us,
“Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because
of his faith.”
4 When people work, their wages
are not a gift, but something they have earned.
5 But people are counted as
righteous, not because of their work, but because of their
faith in God who forgives sinners.
6 David also spoke of this when he
described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without
working for it:
7 “Oh, what joy for those whose
disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those whose
record The Lord has cleared of sin.”
9 Now, is this blessing only for the
Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been
saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his
faith.
10 But how did this happen? Was he
counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before
he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was
circumcised!
11 Circumcision was a sign
that Abraham already had faith and that God had already
accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was
circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have
faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as
righteous because of their faith.
12 And Abraham is also the spiritual
father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the
same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
13 Clearly, God’s promise to give
the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his
obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God
that comes by faith.
14 If God’s promise is only for
those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise
is pointless.
15 For the law always brings
punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid
breaking the law is to have no law to break!)
16 So The Promise is received by
faith. It is given as A Free Gift. And we are all certain
to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses,
if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of
all who believe.
17 That is what the Scriptures mean
when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”
This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings
the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.
18 Even when there was no reason
for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become
the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how
many descendants you will have!”
19 And Abraham’s faith did
not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his
body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in
believing God’s Promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and
in this he brought glory to God.
21 He was fully convinced that God
is able to do whatever He promises.
22 And because of Abraham’s
faith, God counted him as righteous.
23 And when God counted him as
righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded
24 for our benefit, too, assuring us
that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him,
the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was handed over to die because
of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God.
Romans 3:19-31
NLT
19 Obviously, the law applies to
those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from
having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before
God.
20 For no one can ever be made right
with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how
sinful we are.
(Christ
Took Our Punishment)
21 But now God has shown us a way to
be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law,
as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.
22 We are made right with God by
placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who
believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all
fall short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God, in His grace, freely
makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He
freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as The
Sacrifice For Sin. People are made right with God when they believe
that Jesus sacrificed His Life, shedding His Blood. This sacrifice
shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish
those who sinned in times past,
26 for He was looking ahead and
including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this
to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just,
and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have
done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not
based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.
28 So we are made right with God
through faith and not by obeying the law.
29 After all, is God The God Of The
Jews only? Isn’t He also The God Of The Gentiles? Of course He is.
30 There is only one God, and He
makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews
or Gentiles.
31 Well then, if we emphasize faith,
does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In
fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Ephesians 2:8,9
KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is The Gift Of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should
boast.
Titus 3:5 KJV
Not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing
of regeneration, and renewing of The Holy Ghost;
Well has it been
said...
“We are not saved by
good works...
But
Neither are we Saved from
good works.
We are saved when
we put our faith in God's Son, The Lord Jesus.
As Christians, our
life should show that we, are the children of God!
Matthew 5:14-16
KJV
14 Ye are the light of the world. A
city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle,
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light
unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven.
Ephesians 2:8-10
KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is The Gift Of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should
boast.
10 For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
II Timothy 1:9
KJV
Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began,
Here is a church
that worked for its salvation. They worked, but Jesus said they were
Lost!
Matthew 7:21-23
KJV
21 Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.
They were lost, because they had "no," personal relationship, with The Lord Jesus Christ.
They would not, repent of their sins, they would not be subject to The Lord of salvation!
Hebrews 10:31
KJV
It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of The Living God.
Prayer:
Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is The Gift Of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should
boast.
II Timothy 1:9
KJV
Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began,
John 1:12 KJV
But as many as received Him, to them
gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on His name:
