Faith vs. Good Works

What’s more important, and saves us? Some say that all you have to do is believe.

Others say their "good works" make them "good people," which should be enough.

Is having Faith enough?

James 2:14-24

"What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

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.”

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. How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

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? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 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. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone."

It’s not enough since demons also believe in God and will be condemned; no question about that. One should consider whether what they believe is true or only an acceptance of a story they heard about. There are many religions and denominations within religions, but the only source of truth is the Word of God. It is the way God SPEAKS to us.

I have gone to many churches of different denominations, and I felt like it only scratched the surface, and I was never satisfied. To many, it was strangely enough, but not me. I like diving deep. I always believed in God, but my knowledge was minimal. I had a very faint idea of who God and Jesus Christ is. This lack of understanding made my faith cold to lukewarm at best. At this low temperature, one can’t cook anything. Therefore, my "faith" did not produce good deeds for God’s Kingdom.

• Hebrews 11:6 "And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who SINCERELY SEEK HIM."

To sincerely Seek God was the key. Getting to know Him through the scripture was crucial; gaining knowledge on His behavior towards people, who gets what, and how He teaches us to achieve specific outcomes. Reflecting on my life experiences from His point of view, not mine.

The most important ingredient in getting to know God is staying open-minded and humble and not taking our trials and suffering against Him. My faith indeed took off after I genuinely repented. God guided me through it after I called Him, expressing my hatred towards this world and myself.

Galatians 2:20

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Our transformed nature and receiving the Holy Spirit are how we know that our Faith is genuine. It's being Born Again. The Light replaces the darkness. That Light is Jesus Christ.

• John 12:46 "I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."

Ephesians 2:8-10

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

• First is Faith, then transformation. Works are the proof of Faith.

• We cannot prove our Faith without the works

• We cannot do the WORKS PLANNED BY GOD, without Faith and repentance

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

"There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have."

• Spiritual Gifts are the “good deeds/works” that make FAITH COME TO LIFE.

• Through this work, we build God’s Temple. It is not a physical building, but Spiritual.

• Learn more about the gifts of the Spirit in more detail, The Sevenfold Spirit of God

Ephesians 4:4-16

"For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”

Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."

Things to remember:

• Romans 4:4 "When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned."

• 2 Thessalonians 3:6 "And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don’t follow the tradition they received from us."

Romans 12:2-5

"Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality."

• Paul called for authenticity; God can't be fooled, and pretenders will be punished

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’"

• To receive the Holy Spirit, one must have Faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and REPENT (the “heart circumcision”). Also, obey HIS Commandments;

Matthew 22:34–40

"But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the FIRST and greatest commandment. A SECOND is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are BASED on these two commandments.”

• These are not Moses’s commandments, but one cannot obey Moses’s commandments without obeying God’s commandments because they are based on these two.

It’s not something that is “deserved” or obtained. We cannot choose to receive it; it’s God’s choice. He only chooses those who Love Him by looking at their heart. Hands and feet can do nothing to get it. So no one can boast about “achieving it.”

John’s baptism cleans with water, but only as preparation for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38–39

“Peter replied, “Each of you MUST REPENT of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. THEN you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—ALL WHO HAVE BEEN CALLED by the Lord our God.”

Acts 19:4

“Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”

• It’s His Holy Spirit; Jesus is no longer in human flesh but in Spirit, His Eternal Glorious Body.

Works in the Holy Spirit are the proof of having Faith

Acts 2:3–4

“Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.”

John 14:12–17

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

“If you love me, obey MY commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.”

• Jesus was speaking about Himself.

Mark 16:15-18

"And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

John 20:22-23

“Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Those who only pretend to have the Holy Spirit;

Acts 19:13–16

“A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered.”

Repentance requires reflection, confession, and the admittance of guilt, and remorse.

James 4:4–10

“You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.”

Galatians 1:10

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”

Galatians 2:20

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

John 1:18 "NO ONE HAS EVER SEEN GOD. But the unique One, WHO HIMSELF IS GOD, is near to the Father’s heart. He has REVEALED God to us."