Are we saved by faith alone? Or are we saved by faith and works?

In the following 3 passages, we are told that works cannot justify or save us:Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.Tit 3:5 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.Eph 2:8-10 For 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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.Notice how Ephesians says that we are not saved by works, but that we are still to do them. What is the purpose of works if not for salvation?Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.People will be drawn to God by the good works that we do. This is the purpose of works: to show the world that God loves them so that they will believe in Him.Rom 4:2-3 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.Abraham believed God and God counted him righteous because of his faith, but ...Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.Jam 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?Abraham's faith was tested by his actions. He believed and did something about it.Paul wrote to Timothy and also to the Hebrews that we should continue in performing good works:Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.James taught that works is the fruit (or evidence) of our faith:Jam 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?Jam 2:17-18 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.Jam 2:22-24 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ... Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.Read again the illustration Jesus gives of the final judgement:Mat 25:31-46 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.In the end, we will be judged according to what we did or didn't do!

In the end, we will be judged according to what we did or didn't do!This is a sobering truth, isn't it? Your scriptures do not contradict at all. If there is no evidence of Christ working in and through us, then Christ is not in us. If no deeds (fruit of the Spirit), there is no Spirit. If there is no evidence of life, there is death.I have come to believe that there is a big difference between works done from faith and works done in order to earn salvation. The first is other-centered, the second is self-centered. Have you ever had someone do something for you, not so much because they cared about you as much as they really wanted to earn a good standing with God, and they believed that doing something good for you was the path to "win" God, and guarantee eternal life?(That explanation may be a bit simplistic, but hopefully it's a start)Many mistakenly trust in "born-again" experiences as proof of salvation, but as time goes on, if there is never any evidence of it, it is not likely real. Of course we should not judge prematurely because we can be mistaken. God works from the inside out. An oak tree grows strong roots long before it grows upward. In the end it will be clear, and God himself will be the judge of our deeds - whether they be of faith or of the flesh. Diane

By the way, the part of my post that you requoted: I got that from a Keith Green song called The Sheep and the GoatsYep! BIG difference between works done from faith and works done in order to gain salvation. The first is called obedience, and the second one is called sacrifice. And to obey is better than sacrifice. (Also a Keith Green song)Many mistakenly trust in "born-again" experiences as proof of salvation, but as time goes on, if there is never any evidence of it, it is not likely real.Right on! Ever read anything on true and false conversion? I know Charles Finney wrote about it, but there are many others if you look up the topic on amazon.com or christianbook.com

Here is a matter of The western Thinking ,and Eastern Thinking,Faith and works go hand in hand..........The west believe's saved by faith alone.The eastern Thinking saved by faith which brings good work thur faith.In the Eastern mind set, to believe= to live thur faith, bring forth good fruit's or works,but keep in mind are good works are like menstral rages in the sight of God.THe Lord does good work,s thur us in our faith in Him.Those who hear the word of God and Do it!

"In the end, we will be judged according to what we did or didn't do!" I hope these are His works in us.Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Col 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Again, this is what we will be judged by.Rom 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,What Revelation?Colossians 1:27-29 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily.Striving according to His working which workfare in us mightily.His works in us will be what we are judged by, and how much we gave up self and seeking Christ do the works He does, Jhn 3:30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease. these are the works that will follow us. Rev 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Our Labors In Christ Jesus are the only works that show our Faith. Christ and His works in us are the only works that will follow us.In Christ: Phillip

"In the end, we will be judged according to what we did or didn't do!" Acording to 1 Cor 3, our works will be judged on the basis of what they are made of. The Gold of the Divine nature, the Silver of Christ's redemption and the precious stones of the Spirit's transforming work, or the wood, hay and stubble of our own self effort of our own fallen nature.The works which pass through the fire are works produced by the indwelling Spirit which flow from faith. It is works which are wrought by Christ within us.And what is this work? In the context, it is the building up of the body of Christ. It is building on the foundation laid with certian materials.Those who seek to build on Christ with wood hay and stubble, will see their work go up in flames. Those who build with the Divine materials will see their work pass through the fire.The acceptable materials are the gold of the Divine Nature, the Silver of Christ's redemption and the precious stones of the Spirit's transforming work. Anything less than this is wood, hay and stubble and will not pass through the fire.Paul in this passage is alluding to the Song of Songs where the Seeker's hair is plaited with Gold held in place by Silver studds. And a string of Jewells is placed around her neck as an adornment. And this work of beautification is carried out by the lord's companions. If we would be those who do God's work, we must ourselve be beautified, and we must beautify others by ministering the Gold of the Divine nature, the Silver of Christ's redemption, and the precious stones of the Spirit's transforming work.These divine materials are also seen in Genesis. The Tree of Life is at the head of the river. And on the banks of the River are the Gold and the precious stones. This is the issue of the river.And in Revelation 21, the New Jeruselam is made of pure Gold and adorned with the precious stones. And the river of the Water of Life flows down the center of it's Golden street. Silver is not mentioned in Genesis or revelation. Why" because in Genesis, there was no fall and so the Silver of redemption was not needed. And in Revelation redemptions work is completed, and instead we have pearl. God's work is to build His building. And it is to be built with the proper materials. What is the work the indwelling Christ is accomplishing from within us? "Upon this rock I will build my church". The works which will pass through the fire are the works which build up the body of Christ and the works which utilize the Divine materials.Graftedbranch

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,All are subject to the law until one submits to the leading of the Holy Spirit which gives us the things of Christ. For by following the law it is weak because of the flesh. No one knows how to obey the law which is spiritual. It is only through obeying the Spirit that we are introduced to our Lord and Savior. The things of Christ are given to us by the Spirit so that we can do as we see the Father and Son do. This is what seperates the carnal from the spiritual. This is what salvation is. The grace of God is meant to deliver us from our carnality. It is by obedience to the Spirit that we are introduced to the Father and the Son's ways of doing things in the kingdom of God.In ChristJeff

Quote:""The grace of God is meant to deliver us from our carnality. It is by obedience to the Spirit that we are introduced to the Father and the Son's ways of doing things in the kingdom of God."What is carnal to us? Not the Spirit of Christ that we know have, but the mind is carnal and that is why we are told to renew it to the Mind of Christ which we possess in our spirit. The Holy Spirit is the renewing Agent. He shall teach us all things that pertain to the Christ that is in us. What a wonderful blessing to be in Christ and learning from God the Holy Spirit whom God the Father has sent to us at the request of God His Son. WoW!In Christ: Phillip

hi, works has nothing to do with our salvation. it is not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy that He saves us.we are saved by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB and the word of our testimony... we start out as enemies of God and we are birthed from above.. we have nothing to toot our horn about.we are saved, being saved(sanctified)and shall be saved (glorified)by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. jimp

2 Corinthians 1:9-10 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;This is exactly what you are speaking of. We are saved by Grace and Christ being birthed in us. We are being saved by the Holy Spirit renewing our mind to the Mind of Christ. We will be saved in body on resurrection morning. There in Salvation is complete, Spirit, Soul and Body.As always in all of Paul's teaching, on the heals of anything important, Paul always brings the in Christ position of the believer into the teaching. 2 Corinthians 1:20-21 For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;In Christ, as always with Paul. It is the only part of Paul's teaching that always follows the revelation he was given direct by Jesus Christ Himself. Colossians 1:23-28 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:Who gave Paul this mystery? Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught [it], but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.Christ in us the Hope of Glory: Phillip

I think we should ask our self what is Faith? examples in the bible of faith....let's take a look in matt7:24 Therfore whosoever hearth these sayings of mine,and doeth them.I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.I think their are three key words (Hearth,and doeth them,upon the Rock,, also faith is one who is wise to build (when you go to build a house it is great task of and skill, labor and pain and lot of work)this the wise builder,who does so in faith On the Rock.which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Where do we get ears to hear and eyes to see?Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. Pro 20:12 The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.John 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.To come unto Him we must hear Him, we cannot come to Him unless the Father gives us ears to hear Him first or no one would come if they were not called.Rom 10:17 So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.Who is the Word of God? Jesus Christ, and we cannot hear unless the Father gives us ears to hear Him. Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.That is why Jesus said, Matthew 16:16-18 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: ---for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.--- And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. God The Father gave Peter the ears to hear and the eyes to see.The Born again the same, but the Faith is the Faith of the Son of God. Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. How do we live in the flesh?By the Faith of Christ, In Christ: Phillip

Hearing only..... is in Matt 7:27(And everone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, Shall be likend unto a foolish man,which built his house upon the sand. this passage states what it like not to have faith,when you hear,but don't do.

Faith!calls us to act upon it!not to be idol.

Was Jesus Christs Faith idol? I think not. That is the Faith we now have. How can it be idol unless it is the person that does not hear.How can anyone hear unless called, my phone is dead if nobody calls me.In Christ: Phillip

jimp, no offense brother, but did you read the whole of what I said in context? I think that's where so many of us go wrong and place a low opinion on the importance of works, just like we place a low opinion on the immportance of water baptism. No, these things will not save you, but they are still important.Phillip: BRAVO! That's what it's all about! Christ in us is our hope of glory. Without Him we could do nothing, and without him all our good works are as filthy rags. He lives His life through us, and does the good works of His choosing (obedience, not sacrifice) these are the good works that please God, not our own works.

Read matt 7: 24-27 slowlyparable of two buildersCan you agree that both builders Hear the sayings?Only one of the builders acts upon them in faith,which is called wise

Thank you Taka, and Amen.

Matthew 7:21 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.This is the understanding of the two who built a house, one on sand and the other on the Rock. Of course the Rock is Christ. The sayings are a precursor to hearing and becoming wise. 7:21 is the reason one built upon the Rock and the other did not. It is the predeterminetive will of God the Father. They both heard the sayings but only one heard Who was speaking them the other only heard the words not trusting in the One that spoke them. Like Peter only the Father can reveal the Rock. Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. In Christ: Phillip