Saved by Grace Alone

There’re several places in the Bible that people point to as they wonder if they have been good enough to go to heaven. The definite one that stands above other ways to read it is “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10, ESV) This points to God doing the saving, not the person’s determining level of faith or amount of works. If God has saved the person purely by grace, then even the smallest tidbit of faith that Jesus rose from the dead is enough. Jesus once compared powerful faith to something the size of a mustard seed, which has power to move mountains. So, faith is a gift of God and he promises not to take back such a gift. We say this method is objective because it depends on God’s work, not the person’s good works, which is God purpose for people and demonstrates faith.

What about verses in James on good works?

“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.” (James 2:10, ESV) sets the standard for behavior if a person wants to earn it without faith in Jesus. The whole message of James – speaking about the believer that is on the edge of losing faith entirely by not doing works — drives the way to read it. People get hung up on “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) and “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) and then there’s the hardest one, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24, ESV) How can this reconcile with Ephesians 2 asserting faith alone and grace alone? To sort this out, consider that no good works are possible without faith because if one does not believe God exists, then that person would never try to please God. So, faith comes first – faith that believes God exists as a Savior from sin and its penalty. Once there is faith, some amount of works happens to please God. When the faith is small, then the amount of works is small. What James is concerned about and addresses in his book is the person that exhibits virtually no works likely has a faith that is nearly gone. His words are exhortation to live the believer’s life by following God’s commands as much as possible.

Should fellow believers judge a person’s works?

God is the one that decides if a person has faith in their heart to be heaven-bound. He doesn’t judge on works. He hasn’t appointed me or anyone else to judge a person by their works. He does set up the church – fellow believers – to support each other with encouragements to follow God’s teachings and live them. This is laid out in one of the hardest to follow verses in the Bible. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:1–2, ESV) Help the person see their sin with gentleness and not judgmental thoughts or words. That is the essence of God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. (James 2:8, ESV).