Is Salvation By Faith Or Works?

In my previous article, I talked about how God hates sin and not the sinner. In this post I will answer the question: Is salvation by faith or works? This is one of the most sensitive questions that many people ask when they hear about God. Personally, the first time I heard about salvation what came to my mind was the concern of the role I should play to get salvation.

Before we continue, let’s first define Important words here, i.e. ‘salvation’ and ‘Faith’. From an online Dictionary, salvation is preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. From a Theological Dictionary (Online) salvation is deliverance from sin and its consequences, believed by Christians to be brought about by faith in Christ.

In Hebrews 11:1, ‘Faith’ is defined as being certain of things unseen and being sure about things hoped for. Faith has to do with believing the unseen, and this is a fundamental aspect of every believer’s spiritual life.

In this post therefore, we will discuss about why salvation is by faith and not by works and what that means to us. We are also going to answer important questions that will motivate us look at life in a deeper way in terms of salvation and faith.

IS SALVATION ABSOLUTELY FREE?

You may have heard this statement many times before that “salvation is free” but the question is “how true is it and if yes, how free is salvation?” First, that statement is both true and false at the same time depending on which angle you look at it. Consider the following points: –

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.“

Ephesians 2:8-9

1. Salvation is NOT FREE
   For those people who argue that salvation is free, they do so without considering that somebody died on the cross to make salvation available to mankind. In Romans 5:8, Paul said that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

If it costed somebody his life, how could salvation be free? Beyond any reasonable doubt, anyone can see that the death of Christ on the cross was a costly payment of the salvation price tag. If there was a transaction done, then the statement that ‘salvation is free’ is invalid.

Paul added in Ephesians 1:13-14, that through Christ, we were sealed by the Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing the inheritance that we have through Christ. The Holy Spirit lives in us to ensure the permanence of the transaction that happened in our lives at salvation.

Salvation is FREE to the sinner who desperately needs salvation. The sinner is not required to pay anything in exchange of this free gift however, it can only happen by faith. In Hebrews 9:10-12, Christ entered the Most Holy place, a tabernacle not made by human hands. He did so once and for all with His own blood to obtain redemption of sins for all mankind.

2. Salvation is ABSOLUTELY FREE
Though some people may see a contradiction in these two statements, they may mean but the same thing depending on the position they take. By position I mean which point of view they hold. So your blood doesn’t have to boil when you come across these two statements.

Through His blood, Jesus paid the price that stood between men and God (Hebrews 9:22). This act however was a final knock out to the devil and his accusation schemes. That is why salvation is found in no other name apart from the name of Jesus alone (Acts 4:12).

IF SALVATION IS FREE, WHY DO I NEED FAITH?

There has been a heated discussion around this question ‘is salvation by faith or works?’ Those people who hold the view that one needs to do something to earn salvation may be right in a way while those who believe that they don’t need to do anything may be right or wrong – depending on their view.

In salvation, faith is an integral ingredient because it’s the link between the physical and spiritual realms. Ephesians 2:8, the bible confirms that salvation is by grace through faith. Verse 9 says, “not by works so that no one can boast.” Salvation is a spiritual transaction which can only be processed and initiated by faith. Remember in Hebrews 11:1, faith is being sure and certain of things unseen.

John 4:24, we learn that God is Spirit and His worshipers must worship Him in truth and in spirit. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

WHERE IS MY ‘FAITH’ BASED ON?

When it comes to salvation, one has to be careful about where to base their faith on. Many people claim to have faith but the faith they claim to have is based on their works, money, abilities, education, achievements, etc. I’ve heard people say that “I believe in my job, car, money, family members, or even own self.” I guess this is not a new statement to you too.

If your faith is based on such as I’ve just mentioned above, rest assured that you got it wrong. The faith that brings salvation is only in JESUS CHRIST alone. For there is no other name given for men to saved apart from the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12).

Therefore, whoever desires to receive salvation must do that by believing in Christ – our Lord and Savior. In lay man’s language, faith is the currency used to transact spiritual matters, whether salvation or repentance.

DOES FAITH WORK WITHOUT WORKS?

We have seen that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9), however, you need to understand what this clearly means. In simple terms, Christ paid the cost, He died on the cross and rose again on the third day for our sake.

You don’t need to do anything else to accomplish the work of salvation – Christ did it once and for all (Hebrews 9:12). What you need to acknowledge is the finished work of the cross by receiving salvation – by faith.

To show that you have faith however, you must take an action. This is why James Says that faith without deeds is dead (James 2:14-26). What explains that if you claim that you truly have faith, you must do something about it. For example, if someone without food comes to you for help and you have faith, you cannot just say to him go well and may God bless you – Do something and provide food for him.

In the same note, if you claim to love God and you meet someone in need, faith requires you to help, not just pray for him. Though you need prayers you must act and intervene in their needs. Jesus clearly demonstrated this when a large crowd had followed him for three days and were hungry.

Disciples told Jesus to send the crowd away because it was evening, they were already hungry, and they were in a remote place. Jesus told the disciples to give them something to eat (Matthew 14:15-20). Jesus applied His faith in God by giving thanks and there was a multiplication of food just from two fish and five loaves of bread.

What are my trying to say here? After salvation you need works. Your faith in God must be accompanied by deeds and work.

WHAT WORK SHOULD I DO AFTER SALVATION?

Now that I’ve given my life to Christ, is there anything else I need to do? I’ve been asked this question many times before and I’d like to answer it as simply as possible.

First, the basic need of a non-believer is Christ, but the basic need of a believer is growth and transformation. After giving your life to Christ, you must work out your salvation so that it can produce results (Philippians 2:13). A new believer’s responsibility is to do the necessary to activate his growth.

Why is growth vital? Growth brings about transformation which basically begins in the mind (Romans 12:1-2). As you read the work of God, pray and live a holy life, the Holy Spirit works in you to activate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) which shapes your character – becoming like Christ.

The more you allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, the more you become like Christ, the more you will become the version that God had designed you to be and that’s when God will start using and entrusting you with noble duties in the Kingdom.

DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE CREATED FOR A SPECIAL MISSION?

When God created man in His own image likeness, He gave him a responsibility of having dominion over the entire creation (Genesis 1:26). Paul said in Ephesians 1:4 that God chose us before the foundations of the world were made to be holy and blameless. Jeremiah 1:5, God knew us before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs.

What comes to your mind when you read these scriptures? For me, I realize that am not a mistake here on earth, God brought me here with a mission. Ephesians 2:10, by reading this verse I discover that I am God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good work that was prepared for me before in advance.

So, what does this mean to you? God did not create you as an after thought or by accident, you were created for a divine purpose. God is Spirit, and spirits are illegal to operate on earth unless they have a physical body. This is why Jesus, though God when He had to come and accomplish the work of the cross had to take a body (Hebrews 10:5), a body was prepared for Him.

God therefore created you and me to represent him here on ear. Once you give your life to Christ, you become a temple of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:17-19), so the Triune God lives in you. This means that you no longer live but Christ lives in you (Galatians 2:20). If Christ lives in you then it’s Him who works and operates in you.

You may be wondering how you will know the work that God had prepared for you in advance (Ephesians 2:10), and the answer lies in allowing the Holy Spirit to fill and work in you. It’s amazing to become a friend of God because He will reveal mysteries to you regarding your life, family, church and nation. The Holy Spirit is a revealer of secrets (1Corinthians 2:10-12), so just allow Him to work in you and indeed you will be amazed.

CONCLUSION

In our discussion, we have answered the question, “is salvation by faith or works?” It’s my prayer that as we come to the close of this post that you can see the integral role played by faith when it come to salvation. Remember Paul said that we live by faith and not by sight (2Corinthians 5:7).

We have seen that though we can’t attain salvation without faith, we need works to show (after salvation) because our deeds confirm our faith. Every believer at the same time requires to be active in the vineyard and so there is no way we can run away from service after encountering Christ.

Finally, though faith and works are equally important, first things first, every non-believer’s need is Salvation, but every believer’s need is transformation which comes by growth. If you are a non-believer, you can change your life by giving your life to Christ. This will be explained into details in the next post.