Good works and Salvation

Neostarwcc

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Okay, so long story short I came to Christ about three years ago. During those three years I haven't been able to do very many good works aside from giving money to Charity. I give money to charity regularly but since this is a good work that's really easy to do, I haven't really considered it a work that's good enough to be called a good work worthy of entering heaven. I really should be doing more than giving money to feed and clothe the poor I should be out there feeding and clothing the poor in person. Like volunteering and donating food and clothes that I don't wear. I really couldn't do too much as I'm pretty poor myself I just give and want to give what I can.

I am mostly a selfless person and I do my best to ensure that my wife remains clothed and fed and has a roof over her head. But, a friend of mine told me that doesn't count as a good work since It's something that everyone expects you to do anyway. Yet the bible says that if I fail to provide for my own I've denied the faith and am worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8). So it at least somewhat counts I guess... I currently don't have a car and my parents have had to drive my wife and I everywhere so, my wife and I haven't been attending church either which is another big no no that concerns me.

My lack of good works have been concerning to me since James said that a faith without works is a dead faith and recently I've been scared that I'm not saved because of my lack of good works. I feel like my faith and trust in Jesus to save me aren't enough and that I need good works to be saved too. I know parts of the bible like Ephesians 2:8-9 say that works aren't necessary for salvation but, other parts of the bible (Like James) say that they are necessary for salvation and it's got me scared.

Should I remain in faith that Christ will eventually fill my life with the good works needed to enter heaven? Especially after I get a car and my wife is able to drive us around? How many good works must I maintain to remain saved? I have just so many questions and I'm scared...
 

Neostarwcc

We are saved purely by the work and grace of God.
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Sounds like your faith is in your good works instead of God. Do talk with God daily? do you believe he is a rewarder?

You might have a point there. It's really confusing/hard though to not trust in your good works when James said that our good works are what saves us.

I mean, I guess one way to put it would be we do good works because we are saved right? Is that one way to perhaps put it? It does make it sound a little less confusing.

Anyway, yes I pray to God daily always seeking guidance on various things. I believe that he is a rewarder, yes.

why don't you do what you can

Is that enough though? That's what concerns me.
 
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Greg J.

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Christians that believe good works are a part of salvation don't say (in my experience) that you need to do good works to be saved (apart from faith). James is defining two kinds of faith in chapter 2. There is a kind of faith that saves and a kind of "faith" that does not ("dead faith"). Note that this whole passage is about the visible signs of one who is saved vs. one who is not, which is not what determines whether a person is saved or not.

This is consistent with Jesus's teaching in John 3:16,18 that you must believe to be saved. While that kind of belief does merit explanation, it does not include doing good deeds. Rather it is that if you have the kind of faith that saves, you will feel the need (or want) to do good works to the point that you will actually do them. One should look at doing good works as a guaranteed result of genuine saving faith, not as a component of what it takes to be saved. Anyone can act out doing "good works," but God judges who is saved by the person's heart.

You'll feel the need to do what is right because in your heart you have realized that God is GOD and you "ought to do what he said" or have accepted what God defines as good (or some related motivation). The works that follow reflect the fact that you have really believed that God is real and he has the right to hold you accountable for your actions, and indeed will hold you accountable.

This is the element that is missing from demons' belief in God mentioned in James 2. They correctly believe God is real, but they either don't acknowledge his right to hold them accountable or do not respond to it with deeds consistent with that. In other words God is not their GOD.

If someone examines themselves and sees that they don't really care about responding to the fact that Jesus died for their sins ("oh. that was nice of him."), then their faith is probably "dead" and they are not saved, even though they may accept that God is real.
 
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Yes, God says it is impossible to please Him without faith. Hebrews 11:6 "
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." so if we have true faith we will have good works.
 
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yuppers

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Part of Christianity and our salvation is that it's a FREE GIFT of God that we are saved. Once we submit our lives to God we have been forgiven for our shortcomings. Being a believer means we don't have to do "good works" to earn our salvation. It's been given to us with no expectation of repaying our dept. That being said, once we follow Christ we tend to do good works BECAUSE we're saved. That doesn't mean doing good works to upkeep our salvation. What you can do if you feel your not doing enough good things is look into volunteering somewhere. Maybe ask at your church if they need help somewhere. But if you start helping somewhere do it with a joyful and willing heart. Not a heart that feels like you're trying to repay god.
 
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RDKirk

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If a person has the kind of faith James is talking about, he will feel a compulsion to obey and emulate Jesus.

That compulsion should--if a person has time enough--result in outward "good works" for others. But depending on where that person is when he is given that measure of faith, there may be a lot that must first be done within him.

If, for instance, the first work of faith for a person with a secret drug addition is to overcome that addiction, his "good work" may not even be visible to others. And yet, his ability to break that addiction--even his desire to break the addiction--comes from faith.
 
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aiki

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Titus 3:5-7
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;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.


Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

So, what's all this stuff about doing good works in order to be saved? Salvation is ours entirely apart from our works. As you've noted in another post, we do good works because we are saved, not in order to be saved. The apostle James is saying that real saving faith always manifests in corresponding behaviour. He is not saying that good works are necessary to salvation.

My lack of good works have been concerning to me since James said that a faith without works is a dead faith and recently I've been scared that I'm not saved because of my lack of good works.

Fear has no place in the believer's walk with God. When you realize how much God loves you and how unbreakable that love is, you will cease to fear. This is what the apostle John explained:

1 John 4:16-19
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
19 We love Him because He first loved us.


The first and great commandment is to love God with all of your being. This is the first and greatest good work you can do. All other good works are to flow from your obedience to this first and great commandment. But loving God eliminates fear, as John explains above. Interesting, eh?

I feel like my faith and trust in Jesus to save me aren't enough and that I need good works to be saved too.

Yeah, this is just Self trying to insinuate itself into the center of things. Your good works aren't the important thing in the matter of your salvation, God's love, mercy and grace are. Trying to add to the perfect atoning work of Jesus on the cross for your sins by thinking your good works must contribute to your salvation is an insult to what Christ did for you on the cross. Such thinking implies that his sacrifice wasn't sufficient. Is that what you believe? I hope not!

Self wants to be seen. It wants to be the focus. And so you feel compelled to add your two cents to what God has done for you through Christ. But to the degree you allow Self to involve itself in God's work, to that same degree you corrupt His work.

Selah.
 
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Another promise if you renew your faith, God will send a helper. You say youve only been saved three years, and dont go to church. Why not? If you dont have a car are you able to ask for someone to carpool you to gather with other believers. When you gather with others they can spur you on to good works. Hebrews 10:24

Check out also isaiah 40:31

The promise of the holy spirit is to dwell in every believer. Have you actually been baptised? The above posters have given good advice. Examine yourself whether you in the faith, and ask God to give you more. It may be someone has told you a watered down version of the gospel and since you havent been taking the Lords supper you not getting any benefit from not going to church.
 
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victorinus

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Part of Christianity and our salvation is that it's a FREE GIFT of God that we are saved
we are not saved -
we have been redeemed so we might be saved
-
you have to do your part -
you are what you do
-and-
that will determine your worthiness
 
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RDKirk

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"If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that He was raised from the dead, you will be saved." That's salvation. As for good works, they determine how much reward you get in Heaven.

The scriptural example of the "reward" for good work...is more work. And that is set in accordance with the ability of the servant, because the wise master intends his servants to be successful. The servant gets to enjoy the party, but he never gets to put up his feet.

So the servant of great capability will be "rewarded" with a great stewardship; the steward of less capability will be rewarded with a lesser stewardship.

The servants will be perfectly satisfied with this, because all will be fully employed with the stewardship they can handle successfully.
 
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TurtleAnne

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Well, two thoughts come to mind for me..

First, it is rather tough to do "good works" if nobody has any needs. I think people go through periods and moments of being able to help others, but also periods and moments of needing help. It all sort of works out in the end, like that. When you are going through a rough time and have need for help, it gives others opportunities to exercise their compassion. Without a balance of needing help and giving, nobody would be able to grow very much in this manner. So it is all sort of woven together, whether you are having a moment of being in need, or a moment of being able to help someone else, in both moments you are part of an overall important process, in my opinion.

Second, "good works" doesn't just have to be offering material needs or cash. I think some people might be amazed to fully and truly realize just how significant emotional needs are, for example. Often people who did not get their core emotional needs met as children, tend to have an even harder time recognizing just how significant that was for them, how much it has affected them, etc. Being able to provide some emotional and social service to others doesn't cost any money at all, but is still so important. This could include things like being a good listener, comforting someone with the right scriptures when they are going through a hard time, being someone who will take 20 minutes out of your day to talk and pray with someone, etc. Sometimes something as quick and simple as validating someone's emotional duress, like acknowledging that they are having a hard time right now and that you know they are doing their best, and that Jesus also knows they are struggling and doing their best, can be more meaningful in the long run than a wad of cash, which is quickly spent and then the hole remains.

When we are able to offer material assistance, then that is very nice and all, sure, but we are always able to love.
 
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yuppers

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we are not saved -
we have been redeemed so we might be saved
-
you have to do your part -
you are what you do
-and-
that will determine your worthiness

I don't want to debate you to much here because that doesn't really help the OP. None the less I'm going to stand up for what I said in my last comment. As Christians we are both saved and redeemed. Sure we are redeemed here on this planet. We are also saved because we aren't going to "hell" when we die. If you don't believe you are saved you are missing a part as to why Jesus actually died for us.

That being said, and like I also said in my last post (and this part can help the OP) if we are genuine believers we tend to do good works BECAUSE we're saved. If Jesus is actually in our life we tend to desire to do more "good things". God doesn't want us to go out and help people because we owe him something. He gave his son to us as a FREE GIFT so that EVERYONE can be saved. If we had to try and pay God back for our salvation with good works at the end of our life we would still come short of the grace he has given us. But, just because it's free doesn't mean we can now just sit on the couch, watch tv, and eat Cheetos all day. No, when you're "redeemed" you try and help people out of joy in our hearts. We desire to help because we feel that is what Christ would of also done. You help because you want to try and show Christs love for others. Their is a big difference between helping someone because you have to, vs helping someone because you want to. For example; a person who is helping people across the planet on a mission trip is no more saved than a ill person who can only lie in bed all day... we do what we can and are thankful that we have a gracious god who can look past our shortcomings.
 
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AvgJoe

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Okay, so long story short I came to Christ about three years ago. During those three years I haven't been able to do very many good works aside from giving money to Charity. I give money to charity regularly but since this is a good work that's really easy to do, I haven't really considered it a work that's good enough to be called a good work worthy of entering heaven. I really should be doing more than giving money to feed and clothe the poor I should be out there feeding and clothing the poor in person. Like volunteering and donating food and clothes that I don't wear. I really couldn't do too much as I'm pretty poor myself I just give and want to give what I can.

I am mostly a selfless person and I do my best to ensure that my wife remains clothed and fed and has a roof over her head. But, a friend of mine told me that doesn't count as a good work since It's something that everyone expects you to do anyway. Yet the bible says that if I fail to provide for my own I've denied the faith and am worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8). So it at least somewhat counts I guess... I currently don't have a car and my parents have had to drive my wife and I everywhere so, my wife and I haven't been attending church either which is another big no no that concerns me.

My lack of good works have been concerning to me since James said that a faith without works is a dead faith and recently I've been scared that I'm not saved because of my lack of good works. I feel like my faith and trust in Jesus to save me aren't enough and that I need good works to be saved too. I know parts of the bible like Ephesians 2:8-9 say that works aren't necessary for salvation but, other parts of the bible (Like James) say that they are necessary for salvation and it's got me scared.

Should I remain in faith that Christ will eventually fill my life with the good works needed to enter heaven? Especially after I get a car and my wife is able to drive us around? How many good works must I maintain to remain saved? I have just so many questions and I'm scared...

We don't do good works to be saved or stay saved. We do good works because we are saved. Our good works don't save us in any way, but once we are saved we naturally obey God's law and do good works which is a sign of our being saved.

Justification is the legal declaration by God upon the sinner, where God declares the sinner to be righteous. This declaration is based completely and totally on the work of Christ on the Cross. A person is justified by faith (Rom. 5:1); that is, he is made right before God by his faith in Christ. We are not saved by our works or by our works plus the sacrifice of Christ. Our works, our good deeds, have absolutely no affect upon our salvation. Our good works do not get us salvation, nor do they help us keep our salvation. Our good works are filthy rags before God (Is. 64:6). Besides, if we could be saved by works, then righteousness would have been based on the law and Christ would not have needed to die. Gal. 2:21 says, "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." But, Christ did need to die, which proves our works cannot save us.

So, what do these good works of faith look like? The Biblical definition of "good works" is not merely "good deeds". Biblical "good works" encompass every aspect of our thinking and conduct before God. Obedience to God is the mark of true saving faith. In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Also, 1 John 2:3 says, "And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments." So, while the giving of your money, volunteering of your time, etc are some of the good works of faith, every time you obey God, doing what is right instead of what is wrong, when following God's will for your life and bearing the fruits that the Holy Spirit will produce in your life (Galatians 5:22-23), then too, you are doing the good works of faith.
 
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longwait

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First of all I wish you all at Christian Forums a very glorious, purposeful and fulfilling year in 2017. Yes, faith without deeds is dead. I guess its because you are not doing your part in spreading the gospel, not trying to save someone from the fire but only sitting idle in the satisfaction of knowing that you will make it to heaven. If thats the only reason that we are here then there is no purpose for us being here in the first place.

But there's the other side of the same coin. If you slave for others but have only bitterness in your heart against that person then what good is your good works if you curse that person in your heart. That type of works is only filthy rags in God's view. When you have a bitter thought about someone in your heart don't allow it. Just confess it to God in your mind, repent and next time such thoughts in ur mind rise up think "I will not allow this seed in me". I just figured this out recently. I'm applying it and its producing good results. These r evil, wicked seeds planted in you by the enemy. Don't allow it there.

The greatest achievement is to transform in the image of Christ. "Be perfect just as I am perfect." "Be holy, just as I am holy". This is what we who r refered to as "Christians" should become. Even pagans practice good works. So how are we different from them if we just focus on good works. The central trait that christians should have is love. We should have a loving heart and become love.
 
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