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Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is
justified by faith apart from works of the law.
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Ephesians 2:8–10 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.
From these verses, we understand that:
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Salvation and faith are free gifts from God.
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We are not saved by our obedience or merit.
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This prevents boasting.
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As a result, we are His workmanship.
Consequently, Paul confessed:
o
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of
God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I
worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that
is with me.
While faith and obedience are different—faith saves but
obedience is its fruit—a real faith produces real obedience. Consequently, the
two are inseparable. If we have faith in God, we trust in Him. If we trust in
Him, we do what He commands, like submitting to our trusted surgeon. Therefore,
faith produces obedience to our Savior:
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James 2:14–17 What good is it, my brothers, if
someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If
a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you
says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the
things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it
does not have works, is dead.
A real faith is not a dead faith. Instead, it seeks to obey
God. Consequently, when we fail, we are convicted by the Spirit, confess our
sins, and are forgiven and given a clear bill-of-health (1 John 1:8-10).
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