WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH APART FROM THE WORKS OF THE LAW?

 

 

·       Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

 

·       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:

·       Salvation and faith are free gifts from God.

·       We are not saved by our obedience or merit.

·       This prevents boasting.

·       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:

·       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).