Musick-al Note # 270
When one reads carefully James 2:14-26, they will see that faith without works of obedience is dead! Most of Hebrews 11 clearly shows the same thing. Each of these men who were saved or blessed by faith were blessed WHEN, AND ONLY WHEN, they did exactly what God said. There is no case in the Bible (or out) where God ever blessed, saved, or cured a man by faith UNTIL that faith led him to obey. This is not salvation by works of merit, but simply means that one cannot accept God’s gracious offer of salvation except by the means God has appointed. Any thoughtful reading of Mark 16:15-16, Mt. 28:18-20, Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, Rom. 6:17-18, 1 Peter 3:21 and any other case having to do with salvation will show that these persons were saved AFTER their faith led them to OBEY.
Now consider what Paul was saying in Romans 4:4-8, 13-17, 20-25 and in Eph. 2:8-9. God saves by His grace (free gift). There is no work that man can do to merit salvation (that is, that he can earn salvation), there is no man who is good enough that he deserves salvation, there is no man who is rich enough to buy salvation, it is a gift from God (Rom 6:23). Paul further declares that one must have faith to receive that grace. Read carefully Romans 4:16 and Ephesians 2:8. That faith must be active to obey God’s commands to obtain His free gift because God has given stipulations as to how man is to receive His gifts. He has the right as giver to set any and all regulations for man to receive his gifts. One of the regulations is “faith” which is seen in repenting of sin, confessing the name of Christ before men, being baptized in water and living in newness of life. None of these things “merit” or “earn” salvation for the man who does them but no man can have the grace of God without doing what God has said either. So James and Paul were really saying the same thing. James said one must have works to show that his faith was living and Paul said one must have faith that results in obedience to receive the grace (gift) of God (Salvation).
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 