I have written before about the value of work. (Is Work a 4 Letter Word? December, 2015) My thoughts today are to consider work in the context of religion. Is work a bad thing when it comes to religion? Is work a bad word? Most of the religious world views work as being a bad thing or at the very least an unimportant thing when it comes to salvation. Ephesians 2:9 is often referenced noting our salvation is “not of works.”
Now let me be very clear up front. No amount of works or deeds we could ever do would merit salvation. We can never do enough to make GOD indebted to us. We don’t earn salvation, it is a free gift. We don’t work our way to heaven. The very definition of grace is getting what we don’t deserve. No matter what we do we don’t deserve GOD’S love and we don’t deserve salvation.
But does that preclude any action on my part? Most of the protestant world refers to John 3:16 and says all one has to do is believe. But does that mean that GOD doesn’t expect us to “do” anything other than have faith? I think the scriptures are very clear about this. Consider the following:
Matthew 7:21 reads “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” It appears to me that this person believes and yet is expected to do something.
Revelation 22:14, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”
Romans 2:8 refers to those who do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness. And then the next two verses refer to the one who does evil and the one who works what is good.
There are many other examples but the point is that obedience is a part of our salvation. Yes we must believe; but our belief must be a belief that leads us to obey. In Hebrews 11 we have the catalog of all those heroes of faith. And every one of them is accompanied by an action verb. There is something they did that defined their faith.
Let us go back to perhaps the most familiar verse in all of Christianity. John 3:16 reads, “For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
A more complete study of this passage will reveal it is in the context of a conversation the LORD had with Nicodemus. Jesus had noted that unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of GOD. This caused Nicodemus some concern and the LORD continued to explain that He was talking about the second birth, being born of the water and the spirit, i.e. baptism.
As the discussion continued, Jesus gave Nicodemus an illustration beginning in verse 14.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Numbers 21 details the story of the rebellious children of GOD in the wilderness. GOD sent serpents among them as a punishment. The people were dying from the snake bites. When the people admitted their sin and Moses pleaded with GOD on their behalf, a solution was given. Let us note the following 6 points:
- There was a problem – people were dying from snake bites
- GOD’S grace devised a plan – note they didn’t deserve it; they deserved to die
- The plan was communicated to man
- Man had to hear the plan
- He had to believe the plan
- He had to act on his belief
It is obvious that any of the previous points left out would negate the plan. If a man in Moses’ time heard the plan and believed the plan but refused to act, that is to look on the serpent, no one doubts that man would have died.
It is in this context that we find verse 16. The fiery serpent illustration was a type and verse 16 is the antitype. One was an earlier example of the one to follow.
So let us consider the same 6 points for verse 16:
- There was a problem – people were dying from sin
- GOD’S grace devised a plan – to send His Son
- The plan was communicated to man
- Man had to hear the plan
- He had to believe the plan
- He had to act on his belief
Man’s belief is absolutely essential. But he must act on his belief. As the earlier example illustrates you must not cut off the process after point 5. So we must conclude – what kind of faith is involved in John 3:16? An active obedient faith.
This is why we find in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of GOD.” Grace offered the plan to us. Our faith is man’s part.
Verse 9 continues – not of works, lest anyone should boast. It is not possible for us to work our way to heaven. These are the works that would allow one to boast as the verse notes.
But verse 10 describes the Christian as being one created for good works, that we should walk in them. This is clearly identifying our obedience as a work.
Can one work his way to heaven? No. But a genuine faith is going to prompt one to obedience and involvement in good works.
Work is not a bad word when it comes to religion. Acts 10:38 describes our LORD as “One Who went about doing good.” May we meditate on the following verses and follow His example.
Galatians 6:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:15, 3:17, 4:19