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100% Grace. 100% Faith. 100% Works.
When it comes to the great divide that exists among Christians on these three critical topics, it seems we want to wrestle over degrees, percentages and balances. It is as if we have three columns in our lives, and we keep pushing pennies between them to keep the scale from tipping too strongly in one direction or another. Not only is that a lot of work, it is not very assuring and is wholly unnecessary. At the same time, some want to push all the pennies in one column and deem the other(s) unnecessary or not as important. This is simply not an option in light of the sum total of God’s word.
Salvation, whether considered in the immediate sense of forgiveness of a sin (cf. Acts 8:20-24) or in the larger sense of eternal life as a result of the forgiveness of all of our sins (cf. Heb. 5:9; 9:28, et al), is never a balancing act. Neither is it a juggling act. It requires all three elements—grace, faith and works—in absolute and complete values. Consider the following three passages (a small sampling among many that could have been chosen to make this point) "...even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:5-10)
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." (Heb. 11:6-7) "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" (James 2:14). It is when we try to emphasize one element over the other(s) that problems arise, both in our lives and in our doctrine.
If someone suggests that salvation is 100% GRACE, 100% FAITH and 90% WORKS (you pick the numbers), they fail to appreciate the reality that you are lacking 10% in the WORKS category. Now, this situation might arise temporarily as a Christian sins (falls short in works) and requires mercy, but can we make an argument from Scripture that God will carry the load for a Christian who chooses to continue in this situation (i.e., continue in sin - Rom. 6:1). As Paul answered, so do I. "Certainly not" (note Heb. 10:26-31, et al). That 90% WORKS situation must be remedied (cf. 1 John 1:8-2:2). Frankly, the idea that we only drop to 90% WORKS when we sin is problematic in and of itself, yet this is how some think (so we speak accommodatingly here).
Likewise, to suggest that salvation is 100% GRACE and 90% FAITH and 100% WORKS will not result in salvation. The Jews fell short of their promised rest because their hearing of the word was not mixed with 100% FAITH (cf. Heb. 4:2). There will be times when your faith wavers ("Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief" - cf. Mark 9:24). However, we cannot continue to exist in a state that does not trust God and automatically expects His GRACE to cover the gap. As James writes regarding lacking wisdom and seeking it, "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (Jas. 1:6-8). Can a doubting man expect to receive GRACE? No. 100% FAITH is required.
To suggest that salvation is 100% GRACE, 100% FAITH and 110% WORKS also throws things out of kilter. History has proven that whenever man relies too much on his own ability for salvation, he will fail. Despite the sporting mantra that suggests we should give 110% in all that we do, there is only 100% to give (cf. Luke 14:33). There is no more (and don't mistake WORKS with increase and fruit, as we can only WORK according to our ability and our increase or fruit will reflect such - cf. Matt. 13:23). So, that 10% extra we are putting into WORKS has to come from somewhere. It typically comes from FAITH, which despite our best estimates, now sits at 90% (and some could argue less). We invariably trust less in God and more in ourselves when we start to overemphasize our WORKS. We should not do this (cf. 2 Cor. 1:9-11; Prov. 3:5-6). Since our eternity is in part rooted in our WORKS – as we will be judged by our WORKS (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10-11) and we will be accepted, as least in part, based on our working righteousness (cf. Acts 10:35) – then we must be sure to maintain good WORKS (cf. Tit. 3:8, 14; Eph. 2:10). Yet, we must never trust in them ALONE for salvation. As our FAITH must be in God, so must the WORKS we do be by done by FAITH. To go beyond THE FAITH to find 10% more WORKS than what are revealed will surely lead to transgression.
Here's the great rub, if you will. Some say, 100% WORKS is impossible. Nobody maintains 100% WORKS in their life. We all SIN and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). I agree. This is why salvation is not of WORKS ALONE (just as it is not of FAITH ALONE or GRACE ALONE). When we fall short of God’s righteous standard (we have in the past, we will again - 1 John 1:6-7), the GRACE of God is there to help - Heb. 4:16 (1 John 1:8-2:2). It brings us back to 100% WORKS by removing that which lowers that percentage in our lives -- SIN.
What is interesting is that when we sin, our percentage in the WORKS category is not 90% or 50% or 20%. One sin pushes that number to 0% (you could argue that it pushes FAITH to 0% too). As Ezekiel warns... "When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die" (Ezek. 33:12).
When the sinner repents (seeking God's GRACE by FAITH), he is restored back to 100% WORKS. Ezekiel continues... "Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live." (Ezek. 33:14-16).
Ezekiel acknowledges that the people will protest saying, "The way of the Lord is not fair" (as many do today). However, he sums it up by saying… “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair! When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. Yet you say, ‘The way of the LORD is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.” (Ezek. 33:17-20).
Some might raise a challenge regarding sins unknowingly, unintentionally or ignorantly committed. Will sins committed ignorantly lower 100% WORKS to 0% (cf. Lev. 4:27-28; Ezek. 45:20)? Since Paul acknowledged that GRACE was required, even though his sins were committed "ignorantly in unbelief" (suggesting 0% WORKS, 0% FAITH), it is clear that ignorance can impact salvation, even under Christ (cf. 1 Tim. 1:13-14). Paul's sins of ignorance were surely laid to his account, otherwise, for what did he need mercy? However, they were forgiven (since he obtained mercy) and thereby removed from his account (as he was confronted with them, turned from them, and sought their remission by faith in Jesus Christ when he was baptized, washing those sins away - Acts 22:16; cf. Acts 2:38).
Therefore, while ignorance is clearly not an excuse, neither is it automatically excused (cf. Acts 17:30-31). As we learn of sins committed ignorantly, we obviously must repent of them, as we are no longer ignorant of them. Until we learn of them (as we grow in knowledge), we can still trust God (100% FAITH) and find mercy (100% GRACE) for sins committed unknowingly. We can simply ask God to forgive us of those sins we commit unknowingly and ask Him to help us know His will that we might not sin against Him (cf. Jas. 1:3-5; Psa. 119:11). In this, we are striving to be diligent, knowing that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (cf. 2 Pet. 3:14, 18; 2 Tim. 2:15). In this way, 100% WORKS are wholly possible, because among the WORKS we are to do are included the confession of sins and repentance from them. One is faithful not on the basis of sinless living, but trusting in God for GRACE when he commits sin, seeking that GRACE based on faith in God’s word and by doing what God says to avail himself of it (100% GRACE, 100% FAITH & 100% WORKS).
God still judges us according to our WORKS, and not just our FAITH (2 Cor. 5:10-11; Rom. 2:5-11; et al). Therefore, it is important to realize that our 100% WORKS are critical, but we cannot and do not maintain that number by sheer force of our own will (cf. Luke 22:42). Without 100% GRACE and 100% FAITH, we never will. This is the difficulty that arises when we start tinkering with what God says. GRACE, FAITH and WORKS go hand-in-hand. They are symbiotic and must be in complete harmony with one another and wholly manifest in our lives if we will have the reward of eternal life. When we emphasize one to the neglect of another, overemphasize any, or de-emphasize any, we will find ourselves expecting less, or more, than what God expects of us. God forbid.
Thank God for the GRACE He has given us, the FAITH that He has revealed to us & the WORKS that He enables us to do. Let us wholly rely upon the GRACE He gives, wholly walk by the FAITH He reveals through Jesus His Son, and continue wholly in the WORKS He desires us to do.
- 4-21-24_-_Grace_Faith_Works.docx (25.91 kB)
