What about the faith vs. works argument makes us question our salvation?

Is it that we don’t understand the connection between the two?

Or do we feel hoodwinked because no one said anything about works in the altar call? 

And what happens to our salvation when there are no works: do we lose it? 

Do we keep it? 

Will we be on the wrong end of the pearly gates when the saints come marching in?

And what does the Bible say: Is Paul right? Is James? Are they contradicting each other, or are they making two points of the same argument?

It all seems too confusing!

Luckily what baffles us most is not as convoluted as it seems. 

We’ll break it for you right here and empower you with three truths to finally put any disagreement to rest. 

Justified by Faith

Let’s start with Paul.

Paul was the early church’s nemesis. Taught by the renowned Gamliel, he was zealous for the law and persecuted both men and women of the Way unto death (Acts 22). 

When Christ throws him off his horse on the way to Damascus, Paul sees the light figuratively and literally- spending the next three years being taught by Jesus, turning everything he thought he knew on its head. 

His conversion was so complete that he concluded in Romans 3:28, “that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” The law he had followed so closely all his life was not what saved him; it was the faith he put in Christ. 

He goes on to remind us that Abraham, who lived before the law, believed, and it was counted to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3); therefore, to “him who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness (Romans 4:5).” 

He felt so strongly that references concerning following the law repeatedly appear in his epistles to remind us that they were flawed and kept them in the bondage of sin- a curse broken when Christ died sinless on the cross.  

TRUTH #1 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, let anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).” Christ’s sacrifice for us was perfect. 

Nothing we could do could ever add to it. 

Our faith in Him is all we need for everlasting life. 

Faith and Works

Now let’s go to James.

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (James 2:14).”

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17).”

It would seem that James contradicts everything Paul just said, dooming us to an afterlife without Christ if there are no works.

But that’s not what’s happening here at all. 

Further on, in James 2:19, he says, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe- and tremble!” 

Many people believe in the existence of a god- that was as true then as it is now. Even demons in their cursed state believe with great fear. 

If we, as children of God, are content with just belief, we are no better than those who are lost or the demons surrounding them! 

There must be works to set us apart, and there lies the rub. 

Works, by our definition, may not be an accurate depiction of what we need. From the original Greek ergon ‘works’ is usually translated as business or employment, but it can also be translated to any product whatsoever. 

From this perspective, works are a product of your faith. 

TRUTH #2 Works are the byproduct of a heart bent toward God so that its life reflects the Savior, not the saved. 

Reconciling faith and works 

Faith has a mighty function in the life of a Christian.

Besides being our saving grace, it’s the main ingredient to building perseverance. And in this ridiculously crazy world, we need all the help we can get to survive every day. 

Let’s see how that works. 

Faith comes from hearing the Word of God, according to James 10:17. A faith in Jesus Christ. 

In “Him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1:5 NIV).”

In our flesh, we are not obedient- not to our parents, government, or spouses, let alone the Almighty. Faith produces that obedience- without which we could not please God (Hebrews 11:6). 

And because we were never promised an easy life, our obedience is tested daily and to varying degrees. This is why Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow him- having fellowship with him in suffering, denying our flesh to live as He would have in our place (Philippians 3:10). 

The beauty is that while staying faithful to God in our trials, our faith is perfected (1 Peter 1:6-7), and testing our faith produces perseverance (James 1:3).

Perseverance is the main characteristic of one who cannot be swerved from their deliberate purpose and what you need to walk in the plans God has laid out for you. 

Genuine faith produces. That is its primary function. 

So you see, it is not an either-or argument. A product or ‘work’ is the purpose of faith, to make us image-bearers to a dying world. 

Walk Out Your Faith 

When we reconcile faith with works or faith and its product, the argument doesn’t seem so contentious after all. In fact, there is no argument.

TRUTH #3 Paul and James are not at odds as it would seem- but are defending the faith from two different vantage points. 

Paul spoke directly to converts who felt pressured to come under Mosaic law, while James admonished Jews for forgetting who they were. 

The faith vs. works argument is not what makes us uncomfortable but rather what it says about our own faith. 

After all, how authentic could our faith be if our lives don’t reflect the fruits it was meant to have?

If that was too close to home, there’s good news; there is still time. 

There is a God who is longing to have a relationship with you, whose heart aches for you- who is the only one who can heal all the shattered parts of you and set your feet on the right path. 

Open your heart to him, and your life will never be the same.

For those already bearing fruit, there is much work to do. 

Making disciples is not done behind a screen but in the everyday lives of the broken souls around you. 

It’s time to take up your shield of faith and teach others how to use theirs.

Wherever you are on your journey, the time to start walking your faith with fear and trembling is now- with the full knowledge that the victory is already ours but that the battle has only begun.

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