Good works are required by God before he will grant his grace upon us to be saved in the kingdom of heaven. It is true that if we did all the good works mentioned in the bible it would benefit us nothing without the grace of Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that works are not important but that works of themselves cannot bring salvation to us. The Lord Jesus taught:
Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The concept of repentance involves changing ones life from doing evil to doing good works. However, the repentance does not save us. By repenting of our sins, the Lord will then extend his mercy upon us and grant us entrance into the kingdom of heaven. The Lord has always required good works before he will save us into his kingdom. However, without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, none of our good works will get us into his kingdom. It is by grace that we are saved but the Lord requires a work at our hands before he will grant his precious mercy.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
This verse tells us that it is not the works that we do that save us, but the grace of God. We cannot boast that we are saved by our works because it is not the works that save us. However, we are required to walk in good works before we can be saved. Once we gain faith in God, we do so by performing good works.
James 2:14-26
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
If we are saved by grace through faith as Ephesians 2:8 clearly tells us, then we must have faith before grace is granted. And as James 2:14-26 clearly explains, faith without works is dead. Thus even though it is not the works that do the saving, they are required before we can receive the grace needed for salvation. This is why the Lord taught:
Matthew 7:21
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
The will of the Father is that we keep his commandments and repent of our sins.
Matthew 19:17
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mark 1:15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
onefour1, do you agree with this:
This following is Christian orthodox belief held by the vast majority of
mainstream Christendom:
It is impossible for men to earn their salvation -- because we do not have the power
to keep the laws of God. In order to get the power to keep the laws of God, we must
have Holy Spirit power. We get this by being "born again" John 3:3 -- followed by
believing in the Lord Jesus as our Savior {John 3:16.}
Then AFTER we do this -- we then have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit that
helps us keep the laws of God.
All this together means that we now do good works because we are already saved, we
do not do good works in order to be saved -- this means we do not "work our way to
heaven." Why would doing that be a bad thing? Because it would wreck and destroy
Grace and we are saved by Grace. What is grace? Grace is God's UNMERITED favor.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God-" Ephesians 2:8
Best.
JAG
Salvation does not precede repentance and the keeping of the commandments. Repentance and keeping of the commandments are good works and are necessary before God will grant forgiveness to enter his kingdom. I quote again these verses:
Matthew 7:21
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
In this verse, before one can enter into the kingdom of heaven, one must do the will of the Father. Doing the will of the Father is a work.
Matthew 19:17
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
In this verse it states that we must keep the commandments if we wish to enter into life (meaning eternal life or the kingdom of heaven).
Mark 1:15
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
In the above two verses, it is clear that repentance is required and that by doing so we can obtain that which is at hand for repenting, ie the kingdom of heaven.
Take a look again at Ephesians 2:8-10
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Verse 8 clearly tells us that it is by grace that we are saved through faith. James clearly teaches that faith without works is dead. So if salvation comes by grace through a faith of works, how can you say that salvation comes before faith which includes works? It is clear that faith includes good works and it is also clear that it is through faith and by grace that we are saved.
James 2:14-26
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Ephesians 2:10 clear states that we should walk in good works even if they are not what saves us according to Ephesians 2:8-9.
Without repentance and keeping the commandments of God, you cannot be saved into the kingdom of heaven. Without a true faith which includes good works, you cannot obtain the grace of God to enter the kingdom of heaven. The scriptures are clear on this point.
The Apostle Peter taught that it is only after the work of repentance and receiving baptism that the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost is given.
Acts 2:38
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
We should always abound in good works for they are necessary for us to obtain the grace necessary for salvation. NO we are not earning the grace by doing good works. But God does require good works before granting the grace to be saved. It is the grace that saves us and it is a gift given to all those who repent and keep the commandments of God. It is the promise of God to those who are faithful.
Revelation 20:12-13
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
In the above verse when it comes time to be judged it tells us we will be judged according to our works. The outcome of the judgement will be whether or not we are worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Good works precede the salvation into the kingdom of heaven.
Doing good works does not earn you salvation. If it could, you would not need the grace of Jesus Christ to enter his kingdom. However, good works are required of God before he will grant the grace which is necessary to obtain salvation. Just because it is required does mean that you earn salvation. The works don't save. The grace of Jesus Christ saves. But the works can and are required before the grace will be given. Just because the works are required does not mean they carry the power to save. It was a problem in ancient times where many believed that by doing the works alone without the grace of God would save them.
Gaining salvation prior to doing good works would mean that one could be saved without repentance or keeping the commandments of God. It would also mean that one could claim faith in God without works which is contrary to the teachings of James.
