It should strike us as odd that the greatest (professing) Christian nations are so immoral. Either Christianity is a sham or those calling themselves Christians are missing something of their calling. Surely the blame for this phenomena lies at the doorsteps of those who preach Easy-Believism where a quick prayer is enough to guarantee a ticket to heaven regardless of moral behaviour. Can we recover the Biblical message of salvation without diminishing Jesus work and God’s grace?

Workers and Wage

In the parable of the workers (Mt 20:1-16) Jesus tells of how labourers who worked for only part of the day receive the same wage as those who worked the whole day. When the master hears grumblings he explains that it is his right to give generously the full day’s wage to those who only worked a part of the day.

This parable gives us a profound insight into God’s grace. This is a God who welcomes his loyal servant David as well as the newly converted thief on the cross into His family. This Amazing Grace has some of us so dazzled that we fail to see any need to heed God’s commandments or do his work. Yet some things remain to be said about God’s grace.

Grace and Rewards

Firstly, the Bible is more than clear that God values (John 15) and rewards righteous work (1 Cor 3:8, 2 Cor 5:10) done for Him in this life and our thief an have no expectation of great heavenly rewards if his life was spent in vain pursuits which moth and rust corrupt.

Sometimes we reason that God’s grace must be so big that it rewards the wicked and there is truth in this (if salvation is considered a “reward” e.g. Rom 5:6). Yet it would be unjust to reward the thief more than David and the Bible is clear that rewards follow achievement so while the thief get’s much, David will get more.

Grace and Work

Secondly, we must not forget that all the workers in the parable actually did some work. The parable does not end with the master paying loafers or those who did not even accept the job. His Grace manifested in generosity resulted in a great reward for minimal work yet it did not result in any reward for those not working. Paul is often misrepresented as being anti-works yet I have argued elsewhere that Paul is demonstrably pro-works in the sense of righteous deeds for God yet clearly referring to religious ritual as specified by Torah in such passages as Rom 3:28.

Grace and Elevation

A recurring and major theme in the Bible (OT and NT) is of God raising the low and bringing down the lofty. Yet this applies to those low in this world order (the poor, meak and humble) being raised in God’s Kingdom whilst the world’s elite and powerful (the rich, proud and comfy) will be called least in the Kingdom if they get in at all. We need not fear that if we work for heavenly riches that we will be brought low. Less still should we do nothing worth of heavenly reward in the hope that our “lowness” will be inverted. God loves and rewards true goodness and empowers us by Grace.

Grace and Glory

John Piper has convincingly argued that the purpose of absolutely everything is to give glory to God. Thus Jesus says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) and Paul explains why: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:10). Let us not be inactive from a sense of false-humility – our righteous deeds are to God’s glory not our own (John 15:8) and it is by Grace that we are fortunate enough to be enlisted in His high work and purposes.

Grace and Salvation

The question following any such message regarding righteousness is invariably one of salvation. Aren’t we saved by faith not by works? The Easy Believism answer is yes, but you can work for heavenly rewards if you want them followed by an encouragement to want them for our own earthly good. Apparently many Christians don’t want them that much and are sauntering into the Kingdom content to be least in what is surely paradise and better than here.

This is, I think, a mistake since I don’t think Jesus meant “kingdom of heaven” in the sense we do i.e. another place, spiritual and disembodied after this world has been destroyed[1]. While it is true that “heaven” is a spiritual realm where Jesus now resides and where believers go when they die it is not the be-all and end-all, heaven is not our final destiny. What Jesus means by announcing the so-called Kingdom of heaven (in Matthew) or Kingdom of God (Mark, Luke and John) is God’s Reign[2]. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:10). That is why, at the culmination of this age, the new Jerusalem, our new home comes down from heaven to earth (Rev 21)[3].

I have argued elsewhere that salvation is a process which explains why Paul refers to it past, present and future. This process is begun in faith and, since faith without works is dead (James 2), continued and perfected in living faith i.e. works! The message to non-believers is that they will be accepted without great works but this is not the way to stay accepted in Christ as we shall see shortly.

Works and Damnation

The whole Old Testament is basically about disobedience and sin causing punishment and repentance bringing about salvation and to cite examples of this would be to quote most of the verses therein. Yet, often we are taught that the New Covenant is God’s new modus operandi – a new, easier way of saving people. There are many problems with this idea, not least that the Grace we prize in the NT is also found in the OT and that the obedience required in the Old is not abolished in the New[4]. A few examples suffice to dispel any notion of Easy Salvation.

In Matthew 25 (the parable of the Sheep and the Goats) salvation belongs to those who obeyed Jesus commands and damnation to the rest. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus rejects those who call him Lord but worked iniquity. In John 15 unfruitful branches are cast into the fire. John later says that only those who obey Christ (walk like Him) know Him and are in Him (1 John 2:3-6) and that this is no new commandment. Jesus himself warns those Christians who say “Lord, lord” yet disobey Him, that their salvation is on shaky foundations (Luke 6:46-49). He says in Mt 5 that “except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” – “be perfect”. Finally in Revelation 22:11-16 Jesus own concluding words:

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.

Conclusion

I cannot deny that it is difficult to reconcile faith and works based on Biblical texts especially when atonement plays such a central role in our faith. I do however reject the belief that our good works are an insult to Christ’s work on the cross or an indication of our inability to trust him. Jesus is clear that our trust in Him is evidenced by our obedience to Him (John 14:15) so the idea that good works are bad is the ultimate heresy and a twisting of His Word.

I have no doubt that there is no sin too big for God to forgive and that the worst human being can be accepted by repenting and cleaving to Jesus. But let us not misuse or re-define God’s Grace for Satan’s purposes. We do not earn salvation but we have to let God do the work in us he begun (Phil 1:6; 2:12).

Footnotes


[1] It is interesting in Acts 1 just before Jesus ascends to heaven his disciples ask him if he is now going to establish the kingdom. He basically says “no, not now” and we all assume he means “silly guys, my kingdom is where you go when you die, where I’m off to now”. Contrary to much teaching, the Jews were right to expecting an earthly reign (as the OT prophecies) but wrong in the timing and in their worthiness to be subjects or benefactors.


[2] Scratch out the word “Kingdom” in your Gospels and write “Reign” – it is God’s reign that Jesus is announcing and it is “at hand” because Jesus IS that reign being the Messiah, the chosen one who is Lord in God’s reign.


[3] The New Earth is indeed new, just as Jesus resurrection body was new. Not because Jesus left the old body and inhabited a new but because the old was transformed into the new. Likewise our earth will be transformed (restored and renewed) and as Jesus’ hands still had holes we might imagine that acid rain and pollution are more serious than we thought.

[4] Some theologians get around this by positing imputed righteousness which basically says that God counts Christ’s good deeds to our account. Thus there really is no need to do any good because it won’t be counted.