When Noah built the ark, he was in the minority but he was right—and it rained! When sold into slavery by his brothers Joseph was definitely “in the minority,” yet God blessed him for doing what was right! Though ridiculed by others, David slew Goliath because he acted according to God’s will.
Christians are the minority: God calls us to preach like righteous Noah, so that lost ones may hear and heed His warning! We must teach so that even if the whole world is lost, we will be saved because God is faithful to those who are faithful to HIM! We can live confidently and faithfully amid a disobedient culture because of our trust in the living God (1 Tim. 4:10 – our hope is set on Him).
Most of Christendom ignores or denies the relationship between faith and works in the bible. Sincere people insist that John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8 express the sum of God’s “plan” for salvation, declaring that salvation is “by faith from first to last,” but what they generally mean is “salvation by faith apart from everything else,” with mankind having NO part in salvation. The Holy Spirit, however, “tied” faith to works (in James 2).
When the Bible speaks of “faith” and “works,” the context and meaning of these words matter. The words we use sometimes have more than one meaning, and words inspired writers used are often the same. To understand the Holy Spirit’s words, we must take into account their context and use (e.g., throwing a “fit” is not the same as getting “fit”).
“Faith” and “works” are each used in at least two ways in the New Testament. “Faith” may refer to one’s personal measure of belief, while “the” faith speaks of the entire system of salvation God provides through Christ (cf. Acts 6:7, where “a great many of the priests were obedient to THE faith”). “Works” can describe actions intended to bring one into another’s debt (“meritorious” works) or it may refer to actions that spring from grateful hearts as expressions of love and appreciation (so-called “works of faith”). Examine what the New Testament says about faith and works and it becomes clear that God did not segregate these great concepts but joined them in Christ!
James chapter 2 shows that faith and works are actually “gospel parallels,” qualities that complement each other. Faith and works are words that must be defined by their New Testament use, not by current religious dogmas.
Ephesians 2:8 does say plainly that we are saved by grace through faith, and “faith” means “belief; conviction of the truth of something.” In this context “faith” is conviction that the gospel is the true message of God, and that Jesus His Son died for our sins (and arose again).
“Works” likewise has more than one meaning in the scriptures. Titus 3:5 refers to “works” that would cause a person to be considered “righteous” (a felon who serves out his sentence could be considered “righteous” because he has “paid his debt”). In this context, one who earns a paycheck “deserves” that income because he has exchanged $X worth of work for it—it is owed to him. Some of the ancient Hebrews believed God “owed” them blessings (despite their unfaithfulness).
The New Testament also records works “of faith” however, as in James 2:18; “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” These actions—like the obedience of Noah, Joseph, and David-are the “fruit” of faith. They embody no aura of “indebtedness” (by God), but a sense of gratitude! In 2 Corinthians 4:13 Paul “spoke” because he “believed,” his words serving as the embodiment of his faith. First Peter 3:21 offers a good illustration of this concept, wherein baptism is “…the answer of a good conscience toward God….”
James 2:10-12 shows that “works” done by Christians as acts of submission to Moses’ law would actually be contradictory to faith in Jesus. (The motive here seems to have been for Christians to “increase” their righteousness by doing these things, or to “substitute” them for faith due to societal pressure). Paul addressed the same problem in Galatians 5:4, where some of the Christians were trying to “earn” righteousness, thus abandoning faith in the process.
We also see an image of faith that clashes with works James 2:15-16—“If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” The Holy Spirit calls this “dead” faith in vs. 17, yet this is exactly the definition of “faith” for much of modern Christendom.
James’ inspired summary (Jas. 2:19-26) illustrates the difference between an earthly concept of “faith” and Heaven’s definition of it by contrasting the examples of demons and Abraham. Abraham was justified by faith (vs. 23) that expressed itself in active submission to God’s instruction (“works,” vs. 21). Unlike those who demand that God credit their intentions, Abraham’s faith was “completed”—fulfilled—by his works, vs. 22. Surely it is no accident that the only time God’s word joins “faith” with “only” is when it declares that “faith ONLY” cannot save (vs. 24)!