Christians (incl. Catholics & Mormons / LDS) : Can faith exist without works?

Question

Followers of Christ say that salvation comes by grace through faith in God. However, faith is a principle based on action, and many churches believe that works are evidences of commitment to your faith. James even states that "faith without works is dead".
Salvation clearly comes by the grace of God through our faith, but what role does our work to build God's kingdom on earth play in that?

To clarify: by building God's kingdom, I mean not only spreading Christ's message, but also demonstrating the actual evidences of that message: charity, self-sacrifice, showing love to all those inside and outside of Christendom, etc.

Dorothy H:
Hebrews 11 mostly speaks of examples of works that were undertaken as evidences of or because of faith. It seems to run contrary to your point, unless I am misreading it...?

Answer 1

Salvation is a free gift, but eternal reward is determined by much, much more.

The concept of "MERIT" explains how faith, grace, and works go together.

The greatest saints are those who have great faith in God, and so do his will gracefully, and as completely as possible, MERITING additional rewards, outside of and in addition to God's free gift of salvation.

This is all biblical, too.

When protestants accuse Catholics of trying to work their way to heaven, it's because protestants fail to understand the very important biblical concept of MERIT.

Look up the "over comers" in the book of revelation to see all the rewards (in addition to salvation) that will be given to those who perform with merit, in the service of God.

Answer 2

I agree. Works are the fulfillment of faith. If you have faith then you will do works to show that faith. Just believing is not enough, After all look at some of the people in this world that had faith but then did such terrible things. That is not faith, that is lip service to sound good. If you have faith you will do as God has instructed us though his prophets and word. Here are some of the things I would expect a person of faith to be trying to do: Keep the 10 commandments, avoid vile language, help others, care for others, love one another, spread his message, be baptized, etc. Any religion that does not expect works as part of the faith are not based fully on the Bible. Any person that claims to believe and follow Christ but do not have works as God asked of us also is lacking in true faith.

Answer 3

I don't think you'll find anyone arguing that good works are bad; the controversy is whether good works are necessary for salvation. True faith compels the believer to better himself / herself and to more closely follow Jesus' teachings. Faith which is not exorcised atrophies.

Salvation is a tricky subject, especially if you include so many denominations into the discussion. Mainstream Christianity only believes in heaven and hell. In such a dichotemy, going to heaven is salvation while going to hell is damnation. However, different denominations and sects argue over what is necessary to enter heaven. And what of the Purgatory which awaits unbaptized infants and children in Catholicism? These young ones have done nothing evil, but can't enter heaven because they weren't baptized.

Mormons divide heaven into 3 kingdoms of glory (the lowest of which is inherited by people generally presumed to be going to the hell of mainstream Christianity) and an Outer Darkness reserved for the sons of Perdition. How does one define salvation in this situation? Are you saved if you make it into _any_ of the kingdoms of glory? If so, salvation is nearly universal. Is salvation reserved only for those who make it into the highest kingdom? If so, baptism (a work!) is required (but not sufficient). To simplify things, Mormons have two related words: salvation and exaltation. Salvation is universal - everyone will overcome the effects of Adam's transgression (eg. we will all be resurrected). However, only those in the highest kingdom are exalted and reach their full potential.

Answer 4

"So then faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 We should have faith, works are great too. But, we don't have to do work after work to secure our place in Heaven. If you are a true Born Again believer that has already been done for. However, by doing things such as serving in church ministries, door to door soul winning, sharing the Gospel, and other things that maybe only God see's we can earn our crowns.
Our " work" can be leading people to Christ and that can grow God's kingdom in Heaven.

Answer 5

I beg to differ:
Hebrews 11:1 , "now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen."

it has nothing to do w/works. I do have some expierience in that, being come from a 'works religion.'

However,it could happen, but not likely. for if a person really loves the Lord, they will want to spread the word & live for Jesus. (there are those who do not though.)

The role our works here for the Kingdom of God Plays, is to win others. We are not to be caught "asleep" at his coming. but to busy keeping the vineyard, as the word says. & "to not grow weary in well doing."

OUR reward is those we take with us.

God Bless.

Answer 6

Faith is "belief without proof". The answer that you seek is religiously/biblically based, and therefore is faith-based.

Since the answer you seek is faith-based, the answer cannot be "backed" by conclusive evidence or "proof." To try to "prove" a faith-related conclusion is a contradiction in terms (and a bit silly).

Therefore, you need to pick your tenets (ie. what you believe) by what you believe in your heart, and then have faith that they are in fact truth. Read your question again, ponder what you believe is true (in your heart) then live this principle. That would indeed be "action-based faith."

Answer 7

You can proclaim your faith in anything until you are blue in the face, but if you never do a thing to show that you really believe it then what good is your proclamations of faith.


I would take a person that doesnt believe in God but devotes their life to the charity of others than a person that sat all day in church proclaiming their faith and never did a thing to help anyone.

I think God would too.

Answer 8

Faith may be able to exist without works but how would we know it exists. We only know faith exist because of the work people do to show their faith.
Love is the same way. Love could exist without works but how would we know someone loves us without some kind of work. The work may be as simple as telling the person they love them.
The works showing your faith may be as simple as telling others about your faith.
It would be very hard to have faith and no works.

Answer 9

This is an important topic. I will not try to give a full discourse but to briefly outline it as I understand it.
Faith is an active word. It encompasses in its definition the action of following Christ or God's will without knowing how you are going to accomplish the thing that you are doing. Faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen. We move forward, actively, without knowing the end from the beginning.
What Paul was trying to teach was that you have to have your heart and mind in the right place in order for your works to be of any value. Abraham's sacrifices and works, along with Moses and the others Paul cites, were accounted unto them for righteousness because their hearts were in the right place. The Jews of Paul's day, and Christ's, were going through the motions of following the works of Moses, the commandments of the law without knowing or caring why they were doing it. They did not perform the works with the understanding that these things were all symbolic of the sacrifice and mission of the Savior. If they had, they would have understood that the law had been fulfilled in Christ. Thus, they were not saved by their works but needed to be converted to the spiritual requirements of the Gospel. James then clarified that the two were inseparably connected. Show my your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. This presupposes that his motives for doing the works are in the right place. Likewise the others obviously don't have their hearts in the right place because they don't do the works of Christ in support of their faith.
It is preposterous to suppose that we can verbally claim our belief, then go out and do whatever we please, and think God and Christ will still approve of us. This principle is illustrated in the parable of the two sons. The first said he would do the will of the father but did not. The second said he would not but did instead. The first had belief without action. The second repented and showed his belief by his action. The second was accepted of the Lord, not the first.
Grace, like faith, is based upon our love, obedience and service in the Gospel of Christ. We are granted grace, or blessed, by or from God in exchange for the grace that we render to others. Thus, it states that Christ grew from grace to grace, receiving grace for grace. In other words, as He served his fellow beings, he was blessed by the Father and so was glorified or grew, from one level of grace to the next. Each of us is intended to spiritually grow ever closer to our Father and Christ. That comes by our following Christ's example and moulding our lives after His. Thus we receive blessings and grow from one level of spirituality to the next until we eventually receive of the fullness with Christ of the Kingdom of the Father.
Neither faith, nor works, can exist in a vacuum, separate one from the other. Our salvation depends upon our operating under both of them.

Answer 10

My understanding is that it is only through faith that we will be saved from sin. However, we have to develop ourselves to that level of faith. First we have faith that God exists. This leads us to act in accordance with that faith. After we've acted, we can have hope that He does. Next we have faith that He sent His Son who lived, taught and died for mankind. We act according to this faith, and develop hope in Him. We develop our faith everytime we accept and follow a principle of the gospel. Over time, eventually, we acheive a level of faith that is able to accept Jesus as our personal Saviour. This can only be done through actions.
Of course we will all be judged on a weighted scale, and this level of faith is different for each individual.