Faith vs Works - please can someone explain the apparent conflict in these quotes:?

Question

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith . . . not by works.

James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? . . . Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Revelation 22:12 Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.

Answer 1

Its just another example of things that don't jive in the Bible. This is why Falwell used to say things like good deed alone won't save you. It makes fundies really difficult to talk to sometimes because they truly believe they can sin as much as the want as long as they love Jesus. But the one about going good deeds.... most humans know anyway. The Bible wasn't the first book to mention it either. I didn't need to read that in some book to now that. If you are a good person you will do good things and not just for yourself. Thats basic human knowledge written in our DNA for our species survival.

Everything is up for interpretation- this is the whole problem- if there is a god why wouldn't he be clearer in his words and offer proof of his existence? Could it be that all this was written only by men?

Answer 2

Ephesians says that we are indeed saved by grace...that it is not our good works that get us into Heaven, as the Jews and several other religions believe. However...
James says that once you are saved, and you do nothing, you don't talk about Christ to your friends and neighbors, you pass by a homeless person without trying to help, you do nothing to help your fellow man, then your faith is dead. It would be like "putting your light under a bushel", as Christ mentioned.
Revelation 22:12 tells us that we (the saved) will receive rewards in heaven according to what we have done here on earth. It will not affect our salvation, only the level of rewards we get. We are to "store up treasures in heaven" by doing good deeds and making sacrifices here on earth. Those who are not saved, will be "rewarded" with few stripes or more stripes, according to how bad they've been. Of course, according to the Bible, Hell does not currently exist, but will exist at the end of the Millennium, when the wicked of all ages are resurrected to damnation. At this time, fire will come down from heaven and consume them. Those who have few sins (but refused to believe) will be consumed quickly, while the "Hitlers" of the world will suffer a little longer, but even they will be consumed, never to exist again. The lost do not receive eternal life of any kind, in Hell or otherwise, so they cannot be "tortured" forever.

Answer 3

When we are saved, we embrace the Grace of God. That means that we fully accept the gift that God gave us, and acknowledge the Truth and Power of God.

If we have truly done this, then we must live the sort of life that God expects of us. That includes doing things that may be inconvenient for us, but are nevertheless the right things to do.

A truly saved person is joyful and thankful at being saved. That joy and thanks inspires us to do good things. Doing good things is known as "works".

So, the Grace was offered first.

Then, we accept the gift of Grace, and we are at peace.

Then, because we know that we are saved, we go on to spread joy and peace elsewhere. God asked us to do so, by the way.

If you skip any of the steps, you really have not been saved at all. Those that follow all the directions fully get rewarded in the end.

Answer 4

You have to get your cause and effect straight in order to understand these verses.

God is the cause of the Word of God
The Word of God (and His Spirit convicting you of it and opening it to you) is the cause of faith.
Genuine faith, from the heart, is the cause of salvation.
Genuine faith, from the heart, is ALSO the cause of good works. Therefore, there is a relationship between works and salvation, but it is NOT a cause and effect relationship in the strictest sence. Rather, they are sibelings concieved and born together- where one is, there the other is also. We are rewarded according to our works because our works are the result of what is in our heart, whether faith and surrender to God, or unbelief and rebellion against God.

Alot of people who read the Ephesians 2 passage you mentioned usually just read verses 8 and 9. But it makes SOOOO much more sense if you add verse 10 in there too!

Ephesians 2:8-10~ For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

Faith alone saves. God gives us the gift of faith which produces salvation and works! If faith is not producing works or fruit of some sort, then it is not saving faith. But it isn't the works that cause salvation.

For instance, let's say there is a man paralyzed from the neck down, so much so that all he can do is blink. Not much chance for him to do works, huh? But his faith alone is what produces salvation. That faith would also produce visible works if he could move, but since he can't, it doesn't. However, because it is saving faith, it still produces fruit at least in the man's heart and mind. All the spiritual elements necessary for good works are present in him because of saving faith. But this is clearly not the same as earning one's salvation through good works.

I hope this has cleared things up. God bless!

Answer 5

Good works is the fruit of faith. If your faith doesn't lead to good works, it's a sure sign it's dead faith, not real faith.

Good works is also in itself a practical way to develop faith, but it's the faith that opens you up to the salvation, not the works.

Ultimately, of course it's neither the faith, nor the works that saves you, but God's grace through Jesus Christ. This is a question where Catholics and Protestants actually agree. There have been meetings between Theologians and Church leaders from both sides that univocally declared this old conflict ("through faith alone" vs "through faith and works") is not caused by different views on this question, but on mutual misunderstandings caused by too hard heads on both sides from the 16th century onwards.

Answer 6

I have thought about and questioned this a lot. Let me explain it the way I now understand it. Ephesians tells us how to be saved, by faith. James tells us how we should live once we are saved. We should have works and do good. Revelation talks about a reward. This reward is for the good you have done in Jesus' name.

Answer 7

No one can work hard enough to earn their way to heaven. We must accept Christ's free gift of salvation through faith. Then we have a responsibility to witness to the lost about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. These are the "works" the apostles were speaking of, nothing more. These works encompass many areas of life from ministering to those in need, praying for and with others, and witnessing. We demonstrate our love of God by working (witnessing) about the glory of His coming kingdom and the way to be a part of it. I strongly urge you to not take the scriptures out of context but in order to increase your understanding try reading from the Amplified version because it will explain these scriptures, as well as others, in a more understandable manner.

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Answer 8

Yes, Paul and James interpreted "faith" differently.

James interpreted it as many of us do today: Belief
Paul interpreted it in its historic sense: To be faithful (ie obedient and diligent)

These different interpretations can be substantiated by other writings of these two men, however I don't have the references handy.

But if you apply this way of thinking to their writings, suddenly the Bible makes alot more sense. Paul and James weren't teaching contradictory things. They were teaching the same thing from slightly different perspectives.

So what is the answer? We are saved by grace. We cannot earn our way into heaven. However, in order to receive grace, we are required to have faith in Jesus Christ, which faith includes components of belief AND works. Thus, to have true and living faith, one must not only believe but also act on that belief. This is the core message of Jesus and the prophets, both in ancient times and in latter days.

Answer 9

Give a standard King James Bible to an eight-year-old.

Instruct the child to circle in red every word 'faith' in the NT.

Look before the gospel of John and you will see many, many red circles. Look in the gospel of John and you will see none, not used as a noun or a verb. Look after the gospel of John and you will see many, many circles.

The books of the New Testament were not selected, edited, and collated until hundreds of years after the death of Jesus. John was still alive then, and in disguise, visited those responsible for its canonization. His writings were profound. They gave the editors a different view of Jesus’ ministry than that which had been passed down from one generation to the next.

John also delivered his manuscript for his Revelation to the editors, knowing they would never comprehend its meaning because of the symbolic and metaphorical way in which it was written. In this way, John maintained the integrity of the manuscript for hundreds of years.

His "apocalypse" or disclosure of the truth has now been given. It is in the book at the site below. In it, all of Revelation is explained in plainnes, and the truth unfolds before your eyes.

I have read the book and it has set me free.

Answer 10

If you would not have left out that portion in James it would be clear, Ephesians in its context says that one need Jesus for grace and salvation. James writes to Christians to tell them to keep on in the faith, and to lead others to Christ by action, this is where many christians are called hypocrites, it bases from this.