SALVATION, GRACE, FAITH & GOOD WORKS - 2 What is Salvation and what effect does it have on good works

2 What is Salvation and what effect does it have on good works

In my last post I stated that in this post I will further elaborate on the requirement of works in the Christian Faith. In order to do that we must first answer the question, “What is Salvation?” There are two definitions we will look at namely the dictionary definition and the theological definition. These two definitions will assist us understand the meaning of salvation and its effect to mankind.

The dictionary definition is “Preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss and it can also mean a means of escape.” Preservation is basically protection or conservation. This then points to the act of defending, shielding or providing safety from danger. Deliverance on the other hand means liberation, rescue, release or the provision of freedom. This points to the elimination of bondage or oppression.

The theological definition is “Deliverance from sin and its consequences, which deliverance is brought about by faith in Christ and its synonyms are redemption, deliverance or reclamation.” This points to the buying back, retrieval or recovery of mankind from the devil or from the power of sin. It speaks of the repossession of mankind by God almighty and the regeneration of the saved person. Redemption is the act of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.

The two definitions, as can be seen, are not in disagreement in any way. However, the theological definition goes further than the dictionary by exposing a hidden mystery regarding the relationship of man and God. From the theological definition we realise that deliverance and redemption are key components of the salvation of man. It exposes man’s need for deliverance. In Romans 3:23 the bible reads, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” This effectively means that not a single person has not sinned. In fact, in Romans 5:12 it is further written, “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” These two scriptures make plain the level of man’s depravity and serious need for salvation.

On a certain day following a very good sermon, certain Jews surrendered themselves to Jesus Christ. In response to their faith Christ promised them deliverance and freedom but the Jews in turn claimed that they were not in bondage to any person yet on that very day they were under the dominion of Rome. John 8:34 say, “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” Through this single statement Jesus clarified why humans have a propensity of doing evil things rather than good things. The preacher once remarked, “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” Ecc 7:29. The preacher had realised whilst man had been created upright, man was no longer good. The reason for the corruption of man is sin. Even the apostles also wrote, “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Romans 7:14-24

Humans by nature desire to do good but for some unknown reason they always find themselves thriving in evil. This always happens against man’s wish because man is a slave of sin. Man is in bondage. Indeed, the Lord made it abundantly clear when in John 8:34 said, “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” No matter what amount of effort man may exert to attain uprightness he will not achieve anything because, “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isiah 64:6. It is because of this fact why we cannot save ourselves. Not a single person has the capacity to do good and in the process save himself. That is why it’s written, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

However, the scriptures read in Ephesians 2 that we were “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” Whilst it is true that works cannot and will not save us, it is equally true that God desires that we must do good works because “he ordained that we should walk in them.” Unfortunately, Paul says that because of the bondage of sin we are forced to do the evil of sin which reigns in man. The good news is that the salvation of Christ delivers us from that bondage so that we will be able to do the good which we so desire.

When Christ redeemed us, he led us to the freedom of doing good. Redemption is the act of purchasing something back, and Jesus Christ did just that because it is written, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” 1 Peter 1:18,19. Because of this new freedom we must not be slave of any one because the bible says to us, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men” 1 Corinthians 7:23.  The same bible further reads “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20

Our use of the word redemption means that Jesus Christ, through his sacrificial death, purchased us from the slavery of sin thereby setting us free from that bondage which made us fail to do the good we so much desired. It is now the reason why on the resurrection day good works will be pivotal to the final outcome. Jesus said in John 5:28-29, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” It thus follows that rewards are based on works, that which we did in our bodies whilst on this earth.

In my book Saints Made Merchandise, as i was commenting on Matthew 7:22-23 in contrast to Matthew 25:31-74, I write, “

I used to wonder at the contrasting features in the two above passages recorded in the book of Matthew until the day I realised the wealth of information in the two scriptures and the immense harmony the two have between them. In the first passage we have a group of people who claim to have done great works of power in the name of Jesus but the Lord says he never knew them. He further says that the group is made up of workers of iniquity. To me the passage was a marvel as well as a riddle. How could the Lord call people who prophesied and performed astounding miracles in his name workers of iniquity? How could he say he never knew his own prophets? Truly casting out devils in the Lord’s name is not a work of iniquity.

It took me years to comprehend and accept Matthew seven verses twenty-two and twenty-three. One day I realised that no human being has the ability to prophecy, cast out demons, or to perform miracles and great works of extra ordinary power. Not a single apostle ever healed a single man.

I know that one may say what about the exploits recorded in the book of Acts. Just hold on I will come to that.

At the temple gate called Beautiful a lame man was healed and everybody present credited Peter and John, the apostles with the miracle of healing but the two apostles denied the recognition out rightly. In the book of Acts chapter three verses twelve to sixteen Peter explained to the crowd that the lame man was healed by Jesus the Prince of Peace himself. True Peter made the physical contact with the lame man but it was Jesus who performed the actual healing because Isaiah says that by the stripes of Christ we are healed and not the stripes of Peter. It is Jesus who came to deliver captives therefore it is him who brings deliverance to demoniacs. If you ever prayed for a sick person or you cast out a demon it is no secret that you called on the name of Christ. If you never did it in the Lord’s name, then you are either a god or goddess. All of us do it in the name of Jesus Christ and all praise and credit go to him. The positive results are brought by Christ and not by our great faith or us. So the reality is that it is Jesus Christ who performs the works of power through us. We are only vessels through which he does them and there is none among us who can do a single work of power unless he does it through us.

Let me prove this with the story of Jonah. This Old Testament prophet prophesied to the city of Nineveh in the name of the Lord announcing that unless the inhabitants of that city repented with fasting, the city would be destroyed in forty days time. His word was received and everybody repented with fasting and sackcloth. This to Jonah was a very heavy blow because he knew that the city would consequently not be destroyed because the king and all citizens had taken heed to the word of the Lord preached by Jonah. In the end God did not punish the city because he saw that the inhabitants of the city turned away from their evil ways. Therefore the destruction prophesied by Jonah was negated and the prophet was exceptionally livid because his prophecy was denied fulfilment.

Jonah had no control over his word and what he prophesied but the Lord had all the power. When Jonah prophesied, the Holy Spirit convicted the people and they accordingly repented. All this was beyond Jonah’s control. If Jonah were in control he would have seen to it that not a single person repented so that the punishment he predicted would come in fulfilment of his prophecy. The same can happen to us. We can preach and teach but can never convict people of sin to cause repentance. We can pray for the sick but have no capacity to heal, it is Christ alone who can perform the healing. We may command a demon to leave its victim and if it does, it does not do so for fear of us but of Christ who works through us. Because of this I do not see how we can on that day have the audacity to stand and tell Christ that we did what he actually did.

The second passage speaks of the credit given us by the Lord, and indeed the works mentioned in that passage are what we can do. Every man has the ability to give and that we must do. Will the Lord be proud on that day to say to us you did it therefore inherit the kingdom or he will say you should have done it but you never did it. Lo, he says in Revelation 22:12, ‘behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give everyman according as his work shall be.’

Did you ever read Matthew 25:36 slowly, circumspectly and critically? It reads, ‘I was sick and you visited me.’ Note that he did not say, ‘I was sick and you healed me’ but ‘you visited me.’ What we are able to do is visiting the sick and it is the Lord’s duty to do the healing. We all know that when we visit a sick person we normally pray for the sick person for healing but the Lord in the above passage decided not to mention prayer but the act of visiting. I am of the opinion that the reason that we must take note of is that it is the Lord who performs healing and not our holiness or faith. That is why on that great day the Lord will not mention the healings brought about by our prayers and faith but the visits we made which led to the prayers. Did you ever read John’s account that Judas Iscariot used to misappropriate funds he was entrusted with? Did you also read Luke’s testimony that claimed that the same apostle thief also cast out devils in the Lord’s name and they left screaming? So you still think it was Judas casting out devils? No! I say it was the Lord.

Whatever we do whereby great works of power are put on display is not out of our ability or proficiency but it is the Lord’s doing. We always say, ‘in the name of Jesus Christ be healed,’ because we will be standing in the Lord’s shoes. We will be doing it for and on behalf of Christ solely depending on his power and that is why demons, sickness and disease submit because they fear the Lord. James says that devils actually tremble before the Lord. The reason why when we pray for the sick some get healed and others do not is because the Lord performs healing on whomsoever he wills and at his own time according to his own determination. Timothy used a little wine and refrained from drinking water (Tim.5: 23) because of his stomach ailment and persistent infirmities not because he lacked faith or that his church had failed to pray for him. It equally was not because of lack of faith on Paul’s part that he sought the Lord three times regarding a ‘thorn in his flesh’ or his infirmity without immediate response. It was because the Lord heals according to his own timing and willpower therefore it is not our prayers, which heal, but the Lord himself.

Now the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew makes it clear that we can do good works. We can feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the sick and prisoners and give shelter to the homeless. We can provide a home to orphans and widows. We may not be able to heal but we can give alms or pay visits. True we have no power to make people rich but we have the capacity and ability to assist a poor brother. We are very much in a position to give food to a hungry brother. Every one of us can do some good work and alms deeds are a part and parcel of good works. Whenever I discuss alms deeds apply the same principles on all other good works.

Paul says in 1st Corinthians three that Christ is the foundation upon which we must build our works. He further says that our works shall be tested by fire so be careful how you do your works. So much has been said by some to discredit acts of good works. We are only not supposed to put our trust in our works but the Lord who is supreme. The Lord infact keeps a record of our works and he monitors them to ensure that we do not slacken in doing good. To the church at Thyatira, in Revelation 2:19,24-25, he said, ‘I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works: and the last to be more than the first. I will put you none other burden but that which you have already hold fast till I come.’ To another church he said, ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and art dead,’ and in yet another place, speaking to the whole church he says, ‘my reward is with me, to give every men according as his work shall be.’ Rev. 3:11; 22:12.

This is what we can do. Everyman was created with the capacity and aptitude to do good works. The preacher wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:29, ‘Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.’ I believe that this is why at times wicked man may once in a while perform some rare good works. I have heard of instance when thieves or prostitutes have given out alms. This was so because God created all of us with the capability of doing good but it is unfortunate that Satan spoiled that good nature which was inherent in us. We thus have no excuse for not doing good since our salvation resuscitated that good nature because the grace of God that brings salvation appeared to us teaching us to do good and to live godly lives. Because of that ability and competence within us to do good, on that great day the Lord will be in a very good position to either say, ‘I was hungry and you gave me food’ or ‘I was sick and you never paid me a visit.’ Because we have the capability to do good, he will reward all of us according to our deeds and he will try our works using fire.

We may not all be apostles, pastors, evangelists, prophets or workers of miracles but we can all be performers of good works, we can all give. All of us can give alms and do good works because the Lord has given us that potential. Furthermore, his Holy Spirit enables us to do good works against which there is no law because love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. See Galatians 5:22. When we learn to give others we will have started to bear each other’s burdens, which is a great act of love. Alms are as a result an act of love and not a performance of duty. The moment alms cease to be acts of love they will stop be Christian. That is the point that makes a distinction between alms given by saints and those given by unbelievers. The unbeliever on average gives out of duty whereas the believer gives out of love. The believer gives so that he may bear a fellowman’s burden but the unbeliever gives because he may one day need similar help also from others. The latter, therefore gives in order to receive whereas the former gives in order to assist. The world believes that it is everyone’s duty to help because one day you may need the same help but Christianity says it is every saint’s joy to carry another man’s burden and it is part of every saint’s faith to give assistance when it is required.

When we bear each other’s burdens, the world will see that we love each other and will for that reason know that we are Christ’s disciples. They will not acknowledge our faith because of what we say but because of what they see us practice. Without love all our acts of good deeds are void and of no religious significance.

True, the ability to do good deeds is within us but what we need most is love to make that capability to do good potent. The apostle Paul says, ‘the good that I would do I do not: but the evil I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.’ Sin can therefore make our desire and knack to do good impotent. When we get rid of sin, good must flow out of us freely and abundantly. That is precisely why Paul said the grace of God that brings salvation causes a passion for good works. Has Christ delivered us from the law of sin and death? If he has then we have no justification for not doing good acts. He thus has every reason to either commend us or upbraid us for not sharing with others that which we possess. If we have money and have been delivered from the law of sin, why do we not freely give those in need? When those who dwelt in Judea were delivered, no one among them lacked anything because as many as had shared freely with those who did not have. Very few sermons on giving are recorded in the book of Acts but great acts of giving and sharing are recorded. Too many sermons on giving have been preached in our day and age but fewer acts have been observed. Why?

Many of us cannot provide for our own households and close relatives despite having the means so how can we provide for the saints? During the days of Timothy, the church never provided for the needs of the needy who were related to well to do saints because those well-off sure that their relatives never became destitute since they saw to it that their needs were met. How can you assist an outsider when your own next of kin are wallowing in poverty? Is that not being hypocritical? I often wonder what spirit works in many modern day Christians who always have enough money to extravagantly splash into offering bowels and always buy expensive groceries and suits for pastors whilst their own parents are suffering in poverty without getting any form of assistance from those Christians. Charity must begin in the home. We indeed can provide for the needs of our relatives and those of the saints and the general public because the law of sin no longer has any hold in us because, ‘the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly, in this present world; looking for the blessed hope, and glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous unto good works.’ It is true that we cannot all be apostles, but we can all be doers of good. We may not all be rich but we can all share what we have with the brethren. If the Lord with wealth at all blesses us, the purpose of that blessing is so that we use it to put on display the love and mercy of the Lord. Let us therefore strive to be rich in good works rather than in dollars and cents. What we can do let us do it not grudgingly.

Please read 1st Timothy 5 and 6:1