Is It Faith Or Works That Saves?

With all of the books out there and all of the information that a person can obtain on the Internet, I have to admit that I'm flabbergasted by the fact that people are still lending an ear to the false doctrines that some of the major religions have been churning out for centuries.

Every time I think about some of their guidelines, I get the willies. No. Actually, I get upset; I'm terrified for the poor people who believe the madness that these churches have been pumping into the heads of their followers.

Which brings me to the point of this article: I'm writing this article with the hope that the truth—at least the truth about this particular false doctrine that I will be addressing—can be spread around so that certain people who have been misled can come back to the Lord before its too late.

Specifically, the false doctrine that I'm talking about here is the one that teaches that people must do something, or do a ton of somethings, to earn their way into heaven.

People say all the time, "I was raised such and such (whatever religion he or she was brought up to practice), but I’m not anymore," or, "My parents made me go to such and such church, but I don’t believe in God." Why do you suppose that might be? Because they weren't taught to know God. Because they weren't taught that believing in Jesus will make the difference between going to heaven or hell after he or she dies. They've been left feeling empty; they haven't learned that God loves them unconditionally… even if they haven't done anything to deserve it.

From the time that these people first stepped foot in certain churches they were taught to believe that if they're a good person who does good things for other people, all in the name of the Lord, then God will throw open the doorway to heaven for him or her. All that does is leave people with the feeling that they have to be perfect or God will cast them aside. They believe that God won't love them if they aren't good. And, since they've messed up once or twice, there's no reason to keep trying to have a relationship with God. Why? Because these churches aren't teaching them any differently.

I've got news for you: Nobody is good except God (Mark 10:18).

Now I don't want you to think for an instant that I'm saying that Christians shouldn't do kind things for others. Proverbs 3:27 tells us that it is a sin to withhold good from another when it's in our power to do so and James 2 tells us that our faith without works is dead. In other words, if we have real faith, we'll want to do good things for others.

Good works or acts of kindness are meaningless unless they're done out of love. You do good things for others because you love of the Lord and because you love your brother or sister and you want to help him or her. What good has ever come of doing something when the mere thought of doing it, even if it is in the name of the Lord, causes one to roll his or her eyes?

If thinking about doing something for another gives one a feeling of dread or extreme anxiety, then the inspiration hasn't come from God; it has come from the desire to please the flesh. It's coming from a yearning to please other men.

The desire to be helpful or do kind things for others is a fruit of the Spirit of God. Part of the joy of helping someone else is to see him or her smile; to make their day a bit easier. Heaven forbid anyone being denied the joy of being able to help someone else. But the joy of doing something kind for someone else is taken away when people are forced to do it in order to earn that golden ticket into heaven.

I've listed a few verses below that should prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can only be saved by having faith in Christ Jesus:

• "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40 (NIV) I don't see anything here that says that we have to do anything in particular to earn salvation, do you? All I'm seeing here is that whoever will believe in Jesus will have everlasting life. I hope you agree.

• "For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee." Psalm 86:5 (KJV) This is saying that the Lord is merciful and ready to forgive all who call upon Him for salvation. It doesn't say anything about having to do anything in particular to become saved.

• "And Jesus said to him,'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'" Luke 23:43 (NKJV) Notice that Jesus didn't say, "If you do this or that, then you can go to heaven with me"? Seriously, what could the man have done while he hung on the cross but believe?

• "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NASB) I see nothing here either that says that we have to do anything to get into heaven, except believe in Christ Jesus.

• "It is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:5 (NIV) And, verses 8-9 say, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Funny, I don't see that we have to DO anything to get to heaven here either. We are saved by grace.

• "Who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time." 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV) Need I say more?

To drive home the point completely: Nowhere in the Bible does it say that there's some kind of weird karma thing that God uses to determine whether or not we go to heaven and there's no way to purchase our way into heaven.

Again, what is it that makes a person worthy of going to heaven after he or she dies?

A person must believe in Christ Jesus as his or her Savior and repent from his or her sins in order to be saved. That's it. There's nothing more.

I repeat: Anyone who believes in Christ Jesus as his or her savior and has turned away from his or her sins is saved; he or she already stands justified before the Lord.

Next time, we'll talk about another false doctrine—Purgatory.


Copyright 2009 Sandra Purdue, A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. You can use whatever I write for whatever purposes as long as you don't take credit for what I've written.

Our Legacy

The legacy we leave behind says a lot about the relationship we had with the Lord when we were still alive. Our actions, our words, and how we lived our lives will not only determine our future blessings in God’s kingdom, but they will also have a lasting impact on our descendants. When most people are worried about leaving their children with homes, money, stocks, bonds, and whatever else is important to them after they die, we need to keep in mind the greatest inheritance that we can pass on to our children and our grandchildren is the Lord.

Last time, we examined the life of Joseph to see how we can make the most of the trials that we can face in this life. During that study, we saw how our reactions in the face of our trials can have a lasting impact on our own lives as well as affect the lives of our families and descendants. Consider how ripples move outward on a pond; everything we do affects others for better or worse.

This time, we’ll look at the end of Joseph’s life and the end of his father Jacob’s life, to see what we can do to pass on the greatest inheritance of all: God.

Before we look at the end of either man’s life, let’s reexamine how seventeen-year-old Joseph reacted after he was sold into captivity. Though he cried and pleaded for his life, even at his young age, we can see that he had faith in the Lord. How? Because he didn’t complain, grumble, or try to kill his master or anyone else in an attempt to escape: He worked like he was working for the Lord. Through Joseph’s actions, we can see that his father, Jacob, shared his faith and knowledge of God with him while he was still young.

Genesis 22:18 tells us that God promised Abraham that his descendants would be a blessing to all nations. Had Jacob kept silent about the Lord and His promises, had Joseph not known God, as a worst case scenario, he could have reacted in ways that could have thwarted God’s plan for his life and the lives of his family, and future generations, all of which could have profoundly affected the lives of you and me. At the very least, God would have had to use someone else to channel His blessings. Joseph would have missed out on the blessings that God was waiting to bestow upon him and his family. Had Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or even Joseph not believed God’s promises and passed them on, we might not even know the Lord.

Moving to the end of Joseph’s father, Jacob’s life, we read all about what he left behind for his family, “Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.” Genesis 48:21. (Emphasis and underlining mine.) Notice that Jacob didn’t leave gold, silver or any other riches behind? Don’t be mistaken, the small tribe of Israel was extremely prosperous in the land of Egypt. Jacob could have put plenty of emphasis on who was going to get all of his worldly possessions and left everything else out, but he didn’t.

Rather, Jacob passed on the best he had to his son and grandsons: The legacy of God. He reminded Joseph about the promise that God had made to him and gave him a small plot of land that two of his other sons had taken from the Amorites several years beforehand.

Could Joseph make use of the land at the time he received it or any other time during his life? No. Does the Bible say that Jacob ever did anything useful with the land? Nope! So why on earth would Jacob bother with it in the first place? Because Jacob believed God’s promises with all of his heart, he passed on the land as a down payment, an assurance that God would some day fulfill His promise to the children of Israel. That alone is a pretty powerful statement about his faith in the Lord.

Now as we move toward the end of Joseph’s life in verse 50:23 of Genesis, we can see that one of his son’s children was counted as his. Undoubtedly, he taught them about the Lord and repeatedly told them everything that God promised him and his ancestors in his old age. The children probably sat at his feet, fascinated, while he told them all about what God had done for him during his life and what He had done for his ancestors. Perhaps they even made up skits and performed them for everyone who would take the time to watch. The point is that the children were taught about the saving grace of God, which is the most important thing any of us can learn during our lives.

Reading the account of Joseph’s death in verses 50:24-25, we see that he passed his inheritance, the promises of the Lord, on to his brothers and children. “But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” (NIV) That’s all that he needed to say to ensure that the legacy of the Lord would be passed on.

After that, like Jacob and Joseph before them, whenever the children of Israel would face trials of their own, they too could draw on the promises of God for strength. Most importantly, the inheritance Joseph passed on to his children is the knowledge of God; the kingdom of heaven, so that after they die, they can be with the Lord forever.

We are called to do the same. The best way to ensure that the inheritance of God is passed from generation to generation is to give our lives to God and then share our beliefs in Him and our knowledge of Him with our children and grandchildren like Jacob and Joseph did.

Ephesians 1:11 tells us that our inheritance is God and His kingdom. Right now, I’m going to challenge you by asking you to make your decision now: Do you want to pass on the legacy of the Lord so that your children and grandchildren can live forever, or do you want to pass on earthly blessings, things of this world that are only temporary blessings that your children and grandchildren can’t take with them after they die?

How To Make The Most Of Your Trials

Many Christians think that the trials and tribulations we face are evidences of God’s displeasure with him or her. He or she might be thinking, “If I’m careful enough to avoid sinning, that should give God reason to protect me from ever having to suffer or face discomfort of any kind… right?” or “I had to have done something wrong if I’m suffering… haven’t I?”

But that’s not the way that God operates. Even the most virtuous Christian men and women suffer at one time or another during their lives. But that hardly seems fair. So why would God, being a fair God, make us undergo trials then?

Since God wants to teach us to rely solely on Him and quit trying to fix everything ourselves, he uses our trials to draw us closer to Him, to help us develop perseverance, and to purify us like gold that’s been purified in the fire. Will we become angry with God, or will we turn to the Lord and say, “Okay, God, I don’t understand what’s going on right now, but I trust You to work everything out for the good of all concerned.” Hebrews 5:8-10 tells us that even Jesus, who was sinless, suffered through trials so that He could be made perfect.

Further, God tests us to see how we’ll handle disappointment, delays, and hardships. The mark of a mature believer is what he or she does in the midst of suffering. For now, we’re going to travel back to the Old Testament where we can examine the life of Joseph to see what he did so we can learn how to persevere in the face of trials.

At the age of seventeen, Joseph, the son of Jacob, was sold into slavery by his brothers and taken to Egypt (Genesis 37). Could you imagine having to go through something like that? I can’t. I know I would be indignant to say the least.

So what happened? What did Joseph do? After he was sold to Potiphar, after he became Potiphar’s slave, he did everything that was required of him. I can imagine that there had to have been layer upon layer of trials and tribulations for Joseph during this time. It must have seemed like there would be no end to them at times. Surely, he made mistakes; innocent mistakes no less, and was disciplined harshly for them. Since Egyptians considered Hebrews to be lower than dirt. No doubt, Potiphar and his family spoke to him like he was a piece of refuse.

Despite Joseph’s lowly position in the world, the Lord blessed everything he did. When Potiphar, who was a non-believer, saw that Joseph was blessed by God, he put everything he owned under Joseph’s authority. Everything, except what he would eat, was given to Joseph to take care of (Gen. 39:2-6).

Why? How could this have happened to Joseph even though he was considered a lowlife in Egypt? Because Joseph remained faithful to God. The entire time that he was in bondage, the whole time that he was nothing more than a lowly slave, he kept his eyes on the Lord. And no matter what, rather than become discouraged, grumble or complain, he worked like he was working directly for the Lord. In his mind, the Lord was his employer.

On top of that, he knew that seeking the approval of God was much more important than getting Potiphar’s or any other human’s approval. He looked to the Lord for his reward, his eternal reward, while he gave God all the credit for everything good.

Just like most things in life, his rise above his tribulations didn’t happen immediately, but it took time, many years worth of time. Do you have a boss that’s driving you crazy or are you becoming impatient for that raise or promotion? Perhaps your boss promised it to you, but it never happened. Ask God for perseverance and determination to see things through or lead you in another direction. Perhaps your calling is not to be in a position of authority, but maybe God wants you to be right where you are. Pray that God will show you what your calling is and then pray for the courage to go in that direction.

In Genesis 39, we see how Potiphar’s wife makes numerous sexual passes at him. Even though Joseph was young and handsome, and no doubt had physical needs, rather than give in to lust, he dug in his heels and stubbornly refused. The key verse is in Genesis 39:9 where Joseph asked Potiphar’s wife, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” Joseph had a healthy fear of the Lord that prevented him from committing fornication and adultery with this woman. Once again, he proved himself faithful to the Lord.

So what happened as a result of his refusing to sin? He was thrown into prison after Mrs. Lustful lied about him by telling her husband that Joseph attempted to rape her. So much for his rise to power. Now he’s a low-down prisoner with no hope of ever getting out. All of his hard earned recognition and favor was swept away, thrown into the sewer because he remained faithful to God. Undoubtedly, he was beaten, humiliated and treated worse than ever in prison.

However, later, Joseph found himself second in command to the prison warden. The warden put him in charge of everything and everyone. Amazing!

Again, how in the world did Joseph gain the favor of another nonbeliever and everyone else that knew him even though everyone thought he tried to molest Potiphar’s wife? The key to his success is in Genesis 39:20 where it says, “But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him." With all he had, with everything inside of him, Joseph he clung to God’s promise that He would be with him no matter what he would be forced to endure. Though he couldn’t see God, or even reach out and touch Him, he knew that God was right there with him.

On top of that, rather than let discouragement gobble him up whole, he trusted God to work everything out while he worked like he was working for the Lord, because that’s Who he was really working for, and seeking to please. Through thick and thin, God is with us too.

Some time later, Joseph became concerned for two men who were in his charge. One happened to be Pharaoh's chief cupbearer; the other was his chief baker. Both men had had disturbing dreams the evening prior and neither knew what they meant. Being in prison, since no one would have much to do with them, they had no hope of having their dreams interpreted.

Out of concern, Joseph approaches them and says, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams," (Genesis 40:8). So they tell Joseph about their dreams, and once Joseph interprets the dreams accurately, he asks the cupbearer to mention Joseph to Pharaoh, and see if he could help get him out of prison. Do you think the cupbearer remembered Joseph after he was sprung from that jail? Not on your life!

Two years pass before Pharaoh has a terrible dream and no one in Egypt is able to interpret it.

“Oh yeah… I was supposed to tell Pharaoh about that Joseph guy,” the cupbearer must have thought just before he mentioned Joseph by name.

Figuring that there’s nothing else to lose, Pharaoh calls Joseph to interpret the dream.

Genesis 41:16 tells us how Joseph answered, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Then when Joseph does interpret the dreams, he tells Pharaoh, "God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.”

So what happened then? Without hesitation, after Pharaoh realized that Joseph was correct, he put Joseph in charge of everything in Egypt. Second to Pharaoh, he was The Man.

But why? Why would someone like Pharaoh hold Joseph in such high regard? First, while Joseph was forgotten in prison, he didn’t complain or blame the cupbearer. I doubt he even became angry with him for his negligence. Secondly, Joseph gave all of the credit to God so God blessed him tremendously.

Just before Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, he didn’t recognize some other god that couldn’t care less if Joseph and everyone else rotted in hell for eternity or not; he gave the credit to the maker of everything, Who is Father to all. For that, for his faith in God and his obedience, and for his faithfulness in the small things, he was given the position of such high authority. Not only that, but Pharaoh gave him an Egyptian wife. And she was probably drop-dead-gorgeous.

We’re going to veer off the main road of this article for a moment while we examine why God would have permitted Joseph to marry an Egyptian. I believe it’s because God knew that Joseph wouldn’t choose to follow pagan gods, that he would remain faithful to his calling which was to not only be a famous man in Egypt, but a husband who would also be a spiritual leader in his home. God knew that Joseph would teach his wife about Him and that she would become a believer.

If Joseph hadn’t done what he was called to do in his home, I don’t believe for an instant that God would have blessed him with his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who would later be adopted by Jacob and integrated into the twelve tribes of Israel in place of Reuben and Simeon (Gen. 48:5).

Now back to the story: While the famine was in full swing, Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt from Canaan to buy food. Let me tell you: Meeting his brothers for the first time in so many years must have been quite a trial! But it wasn’t for Joseph. He didn’t think twice about helping them. Sure, he could have been cruel to them by refusing to sell them grain, but he didn’t. Nor did he charge them double like he could have done. After testing his brothers a little, he was more than happy to help them in their time of need. In fact, he returned their money to them as they were leaving.

What was his reward for putting his full trust in God? His entire family was restored and lived in peace with each other and the Egyptians for many years. His entire family was prosperous.

Later, after Joseph’s father died his brothers were terrified that he might seek revenge for what they’d done to him all those years ago. But did he? Absolutely not! The key to his mindset is in Genesis 50:19 where he said, “Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” Joseph left revenge out of his thinking while he leaned on God for strength and understanding.

Rather than give in to his human nature by repaying evil for evil, he trusted God to see him through everything and to turn all of the bad stuff that had happened to him into something good, something beautiful, and that’s exactly what God did for him. His family remained intact and the world was all the more blessed by his actions.

Unfortunately, when a new Pharaoh took over, he thrust them into slavery (Exodus 1).

Had Joseph not set a godly example for his descendants, had Joseph been rebellious, bitter or angry over what happened to him, his children would have reacted the same way when the Egyptians mad them slaves. The result would have been disastrous as the Egyptians surely would have wiped Israel out.

Because Joseph was obedient to God; because he trusted the Lord, that obedience and faith was passed on to his children, his children’s children and so forth. Because they clung to God and His promises, their nation grew. Even though we aren’t Jewish, we have Joseph to thank not only for his example, but also for the fact that we’ve been adopted into God’s family.

Below, I’ve listed several things that Joseph did in the face of his trials so we can see what we should do when we’re being tested:

1. Through it all, Joseph didn’t concern himself with what men thought of him; he concerned himself with what God thought of him.

2. While he was a slave, he didn’t grumble or gripe about his situation; he made the best of it. His word was good. In every job that he had undertaken, he did what he pledged to do. He worked like he was working for the Lord.

3. Joseph was a man of integrity. Nowhere does it say that he stole anything from anyone even though he had ample opportunities to do so.

4. Despite being tempted numerous times, he ran from temptation when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him. He didn’t flirt with sin; he didn’t skirt around the edges of it and become friendly with it like Lot did when he moved near Sodom and then into the city of Sodom, he literally ran from sin (Genesis 39:12).

5. Even after he was falsely accused of rape by Potiphar’s wife, and then thrown into prison, he went so far as to comfort others that needed comforting (Gen. 40:6-7).

6. When his brothers who had sold him into slavery came to him for help, he helped them. He wasn’t bitter or resentful. He forgave them completely because he recognized the fact that what they meant for evil, the Lord used it to fulfill His purpose, which was good (Gen 50:20).

7. He believed in and leaned on God and His promises.

8. Joseph didn’t allow himself to become corrupt when he had absolute power. Instead of putting his faith and trust in the things and people of the world, no matter how bleak and dismal things may have looked from time to time, he pinned his hopes and dreams on the plan that God had for him. He always looked forward to his eternal reward.

9. He didn’t worship the gods of the Egyptians. Doing so would have caused him to be unfaithful to the Lord. But to be idolatrous, we don’t have to bow down to a false god: All we have to do is consider money, fame, or any other thing to be more important than the Lord.

Now that we know what we can do right when we’re going through adversity, now that we know what we can do to live a life full of God’s purpose, we’ll take a look at the surefire ways that we can throw away God’s blessings on our lives:

1. We can gripe, complain, and blame God and everyone else for anything that happens in our lives that we don’t like. But that would only make things more difficult for us and drive a wedge between us and God, and between us and other believers.

2. We can live for the approval of other people. However by seeking the endorsement of men, we’re disobeying the first commandment which is to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls and minds; we’re loving other men more than God (Mark 12:29-31).

3. We could be wishy-washy: We could trust God one minute, and then find fault with what He’s doing in our lives the next. But again, that would just make our trials all that much more difficult.

4. We could be unfaithful with everything God gives to us, but then again, He would take things from us that we don’t even have (Matthew 25:29).

5. We could flirt with sin or we could even keep on sinning. That would make the devil really happy!

6. We could ignore God, and not seek to know Him. Doing so would keep us in spiritual infancy for the rest of our lives, unfortunately.

What it all boils down to is that what we do in the midst of our trials helps define our walk with the Lord. Since our trials are opportunities to learn more about God and to draw closer to Him, with our eyes on the Lord, always wanting to grow up in Him, let’s do what James recommends in the first chapter of his epistle, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

We must always thank the Lord for our trials as we march forward in the Lord always looking forward to the day when we will meet Him face-to-face. But until that day, in order to make the most of our trials, we should never be afraid to ask God for the perseverance and wisdom to get through it while asking Him to help us learn from the experience. By doing so, we’re reaching through the storm and taking God’s hand so He can lead us out of it.

The most important thing though is that if we can bear in mind that our lives here are only temporary, and that our suffering is only be for a little while compared to the glory that awaits us in the hereafter, and if we can cling on to our pure, raw faith in the fact that the Lord will see us through, we will please God because it is by faith only that we can ever hope to please God.