True Faith in Christ Results to Works
There was always the stand of the Baptist and the Reformers saying, "We are saved by faith alone but definitely not by a faith that is alone." It's a modern heresy that is creeping in the churches today that one can have faith without works, one can be a Christian and not bear fruit. One critic even called books like "The Gospel According to Jesus" by John Macarthur and "Revival's Golden Key" by Ray Comfort to be skeleton keys for revival, not golden keys. But I have read both books myself and I find them to be really important for revival. The videos like "Hell's Best Kept Secret" and "True and False Conversion" by Ray Comfort reveal the true faith from the false, those who have eternal security are different from those who don't by their actions.
Being a Christian there is a high cost yet an infinite value. Salvation is free in the sense man cannot buy it and it is free, all by faith in God yet it is costly because getting saved can mean rejection, disowning by one's family and even lose one's very own life. That is the paradox that was presented in the book "Hard to Believe" which has been re-edited because of erroneous editing in the past. Authentic faith can be distinguished from sham faith just as true conversions can be distinguished from false conversions. The apostles showed their faith by this- they chose to trust all their possessions to God's hands. Matthew and Zaccheus didn't pack their publican status, no they left their posts from Rome to follow Jesus. The adulterous woman after throwing herself at the feet of Jesus was told to sin no more. Saul of Tarsus the persecutor became Paul of Tarsus the evangelist. People around were not sinning all they want but rather, these people were forsaking sin because of true faith in Christ. True faith changes the lives of sinners indeed.
In truth, we are really suffering from the mentality of "easy Christianity" or "After you pray a sinner's prayer, no lordship of Christ in your life, no carrying of the cross, no daily submission to lordship..." which even some so-called easy believists and so-called opponents of Lordship salvation cannot swallow such heresy. It's pretty bad we are already having soulwinning but we are having them simply repeat a sinner's prayer, tell them they are saved yet there is no true reformation, just a false profession of faith that is involved. Antinomianism has led people to Hell as much as works salvation. In fact, I salute Paul David Washer's frequent preaching about the fact that there are no carnal Christians. Christians can fall into a carnal state, yes but not remain carnal indefinitely which is a difference. I suffer from carnality, I struggle with it but I am not carnal indefinite. In fact, I have every right to doubt the salvation of people who claim to be Christians but are living so sinfully. I mean how in the world should I even accept a habitual adulterer member of my local church living in with another man's wife to be a Christian who is repeating the sins of Herod Antipas by cohabiting with his sister-in-law Herodias? David committed adultery with Bathsheba but he was not a habitual adulterer. For anybody who lives like the rest of the world and says they are Christian, I dare put a huge question mark to that.
What we need right now is to assess what is truly an authentic faith. If one reads the Bible, one can see even Paul affirmed the relation of works to faith. One can have works without faith (pretentious, dead works) but one can never have faith without works (true good works as a result of faith). True faith creates works. Ephesians 2:8-10 is clear on this- saved by faith through faith so no one could boast since it is not of works then verse ten affirms the Biblical truth that though saved by faith alone, not by a faith that is alone. Romans 3:31 declares that Christians do not make the law void but they are to fulfill the Law. Romans 6 says the new life in Christ changes the Christian. Romans 10:9-13 declares confessing the Lord Jesus Christ which once and for all calls for the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ. Titus 2:11-14 describes God's grace to be the reason why Christians result to good works. Philippians 2:13 says that is God's work in the Christian then that creates good works. Matthew 7:16-20 says that by their fruits they shall be known and that Christians bear different fruit. John 15:1-8 differentiates the worthless branch from the fruitful branch which the Father trims so they can bear much fruit. James 2:18 clearly shows a faith without works is not real faith but a dead one indeed. Good works are necessary to validate one's faith like a mango tree bears mangoes to validate the tree is indeed a mango tree. Hebrews 11 shows the great works done by what- faith in God! Noah built the ark, Abraham left for the journey, Joshua conquered Jericho, Rahab reformed from harlotry all because of faith. If they had no faith, no such works would exist. The Apostolic doctrine of the Bible was later upheld by the Baptists and Reformers who dared not to dream a faith that is empty but rather a faith that bears fruit.
Every time we talk about salvation, it's saved to serve, not to sin that's why I really keep throwing question marks at people who claim to be saved yet are living like devils. In fact, I even dare say such people aren't saved to start with because Christians may stumble into sin but they do not remain indefinitely in sin. In fact we read "saved from sin" in Matthew 1:21. In Hebrews 9:14 calls that Christians have their consciences purged by the blood of Jesus from their dead works to serve the living God. While service and holiness are never prerequisites to salvation but they are definitely marks of salvation. I serve God, I give offerings, I do good works all because of God's grace. I take no credit for my works, it was works that came from my faith in Christ. That faith was planted in me, it is watered daily, it is trimmed daily and I am sanctified daily. Whenever I sin, that sin is cut off. I am chastised (Hebrews 12:5-6) because I am a son, not a bastard. I am chastised because God loves me and doesn't want me to remain in indefinite carnality but rather be useful to Him. The fact what He has begun, He will certainly finish it (Philippians 1:6-7). Every good work I do, I am confident only by the grace of God and refuse to glory in it.