The Works Salvationist Robs Away the Glory From God!

The works salvationist or proponent of conditional security may ask me, "If good works do not save or keep you saved why do you do good works?" or "Well God being righteous demands we work for our salvation."  But that is the lie that many are subjected to.  Folks, the problem with works salvation is that it steals the glory from God.  Man in himself is a sinner.  Romans 3:10-19 declares the total depravity of man.  The Pharisees who sought to justify themselves by their supposedly holier lives only fell out of God's grace.  Despite the fact that the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:12 to work out salvation with fear and trembling (which the Catholic Bible puts 'to complete' in the Good News translation), however even in the Catholic versions Philippians 2:13 declares that it is God that works in Christians!  It is God that works in believers.  It's all God's work.  Hebrews 9:14 declares God has redeemed the Christian from theri state of sin and from dead works to serve the living God.

So what's the motive of the works salvationist against the Christian in the doing of good works?  The great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "It is not enough to do the correct thing, it must be done in a right spirit, and with a pure motive. A good action is not wholly good unless it be done for the glory of God, and because of the greatness and goodness of His holy Name."  The Puritan namely William Guthrie wrote, "A godly man may argue thus, Whosoever receive Christ are justly reputed the children of God - 'But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.' (John 1:12) but I have received Christ in all ways which the word there can import for I am pleased with the device of salvation by Christ, I agree to the terms I welcome the offer of Christ in all His offices, as a King to rule over me, a Priest to offer sacrifice and intercede for me, a Prophet to teach me; I lay out my heart to Him and towards Him as I am able.  What else can be meant by the word receiving?  The second mark of a gracious state and true saving interesting in Jesus Christ is the new creature - 'If many man be in Christ he is a new creature.' (2 Corinthians 5:17)... In all who warrant pretend to Christ, this new creature must be... This new creature is called 'new man' (Col. 3:10) which points out the extent of it.  It is not simply a new tongue or new hand but a new man.  There is the principle of new life and motion put in the man which is the new heart which new principle of life sendest for the acts of life or of 'conformity to the image' of Him who created it, so that the party is renewed in some measure of every way (Col. 3:10)."  Martin Luther also wrote, "Yet he does not mean interior repentance only nay interior repentance is void if it does not produce different kinds of mortifications of flesh."  That was the stand of the Baptists and the Reformers, "Salvation by faith alone but by a faith that produces works."

How true indeed. Christ warned of such hypocrisy in the story of the Pharisee and the publican which contrasted repentant sinners from the Pharisees.  In Luke 18:10-14 we read of the story of two people who came to pray which was the Pharisee and the Publican.  The Pharisee prayed that he was thankful to God that he was unlike other people.  On the other hand the publican could do nothing else but see his total depravity and cry out, "God be merciful to me, a sinner."  Jesus declared the tax collector and not the Pharisee to have gone home justified before God.  Let us therefore examine in the light of Scripture.  It is very crucial therefore that we keep the stand in the Reformation that, "Salvation is by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone."  Historic Christianity has always upheld that though salvation is not by works but salvation certainly results to works to verify it, like an apple tree is verified by its apples.  As the great Presbyterian pastor, Thomas Manton wrote, "Works are an evidence of true faith.  Graces are not dead, useless habits; they will have some effects and operations when they are weakest and in their infancy... This is evidence by which we must judge and this is the evidence by which Christ will judge... Works are not a ground of confidence but an evidence, not the foundations of faith but the encouragements of assurance.  Comfort may be increased by the sight of good works but it is not built upon them; they are seeds of hope, not props of confidence, sweet evidences of election not causes; happy presages and beginnings of glory in short, they can manifest an interest but not merit it."

The motive behind the Christian good work is said even during the earthly ministry of Jesus.  In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said to His disciples to let their light so shine before men that they may glorify the Father which is in Heaven.  Did it say, "So they may glorify you?" but no, it wrote, "So they may glorify your Father which is in Heaven."  I do Christian good works because I am a Christian but I refuse to take glory in them.  Truly indeed Christians will bear fruit but they cannot take glory for it.  In John 15:1-8 we read of Christ referring to the vine (Himself), the Christians as the branches and the unsaved as the dead branch that is cast away. You may want to notice that Christ says, "Apart from me, you can do nothing."  It symbolizes the work of Christ in the believer, His Father is the groomer that does the sanctification.  God prunes the Christian from sin and vice so they may bear more fruit.  The Christian's good works are again but a result of God's work and not of His own.  If a Christian fails to produce good works it may be because they fail to rely on Him more and leaning to their own understanding.  Christian good works are not for self-glory or self-preservation, rather it is but the glory of God and God that works in them, it's by the grace of God (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:13, Titus 2:11-14).  The Gospel changes the lives of people not by their own but by God's grace.  God ordained the good works of the believer so they may be seen a peculiar people different from the rest of the world.  Zaccheus, Matthew and Paul were example of changed lives wrought only by the Gospel.  Zaccheus was a dirty sinner and yet when he let Jesus into his house, salvation came and changed him.  Matthew once Levi the tax collector became Matthew the disciple.  Paul the apostle was once Saul the persecutor became the great apostle only by God's grace.  In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul attributes everything he did to God emphasizing, "By God's grace I am that I am."  Nobody should take credit for the good works they do, it's only "To God be the glory."

On the other hand, the works salvationist actually steals the glory from God.  They do good works not because they love God but it's all about self.  It's all focused on pride and self-centeredness saying, "I did it." and "I made it."  In short their view of salvation is the pride of, "Thank God I made it into Heaven."  Folks, that is utter blasphemy.  The works salvationist wants to take the credit for himself or herself.  They are too proud to believe salvation is by faith alone that Christian good works are but the product of God's grace in the regeneration of the saved person.  They want to earn their salvation by countless rituals like Rosary beads, confessionals, walking while kneeling, multiple candle lighting and doing foolish penance of self-affliction rather than let God do the testing.  Some even have gone as far as to crucify themselves every Good Friday which is an insult to Christ's finished work on the cross.  In short these men are robbing the glory from God.  They are glorified like the Pharisees were glorified before men, they love the approval of men more than God by their actions.  In fact they also ignore the harsh Gospel truth in Galatians 2:21 that is righteousness came by the Law then Christ is dead in vain and Galatians 5:4 warning those who seek to be justified by the Law are fallen from grace.  The Apostle Paul even declared in Philippians 3:7-9 that every good work he did cannot win Christ and that he is found not having his own righteousness but by Christ which is of faith, in short Paul credited every good work he's done to Christ and Christ alone.  That is so not the attitude of the works salvationist!

And in the end, they will face Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 where they may brag of all their good works like with Pastor Ruben L. Lumagbas Jr.'s examples like "But Lord I walked while kneeling, I even had myself crucified every Good Friday with all the flogging, I was the one who accommodated the priest for the feast... Lord doesn't that count to anything?". However in in the end, Christ tells them, "I never knew you.  Depart from me you that work iniquity!"  Not that Jesus is against good works but rather he exposes their works to be but "dead works" and "unrighteousness" plus so many who believe in works salvation actually live so sinful lives.