Are We Really Saved By Grace, Not Works

This post in in response to the reference in your text to Christopher Enoch’s post on October 2, 2013 titled, Are We Really Saved By Grace, Not Works”, http://christopherenoch.org/?p=299

My reaction to his article is ‘surprise’! He puts his own definition on ‘works’, builds a straw man,
and then shoots him full of holes. When the writer is free to make up his own definitions as he writes, he can make himself right and powerful by his own words.

Mr. Enoch defines ‘preaching’ as a work, and ‘comprehension’ as a work, and ‘confession’ as a work. It seems to me he feels that if you can see lightening, hear thunder, and fog a mirror, then you are working!

Of course people must hear, speak and understand to be saved by grace or any other method.

It seems to me Mr. Enoch’s basic error is failing to distinguish between ‘salvation’ and ‘sanctification’, i.e. become saved and living thereafter.

It seems to me that Paul uses 'works' as 'works of the law', or 'trying to keep the law'. If Mr. Enoch used that definition of 'works' I'm sure he'd come to a different conclusion.

Since Mr. Enoch’s topic was salvation I’ll post a few verses about salvation, leaving sanctification for another time.

I don’t know of any verses that say a person most do some good deeds to be saved by God. The verses I know of speak of how God did the saving through Jesus and now we must accept it or reject it. In fact, if we don’t accept, we’ve already rejected Christ, by default!

Joh 3:36  The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God's wrath remains on him.

Rom 4:3-8 ESV

(3)  For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness."

(4)  Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

(5)  And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

(6)  just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

(7)  "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;

(8)  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

Rom 1:17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." [This is a quote from the Old Testament] Hab 2:4  "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. 

Gal 3:8-11 ESV

(8)  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed."

(9)  So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

(10)  For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them."

(11)  Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." [This is another reverence to Hab 2.4]

Gal 2:16  yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

1Jn 5:10-12 ESV

(10)  Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son.

(11)  And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life [if we must work for it it’s not a gift], and this life is in his Son.

(12)  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Joh 3:16-18 ESV

(16)  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

(17)  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

(18)  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

1Ti 1:15-16 ESV

(15)  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

(16)  But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Eph 2:8-10 ESV

(8)  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

(9)  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

(10)  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [Here Paul separates salvation from good works – of course we who have put faith in Christ do good works, not to become saved, but because we are saved! There is a big, big difference!]

Gal 5:2-4 ESV

(2)  Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

(3)  I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

(4)  You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

[In the following verses (Gal 5.2-4) I assume Paul equates  ‘circumcision’ as the same thing as ‘ works of the law’, it seems to me that he’s saying that if you try to work your way into God’s presence by demonstrating what a good  person you are then Christ’s death is no advantage for you.]

Gal 5:2-4 ESV

(2)  Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

(3)  I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

(4)  You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

Rom 11:6  But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.