View source for Works

[[File:faith.jpg|right|350px|thumb|"'''Faith''' is confidence or trust... rather than [[Allegiance_and_Faith|allegiance]]. The [[fruit]]s of true faith is "probity", defined as: “Justice, honesty.” [[Faith]] in [[Christ]] will compel us to [[seek]] the [[kingdom of God]] and produce the [[righteousness]] of God.<Br>
]] 
== Works or Faith ==

Are we saved by works or by faith? Should we ask Paul or James? Should we first define terms like works, faith, law and even saved?

We are saved by true faith. 

How do you know you have living faith?

Just because some one says Lord, Lord<Ref>"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."  [[Matthew 7]]:21-22 
: Luke 6:46 "And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
: Luke 13:25 "When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:"
</Ref> or that they claim to have faith does not make it so. 

Christ is very specific that you have to be a [[doer]] of the word.<Ref>James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
 </Ref>
This is not saying you can earn salvation by works and it certainly is clear just saying over and over that you have faith does not make it so.

[[Faith]] compels us to obey God by its nature if it is true faith. That is why you know you do not have true faith if you are doing contrary to Christ and what he said to do and not do. If you have real faith and love of Christ you will [[ Keep the Commandments|keep the commandments]]. If you are not keeping the commandments then you should realize you do not have real faith. This is why Christ said [[strive]] and persevere.

Many will think they have faith and imagine that they are believers and say that they are coming in the name of Christ<Ref>: Matthew 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
: Mark 13:6  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many.
: Luke 21:8  And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.</Ref> but they will just be fooling themselves according to Jesus who will tell them he does not even know them. He will tell them to depart from him because of what they have een doing which will be counted as [[workers of iniquity]].<Ref>Luke 13:27  But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] [[workers of iniquity]].</Ref>

Many will think they are believers
James was adamant:

:  "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone...  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?...  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." [[James 2]]:17-26


If there are no works nor righteousness or if you are doing contrary to the doctrines of Christ that is very strong evidence you do not have real faith. Yes, no one is righteous and real faith is counted as righteousness.<Ref>Romans 4:5  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.</Ref> Fake faith saves no one. 

In truth many are under a [[strong delusion]] that they have faith when they do not.                                                 

Many clearly think they have faith and works but must have been deceived, at least self-deceived because of their works of iniquity like the covetous practices of those who become [[merchandise]], return to the [[bondage of Egypt]], and [[curse children|curse their children]] with debt. And then there is the whole Matthew 25:34-46. Those helping the brethren are in even though they did not know why until they were told and those not helping the brethren are out.

There are those who might try to get you to think that the commandments were done away with but that is not what Paul was saying. It was the ritual performance of the rules and interpretations of the [[Pharisees]] Their hand written [[ordinances]] and certainly their [[Corban]] that the followers of Christ were no longer bound by. but the Commandments were just as valid for Paul as it was for [[Christ]] and [[Moses]].

Jesus makes it clear that that if we are going to "enter into life" we should [[strive]] to "keep the commandments".<Ref>Matthew 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? [there is] none good but one, [that is], God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.</Ref> We see the same directive in John14 and 15.<Ref>John 14:15  If ye love me, keep my commandments.
: John 15:10  If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.</Ref>

Like James, John also reminds us that if we are not keeping the commandments we have evidence that we do not really love God or Jesus.<Ref>1 John 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
: 1 John 3:22  And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
: 1 John 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.</Ref>

{{Template:Good works}}

{{Works of the Law}}




{{Template:Network}}

== Footnotes ==

<references />


{{Template:Gregory-info‎}}

[[Category:Articles]]

[[Category:Definitions]]

[[Category:Topics]]

[[Category:Words]]