1. Faith or Works?
Which is it?

2. Faith or Works?
There are very differing views held on this question in the religious world.
It could be easy to see how someone with a superficial knowledge of the scriptures might be conflicted about what the New Testament teaches on this matter.
At first glance some scriptures may even seem contradictory to one another on the subject of whether we are saved by Faith or Works.

3. Faith or Works?
Verses like the following may seem to support the idea that we are saved by faith alone.
Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Joh 6:47 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
Ro 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

4. Faith or Works?
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
These verses seem to leave works out of the equation all together but other verses seem to show the necessity of good works.
Mt 7:24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

5. Faith or Works?
Ro 2:6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds":
7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath,
9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

6. Faith or Works?
2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Re 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

7. Faith or Works?
Re 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
These verses seem to place the emphasis on what we do and leave the idea of Faith out all together.

8. Faith or Works?
Let me say now that the Scriptures do not contradict themselves!
God’s Word is perfect.
If we believe two verses in the scriptures contradict each other then we have a misunderstanding of one or both of those verses.
The simple answer to our question of “faith or works” is, it takes both to save us!

9. Both Faith or Works
One of the greatest examples of someone who was made right before God by “Faith and Works” is Abraham!
The Apostle Paul uses Abraham as an example when writing to the Christians in Rome.
Paul is comparing the Law of works (Law of Moses) with the Law of Faith (Law of Christ)
He is going to make the point that Abraham is the father of those who are saved by faith.

10. Both Faith or Works Was he justified by works or faith?
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
If Abraham had done enough works to earn salvation he could have bragged about that
But he didn’t. His righteousness came thru faith

11. Both Faith or Works
Abraham’s righteousness came thru faith the same way our righteousness comes thru faith.
Ro 4:4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
We are made righteous by believing in God!
We are not depending on our works for our salvation.

12. Both Faith or Works
But, does this mean all we have to do is believe???
Lets read a little further
Ro 4:9 ¶ Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.

13. Both Faith or Works
Ro 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,
12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.

14. Steps of Faith
Not only was Abraham the physical ancestor (father) of the Jew (circumcised).
He is also the spiritual ancestor (father) of those who walk in his steps of faith (Christian).
I want to take a look at some of these steps of faith that Abraham took and lets try to determine if God would have accounted him as righteous if he had not taken these steps.

15. Steps of Faith
Abraham left his homeland, Ur of the Chaldeas when God told him to.
Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

16. Steps of Faith
Ge 12:1 ¶ Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you.
God told him to pack up and leave and I will show you where to go after you leave.
This is one of the steps of faith that Abraham took.
Do we believe God would have considered Abraham righteous if he had refused to leave his homeland?

17. Steps of Faith
What would have been the result if Abraham would have said “God I believe in you but I just can’t leave my family and friends”?
Another one of the steps of faith that Abraham took was offering up Isaac as a sacrifice to God.
Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

18. Steps of Faith
Ge 22:2 Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.“
We know how the rest of this story goes.
Abraham rose up early the next morning to go and do as God had commanded him
Just as Abraham was about to plunge the knife into his son, God stopped him.

19. Steps of Faith
Ge 22:10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
11 ¶ But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am."
12 And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

20. Steps of Faith
This step of faith that Abraham successfully completed was a test given him by God.
Do we think God would have considered Abraham righteous if he had failed this test?
What if Abraham would have said “God I believe in you but I just can’t kill my son”?
It took faith and obedience to be considered righteous by God.
Lets look at another one of Abraham’s steps of faith.

21. Steps of Faith
Abraham sent his 14 year old son Ishmael and his mother Hagar away because God told him to in Gen 21
Ge 21:9 ¶ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing.
10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac."

22. Steps of Faith
Ge 21:11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.
13 "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."

23. Steps of Faith
Ge 21:14 ¶ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
Why would Abraham do something so contrary to human nature and the love he had for his son?
Because he believed God. This was another of his steps of Faith!

24. Steps of Faith
Abraham’s faith and his obedience could not be separated.
One of them would not have been any good without the other.
It’s it the same with us today.
Jas 2:20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

25. Steps of Faith
James uses the example of Abraham offering Isaac to prove the point that it takes both Faith and Works.
James says Abraham was justified by his works.
Justified: Greek word dikaioo: to render just or innocent, free, be righteous.
Jas 2:22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
Perfect: Greek teleioo: to complete

26. Steps of Faith Abraham’s faith was not complete without his works
Jas 2:22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, RSV
Jas 2:23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God.
This was fulfilled after Abraham’s works.

27. Steps of Faith
Jas 2:24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
If we want to be a child of Abraham like we read about in Romans 4
Rom 4:12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised.
We must walk in “steps of faith”

28. Steps of Faith When God told Abraham to do something he did it!
If we are going to walk in his “steps of faith” then when God tells us to do something we must do it!
Our steps of faith must be directed by the Word of God and the Word of God alone!
Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

29. Steps of Faith
Abraham was not considered the “friend of God” because he did some of the things God commanded him to do but all of them.
We must do all that God has commanded us.
Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

30. Conclusion What is the conclusion then?
Our faith is useless without our works.
Our works are useless without our faith.
It takes both of them together to obtain our salvation.
Does this mean we earn our salvation by our works? Absolutely not!
It does mean we have to be obedient to God in order to obtain His free gift.