The Obedience of Faith

Saved by Grace
The cornerstone doctrine of the Protestant Reformation is expressed so well in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” As Martin Luther put it, “Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.” God is entirely responsible for our salvation.

The Book of James
But there is a tension within the Scriptures, when we compare the many references to our works and obedience. The book of James is a good example, a book that Martin Luther and others of the Reformation placed on a lower level of importance than Paul’s letters, since James didn’t use the language of Ephesians and other writings of Paul. On the surface, James seems to emphasize works over faith. In Romans 4:3, Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” to illustrate that we are saved by faith, not works. James quotes the same verse in 2:23, concluding that Abraham’s faith was “active along with his works and faith was completed by his works”, and so “we are saved by works, not by faith alone.”

Many have pointed to this as one of the “contradictions” of Scripture. But even Paul used the phrase “obedience of faith” in Romans 1:5 and Romans 16:26. Elsewhere in Paul’s writings, he uses terms like “obey the truth” (Romans 2:8, Gal. 5:7) “obey the Gospel” (Romans 10:16, 2 Thess. 1:8). Peter also says “obey the Gospel” (1 Pet. 4:17). The Gospel, and our faith, are definitely connected with obedience.

The Sheep and the Goats – Matthew 25:31-46
In this parable related to Jesus’ return, he describes the sheep who did good works by ministering to those in need, and were saved. The goats didn’t do anything and were condemned. He didn’t refer to faith at all, but their works.

So what do we make of this? How can all of these Scriptures be reconciled?

Ephesians 2:10
Following Ephesians 2:8-9 quoted above, Paul writes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God’s ultimate purpose in saving us is that we walk in the good works that He has prepared for us.

James 2
James writes in 2:17, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” And again in 2:26, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James isn’t denying that we are saved by grace through faith. He is simply saying that if we say we have faith but our works don’t show it, we don’t have Biblical faith. Something like the modern term, “don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk.” Real faith is more than talk, or a verbal confession. Real faith works!

The Obedience of Faith
We are saved by grace through faith. And even faith is a gift. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” God is completely responsible for our salvation. We could do nothing on our own.

But once we are drawn to Him, respond with faith and believe, everything changes.

True faith results in obedience. Our good works confirm our faith. Jesus said in John’s Gospel, “if you love me, you will obey my commands.”

We need to know Him
Matthew 7:21-23. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Jesus reinforces the concept that we are not saved by our works. We can do many good things and not be with Jesus in the end. The key phrase here is “I never knew you”. Knowing Jesus is where true faith leads us. When we know Him and love Him, “we will obey his commands.”

Enter His Rest
Hebrews 4:9-11a says, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest…“

Notice that God worked for 6 days in creation, then rested. Adam’s first full day on earth was the 7th day, a day of rest. God worked, then rested. Adam rested, then worked. Our natural state is resting on what God has done, then working from that place of rest.

We aren’t told to strive to do good works, but to strive to enter the rest that God has prepared for us, which is our relationship with Him. THEN, we will do good works.

David also understood this. After his sin regarding Uriah and Bathsheba, he wrote Psalm 51. He says, in verses 10-13,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
THEN I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

The “obedience of faith”, then, is that God first works in us and we are changed. Then He works through us as we obey Him out of our love and relationship with Him, by the power of the Holy Spirit.