Cause & Effect
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
When from deep within you begin to realize your sin, your depravity, your desire to know God and live for Him, your life changes. The Gospel teaches us that the first step into that change is the realization of that sin, and the acceptance of the free Grace that God has provided through His Son, and the desire to live for Him. Once you accept Christ as the Redeemer of your soul, your faith in Him has assured your Salvation. It is by no work or good deed that you can accomplish, it is only through that humble realization of your sin, and the debt Christ has paid for you. You now are truly seen “not guilty”, or justified in the eyes of God who demands perfection. Romans 3:27-28 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
True faith should and will produce good works. They go hand in hand, but the works are not the key to Salvation. The works are the product of Salvation and the proof of Christ that resides in you. Luke 6:43-44 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. James 2 speaks of these works that are a product of the great faith that resides in us. James is speaking of how they prove our faith, but we are not justified by them. James 2:22 speaks of “works faith made perfect” and this is where James is speaking of mature and complete faith. The closer you draw to God, the stronger your faith becomes, and many times even unknowingly, you are producing good works that are evident to those around you. These works are the proof or maturity of your faith in the One whom saved your soul.
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