Understanding Salvation: Grace and Works in the Bible

Have you heard the phrase “saved by grace, not by works”? Protestant Christians often use this phrase to describe how salvation is achieved. Yet, many Christians devote considerable attention to performing good works to please God. The New Testament makes clear that while we are saved by grace alone, our good works are important. So what exactly is the relationship between God’s grace and our works as it relates to our salvation? What does grace accomplish? What do our works accomplish? Join Groundwork for our series, “Understanding Salvation: Grace and Works in the Bible,” as we delve into Scripture together to gain clarity on the relationship between grace, works, and salvation. 

Paul Talks about Grace and Works

The apostle Paul is very clear throughout his letters that our salvation is a gift of grace from God that we receive through faith. He writes about it repeatedly in his letters, and he doesn’t mince words. 

• Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
• Galatians 2:21: “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
• Romans 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”

However, Paul also emphasizes the importance of our works, including our choices, actions, and behavior. Just one chapter later in Romans 6:12-13, Paul tells the people how to behave: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.” Then there’s Colossians 3:7-10: “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

But What about James?

But the real tension is present when we read what the apostle James wrote. His short letter appears to have lots of emphasis on our work. For example, consider James 2:17, where he confidently declares, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” 

With emphatic declarations like those from Paul and James, it’s no wonder we might say we believe in salvation by grace, but the attention we give to our works might reveal a lack of trust and expose our continued efforts to try and save ourselves. 

A Look at the Big Picture

It helps us gain understanding if we look at what both Paul and James write, rather than studying them each in isolation. Similarly, we can better discern their meaning by looking at their letters in the context of all of Scripture. God reveals himself in the Bible, and we will discover consistency in his actions by studying what he does in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. By looking at the big picture of the whole Bible, we’ll see more clearly how God acts in grace, what grace accomplishes, how he expects us to behave, and what our actions accomplish. 

Understand the Relationship Between Grace and Works

Salvation through Jesus Christ is at the heart of our Christian faith. I invite you to deepen your understanding of salvation by examining the relationship between God’s grace and our works through our Groundwork series “Understanding Salvation: Grace and Works in the Bible”:

• God's Covenants and Our Salvation - Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-18, Genesis 17:1-11, Matthew 26:26-29, and Hebrews 8:6-13
• Grace is the Root, Our Works are the Fruit - Ephesians 2:1-10, Titus 2:11-14, Philippians 2:12-13, and Romans 6:1-4
• Did Paul and James Agree on Salvation? - James 1:1-8, James 2:14-26, Colossians 3:5-10, and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
• Saved by Grace Alone. Let Your Works Respond Accordingly. - Galatians 2:19-21, Galatians 3:1-3, Galatians 5:13-25, Romans 8:1-4, and Colossians 3:12-14

...and together we’ll strengthen our faith and trust in God’s free gift of grace in Jesus Christ and gain a greater understanding of the meaning and purpose of our works.