What is the relationship of faith, works, and security in salvation?

The topic of the relationship between faith, works, and the security of salvation is one that has been debated throughout church history. At the center of the debate is how we are saved – by faith alone, or by faith plus works? And can we lose our salvation if we fall into serious sin? Let’s take a thorough look at what the Bible teaches on this important issue.

Faith Alone vs. Faith Plus Works

A key verse on salvation by faith alone is Ephesians 2:8-9, which states, “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.” This clearly declares that we are saved by God’s grace through faith, not by our works. Good works do not earn salvation. Rather, salvation is a free gift received by faith.

However, other verses indicate that works still play a role in the Christian life. James 2:14,17 declares, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?…So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James argues that genuine saving faith will always be accompanied by good works.

How do we reconcile these verses? Paul and James are looking at faith and works from different perspectives. Paul is arguing against seeking salvation by good works. Only faith in Christ saves us. James is arguing against claiming to have faith while having no good works. Authentic faith will inevitably produce good works in a believer’s life.

So salvation is by faith alone, but real faith leads to good works. The good works do not earn salvation but rather demonstrate the genuineness of one’s faith. Saving faith will always be a faith that works.

Assurance of Salvation

What about the security of salvation? Can we lose our salvation if we fall into serious patterns of sin? There are strong verses indicating that nothing can separate us from God’s love and salvation. For example, John 10:28 states that “no one will snatch” Christ’s sheep from His hand. Romans 8:38-39 declares nothing can separate us from God’s love. And Ephesians 1:13 speaks of being sealed with the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.

However, other verses warn against falling away from the faith. Hebrews 6:4-6 is often pointed to as indicating it is possible to fall away. It speaks of tasting the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, and tasting God’s goodness, then falling away. This is very difficult to interpret but has been taken by some as losing salvation. Another difficult passage is Revelation 3:5 which refers to not blotting out someone’s name from the Book of Life.

How do we understand these warning passages in light of the assurances of salvation? One key is recognizing that the warnings are addressed to those who have made professions of faith or have some association with the church but not genuine saving faith. True saving faith that unites one to Christ should never be lost. But those who do not possess real saving faith can certainly fall away.

Another key is that the warnings give us motivation to persevere. God uses them to stir us to continue clinging to Christ. They do not imply our security is weak but rather point us to where our security is truly found – persevering faith in Christ.

Putting it Together

When we put the pieces together, we see that scripture presents salvation by faith alone, that real faith inevitably results in works, and that saving faith endures to the end. Good works demonstrate true faith but do not earn salvation. And while no one can snatch us from Christ’s hand, we are still called to persevere in faith.

Salvation comes by faith in Christ as a free gift we do not deserve. Good works flow out of gratitude to God for this free gift. And God in His grace both secures us in Christ and gives us motivation to press on in faith. In summary, we are saved by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone. Our security rests in Christ’s grip on us, but this does not diminish the need to persevere.

This understanding affirms salvation by grace while still emphasizing spiritual fruitfulness and perseverance. We can have full assurance of salvation while also heeding the Bible’s calls to holiness. Our security does not lead to sinful license but to grateful obedience. God gets all the glory for our salvation, yet we yield all our life to His leading.

In conclusion, the Bible affirms that we are saved by faith alone in Christ and His finished work on the cross. However, this saving faith will inevitably produce good works as evidence of true conversion. And while we have assurance of salvation from God’s grace and faithfulness, we are still called to persevere in faith and not presume upon God’s mercy and grace.

Key Bible Verses on Faith, Works, and Salvation Security

Here are some key Bible verses that provide insight into the relationship between faith, works, and the security of salvation:

• 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.
• James 2:14, 17 – What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
• Galatians 2:16 – We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.
• Titus 3:5 – He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.
• Romans 3:28 – For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
• John 10:28 – I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
• Romans 8:38-39 – For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• Philippians 1:6 – And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
• 2 Timothy 2:11-13 – The saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.
• 1 John 2:19 – They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.
• Hebrews 3:14 – For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

In summary, the Bible clearly teaches salvation is by faith alone, not by good works. Yet authentic saving faith will always produce good works. And while we have assurance of salvation in Christ, we must persevere in faith to the end. These twin truths lead to gratitude, security, obedience, and worship of God for His amazing grace.

Faith Produces Works

As we have seen, the Bible unambiguously teaches that we are saved by faith in Christ alone and not by our own good works. Salvation comes by God’s underserved grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, the Bible also teaches that genuine saving faith will inevitably produce good works in the believer’s life. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). So while works do not earn salvation, they demonstrate the authenticity of one’s faith. This relationship can be summarized in four key points:

1. We are justified before God by faith alone.
2. Good works necessarily follow as evidence of real, saving faith.
3. Good works are not meritorious – they do not earn or merit salvation.
4. Those with true faith will exhibit good works as the Spirit empowers them.

The good works that flow from saving faith include things like obeying God’s commands, serving others, giving generously, living righteously, making disciples, and displaying the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). These works do not make anyone a Christian. But the lack of change and good works can be evidence that someone does not have saving faith.

Why does faith inevitably lead to good works? For several reasons:

1. God’s grace empowers believers for good works (2 Corinthians 9:8).
2. Christians have new desires to please God that lead to good deeds (1 John 3:9).
3. Believers imitate Christ’s example of selfless living (John 13:15).
4. The Holy Spirit produces His fruit in the lives of believers (Galatians 5:22-23).
5. Christians belong to God and thus do His will (Romans 6:22).

In summary, while salvation is through faith alone, saving faith is never alone. Genuine faith produces good works. A faith without deeds is useless and dead. True believers are new creations empowered by the Spirit for a life of loving God and neighbor.

Warnings Against Apostasy

The Bible contains serious warnings about apostasy – falling away from the faith. Passages like Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26-27 are sobering in their warnings about the danger of falling away after professing faith:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit….if they then fall away, to restore them again to repentance…. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment (Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-27).

Do these verses mean believers can lose their salvation? Looking closely, these passages do not refer to losing salvation but rather warn that those who make professions of faith but later completely reject Christ show they likely never truly believed. The author of Hebrews is saying those who embrace Christ but later decisively and finally reject Him reveal they were never saved to begin with.

This is seen in 1 John 2:19 which states, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” Those who apostatize demonstrate they never truly belonged to the faith.

The warnings against falling away spur genuine believers to persevere in faith and not presume on God’s grace. They encourage self-examination to see if one’s faith is real (2 Corinthians 13:5). The warnings against apostasy remind us that while God guards our faith, we must still actively guard our hearts.

In summary, the warnings against apostasy in Scripture do not indicate believers can lose genuine saving faith. Rather, they give us motivation to persevere and reveal that those who reject Christ decisively never truly believed in Him in the first place.

Assurance of Salvation

While the Bible contains warnings against apostasy, it also provides strong assurance of salvation for believers who have been born again by God’s Spirit through faith in Christ. Many verses confirm that those who are truly saved by God’s grace can have full confidence they will inherit eternal life. Here are some key assurances of salvation:

1. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14).
2. Nothing can snatch us from the Father’s hand (John 10:28-29).
3. God will complete the work He began in believers (Philippians 1:6).
4. The Holy Spirit has been given to believers as a pledge guaranteeing their full redemption (2 Corinthians 1:22).
5. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).
6. Those who have been born again will not continue sinning (1 John 3:6-9).

These promises give believers firm assurance that their salvation is secure in Christ. God guarantees that He will complete the salvation He began. Jesus declared that no one can snatch His sheep from His hand (John 10:28-29).

This assurance is based on God’s faithfulness, not ours. He is the one guaranteeing our salvation. Our security does not depend on our grasp of Christ but His grip on us. Christians can have full confidence in their eternal destination because of what Christ accomplished.

Still, this assurance should not lead to sinful license. Rather, it leads to gratitude and the desire to obey Christ. Assurance of salvation comes from understanding that our salvation depends fully on Christ’s work, not our performance. But this confidence motivates us to live in obedience to our Savior.

In summary, Scripture gives genuine believers firm assurance of salvation based on the faithfulness of God. This does not lead to sin but thankfulness and submission to God. Assurance is grounded in God’s promises, not our performance. Our eternal security is anchored in Christ alone.

The Need for Persevering Faith

The Bible clearly promises assurance of salvation to believers based on God’s faithfulness. But Scripture also emphasizes the need for persevering faith and obedience to the end. How do we reconcile this?

Perseverance in faith and obedience is the evidence and result of genuine saving faith. Those who are truly saved by God will exhibit perseverance – it inevitably follows salvation but does not cause it. Philippians 2:12-13 captures this balance:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

We have assurance because salvation is God’s work in us. But this leads us to work out our faith in reverent obedience by His power.

Eternal security is fully grounded in what God has done. But perseverance is the evidence that God has done a saving work in us. Those who have been born again by the Spirit endure to the end (1 John 2:19).

The need for persevering faith means we should examine ourselves to see if we are truly in Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5). It guards against spiritual apathy and license. Our perseverance does not make us secure – Christ does – but perseverance shows Christ is at work.

In summary, the Bible balances God’s preservation of believers with the call to persevere. While our security rests fully in Christ, persevering obedience and faith demonstrate the genuineness of our salvation. Assurance of salvation leads not to license but to humble obedience.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Bible teaches that we are saved by faith alone in Christ and His finished work. While good works cannot earn salvation, they will always accompany genuine saving faith as the Spirit empowers believers. Though genuine believers are eternally secure in Christ, the warnings against apostasy exhort all to persevere in faith. And while our security rests fully in God’s grace and faithfulness, we are still called to actively trust Christ to the end.

Salvation by faith alone magnifies God’s underserved grace. The inevitable fruit of good works displays His Spirit’s transforming power. The warnings against apostasy spur us to examine our faith and proclaim the deceitfulness of sin. And the balance of divine faithfulness and human responsibility in perseverance leads to worship, humility, and obedience.

In all things, from beginning to end, salvation is to the praise and glory of God alone. He alone saves through Christ, and He alone keeps and empowers believers by His Spirit and Word. Our security and our motivation flow from God’s grace and faithfulness.