“Be ye doers of the Word, not simply hearers” - James, brother of Jesus (James 1:22). The book of James was written by the half-brother of Jesus to settle a dispute that broke out in the church. Was it possible to be saved by simply professing faith in Jesus? Or, was something more required? On one hand, there is the argument that salvation is all of grace, and "not of works so that no person could boast" in their good deeds (Ephesians 2:8,9). On the other hand, faith is alive, and would therefore seem to imply that there would be evidence in the life of a faithful person. So how do we reconcile the tension between the truth that salvation cannot be earned, but that those who are saved will bear good works?
At our church we believe, “good works do not save, but save people do good works.” That is to say, no one can ever do enough good works, even someone like Mother Teresa, to earn heaven or approval from God. It is also to say that no one is approved by God if they are not willing to keep the commandments of God. All throughout the New Testament, love and faith are used as verbs, meaning that they convey actions.
Therefore, we believe that Scripture is provided as a means, with the end being your obedience to it. James teaches that faith without works is dead. No fruit means a dead tree. Neither good intentions nor orthodox beliefs justify a person's claim to be saved. Only the fruit of the Spirit, evidenced through good works prepared beforehand by God, that we are supposed to walk in, give any warrant to the profession that someone is saved.
What are some of the good works that saved people do? Saved people believe the Word of God, accept the Word of God, do the Word of God, and have lives transformed by the Word of God. They give generously, love without limit, accept without condition, and serve without thought of self. Christians suffer joyfully, pray regularly, witness boldly, and forgive readily. They sing passionately, read diligently, and speak boldly. They live as citizens of heaven, engaged in the ministry of reconciliation. They live peacefully, and die full of hope. They speak against evil and cheerlead every good thing. They count others as more important than themselves, and trust God to supply all their needs. This is just a sampling of the activities that will be generated in the life of a person possessing living faith.
Philosophically speaking, we do not have the right to say we believe anything that we are not willing to do. Imagine a husband who says he loves his wife but does nothing that demonstrates love. Would the poor spouse of that loud-mouthed husband believe she is loved? Likewise, between two friends, if one always gives and another never reciprocates, we would call that an abusive relationship because it is no true friend who drains his friends dry. So it is with Jesus. If you are saved, you will love Him, and if you love Him, you will keep His commandments. Keeping the commandments is applying the Word to your life as you live differently, because of the intersection of the Word of God with your life.