Scripture References

Good works and obedience to God are the byproducts of salvation, not a means to obtain or generate it. Much like apples are never the cause of an apple tree’s living state but simply proof that the tree is alive, so are good works concerning salvation. Genuine faith in Jesus Christ for salvation will naturally produce good works and godly obedience, increasing in measure as believers mature. Believers’ new Christlike nature is what generates their inner desire to live for Jesus, obey His Word, and help others.

The purpose of believers’ good works and godly obedience is to reflect God's character and goodness in their lives and bring glory to Jesus Christ. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (NASB). All believers’ works and acts of obedience will be tested by fire when they stand before Jesus to account for their lives. During this appointed judgment, believers will receive rewards for their good deeds that survive God's test and suffer a loss of reward for those that disintegrate. Believers are never at risk of losing their salvation because their redemption is a gift from God imparted to them when they trusted Jesus for forgiveness and redemption.

Salvation expressing itself through good works does not depict a "salvation by works" model. It simply illustrates the point that, although someone can exercise good works without possessing genuine salvation, individuals cannot be born-again without demonstrating good works since those are derivatives of it. Therefore, born-again believers expressing their faith through good works go together like "fire and smoke" and "rain and clouds." Or, as James 2:26 describes, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (NASB).

Individuals claiming salvation without any evidence of good works or obedience to God do not possess saving faith but a fabricated, nonexistent, dead faith. In other words, such assertions of salvation are false because saving faith — which trusts exclusively in God's grace for forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ — is characterized by an expression of good works. The book of James addresses this truth by distinguishing authentic salvation (saving faith) from pretense or charades (dead faith), using the evidence of good works as a determining factor.

On the contrary, the belief that God requires anything other than faith exclusively in Jesus Christ for salvation results from misunderstanding and combining discipleship passages with those on salvation—concluding that redemption mandates faith plus works. This practice is dangerous for several reasons: First, it removes passages from their surrounding framework and assigns different meanings than their context conveys. Next, it undermines the text's integrity, creating contradictions that alter Scripture’s consistent and reliable message. Finally, adding any condition to faith as a means for receiving God’s gift of salvation not only modifies the plain meaning of salvation-based passages but completely contradicts it. Therefore, any such methodology and its accompanying interpretations are false.

Note: The Old and New Testaments are not a collection of fragmented verses where each one is understood and interpreted at face value apart from its context, chapter, book, and the rest of Scripture as a whole. Instead, the doctrines taught in the Bible are consistent and reliable and fit together within a logical framework. Therefore, correctly understood verses will never contradict correctly understood verses but harmonize with the rest of Scripture and its overall message.