Well, I think JJ has done an excellent job of describing the position we hold. I know we probably don't agree %100 on everything, but we both have the same basic understanding of grace and works. I will explain what I believe and how I think those verses fit in with the view of free grace salvation and OSAS. I apologize in advance that this will be a long post. If you prefer, I can refer a few books on the subject
Salvation, for starters, is an ambiguous term. It has to be qualified. Saved from what? Much of Christianity has long since abandoned the sound doctrine of eternal salvation as a free gift and then reward for works in the fear of God, and has begun to espouse this 'us and them' type of religion. Us is the saved folks and them is the lost folks. Us gets to go to heaven and wear white robes and crowns and walk the streets of gold and eat Tree of Life Fruit Pies for eternity and them gets to go to hell and be human charcoal for ever and ever. Us doesn't have to fear standing before the Lord of the universe who shed His own blood to redeem us from our sins, because we can do no wrong. If we could, why we would be them. So everytime we see 'salvation', thats us, and everytime we see something bad, thats them.
The only way to make this view make sense is to erase the lines between grace and works. But that line is clearly marked in scripture.
Romans 11:6
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
2 Timothy 1:9
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
We are saved not according to works, but according to grace. And we are called with a holy calling, not according to works but according to grace. So because God is so good and gracious, and not because of anything we ever did, we are saved and we are given a high calling. If we can lose the salvation because of anything we do, then it is not of grace, because it is of works. Likewise the calling, we are called by grace and if we have to do anything to be called, it is then of works and not of grace. But again, we need to qualify these things in order to understand them. Saved from what? Called to what?
Why does God save us by grace apart from works? Is it not so that He will receive all the glory for it? If God were to give us part of the responsibility for working for this salvation, would He not have to give us credit for doing our part? He even says so in His word.
Ephesians 2:7-9
7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Romans 4:4-5
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
No man will be able to say he had a hand in his salvation, it is purely the grace of God apart from any works. It is not reckoned as a reward, but as a gift. And no, believing is not a work according to God. God has done all the work that was required to secure this gift for us. If we attribute any part of that salvation by grace to ourselves, we are stealing glory from God.
Many people have latched on to this truth (it is true) that we are saved by grace alone if we believe on Christ. They reject the idea that our works will have any outcome on this salvation because then it would be of works and not of grace. I agree 100%. I believe that no matter what I do from now till the day I die, my eternal state is secured through the blood of Christ. I didn't do anything to merit it and I can't do anything to keep it, else it is of works. But what of all the verses that talk of works? What role does works play in the life of the believer?
We have already established that works have nothing to do with our 'salvation' (saved from what) and so we have to find a way to fit works into our 'us and them' theology. Us is saved, apart from works, BUT... and then we pick any of half a dozen ways to work for our salvation. If we don't work, we never really were saved. Or we are predestined to work. Or we don't believe in salvation by grace because we are legalists. Whatever, it all comes down to working for salvation and makes the Gospel of grace into a pyramid scheme (get saved for free in your spare time!).
Or we have to find a way to apply all the warnings to THEM instead of US. All the verses that say we have to work to be saved (saved from what) are written to the Jews in the tribulation or False believers. Even though the promises that we would claim as our own are right there in the same text, interwoven with the warnings, we must rightly divide the word. Promises are for US, warnings are for THEM. I'm saved by grace(saved from what) and there is nothing bad that can ever happen to me. And even then, many would say that someone who was committing THAT sin is probably not really saved.
Either of these two systems are going to end up at odds with scripture. The free grace is there, the warnings are there. You can ignore either to clutch your favorite system, or you can start to untangle the mess that we have been passed down from the fathers. There has to be a way to reconcile scriptures without corrupting the pure grace of God by interposing our own works into what God clearly says is a free gift of grace apart from works, and without diminishing the force of God's warnings for disobedience to His commandments.
So we have had to rethink some things that we have been taught. We have had to redefine some terms that have lost their true meaning, and we found that the picture in scripture is bit different than the picture that we were shown originally. It's not just 'us and them' in the bible. In fact, its almost all 'us.' All of the old testament are given to 'us' for examples. What is it that we have seen? We have seen that we are saved, and we have been called with a holy calling.
2 Timothy 1:9
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Saved from what? Saved from the eternal penalty of sin in the lake of fire. Jesus said whosoever believed would be saved, specifically He said at the last day.
John 6:40
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
This is what we were saved from when Jesus died.
Revelation 20:11-12
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
If you are 'them' and have not believed on Christ to save you from your sins, then you are going to be judged according to your works and recieve the punishment that God has ordained.
Revelation 20:15
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
There will only be saved and unsaved people on this day, and it will be God's grace alone that keeps any of us from going into that lake of fire, for that is what we truly deserve no matter how good we think we are. Were it not for God's mercy, no man would would escape this fate.
Romans 3:20-24
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
But what about our calling? Called to what?
1 Thessalonians 2:12
12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would
count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:
The kingdom is the prize, not the gift. The kingdom, that 'day' of rest that we are to labor to enter into, is the reward for faithful service to Him who saved you by His blood. We don't labor to be counted worthy to be freely justified by His grace! What kind of absurd logic is that? That is what we have been taught the bible says, but we have been taught wrong.
