One of the more common questions we receive from Christians concerns the relationship between grace and works. The reason for this is simple: Scripture appears to present us with conflicting data on the matter. On the one hand, we have celebrated verses like Ephesians 2:8-9, which states, “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.” Examples can easily be multiplied. Romans 11:6, for instance, says, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
On the other hand, we don’t need to go far (1 verse!) to encounter what seems to be another perspective on the matter: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in. (Ephesians 2:10)”
Once again, we could bring in more passages, but the question is clear. How do we reconcile grace and works? Theological traditions play a role in this discussion as well, with some placing more emphasis on one of these two. But the net effect of this confusion is that many people sit in the pews wondering whether their efforts at cultivating virtue constitute some form of legalism, while others worry that they are using grace as theological camouflage to excuse immoral behavior. Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously called this “cheap grace” in The Cost of Discipleship.
Before we move into specifics, we need to dwell on the nature of salvation. Consider Jesus’s words in John 3:1-8:
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’”
The image of birth is as arresting as it is revealing. For one thing, we don’t choose to be born—a fact that aggravates some of our modern sensibilities. Most of us have likely heard some variation on the phrase, “Well, I didn’t choose to be born!” Implicit in such a statement is the assumption that we ought to be in charge of our existence. If we follow this thought to its logical conclusion, however, we see that such an ambition amounts to gross idolatry. There is one necessary, self-sufficient being, and His name is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! God alone can answer from the burning bush, “I am that I am.” In stark contrast, we are creatures made by God. Our existence is a pure gift.
As Christ’s words indicate, this is also the nature of salvation. Just as we cannot will ourselves into existence, we cannot save ourselves. Christ alone is the author of our salvation. Once we understand that we cannot will ourselves to be born again anymore than we can choose to be born, we can begin to make better sense of the relationship between grace and works. God remains the author of our salvation and actively empowers our efforts as we cooperate with His Spirit. The result of this cooperation is an inward transformation that produces an abundance of good works. Far from being a threat to God’s place in our lives, these works are the direct results of His redemptive action, as well as His ongoing inspiration.
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Before we move into specifics, we need to dwell on the nature of salvation. Consider Jesus’s words in John 3:1-8:
“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.” The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’”
The image of birth is as arresting as it is revealing. For one thing, we don’t choose to be born—a fact that aggravates some of our modern sensibilities. Most of us have likely heard some variation on the phrase, “Well, I didn’t choose to be born!” Implicit in such a statement is the assumption that we ought to be in charge of our existence. If we follow this thought to its logical conclusion, however, we see that such an ambition amounts to gross idolatry. There is one necessary, self-sufficient being, and His name is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! God alone can answer from the burning bush, “I am that I am.” In stark contrast, we are creatures made by God. Our existence is a pure gift.
As Christ’s words indicate, this is also the nature of salvation. Just as we cannot will ourselves into existence, we cannot save ourselves. Christ alone is the author of our salvation. Once we understand that we cannot will ourselves to be born again anymore than we can choose to be born, we can begin to make better sense of the relationship between grace and works. God remains the author of our salvation and actively empowers our efforts as we cooperate with His Spirit. The result of this cooperation is an inward transformation that produces an abundance of good works. Far from being a threat to God’s place in our lives, these works are the direct results of His redemptive action, as well as His ongoing inspiration.
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The most popular definition of grace construes it as “unmerited favor.” However, this doesn’t tell us much about what grace actually is or how it works. Here, we would like to draw your attention to Dallas Willard’s approach to the matter: Grace is God doing through us what we can’t accomplish on our own. Poignant examples would be forgiveness in the face of irrevocable loss. On June 15, 2015, Dylann Roof killed nine people during a Bible study at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. In the wake of this atrocity, several of the bereaved made a public profession of forgiveness to Dylann. This is a powerful example of God doing through us what we can’t accomplish on our own.
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Willard also adds the extremely helpful phrase, “Grace is opposed to earning, not effort.” In other words, the notion that we do absolutely nothing in the context of our spiritual walk is nonsense. If we want to keep Jesus’s commands, we have to be prepared to act. Spiritual maturity requires our active participation and cooperation with God. Any endeavor, from fly fishing to learning calligraphy, will require a plan and diligent practice. Why would our spiritual efforts be any different? The problem is that we often treat our spiritual lives as though they have no practical reality.
The hard fact is that belief and action are inextricably linked. If a mechanic tells me that my car needs a new alternator, and I nod my head along with him but refuse to move forward with the work, I don’t truly believe him. Likewise, if a doctor prescribes a certain exercise regimen and I ultimately refuse to set foot in a gym, I’m clearly not taking his orders seriously. Given these practical examples, we need to take a sober-minded look at how our actions line up with Christ’s commands. Do we actually believe in Him, or are we just honoring Him with our lips while our hearts are far away? It’s an uncomfortable question, but we encourage you to wrestle with it as you consider the relationship between grace and works.
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