Faith and Works, a Balanced Approach

A lot of Christians seem to think that faith and works are mutually exclusive. They take some passages out of the Bible to justify their position. Some think the Bible tells them they can earn their way to Heaven by doing good. Others think if they repeat some formulaic prayer and give mental ascent to the existence of God they are immune to the need to help others or avoid doing harm. Both of these extremes are contrary to the very passages they quote, taken in the whole context.

Many will claim that the words of Saint Paul in Galatians 2:16 exempt them from doing good. But if you look at the verse, it specifically refers to the Law of Moses. What he's saying here is that sacrificing bulls and lambs, tithing to the priests and keeping the feasts of the calendar will not save you. What he is not saying is that these things are to be ignored by everyone. But read the sixth chapter in the same book. Saint Paul says things like “...let every man prove his own work,...” and, “...every man shall bear his own burden….” So while Saint Paul is adamant that we are not saved by works, he is equally adamant that if we are saved we shall work.

Saint James, in his general letter, goes further in this vein, “...be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” In chapter two he is even more specific, “...so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” In modern words, if you believe, and your faith is alive, you will want to work and do so in the love and obedience of God.

The first work, and the wellspring of all other works, of faith is love. From love flows all the alms and helps and other good deeds our concept of good requires. And the one who loves performs these good works spontaneously, without thought of earning a reward. That is the sign of a real believer, spontaneous acts of love.

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