Ephesians 2:8-9 states: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast,” leading many sincere Christians to believe any need for righteous works or deeds is wrongly trying to earn salvation. But Jesus told His disciples works of obedience to God are required (John 14:21, 23; 15:10) as the Apostle James explains: “What does it profit…if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him.…faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:14-18).
Salvation is God's gift by grace, unearned and undeserved on our part, as Ephesians 2:8-9 explains, but it doesn't stop at simple belief and grace. A principle of faith is obedience. Living faith comes from not only belief in God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son but, also crucially doing what God says. Works do not save us, but our works by serving God and others, and obeying His commandments, demonstrates our intention to live “by every word of God” (Luke 4:4).
The Apostle John wrote, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). He went on to explain: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Keepings God’s laws not only benefits us, but all those around us. They are so important that our disobedience to them required Jesus Christ to die in our place (Romans 5:8). In Matthew 7:21 Jesus stated, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven,” making it clear that merely acknowledging Him as Lord and Master—saying "Lord, Lord"—is not sufficient.
When a wealthy young man asked Jesus how he could receive eternal life (Matthew 19:16) Christ replied, "If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments" (verse 17). Belief is pointless unless it is backed up by action and obedience: "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble" (James 2:19). James goes on to explain that faith—belief and trust in God—and obedience go hand in hand: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?" (James 2:21-22).
Baptism is also required in order to receive God's gift of eternal life as Mark 16:16 states: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved…." Water baptism—by full immersion—is a symbolic act representing the death of our old self and the beginning of a new life of serving God and striving to avoid sin (Romans 6:1-23). Baptism is then followed by the laying on of hands by Christ's ministry, which allows us to receive God's Holy Spirit and truly belong to Him (Acts 8:17; Romans 8:9).
Jesus understood the magnitude of this mission as He personally battled temptation throughout His human life (Hebrews 2:18). He also knows that we are spiritually helpless without Him (John 15:5) and need His help in contending with and defeating sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). The gift of God’s Holy Spirit gives us the spiritual capability to overcome our sinful conduct and develop our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Paul also wrote about his efforts and determination to secure his reward in the Kingdom of God: “…. I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). He did not take salvation for granted, but employed the strength and energy of God’s Spirit to serve people, overcome sin and obey the commandments (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
In Matthew 10:22 Jesus tells us that, "He who endures to the end will be saved." Once we have committed ourselves to obeying God and surrendering to Him, we must stay the course and not look back (Luke 9:62). Our duty is to strive to obey God, enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13). A sincere Christian must actively resist the devil’s wiles (Ephesians 6:11) and society’s adverse influences while struggling against the pulls and enticements of his or her human nature (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8).
Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, willingly surrendered His life so that we might receive God's wonderful gift of eternal life, and He expects us to surrender our lives in return. Our love for and commitment to Jesus Christ and God the Father must be more important to us than any other relationship (Luke 14:26-33).
