Grace Works
The subject of grace, in our modern mindset and approach, stirs much discussion and many debates. In some minds the question is ‘grace or works’. It has been my observation that in many discussions on the subject of grace, people tend to gather on one side or the other of this topic. This usually depends on where they are in their personal journey or experience.
When we first encounter and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we jump at the opportunity to partake of the mercy and grace of God. Fresh from a life of sin and new in our understanding of redemption, we are quick to side with grace. At this time in our journey, we realize that were it not for the grace of God we would have continued in our sin and trespasses against God, and would certainly have met with an unpleasant consequence.
Nevertheless, for many of us, our response to this newfound mercy and grace experience quickly turns to works. Why? Could it be we simply want others to share in our newfound joy? It may also be because we want to show some form of gratitude for having been given such an amazing gift. Is there anything wrong with this show of gratitude? I would think not!
However, problems begin to arise when we exchange our experience and relationship with Jesus, wherein resides acceptance and affirmation, and try to find the same fulfillment in our works we were enjoying in grace. Works apart from grace, is in my opinion, a plausible reason for the burnout that many Christian workers declare they have experienced. The grace depleted work results in many of the same workers dropping out of the work of the ministry altogether. This then results in many Christian workers retreating into what they describe as a ‘life of grace’. At this point for some, it seems impossible to get them back into the "work of the gospel" because they begin to equate work with legalism and living under the law.
Paul the Apostle, undoubtedly had a clear understanding about many things concerning the life of the believer. Two of which were grace and works. He had much to say about both subjects and at no time in his writings did he try to suggest that the two were not compatible. Quite the contrary, Paul understood that grace and works went hand in hand.
In Romans 1:5-6 we see that Paul declared, “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;” (NKJ).
Let us note that Paul did not state that it was by grace alone that he received, or that it was by work alone, that he received this apostleship. In fact, what he stated was that he received this combination of grace and work for the purpose of "obedience" to the faith. To obey would seem to indicate there was a task at hand and that task would require more involvement than just basking and resting in grace. Grace actually provides the motivation for work. We should easily recognize in the scriptures that we are not justified by the law or by works. Indeed we have been freely justified by the grace of God through the shed blood of Christ by faith. But neither the law, nor works, have been done away with. The evidence of faith is expressed in our walking out and abiding in what we have been so graciously given.
God has given grace freely to frail and fallen humanity in order to reunite us enable us to experience the life of God through the only life giver, Jesus. Without the grace of God poured out to us we would be completely without opportunity to consider or approach God’s Son. Grace was God’s choice and only within His power to bestow. Grace is God’s gift alone and is given only by Him and only by His choosing. It is by this gift that we are able to enter in and begin our experience and journey into the life of Christ. Our first work was the step of faith we exercised to take God up on His merciful and free offer to embark on our spiritual journey.
Paul, more than anyone else, not only understood this journey into grace, but also put a lot of work into communicating this grace life to us. Grace is referred to in thirty different books in the Bible. Paul wrote fourteen of the books that deal with grace. Of the one hundred and forty eight verses in the bible that mention grace, Paul wrote ninety-seven of these verses. The example of Paul’s life alone should prove that the man who wrote over sixty-five percent of the scriptures on grace was in no way suggesting that the life of grace suggested complacency and inactivity as the result.
How can there be any meaningful work unless there is grace? Furthermore, where is the evidence of the grace of God in the life of the believer without the walking and working out of ones own salvation. (Philippians 2:12-13).
Paul, in the scriptures, describes the grace that he has received as having made him a ‘wise master builder.’ He also understood that he had a foundation to lay for this new thing called the church. Without question, there could be no better foundation to install for a people that spent all their lives trying to satisfy the law, than a foundation of grace. Yet at the same time, he was not offering them an excuse not to work, but was providing them with a reason for their work. How meaningless life is when we do works without meaning or purpose. And how difficult those works become without grace. That will certainly bring futility and burnout.
However, through Christ, we have been provided with everything we could ever need to build this house. The land has been secured. The materials have been purchased. What about the crew? What about the labor? Do we just look at the provision that has been made for us and sit back and wait for it all to happen? Do we rest even when there is work to do?
Paul said, according to the grace of God given to him by God (1 Corinthians 3:9-15), he laid a foundation and by that same God given grace, others will and should build on that foundation. A foundation in and of itself does not provide for a complete project. The foundation is there for a specific purpose and that purpose is to be built upon. Not to only have something built on it, but also to be able to support that which is built thereon. Furthermore, the builders are instructed to take heed as to how they build on this foundation. Clearly also in this passage Jesus Christ, is the foundation and there can be no other.
He goes on to further warn, if anyone builds on this foundation, his works will become clear because it will be revealed as to what sort of work it actually is. If we build on this foundation with our own materials, for example, wood, hay and stubble, then we will only see our efforts incinerated because our works cannot and will not hold up to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. However, in using the materials provided by God, in essence gold, silver and precious stones, we will have a house built by the grace of God and capable of withstanding not only every storm, but the judgment seat of Christ as well.
If grace eliminates the need for works then where is the need for the judgment seat of Christ to judge our works? Of course that is another subject entirely but the grace of God cannot be a stand alone matter while some choose to ignore the full council of God. Our whole journey into and through the path that God has set forth for humanity is full of building blocks that are provided for us at the cross of Christ, but are walked out by us through the measure of faith that has been given to all. This concept of building blocks is described in Isaiah 28:9-14.
Work is not in conflict with grace. Apart from grace, work is meaningless. But grace and work, according to the divine principles of the scriptures, can provide a full life that is filled with joy, peace, contentment and certainly a rich heritage of experience. There is no question that grace is something that can only be given by God. God has given Grace, and not only can it not be taken away by any other, it will not be taken away by the Father Himself.
In addition, the word grace is used in various ways throughout the bible and should not be treated as having the same implications in each verse. We should remember how limited our language has proven to be as compared to the original text and the language in which it was written. We should always be willing to dig deeper until we have finished our journey because the learning process does not end, especially because the ways of the Lord are beyond finding out.
If Paul had maintained the approach to grace that we see some people taking today, then we would have missed out on much of his life’s work. A work that was instrumental in laying the foundation for the church throughout the centuries long after Paul had gone to his reward. Paul understood the grace of God for the work that was to be done in his life so he gave this work a full effort. In the beginning of his life, Paul had given himself to being the best that he could be within the confines of the old covenant. Having now grasped the new covenant, he continued to give himself wholly to the work of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, he declared, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (NKJ).
God’s grace toward Paul was not in vain. He proclaims that by the grace of God which was with him, he labored more than the other apostles of his day. That is quite a boast for a man that wrote more about the grace of God than any other writer in the bible. When considering the life which Paul led prior to his encounter with Jesus, it is remarkable that he was the one to write so profoundly about this grace. Why would God choose a man so devoted to works to receive and preach the revelation of the grace life?
Read his boast in Philippians 3:1-21. Some might wonder why a man of this caliber would have concerned himself so with the subject of grace. It is obvious. This man found no peace and no relationship with God through all of his diligent work until he embraced the Christ, the Son of God. Works without grace offered only futility and burnout. It was the relationship with Jesus, and the acceptance of the grace of God through Jesus, that Paul embraced. With this embrace, he worked even harder than he had ever worked before. There was now a prize to be attained and the race was no longer an exercise in futility. What motivated Paul to continue his quest after his zeal for the law had faded away? It could only have been grace. The grace life became the sole motivation for his continuance in the race of life. He would not rest until the race for him was finished.
Let’s look again at some of the things that cause us to resort to feeling that we must choose between grace and works. When we first come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ we are grateful for the grace of God bestowed to us. Fresh from a life of sin and alienation we are keenly aware of our need and dependence upon the grace of God. The memories of our failures before God are too fresh to allow us to believe that we need anything else other than the grace of God to work out our salvation.
Randall Mooney
Let us note that Paul did not state that it was by grace alone that he received, or that it was by work alone, that he received this apostleship. In fact, what he stated was that he received this combination of grace and work for the purpose of "obedience" to the faith. To obey would seem to indicate there was a task at hand and that task would require more involvement than just basking and resting in grace. Grace actually provides the motivation for work. We should easily recognize in the scriptures that we are not justified by the law or by works. Indeed we have been freely justified by the grace of God through the shed blood of Christ by faith. But neither the law, nor works, have been done away with. The evidence of faith is expressed in our walking out and abiding in what we have been so graciously given.
God has given grace freely to frail and fallen humanity in order to reunite us enable us to experience the life of God through the only life giver, Jesus. Without the grace of God poured out to us we would be completely without opportunity to consider or approach God’s Son. Grace was God’s choice and only within His power to bestow. Grace is God’s gift alone and is given only by Him and only by His choosing. It is by this gift that we are able to enter in and begin our experience and journey into the life of Christ. Our first work was the step of faith we exercised to take God up on His merciful and free offer to embark on our spiritual journey.
Paul, more than anyone else, not only understood this journey into grace, but also put a lot of work into communicating this grace life to us. Grace is referred to in thirty different books in the Bible. Paul wrote fourteen of the books that deal with grace. Of the one hundred and forty eight verses in the bible that mention grace, Paul wrote ninety-seven of these verses. The example of Paul’s life alone should prove that the man who wrote over sixty-five percent of the scriptures on grace was in no way suggesting that the life of grace suggested complacency and inactivity as the result.
How can there be any meaningful work unless there is grace? Furthermore, where is the evidence of the grace of God in the life of the believer without the walking and working out of ones own salvation. (Philippians 2:12-13).
Paul, in the scriptures, describes the grace that he has received as having made him a ‘wise master builder.’ He also understood that he had a foundation to lay for this new thing called the church. Without question, there could be no better foundation to install for a people that spent all their lives trying to satisfy the law, than a foundation of grace. Yet at the same time, he was not offering them an excuse not to work, but was providing them with a reason for their work. How meaningless life is when we do works without meaning or purpose. And how difficult those works become without grace. That will certainly bring futility and burnout.
However, through Christ, we have been provided with everything we could ever need to build this house. The land has been secured. The materials have been purchased. What about the crew? What about the labor? Do we just look at the provision that has been made for us and sit back and wait for it all to happen? Do we rest even when there is work to do?
Paul said, according to the grace of God given to him by God (1 Corinthians 3:9-15), he laid a foundation and by that same God given grace, others will and should build on that foundation. A foundation in and of itself does not provide for a complete project. The foundation is there for a specific purpose and that purpose is to be built upon. Not to only have something built on it, but also to be able to support that which is built thereon. Furthermore, the builders are instructed to take heed as to how they build on this foundation. Clearly also in this passage Jesus Christ, is the foundation and there can be no other.
He goes on to further warn, if anyone builds on this foundation, his works will become clear because it will be revealed as to what sort of work it actually is. If we build on this foundation with our own materials, for example, wood, hay and stubble, then we will only see our efforts incinerated because our works cannot and will not hold up to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit. However, in using the materials provided by God, in essence gold, silver and precious stones, we will have a house built by the grace of God and capable of withstanding not only every storm, but the judgment seat of Christ as well.
If grace eliminates the need for works then where is the need for the judgment seat of Christ to judge our works? Of course that is another subject entirely but the grace of God cannot be a stand alone matter while some choose to ignore the full council of God. Our whole journey into and through the path that God has set forth for humanity is full of building blocks that are provided for us at the cross of Christ, but are walked out by us through the measure of faith that has been given to all. This concept of building blocks is described in Isaiah 28:9-14.
Work is not in conflict with grace. Apart from grace, work is meaningless. But grace and work, according to the divine principles of the scriptures, can provide a full life that is filled with joy, peace, contentment and certainly a rich heritage of experience. There is no question that grace is something that can only be given by God. God has given Grace, and not only can it not be taken away by any other, it will not be taken away by the Father Himself.
In addition, the word grace is used in various ways throughout the bible and should not be treated as having the same implications in each verse. We should remember how limited our language has proven to be as compared to the original text and the language in which it was written. We should always be willing to dig deeper until we have finished our journey because the learning process does not end, especially because the ways of the Lord are beyond finding out.
If Paul had maintained the approach to grace that we see some people taking today, then we would have missed out on much of his life’s work. A work that was instrumental in laying the foundation for the church throughout the centuries long after Paul had gone to his reward. Paul understood the grace of God for the work that was to be done in his life so he gave this work a full effort. In the beginning of his life, Paul had given himself to being the best that he could be within the confines of the old covenant. Having now grasped the new covenant, he continued to give himself wholly to the work of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 15:9-10, he declared, “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (NKJ).
God’s grace toward Paul was not in vain. He proclaims that by the grace of God which was with him, he labored more than the other apostles of his day. That is quite a boast for a man that wrote more about the grace of God than any other writer in the bible. When considering the life which Paul led prior to his encounter with Jesus, it is remarkable that he was the one to write so profoundly about this grace. Why would God choose a man so devoted to works to receive and preach the revelation of the grace life?
Read his boast in Philippians 3:1-21. Some might wonder why a man of this caliber would have concerned himself so with the subject of grace. It is obvious. This man found no peace and no relationship with God through all of his diligent work until he embraced the Christ, the Son of God. Works without grace offered only futility and burnout. It was the relationship with Jesus, and the acceptance of the grace of God through Jesus, that Paul embraced. With this embrace, he worked even harder than he had ever worked before. There was now a prize to be attained and the race was no longer an exercise in futility. What motivated Paul to continue his quest after his zeal for the law had faded away? It could only have been grace. The grace life became the sole motivation for his continuance in the race of life. He would not rest until the race for him was finished.
Let’s look again at some of the things that cause us to resort to feeling that we must choose between grace and works. When we first come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ we are grateful for the grace of God bestowed to us. Fresh from a life of sin and alienation we are keenly aware of our need and dependence upon the grace of God. The memories of our failures before God are too fresh to allow us to believe that we need anything else other than the grace of God to work out our salvation.
Randall Mooney
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