What is the relationship of faith, works, and security in salvation?

So it is today. Men are perishing on every hand. They go to "church," they have Bibles in their homes, and profess to believe in God, but by works they deny Him. They have no real faith. If they had, it would most certainly be shown forth by their works. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26) "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:24) A man can be justified in the sight of his fellowmen by works only, for no man can see into the heart of another. So men can judge whether there is true faith, only by his works. Jonah 3:10 is an illustration of a city that is justified (from man's point of view) in God's sight, by their works. God, Himself, gives us other examples, as Abraham and Rahab.

In these days, through God's infinite grace, a full and clear gospel, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ alone, is often preached. We can thank and praise God for it; but we fear that at times, the balance of truth is not always kept, and we are apt to forget that with us, it should be as in Abraham's case, "faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect." (James 2:22) Please be absolutely clear, it is not that we are saved partly by faith and partly by works. No, we are saved by faith alone, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. But if there is true faith, then it is utterly impossible not to have works. The works are merely the external result, of the internal faith. The faith saves us. The works give evidence that we truly have the faith.

We beseech you, make no shipwreck on this point. How many there are, who in their self-righteousness have refused to acknowledge that their own doings have no value in connection with their souls' salvation. All, all is accomplished by Christ on the cross. There is plenty of room for works after salvation-works, which can be described as “works of faith” and “labour of love,” works that are the evidence of salvation, works “that accompany salvation,” but salvation is altogether of faith and faith alone.

“By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matt. 7:20), is a test so obvious that it needs no proving. If a young man or woman professes to be converted, it will certainly be evidenced by a change of life. It is true that salvation is by grace alone, through faith, “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:9). It is equally true that believers “are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). These works do not procure salvation in the smallest degree, but are the evidence that we are saved. They are the product, not of the old nature, not of the flesh, but of the new nature, the new man “created in Christ Jesus.” The very grace of God that has brought us salvation teaches us “that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12).

Thus all rests on Christ, though His grace makes the most of what to others might seem trivial. The faith working by love in the one class, and the utter unconcern of the other, laid bare respectively their fitness or unfitness for inheriting the kingdom. In all cases of saints, works are the evidence, faith of the Word the instrument, Christ's work the ground, and God's grace the source.

On the cross Christ was charged with all that we could be charged with; there all the sins of His people were borne; there all that we were morally as children of Adam was judicially ended in death. But now Christ is clear of death and judgment; and the measure of His clearance is the measure of the clearance of every believer; and it is not merely that God has now nothing against us, but that righteousness is reckoned to us - Christ is made unto us righteousness. It is not in us, but in Christ that the truth of justification is set forth. We can never understand justification by looking at ourselves, or at one another; it is apprehended on the principle of faith, that is, faith in contrast to works. Not that there is any intrinsic value in faith, but faith lays hold of God in that which He has accomplished; and we see by faith that God, in the putting forth of His power in raising Christ from the dead, has displayed in Christ, thus raised, the measure of our justification, our clearance from every charge, as well as, we may add, our deliverance from every foe.

We get the expression, "this blessedness," in verse 9. It refers to faith being "counted for righteousness," or "reckoned for righteousness," or righteousness being "imputed." These, and similar expressions, occur a number of times in the chapter. What do they mean? Whether referring to Abraham or David or to ourselves who believe today, they mean that God accounts us as righteous before Him in view of our faith. We must not imagine that all virtue resides in our faith. It does not. But faith establishes contact with the work of Christ, in which all the virtue does reside. In that sense faith justifies. Once that contact is established and we stand before God in all the justifying virtue of the work of Christ, we are of necessity justified. It could not righteously be otherwise. God holds us as righteous in view of our faith.

The doctrine of good works is a correlative of that which declares the creative power of God to be the origin of Christian life. Union with Christ is as truly the effective cause of acceptable works, as it is the security of the believer's life. The Lord has very plainly taught us this. That apart from Him we can do nothing, is affirmed not less emphatically than that without faith in Him we are destitute of life (John 15:5). But, in the language of the Spirit, to abide in Christ is to bear fruit to God. Faith without works is dead; for true faith binds us to the Living Vine, in whom our fruit as well as our life is found. Thus the quantity of our fruit will be in proportion to our faith; for faith is the working arm of our strength. It is also by that leading string that the sons of God are conducted by the Spirit in the way of peace. As to the Pattern of our imitation, it is JESUS; who has not only saved us, but has left us an example that we should follow His steps. Flesh will not cease to lust in a believer against the spirit; but the desires of the new and inner man are wholly towards God. That which is born of God still cleaves to Him in love, preserving its natural bias amid all the oppositions of an alien will, which never changes. Moreover, the Spirit lusts against the flesh; and, being God, will ultimately conquer, though the struggle may be long. The assertion of good works as the necessary, because Divinely-prepared, consequence of saving faith, is intended not only to act in warning power on the conscience of the real believer, but to frustrate by anticipation the device of Satan, who endeavours to lead sinners to destruction by separating holiness from grace.

Faith without works is dead, but it is faith that saves, not faith and works. The works come in as the evidence of the reality of the faith, and very important they are. I am suspicious of the man who tells me that he believes in Christ and yet is not "zealous of good works."

If you see smoke coming out of a chimney you know there is a fire inside. You cannot see the fire, but the smoke is evidence of its existence. But it is the fire, not the fire and smoke, that gives warmth. Faith is like the fire; works are like the smoke. They do go hand in hand, but not in securing salvation. No works that we could do could add to the value of the work done by Christ on our behalf. Faith rests upon His work, and shows itself in works which are done by the saved ones out of gratitude to Him.

FAITH alone justifies, but justifying faith is not alone. Good works though they are not the causes of salvation, yet they are the evidences. Faith must not be built upon works, but works must be built upon faith. Faith doth justify works; works do testify faith. "I will show thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18).

Israel’s inheritance depended upon their conduct, if they were willing and obedient, they were to eat the good of the land. Do you think—does anyone here think—that his obedience could get him to heaven; that his obedience would secure for him that inheritance that is reserved in heaven for believers? If he does, he is very greatly mistaken, and in having such a thought he is not obeying God but only disobeying Him, for the one who is trusting to his own obedience or faithfulness is not trusting Christ at all; he is not really believing the Gospel. But here it is, “To an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” for a certain class of people. “For you, who are kept by the power of God.” You are not thrown upon your own resources at all; you are kept by the power of God, and through faith, not through works, but through faith, and unto a salvation ready to be revealed, a salvation that is not yet revealed. Your salvation is not yet revealed. I may tell a man I am saved; he doubts it very much; perhaps he does not know what I mean by saying I am saved until I explain it, but what evidence is there that I am saved? The only evidence that I am saved at all is that I act as one that is subject to God, and as one that is not dominated by the evil that dominates the world, by selfishness, which is sin. Our salvation will be revealed when the Lord comes, but it is not revealed yet.