Faith, grace, works: how can they be linked?
Faith, grace, works: how can they be linked?
Summary:
FAITH, GRACE and WORKS can be linked in certain ways depending on several factors, such as:
- The object of the FAITH.
- The kind of WORK.
Everything has to be FROM FAITH.
FROM FAITH someone can have access to GRACE, which can empower them to do GOOD WORKS.
You can find more details below:
Everything has to be FROM FAITH:
Paul wrote: "everything which (is) not FROM FAITH is sin" (Romans 14:23).
Paul indicated that one has the "access (BY) FAITH into this GRACE in which we-stand" (Romans 5:2).
It is written about people who "THROUGH FAITH [...] WORKED" (Hebrews 11:33).
FAITH can be described as non-working or working:
Faith can be described as non-working when it is a faith without works:
James wrote: "FAITH without works is NON-WORKING" (James 2:20).
The Greek word for "NON-WORKING" [argos 692 in Greek, adjective] is composed as a negative particle of the Greek word for "alpha" [alpha 1 in Greek, noun], and the Greek word for "work" [ergon 2041 in Greek, noun].
Faith can be described as working when it is a faith with works:
Paul wrote about a "FAITH WORKING through love" (Galatians 5:6).
FAITH and WORKS can work together:
James taught about Abraham that his "FAITH HAD-BEEN-WORKING-WITH his WORKS" (James 2:22).
James did not teach about Abraham that his faith had been "producing" his works, but James taught about Abraham that his faith "HAD-BEEN-WORKING-WITH his WORKS" (James 2:22). This would suggest a cooperation of two different things that can work-with one another.
Now WORKS are NOT necessarily produced after someone has FAITH.
FAITH can work with GOOD WORKS specifically.
FAITH CANNOT work with WORKS OF THE LAW (of Moses) or DEAD WORKS.
For more information:
Are all works the same in every way?:
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FAITH and WORKS can be by themselves (without the other):
James wrote: "FAITH, if IT-DOES NOT HAVE WORKS, is dead BY ITSELF" (James 2:17). It is possible for FAITH to "NOT HAVE WORKS" (James 2:17) and so to be "BY ITSELF" (James 2:17).
James again wrote twice about "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS" (James 2:20, James 2:26).
A FAITH WITHOUT WORKS can still be a real FAITH. Indeed, James for example compared FAITH with the body of a human, when he wrote: "just-as the body without spirit is dead, so also FAITH without WORKS is dead" (James 2:26). The real body of a human can be "without spirit" (James 2:26), in a similar way the real faith of someone can be "without WORKS" (James 2:26). A body can be a real body even though it is dead. A faith can be a real faith even though it is dead.
This is all true for FAITH and GOOD WORKS.
FAITH CANNOT work with WORKS OF THE LAW (of Moses) or DEAD WORKS, so these specific kinds of WORKS would be by themselves WITHOUT FAITH anyway.
For more information:
Are all works the same in every way?:
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FAITH and WORKS by themselves (without the other) are dead:
FAITH without WORKS is DEAD:
James wrote: "FAITH, if it-does NOT have WORKS, is DEAD by itself" (James 2:17).
WORKS without FAITH are DEAD:
The author of Hebrews wrote about "DEAD WORKS" (Hebrews 6:1).
For more information:
Are all works the same in every way?:
FAITH can be brought to life when adding WORKS to it:
James wrote: "just-as the BODY without SPIRIT is DEAD, so also FAITH without WORKS is DEAD" (James 2:26).
The BODY of a human can be "without SPIRIT" (James 2:26) and so be "DEAD" (James 2:26), in a similar way the FAITH of someone can be "without WORKS" (James 2:26) and so be "DEAD" (James 2:26).
BUT if a SPIRIT enters the BODY of someone, then the BODY of that person can be made ALIVE. In a similar way, if WORKS are added to the faith of someone, then the FAITH of that person can be made ALIVE.
FAITH can be shown by WORKS:
James wrote: "Show me your faith without works, and I WILL-SHOW YOU you the FAITH OUT-OF MY WORKS" (James 2:18).
Jesus could SEE the FAITH of people as they were doing WORKS to reach Him, as it is written: "THEY-WERE-BRINGING to Him (a) paralytic having-been-put on (a) bed. And Jesus, HAVING-SEEN THEIR FAITH, said (to) the paralytic, “Take-courage, child" (Matthew 9:2).
FAITH can be perfected out of the WORKS:
James wrote about "Abraham" (James 2:21) that his "faith WAS-PERFECTED OUT-OF the works" (James 2:22).
GRACE can be accessed by FAITH:
Paul wrote: "we-have the ACCESS (BY) FAITH INTO THIS GRACE in which we-stand" (Romans 5:2). Paul indicated that the access "INTO THIS GRACE" (Romans 5:2) is "(BY) FAITH" (Romans 5:2).
For more information:
Is grace conditional?:
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Grace can be accessed specifically by faith... in the truth (not faith in a falsehood).
FAITH can be in the TRUTH or in the FALSEHOOD, as it is written that someone may be one "HAVING-PUT-FAITH (in) the TRUTH" (2 Thessalonians 2:12) or may "PUT-FAITH (in) the FALSEHOOD" (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
Thus if someone does not have access to grace, they may be putting faith in a falsehood.
GRACE can empower someone to do GOOD WORKS:
GRACE can allow someone to do GOOD WORKS, as Paul wrote: "God is-able to-cause all GRACE to-abound to you in-order-that in everything, always having all sufficiency, you-may-be-abounding for every GOOD WORKS" (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Now GOOD WORKS are not necessarily produced after someone receives GRACE.
For more information:
Are good works automatically produced?:
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GRACE and trying to be declared righteous by WORKS OF THE LAW (OF MOSES) are not compatible.
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Are all works the same in every way?:
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FAITH, GRACE and WORKS can grow:
If someone GROWS over time so as to have MORE FAITH, they may access MORE GRACE to be empowered to do GREATER WORKS, so that their "LAST WORKS (are) GREATER (than) the FIRST" (Revelation 2:19).
For more information on FAITH, GRACE and WORKS being able to grow:
Someone can grow in Christ:
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