Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
The Bible makes a distinction between doing in righteousness, and works. The Bible tells us that we will not be justified by works alone, that is, things which others may see us do and which potentially we may boast about. For as such, a person who performs works alone, even works required by God’s Law, will be no more righteous than a person entering a house of worship with fancy clothes so that they may be seen, not out of an inward spiritual faith in God. So, any works which may incline or compel you to tell about them to others, are not works in accordance with righteousness, though they are still needed.
So what things are done out of righteousness, or, more accurately perhaps, in the name of righteousness? One of these things is confessing our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We were born into a world of sin, as God in Genesis said that man’s heart has evil since youth. So, all of us are inclined to sin and it is up to us to confess the sins we knowingly committed. In that regard, apart from Jesus, Adam was regarded as being perfect until he discovered evil from eating the apple. In so doing, he brought evil into the world but until that point Adam was as perfect as a man could be.
Another act of righteousness is faith in God. This faith is spiritual in nature, a bond with God which God only sees and no one else can see. For if we can boast of our faith in God, it becomes not a matter of faith, but a matter of works that incline us to boast, and as long as we can boast about it, it is not a matter of faith.
How then to explain James 2:20 which says, “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that th our works and our faith apart from works is useless?” Does not Romans 3:28 say, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law?”
James 2:24 says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” There is a strong inference that works, of the type we can boast about, is needed along with our faith in order to hope to be seen as righteous. In a sense, works is the match and faith is the matchbook cover. Together they produce the light that God may see as being one of righteousness.
So, it seems that both our works and our faith together are needed for us to be counted as being righteous, and doing things in righteousness alone would not be counted as righteousness unless we also have works. It seems that before Adam ate the apple, he wasn’t required to perform works since he was righteous in his perfection before God. After he ate the apple, he needed to prove himself through his works along with his faith in God, that he may be counted as being righteous.
The Bible makes a distinction between doing in righteousness, and works. The Bible tells us that we will not be justified by works alone, that is, things which others may see us do and which potentially we may boast about. For as such, a person who performs works alone, even works required by God’s Law, will be no more righteous than a person entering a house of worship with fancy clothes so that they may be seen, not out of an inward spiritual faith in God. So, any works which may incline or compel you to tell about them to others, are not works in accordance with righteousness, though they are still needed.
So what things are done out of righteousness, or, more accurately perhaps, in the name of righteousness? One of these things is confessing our sins. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We were born into a world of sin, as God in Genesis said that man’s heart has evil since youth. So, all of us are inclined to sin and it is up to us to confess the sins we knowingly committed. In that regard, apart from Jesus, Adam was regarded as being perfect until he discovered evil from eating the apple. In so doing, he brought evil into the world but until that point Adam was as perfect as a man could be.
Another act of righteousness is faith in God. This faith is spiritual in nature, a bond with God which God only sees and no one else can see. For if we can boast of our faith in God, it becomes not a matter of faith, but a matter of works that incline us to boast, and as long as we can boast about it, it is not a matter of faith.
How then to explain James 2:20 which says, “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that th our works and our faith apart from works is useless?” Does not Romans 3:28 say, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law?”
James 2:24 says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” There is a strong inference that works, of the type we can boast about, is needed along with our faith in order to hope to be seen as righteous. In a sense, works is the match and faith is the matchbook cover. Together they produce the light that God may see as being one of righteousness.
So, it seems that both our works and our faith together are needed for us to be counted as being righteous, and doing things in righteousness alone would not be counted as righteousness unless we also have works. It seems that before Adam ate the apple, he wasn’t required to perform works since he was righteous in his perfection before God. After he ate the apple, he needed to prove himself through his works along with his faith in God, that he may be counted as being righteous.
