Is faith a work?

Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, our Lord and Savior,

Please read this OP before answering.

Serious question looking for some answers. Thought maybe I could find some here. I want to post two scriptures and see what people conclude. I’ll post the KJV.

My question is this: is faith in Christ a work?

John 6:28,29 KJV
28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.

If I understand correctly, Jesus is saying that the work God wants us to do to have salvation of our soul is to believe on His Son Jesus Christ.

However, Paul says that we are given a gift of being saved because of our faith and that it has nothing to do with our works or self-effort.

Can someone explain this to me? Thank you.

Christ used the word "work" ironically in that statement about doing "the work of God". What He meant is the exact opposite. Believing is the exact opposite of working for salvation. And the Bible makes it clear that it is NOT by works of righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy that God saves us.

I don't believe we’re allowed to assign irony to Christ’s teachings without proper authority which we don’t have. Furthermore, we aren’t allowed to say Christ meant the opposite of what He plainly said in order to contradict Him. I have no other choice but to believe He was being literal and sincere.

Jesus said believing in Him is a work that we can do. Paul says that faith is not a work.

I believe this should force us to dig deeper to harmonize the scriptures rather than create loopholes to circumnavigate the written word.

Can you offer me any other explanation to my question in the OP?

Good Thread.

I believe both faith and works (after justification) are the Work of God within us, based on Phil 2:13: "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

God gives us even the will to please Him. He also gives us the good works we do for His Good Pleasure. That's what the verse seems to me to be saying. God Bless.

Personally, I think that Jesus was being literal in the Jn. 6:29 verse - but I do not think that Paul was referring to Faith as being a work, but rather other works (Laws, deeds, etc.) that people often try to live up to in an attempt to add to the finished work that Christ alone was capable of doing in our stead.

We can't add to Righteousness that Jesus imputed to us... but by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to live a life pleasing to God, who empowers us to will and do the Will of God.

Phil. 2:13 - For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

See? It's God's works, not the works of our own will.

John 6:29 is simply a play on words by Jesus when he said, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent," when He answered the Jews (who were taking a legalistic approach) when they asked, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" So Jesus was not saying that believing is just "another work" in a series of works in a quest to obtain salvation by works, which would contradict Ephesians 2:8,9 - "..saved through faith, not works."

For me, faith was a gift. I don't know much...maybe it's different for others...it's just how it was with me. God saved me. It's that simple.

Hi, Runningman.

In order to properly understand these words of Jesus, we need to look at them in the context of what was then transpiring and who he was speaking to at that time.

The day before he made this comment, Jesus had fed the multitudes by multiplying the loaves and fishes, and having perceived that the people were going to try to take him by force to make him their king after witnessing this provisional miracle, he departed into a mountain alone (John 6:1-15). That evening, Jesus' disciples entered into a ship in order to cross over the sea towards Capernaum, and Jesus met them, while walking on the water, and they collectively reached their destination across the sea (John 6:16-21).

We'll pick up the story starting in the next verse:

John chapter 6

[22] The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
[23] (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks)
[24] When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
[25] And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
[28] Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
[29] Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
[30] They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
[31] Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
[32] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
[33] For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
[34] Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
[35] And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
[36] But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
[37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
[38] For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
[39] And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
[40] And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
[41] The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

Jesus rightly perceived that these people to whom he was then speaking took shipping to find him NOT because they saw his miracle which pointed to his Messiahship, but solely because they did eat of the loaves and were filled (vs. 26). In other words, their "labor" or efforts to find Jesus were totally carnal and self-centered in nature, and Jesus therefore told them to "LABOR NOT for the meat that perishes (natural bread), but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you" (vs. 27).

Their response?

Well, they feignedly asked him, "What shall we do that we might work the works of God?" (vs. 28). I'll tell you why I said "feignedly" in a moment, but it certainly seems to me that, in context, they asked about "working the works of God" in response to what Jesus had just said about "laboring".

Anyhow, Jesus responded with your opening quote or by saying "This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent" (vs. 29). In other words, THIS is what you ought to be LABORING FOR, or WORKING TOWARDS, or EXPENDING YOUR ENERGY IN PURSUIT OF, and NOT just natural provisions like bread. Again, they expended quite a bit of energy and effort to find Jesus after his provisional miracle, but their motives were all wrong while doing so.

Listen now to their response to what Jesus said:

"They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat." (John 6:30-31)

Do you see what they did there?

They asked Jesus for a sign, and then they conveniently chose the "sign" of the manna which was given to the children of Israel in their wilderness journeys BECAUSE THEY WERE STILL LABORING OR WORKING TOWARDS THE WRONG THING...NAMELY, NATURAL BREAD TO FULFILL THEIR CARNAL DESIRES WHILE HAVING NO REAL DESIRE FOR CHRIST HIMSELF.

Anyhow, I could say so much more about what transpired there that day and why, but the point that I'm trying to make to you is this:

In context, it seems that the type of "work" that Jesus was speaking of here was a LABORING towards knowing him and, consequently, towards following him. This following of him would, of necessity, include seeking to do the works of God themselves, even as Jesus regularly not only sought to do the works of God himself, but actually did so.

Which brings us to your next scriptural reference:

When it comes to our salvation, it is not obtained via any "work" of righteousness that we have done, but rather via our faith in Christ's sacrificial death, burial, resurrection from the dead, ascension back to heaven, and consequential glorification at the Father's right hand in heaven.

However, and this is a BIG HOWEVER, let's not forget to read the very next verse:

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

Although we haven't been saved due to any work of righteousness which we have done, we have most certainly been saved so that we can now do "good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them" via the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.

Basically, what I'm saying here is this:

Our initial "work" is to LABOR earnestly to find and embrace Christ.

Once we have found and embraced him, we should be regularly doing good works, via the power of God's indwelling Spirit, even as God has foreordained.

Hopefully, this makes sense and helps to answer your questions.

Titus chapter 2

[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
[12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
[13] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
[14] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
[15] These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Sure.

Faith IS NOT a WORK. No one can earn their salvation. No work of man will absolve him of his sin. Only the precious blood of Jesus can do this. Please read John 3:16.

doesn't this mean, faith is a work of God? i.e. God works it in us.
((oh yes i know that irks the Arminianist))

and in John 6, Christ seems to be telling them, stop thinking about your own efforts, but believe in Him who was sent to save.
the beginning of wisdom is to fear/respect God: part of that is comprehending our absolute insufficiency compared to Him. it's humility. they came to Him asking, how can we be like You? how can we do amazing things too? and He said, the amazing thing is believing in ME. He is our Shepherd; we are His sheep. the sheep shouldn't desire to supplant the Shepherd, but love Him, and follow Him.

the work of God is to prostrate ourselves before God, not to imagine we are coequal with Him. we're not coequal in terms of our salvation; He saves us & we have no capability to save ourselves - that is why He is the One who does it. we are not coequal in terms of the good works He saves us into; He works in us because we have no capability of our own to be good, as He is good. that is why He is the One who does it. we have no capability to justify ourselves before Him, to be upright before Him: he is the One who works these things in us and for us. all glory is His: i cast my crown at His feet

only when we submit all before Him and attribute all goodness to Him in humility, do we do 'good works' -- IMO, any work we attribute to our own desire, will & effort, is not a 'good' work. only the works that He is solely given reverence for, are good.
so i say, if any good thing comes from my conversation here, it isn't me, but Christ who works in me

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ummm, sorry, but no they didn't.

They came to him solely because their bellies had been filled with natural bread the day before, and they wanted more of the same, even as Jesus himself said:

John chapter 6

[26] Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

look at it like a seed that grows

“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”
‭‭John‬ ‭6:29‬ ‭

that’s not the full grown plant or fruit tree it’s a seed being planted in a heart and leads somewhere why and what do I need to believe ?

“He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3:33-36‬ ‭KJV‬‬

we’ve grown from believing that Jesus exists and that he died for us to believing what Jesus had to say because it’s Gods word

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”
‭‭John‬ ‭12:48-50‬ ‭KJV‬‬

our understanding is growing in faith we believe Jesus is and that he was sent to speak Gods true words of eternal life that’s why we need to believe in him and believe him his word

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
‭‭John‬ ‭8:31-32‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.”
‭‭John‬ ‭18:37‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the reason we need to believe in the one God sent is that his word is life and freedom we have to accept him and the word he was sent to speak to believers eventually we get to the nest and potatoes of faith

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: he is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:46-49‬ ‭KJV‬‬

We have to hear and believe Jesus that’s where our understanding is he was sent to speak the truth to mankind

it’s not faith to simply acknowledge jesus exists it’s faith to hear and accept what he said

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:17‬ ‭

faith doesn’t replace hearing and obeying the word of God it brings us to repentance Jesus leads us as we learn to believe in him and to hear and believe and keep his words

eventually faith sounds like this

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him….. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14:21, 23-24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

faith is to hear and believe Jesus not to say I believe and then reject what he taught it’s for this

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:32‬ ‭KJV‬‬

because of this

“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13:3‬ ‭KJV‬‬


He came to save us if we hear and believe the gospel

Brother Nehemiah6 is correct and the irony of what our LORD said is this:
You cannot work faith - Period.
Faith is also a Gift from God to enable us to Believe on HIM whom the FATHER sent.

Question? = Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Answer with Irony which leads back to Christ being the only means of Salvation.
"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

The LORD is also referring to something else which no one here can SEE - yet.

So far, so good.

they do not know what they are asking, and He reveals that.
but their actual question is clear, and that question is "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" ((John 6:28))
Christ is God and does the works of God.
they ask how can they do likewise.
that is tantamount to, how can they be like Him?
that is what they ask.
so i stand by what i stated

Click to expand...

They know exactly what they're asking, and they only mentioned the "work" part in response to what Jesus had just finished saying about "laboring" as I mentioned in my initial response here.

Furthermore, as I also previously mentioned, the "work" that they mentioned to Christ was the provisional manna from heaven that the Israelites received during their wilderness journeys, and this was no coincidence. Instead, it was just another indicator that all they were after was natural bread...even as Jesus rightly said.

Let's not rewrite Biblical history...

those loaves were not natural, as you called them, but supernatural - He multiplied them.

so they came to Him asking, "how can we do the works of God?" knowing that His works are the works of God.
not because they understood - else they would know they cannot do the works of God without being God.
((God alone does the works of God; men alone do the works of men))
but because they did not understand; as He said, instead because their bellies had been satisfied, and they themselves wanted power to satisfy further their own bellies, themselves.

i think you do not understand my meaning. it isn't contrary to His words, but based in them
please; think again?

as i said also.
the natural bread is the bread natural men bake.
He said, the work of God is to believe in Him who He sent - the One sent is the true Bread.
the supernatural bread is the bread He alone provides and alone gives freely

the work of God is not to bake your own bread, but to eat the bread that God sends from heaven; that Bread is God Himself - Christ is the true Manna. those who ate in the wilderness died, but whoever eats of Him lives forever, even if he dies.

The way I see it is, both Faith and Works are worked by God's Grace working within us. We are commanded to build ourselves up in the faith, and grow in works of love. It is the Spirit of God who helps us do these things, by working within us inwardly: "20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 1:20-21). God Bless.

If we concentrate on a line from the Lord's Prayer, it shines the light even more which you have shared here. "Give us this day our daily Bread." Who is the Bread from Haven? I believe I know, and He is the Unleavened Bread from Heaven, born in Bethlehem, which by the way means House of Bread.