Grace Of God And Good Works – Is It A Contradiction?
BRD REFLECTIONS
Acts 26; Psalm 116; Psalm 117 (NIV)
(Yeo Su Chen, Chairperson, Communications)
READ:
I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God —and prove they have changed by the good things they do. (Acts 26:20, NLT)
OBSERVE:
In this particular verse, Paul added that all who have turned to and accepted Christ must also bear witness to Christ in their lives. Their lives must signify and show the teachings and examples of Christ. It leads me to revisit the age-old question: is salvation from the Lord’s grace or the outcome of good works?
Beyond that, as a Christian who wants to take my discipleship seriously, I have to reflect: do my behaviour and actions in my daily life corroborate what Christ teaches me and confirm my commitment to Him? Are they consistent with what God teaches? Or do they contradict the principles and precepts of God?
APPLY:
After years of searching for the correct answer, I have concluded that salvation is the gift of God that requires me to continue working on myself so that I can have an inward transformation that allows me to enjoy the fullness and true meaning of this gift.
Salvation is a gift from God, and good works for others are also a gift, for it is only when I work in, through and with God that I can produce genuine good works which exemplify God’s love for all people.
Good works are not requisite for my salvation. It is more than that. It is a natural and progressive outcome that springs from my love and obedience to the Lord. It is not legalistic, and neither is it a big box to be ticked off to attain salvation.
If I do “make the grade”, it would not be because of my good deed. But good works would be a natural, reasonable response, reaction and result of my inward repentance and commitment to follow the Lord. All outward good works and expressions of worship are the results of the Holy Spirit indwelling after I have decided to follow Jesus. These deeds alone do not help me finish the race well, but they are necessary for me on my ongoing discipleship journey.
Therefore, if I can follow through with the Scriptures holistically on the precepts of grace and good works, there is no contradiction between the two, as an authentic conversion will surely lead to genuine acts of grace and kindness.
DO:
I will work on myself through God because my behaviour reflects His teachings and represents Him.
I will remember Christ wants me to love Him and also my neighbours. Loving and serving my neighbours is a part of my sanctification process.
I will not take the gift of God’s redemptive grace to me through Jesus for granted. Taking up the cross and following Him will help me understand the Scripture more closely.
PRAY:
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge I am nothing apart from you. Thank you for the gift of your grace through Jesus Christ so that I can be born again. Help me bear fruits of the Spirit in my life by staying close to you because I love you and want to obey you, not because I am just legalistic about what you have taught me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
