Ephesians 2:9 – NOT OF WORKS
Ephesians 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
You are saved by faith, not by works. It does not matter how many good works you do, you will never earn your way to Heaven by your actions here on this earth. James tells us that he “will shew thee my faith by my works.” What James was saying is that a byproduct of your faith and your changed relationship with God will be a bunch of good works. Those good works never save you but they are a manifestation of what God has already done in your heart.
Feeding the poor will never get you to Heaven. Nonetheless, if you are saved, one of the manifestations of your being saved may be that you are feeding the poor. Visiting prisoners will never get you to Heaven. Nonetheless, if you are saved, one of the manifestations of your being saved may be that you are visiting those who are in prison. Taking care of strangers will never get you to Heaven. Nonetheless, if you are saved, one of the manifestations of your being saved may be that you are taking care of the strangers.
God makes perfectly clear to us that our works will never earn us the right to be in heaven. However, just because works do not earn us the right to be in Heaven, it does not mean that we forsake doing works. Stephen was a man full of faith. Because of his faith, he was called to take care of the widows. This was a good work that Stephen did not because he was trying to be saved but because it was something that needed to be done.
God blessed Stephen and we soon find Stephen preaching a powerful messaged that pricked the hearts of the religious leaders. Just because Stephen was taking care of the widows, this did not stop him from continuing to live by faith. Stephen understood that his works with the widows was a result of his faith but that he had to continue to live by faith so that his relationship with God would grow.
It is very tempting to become so focused upon the works that you are doing for God that you start to think that because of your works, you are earning favor with God. Nothing you do on this earth will earn you favor with God; it is the blood of Jesus Christ and the work that HE did on the cross that enables you to have fellowship with the Father. The works that you do should be a gift of love. You should be doing works as a result of your faith and your love of the Father. Because you love HIM, you desire to share that love with others so that they might see HIS light through your life.
Satan will often try to tempt you by focusing your eyes upon works. Satan knows that man desires to earn his salvation and as such, Satan will constantly be reminding you of your works as an attempt to get you to stumble and take your eyes off of God and put them upon yourself. You cannot manufacture faith and it is by your faith that you are saved. When you feel that you are starting to focus too much upon your works, it is time for you to add temperance to your life and change your focus from your works to your faith.
Do not fall into the trap that so many before you have fallen into; you are saved by faith and not by works. Most if not all false religions require that you do something in order to earn favor with the gods. Even the cults that pretend to be serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob require that you do works in order to earn your right to be in Heaven. God’s ways are not the ways of the world. God has saved you by faith and it is a manifestation of your faith that you do good works.