Saved by Works

Christians are saved by works... just not by their own works. 

In Acts 2 the day that the disciples had been praying for finally arrives with the first great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Jewish Day of Pentecost. Without taking sides on what was going on (I wish we had a video of that scence!), what we do know is what was being heard from the various "tongues" spoken by the disciples. As they were filled with the Spirit, they began "declaring the wonders of God." The word translated "wonder" is from a Greek word with a prefix, mega, which may be why one recent Bible translation renders the phrase "mighty (mega) works." Their day was much like ours. Most folks believed that if they were going to be accepted, forgiven, loved and blessed by God, that it was up to them to do the right religious and moral works. And so folks tried. If they thought they had succeeded, they grew proud. If they failed, they despaired. How I can relate! 

The good news of the gospel is that all the work that needed to be done to make me acceptable, forgiven, loved and blessed by God has already been done through the substitutionary life and death of Jesus. In that sense, Christians are saved by works—Jesus' works. Therefore, what happens when I am filled with the Spirit is that I begin to grasp the significance of God's grace and respond with an overflow of praise to God for his works. When I am filled like that, my eyes shift away from myself (from both my successes and failures) to Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the ultimate work of the cross. And it is there at the bloody tree that religious pride and despair are turned into gospel humility and hope.