Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works?

Download or read book Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works? written by Alan P. Stanley and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2006-09-20 with total page 437 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book investigates the role of works in salvation in the Synoptic Gospels. Jesus was all too aware of people who claimed to believe in Him and yet proved to be not truly born again (e.g., John 2:23-25; 8:31-46). A profession of faith made at some point during one's life is no guarantee that heaven awaits that person. Such professions or conversion experiences must be followed by changed lives if faith is to be shown to be genuine saving faith. Hence Jesus teaches that regardless of one's profession, if one does not demonstrate a changed life produced by God, one will not enter into heaven. Such a judgment will be made when Jesus returns and judges every person according to his or her works. While this may seem contradictory to some more well-known passages ruling out the role of works in salvation (e.g., Rom 3:21-4:25; Gal 2:16-21; Eph 2:8-9), there is every good reason to understand that Jesus' teachings complement such passages. The works that admit one into heaven are not works produced by the flesh before conversion but works produced by God after conversion. They will fundamentally be characterized by a life of discipleship, love for others, and endurance in faith and obedience, and will therefore serve to confirm that one indeed did have a relationship with God during one's life. Hence Jesus did teach salvation by works. However God is the one who produces the works and they occur after conversion. Thus salvation is not one's initial conversion but one's final entrance into heaven.