By the riverbank.

I once saw a picture of a man in India lying on a bed of spikes. He had been there for days, eating no food and drinking little water. He was attempting to atone for his sins. I’ve heard of other people in Africa and the Pacific who walk on coals of fire. Supposedly, if they come through unscathed, they are accepted by God, if they get burned, they are considered to be a sinner in need of more repentance.

Many decades ago in India, a missionary passed the banks of the Ganges one day and noticed a mother sitting by the riverbank with two of her children. On her lap was a beautiful new baby and whimpering beside her was a painfully retarded child of about three.

On her return home that night the missionary saw the young mother still sitting at the riverbank, but the baby was gone and the mother was trying to comfort her little three year old. Horrified at what she thought might be true, the missionary hesitated a moment and then walked over to the mother and asked her what had happened. With tears streaming down her cheeks, the mother looked up and said, “I don’t know about the god in your country, but the god in mine demands the best.” Every false religion, (even false forms of Christianity), is based on the doctrine of salvation by works.

We all know that the Ten Commandments demand absolute perfection and that we are unable to satisfy its demands. The law presents us with a chasm over which we are unable to pass. Anything short of perfection is sin, and says Paul, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a). We all deserve death! Fortunately, Christ has leapt the gap of perfection and paid the penalty of death on our behalf. The law says, “do or die,” the gospel says, “done and live.” Forever.

What we cannot do or earn for ourselves, Christ offers to us as a gift – eternal life. (Romans 6:23b). This gift we cannot earn before or after; with what would we pay God for eternal life anyway?

But how do we relate the twin doctrines of justification by faith alone and judgment by works? Can the things we do or not do affect our standing before God?

John Calvin once said, “We are not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that works.” Indeed, we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone. Ellen White, one of my favourite authors, summarized the tension of the two doctrines by saying, “While good works will not save even one soul, yet it is impossible for even one soul to be saved without good works.” This is simply underscoring what James, in his letter to the church, said about faith without works being dead.

Works (obedience, benevolence, kindness etc.) will always be the outward sign of the inward condition of a saving faith.