I can’t remember when I was not told from pulpit and podium that salvation cannot be earned through works.  It was not until I was in my latter years that I learned, through my own, Holy Spirit-directed Bible study, that salvation cannot be attained without works.  The misunderstanding found among church people lies in their failure to distinguish among justification (forgiveness of all past sins), conversion (a total reversal of life) and salvation (the awarding of eternal life upon Christ’s return).  These are totally different, though interrelated events which have different meanings and take place at different times.  Study Titus 3:5-7 to see the connection among the three.  Note that it is justification, and only justification that is awarded solely by God’s grace which Jesus made available by His death.  Grace is God’s “gift” (Rom. 6:23) that makes justification possible.  Without justification there can be no conversion.  Without conversion there can be no salvation.

As is proven by numerous Scriptures, works are commanded by the Lord.  A composite of those Scriptures is found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus, a fellow soldiers in God’s ministerial army.  The word “works” is found no less than eight times in the short, three-chaptered epistle.  Let us examine that very important work relative to God’s Word, works, and the Christian “walk” (1 Jn. 2:6) that all must trod in order to inherit eternal life.  That walk consists of works–obedience to God’s Word.  God’s Word, man’s Walk and works are synonymous.  Faith is taking God’s Word at face value.  Faith is the beginning point for all things Christian.  Faith in man’s interpretation of God’s Word (which is forbidden by Him–2 Pet. 1:20) is of no value.  The Bible needs no interpretation.  It interprets itself if one will follow God’s formula for learning its Truth as found in Isaiah 28:9,10,13.

In Titus 1:3,4 Paul notes that true gospel ministry consists of proclaiming God’s Word so that those who hear or read the minister’s words will develop and share a common (singular) faith.  Anything short of total belief is unbelief, which is itself a sin.  As Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, man must live (walk) by (according to) every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  Those Words constitute the Holy Bible.  The Ten Commandments are a shortened form of the Bible.  The first two commandments are a shortened form of the other eight.  To doubt one Word of the Bible is to doubt the entire tome.  Doubt is the opposite of faith.

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb. 11:6).  God will not save one who does not please Him.  However, not all faith produces salvation. Like the case of Satan, one can believe God’s Word and not receive salvation.  Only living faith produces eternal life.  Living faith is believing AND OBEYING His Word.  Dead faith is believing His Word but not obeying it (Jam. 2:14,17-20,24,26).  I have had ordained ministers agree that the Scriptures I brought out in a message is indeed God’s Truth, then refuse to obey those Truths.  Two things stand in the way of church people admitting their error and turning to God: pride and fear.  They are too proud to admit that they have been wrong all along.  They fear the reaction of family and friends should they embrace God and His Word.  With preachers there is also the money issue.

We are told in the Scriptures that SALVATION MUST BE EARNED.  In order to earn salvation one must “work” (obey) God’s Word.  In His Word He commands us to be “sober, just, holy and temperate by holding fast (not deviating from) the faithful Word” (Titus 1:8,9)–all of it, not just the parts that confirm our theology.  In 1:16 Paul says that those who do not work the Word are “abominable, disobedient and reprobate relative to good works.”  In 2:5 he says that to fail to work (obey) God’s Word is to blaspheme it.  In Luke 10:16 Jesus said that to not believe (and obey) His Word is to despise both Himself and His Father.

In 2:7,10,12 Paul directs Titus to show a “pattern (consistency) of good works.”  In this way he would “adorn the doctrine (Word) of God our Savior in all things … by living soberly, righteously and godly in this present world.”  Those who do this are purified Law-keepers–“a peculiar people who are zealous of good works” (2:14).  I wish that “sinners saved by grace” were as zealous for good works as they are for evil works–as zealous for pleasing God as they are for pleasing Satan, which makes them zealously evil.

In 3:1 Paul instructs Titus to tell parishioners that they must be “ready to (do) every good work.”  In verse 8 Titus is reminded to “be careful to maintain (practice) good works, for doing so is profitable for all men.  In verses 10,11 Paul stresses that we are not to argue with a heretic who refuses to listen to God’s Word because he has been subverted by Satan, making himself a self-condemned sinner.  To be clear, Paul was writing about church people as noted in verses 8-10.  In verse 14 he tells the church to maintain good works so as not to be unfruitful.  Paul equates good works (obedience to God’s Word) with the production of good “fruit.”  We are and will ultimately be judged by the type of “fruit” we produce.

Again, let us understand that God’s admonition against works applies only to the reception of justification–the moment in time when one is cleansed of all past sins.  JUSTIFICATION IS POSSIBLE ONLY THROUGH GOD’S GRACE.  Conversion and salvation must be EARNED THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD.  Following justification, the question then becomes, now what?  The Lord, through His prophets and apostles, tells us that, following justification, one must be converted and walk in holiness in order to receive salvation upon the return of Jesus to earth (Rom. 6:16,19,22).  Holiness is “working” the Lord’s Words.  Obeying His Word equates to working His Word.  This we must do in order to qualify for eternal life.  He who does so “to the end shall (then) be saved” (Mat. 10:22). L.J.