“Faith vs Works”.  You hear this all the time and you can read a bazillion articles on it as it relates to the Doctrines of Justification and Sanctification. Within Christendom, you can see the predispositions of organized churches regarding this issue: Catholics emphasize works, while Protestants focus on faith. The Catholics have it more correct on a macro scale when they say we are justified by both faith and works.  Unfortunately, their rationale for it is ambiguous as it relates to “works”.  The Protestants on the other hand, overemphasize the importance of faith at the expense of diminishing the importance of  works.

Why should this be so complicated or controversial?  This blog attempts to simplify this controversy that really shouldn’t be confusing at all if you keep one thing in mind –> What “works” are we talking about?

Regarding the Doctrine of Sanctification, we are justified positionally by our faith in Christ’s death and resurrection, and practically by the way we live out that faith on a day to day basis.  These aspects, positional and practical (progressive) sanctification are not mutually exclusive! That is where the Catholics have it “kinda right”, and the Protestants have it completely wrong because they insist that only our position in Christ determines our standing with God, not how we live our life.  As one leader in the Protestant, non-denominational movement stated,

It is by Christ’s work and not our contribution, not 1%, that contributes to acceptable standing before God. If we believe that one act of morality provides us with even the slightest lift into heaven, we are condemned (Gal. 1:8-9Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). If we presume that Christ’s hands push open heaven’s doors, and our hands help just a tad, then we are not a Christian. Soul Diagnostic: How to Know if You Are a Christian by Eric Davis

What Eric Davis fails to mention is the “works” of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers (progressive sanctification).  He should clearly elaborate on what he means by “our contribution” because if he is only referring to the efforts of the old nature, he is completely correct, but without that elaboration his statement cannot stand since it doesn’t clarify what “works” he is talking about.  Romans 8:13-14 states:

13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Positional and Progressive Sanctification are both required in the life of the believer. But the progressive part of it must be the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, not combined with any effort from the old nature or sinful nature of man.  Any effort or work apart from the Holy Spirit is not accepted with God.  This is clearly illustrated in the story of Cain and Abel, where Cain felt justified by his human efforts to please God, whereas Abel was obedient to God and offered the proscribed sacrifice that God demanded.  As James puts it in James 2: 20-26:

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

One of the other complaints from Protestants is that if we “contribute” anything to our standing with God, we willingly or inadvertently diminish from God’s glory and assert our own. As Ephesians 2:9 states:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

So it is important for us believers that God is acknowledged as the source and power to live a godly life so that there is no boasting (explicitly or implicitly) about anything within ourselves, apart from God’s help. As Jesus put it so plainly in John 15:5:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Our standing with God is based on us believing and remembering that Christ had to die to save us and now He lives in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit to help us obey Him as we walk with Him.