Saved By Faith Alone? No!

I was taught in church, for the longest time, that it is through faith alone that a person is saved.  It wasn't until I started taking the Bible seriously, reading it and searching for myself that I saw how wrong that statement is.  There is not a single verse in the Bible that says a person is "saved by faith alone."  And I read many things, particularly in Matthew and particularly from Jesus, that gave me a conviction: that a person absolutely needs to do good works.  In this note I pray to prove, from the Scripture, exactly that.  Let me be clear, I am simply and only saying this: Good works are necessary for salvation.  I am not arguing for any salvation equation.  I am not going into depth with soteriology.  I am simply making the point that a person must do good deeds - produce good fruit - to be saved.  Faith is necessary.  Good works are necessary.

A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire  Matthew 7:18-19

So what happens if you don't bear good fruit?  I think this verse is pretty clear on that

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 7:21

We can argue over who it is saying "Lord, Lord," but it seems to me that these are people who have some kind of faith (whatever kind you want to call it).  If they had no faith, then there would be no reason that they would be calling Him Lord.  But the second part of this verse is the part I want to point out.  This verse alone proves my point: only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Pretty simple, you cannot enter heaven unless you do the will of the Father.

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.  Matthew 12:36-37

Men who speak evil = condemned / Men who speak righteously = acquitted.  Amazing how simple Jesus makes it.

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.  Matthew 16:27

How is He going to reward each person?  According to what he has done.

So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.'  His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Matthew 25:25-26

This is from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.  You can read the rest to see what happens to this servant, who did nothing with the talent that was given to him.

He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'  Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.  Matthew 25:45-46

This is from the passage of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25.  The sheep are the ones who serve the needy.  The goats are the ones who do not serve the needy.  Jesus makes it very clear, if you do nothing for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the sick or the prisoner (and I'm sure He would include other similar persons), then you are doing nothing for Him, and you will be cast into hell.

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.  But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God  Luke 12:8-9

Acknowledge Christ before men = being acknowledged by Christ / Do not acknowledge Christ before men = not being acknowledged by Christ.  Again, Jesus makes it very simple.

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval  John 6:27

What does He say to do for food that endures to eternal life?  Work.

As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him.  For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.  There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.  John 12:47-48

Those who do not accept Jesus' words = condemned.  Now I think He means ALL of His words, not just the soft nice sounding John 3:16

If you love me, you will obey what I command  John 14:15

Those who do not obey Jesus' commands but say they love Him are either lying or calling Jesus a liar.

Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  Revelation 22:12

Jesus is basically repeating what He said in Matthew 16:27.  Pretty self-explanatory.

Now if the words of Jesus are not enough to convince you, let me quote from the apostles as well.

God "will give to each person according to what he has done."  To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  Romans 2:6-8

Those who like to quote Romans to say "faith alone" are twisting what Paul was saying.  Firstly, Paul never said "faith alone".  Secondly, the works that Paul was referring to was OT laws, particularly circumcision.  The reason he wrote to emphasize faith and the gift of grace was to rebuke their pride in circumcision and OT works.  Read the context and you will see this clearly.

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a man is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.  Ephesians 5:6

He even reinforces this statement with the "For of this you can be sure"

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God  Hebrews 10:26-27

You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone  James 2:24

This is the only place in the Bible where the phrase "faith alone" is written.  Unfortunately for the Protestants, its not "by faith alone" but "not by faith alone".  When Protestants teach "saved by faith alone" it is a direct contradiction to what is written here.

Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear  1Peter 1:17

Judges each man's what?  Work.

The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever  1John 2:17

The man who what?  Does the will of God

For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you.  They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord  Jude 4

I quote this last verse to point out what the "faith only" crowd does.  They turn the grace of God into a license to commit sin.  They demean works, even suggesting that anyone who does good works is "self righteous" or "holier than thou".