Tag: Law of Christ

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Why Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:19)

This is the third article in the series that explains, if Jesus said, “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law,” why the church council in Acts 15, a decade or two later, decided that Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law of Moses. The current article discusses Matthew 5:19-20. It is, actually, also part of the series of articles on Galatians, for it uses Galatians to explain the decision of the church council.  The articles in this series are:

1. Jesus came to fulfill the Law.
2. Sermon on the Mount 
3. Not the smallest letter shall pass from the Law. – Current article

MATTHEW 5:19-20

Matthew 5:19 “whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

SUMMARY

Since it was Jesus’ intention to use the Old Testament as the basis for His sermon, He started His sermon by confirming the continued validity of the Old Testament. He said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets” (Matt 5:17).

In verse 19, Jesus switches the topic from “the Law” (the Old Testament) to God’s “commandments.” as contained in the Old Testament. For most of the sermon, He then continues to preach on those “commandments.”

Since Jesus taught the people what kind of people they must be to receive eternal life, He only spoke about those “commandments” by which people will be judged in the last judgment. He never mentioned the ceremonial rituals of the Old Testament even once.  It is, therefore, not valid to use Matthew 5 to argue that the ceremonial rituals of the Old Testament are applicable to Christians. 

The question in this article series is, if Jesus said, “not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished,” why did the church council in Acts 15, a decade or two later, decide that Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law?

This question is answered above as that there is no requirement in Matthew 5:18 that Christians must abide by the Law of Moses. This verse does not talk about the Old Testament commandments. Rather, Jesus’ point was that He came to put into effect what the Old Testament promised.

PAUL TAUGHT THE AGE-OLD GOSPEL.

However, if everything promised in the Old Testament will come to pass, why do Gentile Christians not have to comply with the Law of Moses? 

The answer is that that is what the Old Testament requires.  We can substantiate this conclusion from the Letter to the Galatians, which reflects Paul’s arguments at the Acts 15 Church Council. In the letter Paul indicates, in a number of ways, that the Old Testament foresaw that Gentiles are to subject to the Law:

The Scripture ‘foresaw’ that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and preached the gospel to Abraham (Gal 3:8). Paul claims that he preaches the same age-old gospel. 

Paul argues that people in the Old Testament were also saved by faith. He uses Abraham as an example (Gal 3:6) and quotes from Habakkuk 2:4; “the righteous man shall live by faith” (Gal 3:11).

The “seed” of Abraham, to whom God gave the promises, is Christ (Gal 3:16). Paul argues that Gentiles become heirs of the promises in Christ (e.g. Gal 2:17). In other words, their salvation is the blessing that God promised to Abraham.

CONCLUSION

Mankind existed for thousands of years without the Law of Moses. The promises which God made to Abraham existed for hundreds of years without the Law. When God gave the law, it did not invalidate the promises (Gal 3:17-18).  The Law was only a temporary measure to keep Israel on the right path “until the seed would come” (Gal 3:19).

The “gospel” which Paul preached was the same gospel that God gave to Abraham. Paul’s gospel, therefore, is not a break from the Old Testament, but a continuation of it.

Since the Law of Moses is no longer relevant, Christ gave us a “new commandment” (e.g. John 13:34), which Paul called the Law of Christ. This is the eternal law as it always existed, as explained by Christ.

 – END OF SUMMARY – 

CONFIRMS THE OLD TESTAMENT

The previous article showed that Christ’s purpose was to teach people what kind of people they must be to receive eternal life. Since it was Jesus’ intention to use the Old Testament as the basis for His teaching, He started His sermon by confirming the continued validity of the Old Testament. He said:

“Do not think that I came to abolish
the Law or the Prophets” (Matt 5:17).

On the contrary, He said that He came to fulfill “the Law and the Prophets” (what we today call the Old Testament). This was explained in the first article as meaning that, in Christ, everything that is promised in the Old Testament will come true (Matt 5:17-18).

At the end of His sermon, Jesus again confirmed the continued validity of the Old Testament by summarizing His sermon as follows:

“In everything, therefore,
treat people the same way you want them to treat you,
for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12).

SWITCHES TO THE COMMANDMENTS

Having confirmed the continued validity of the Old Testament in verses 17 and 18, in Matt 5:19 He switches the topic from “the Law” to the “commandments.” In other words, He now shifts His attention from the complete Old Testament to God’s commandments as contained in the Old Testament. He then continued to preach on those “commandments,” referring to them with phrases such as, “the ancients were told …” (Matt 5:21) and “you have heard that it was said …” (Matt 5:27).

ONLY MORAL COMMANDMENTS

The previous article showed that Jesus taught the people what kind of people they must be to receive eternal life. For that reason, the “commandments” do not include the ceremonial rituals of the Old Testament. He never mentioned them even once.  He only spoke about those “commandments” by which people will be judged in the last judgment, when “the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds” (Rev 20:12).

This is confirmed by how the word “commandment” is used in the gospels. It is used for instructions given by:

Human beings (Luke 15:25-29; John 11:57);

The Father to Christ specifically (John 15:10), including to lay down His life and “to take it up again” (John 10:17-18) as well as, “the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49-50);

Christ to His followers (John 14:15, 21; 15:10), including “that you love one another” (John 13:31-34); The article Law of Christ concludes that Christ did more than to merely interpret the Law of Moses; He replaced the Law of Moses with much higher moral standards, which reflects the Father’s perfect heart; the eternal law as it existed from the beginning.  

But when used for God’s commandments in the Old Testament, it always refers to the “commandments” by which people will be judged; never to ceremonial rituals, for example:

The Ten Commandments, such as honor your father and mother, murder, adultery, stealing, bearing false witness and the Sabbath (Matt 15:3-5; 19:16-19; Mark 7:8-13; 10:17-22 and Luke 18:18-20; 23:55)

Other moral laws, such as “love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 19:16-19; 22:35-40; Mark 12:28-31);

This confirms that the “commandments” in Matthew 5:19 are limited to moral commandments.  It is, therefore, not valid to use Matthew 5 to argue that the ceremonial rituals of the Old Testament are applicable to Christians.

CONCLUSIONS

The question in this article series is, if Jesus said, “Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt 5:18), why did the church council in Acts 15, a decade or two later, decide that Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law? This question is answered above as that there is no requirement in Matthew 5:18 that Christians must abide by the Law of Moses:

This verse does not talk about the Old Testament commandments. “The Law” refers to to the entire Old Testament. Verse 19, which introduces the main topic of the sermon, does refer to God’s commandments, but this does not mean that verse 18 also discusses the commandments. It is important to note that verse 18 discusses the Old Testament in general but verse 19 switches the topic to God’s commandments in particular.

Furthermore, Jesus’ point was not that something remains. His point was that something will change, namely, He said that the Old Testament will be “accomplished.” Christ came to “fulfill” “the Law and the Prophets.”  This means that He will put into effect what the Old Testament promised.

However, if Jesus said that He came to put in place what the Old Testament promised, then that does imply continuity. Also, the fact that Jesus used the Old Testament commandments as the basis for His sermon implies that the new covenant is a continuation of the old covenant. Therefore the question remains, why do Gentile Christians not have to comply with the Law of Moses? 

The reason is that the Old Testament says so.  The fact that the Law of Moses is no longer relevant was foreseen by the Old Testament.  We can substantiate this conclusion from the Letter to the Galatians, as explained in the next section:

PAUL PREACHED ABRAHAM’S GOSPEL.

Paul was the leader of the party at the Acts 15 church council that advocated against the circumcision of Gentiles. The Letter to the Galatians reflects Paul’s arguments at that meeting. See, When was Galatians written? We can, therefore, accept that letter as an explanation of the logic behind the church council’s decision. The following discussion highlights certain verses from that letter that shows that Paul argued that the Old Testament predicted that Gentile Christians will not be subject to the Law of Moses:

THROUGH THE LAW I DIED TO THE LAW (Gal 1:17)

People sometimes struggle to understand how one can die “to the Law” “through the Law.”  Simple: “Through the Law” means that the Old Testament predicted or foresaw that Christians would die “to the Law.” 

ALL THE NATIONS BLESSED IN YOU (Gal 3:8)

The following is a key part of Paul’s logic:

Galatians 3:6 … Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

In this section, Paul included two quotes from the Old Testament (shown in capital letters) from which he makes certain conclusions:

3:6 … Abraham “BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
This means that Abraham was justified (saved) by faith.

3:7 Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.
Abraham’s true sons are not his physical descendants, but those who believe, including believing Gentiles (Gal 3:29).

3:8 The Scripture
The Scripture is what we today call the Old Testament.

foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham
This is the main point for the purpose of the current article, namely that all of this was predicted by the Old Testament. Note the word “gospel.” Paul was very careful to explain that his gospel is not a break from the Old Testament, but the same old “gospel” (v8; cf. Gal 1:6-7) which God gave to Abraham. 

saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.”
This phrase is explained by the previous phrase. Therefore, to be Blessed in Abraham is to be Justified by Faith. Verse 9 confirms this point. The blessings which the Gentiles receive, namely justification, is not something new, but it is the blessing that was promised to Abraham.

THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (Gal 3:11)

Paul claimed that the Jews know “that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 2:15), because the Old Testament says so. As mentioned above, he uses Abraham as an example of where the Old Testament reveals this principle, saying, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Gal 3:6). And Paul also frequently quotes from Habakkuk 2:4; “the righteous man shall live by faith” (E.g. Gal 3:11; Rom 1:17).

Note how often Paul quotes from the Old Testament in these arguments, as indicated by the capital letters in the NASB. This confirms that Paul was adamant that his gospel is not a break from the “Scriptures.”

ABRAHAM’S SEED (Gal 3:16)

God gave the promises to Abraham and his seed (Gen 22:17). Paul interprets that “seed” as, essentially, Christ (Gal 3:16; cf. 3:19). The Gentiles become heirs of the promises in Christ, which we can understand as through Christ. As stated before, the purpose of the Old Testament is accomplished in Christ. He is the Vehicle through which God saves this world.

THE LAW CAME LATER (Gal 3:17-18).

In these verses, Paul indicates the following:

The Law of Moses came hundreds of years after God gave these promises to Abraham and did not invalidate the promises (Gal 3:17-18). What is really important are the promises which God made to Abraham. The Law was only a temporary measure to keep Israel on the right path “until the seed would come” (Gal 3:19). The Law does not “impart life” (save to eternal life – Gal 3:21) because everybody has sinned (Gal 3:22). “The Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ … But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Gal 3:24-25).

Paul’s argument, that Gentiles do not have to be circumcised was, therefore, based on God’s covenant with Abraham. Paul claimed that he preached the same gospel which God gave to Abraham. The Law of Moses was a later and temporary addition. “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (3:24-25). In other words, the Law is not even relevant to Jews that are “in Christ” and, therefore, most certainly not applicable to Gentile Christians.

LAW OF CHRIST

So, if we are not under the Law of Moses, under what law are we?

Firstly, in the Sermon on the Mount, as discussed in the previous article, Jesus only spoke about the rules for moral behavior by which people will be judged; identified as “commandments” in Matthew 5:19

Secondly, as explained more fully in the article Law of Christ, Christ did more than to merely interpret the Law of Moses; He replaced the Law of Moses with much higher moral standards, which reflects the Father’s perfect heart; the eternal law as it existed from the beginning. People will be judged against these rules; not the moral laws as reflected in the Law of Moses.

ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES

Jesus came to fulfill the Law. – A study of Matthew 5:17-18 – Jesus did not come to abolish but to fulfill the Law and the prophets. What are “the Law and the Prophets” and how did Jesus fulfill them?

Sermon on the Mount – Jesus taught His followers what kind of people they must be to be rewarded with eternal life. Jesus did not believe that people have essential immortality and taught that they will be judged by their deeds.

Not the smallest letter shall pass from the Law.  Jesus said that not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” Why then did the Acts 15 Church Council, a decade or two later, decide that Gentiles do not have to comply with the Law? Paul’s letter to the Galatians explains the decision.– Current article

Articles on Galatians – Since Galatians explains the decision of the Church Council, these articles are, in a sense, part of the series on Galatians.

 

 

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God judges all people by their deeds and justifies some by grace.

Summary

God judges all people by their deeds.

This article begins by showing that God will judge all people by their ‘deeds’. This message is clear from the entire Bible. Some believe that Paul taught something different but this article shows that he had the same message.

“Works” are different from ‘deeds’.

Given that God judges all people by their ‘deeds’, this article first explains why Paul also said that nobody will be justified by “the works of the law” (e.g., Gal 2:16). To do that, this article explains “the works of the Law” are very different from the ‘deeds’ by which God judges people:

The Works of the Law are the rituals of the Mosaic Law.

In the early decades of the Church, some Jewish Christians claimed that, to be saved, Gentile Christians must be circumcised and observe the law of Moses (cf. Acts 15:5). It was to oppose this view that Paul wrote that “man is not justified by the works of the Law” (Gal 2:16). “The works of the law,” therefore, refer to the external ceremonies and rituals of the Law of Moses by which the Jews attempted to justify themselves before God.

‘Deeds’ are judged against God’s eternal moral principles.

This article shows that Christians are not subject to the law of Moses. The “deeds” by which God judges people can be either good or bad deeds (e.g., Rom 2:6-8). For that reason, these ‘deeds’ are not the same as the requirements of the Law of Moses and, therefore, different from “the works of the law.” This article argues that these ‘deeds’ are judged against God’s eternal moral principles.

It is not a contradiction.

To say that people are judged by their deeds does not contradict the statement that nobody is “justified” by the “works of the law” because these two statements assume two very different laws or norms for human behavior.

We are judged by deeds but saved by grace.

The third main section of this article addresses the question, if people are judged by their deeds, why did Paul also say that God justifies people “by grace … through faith” (e.g., Eph 2:8)?

It argues that God judges us by our ‘deeds’ but those ‘deeds’ do not ‘justify’ us because we are all sinners. God judges all people by their deeds but then justifies only some “as a gift by His grace” (Rom 3:24, 9). In other words, people are judged by their deeds but saved by grace:

    • Judging of deeds determines WHO must be saved.
    • Grace is HOW they are saved.

Faith is our response to our knowledge that God loves us.

The fourth main section of this article asks, if people are judged by their deeds but saved by grace, why did Paul also write that people are saved “through faith” (Eph 2:8; Rom 5:1). Why is faith also required?

This article argues that faith is not something that God judges. Faith is simply the believer’s response to the realization that God is merciful and kind, not wishing that anyone should die. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). If He loved us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His Son, we can trust Him for our salvation. ‘Faith’, therefore, should rather be translated as “trust.”

Faith reflects the desire to do God’s will.

There is another possible explanation for the role of faith. This article shows, since human beings are unable to live sinless lives, that God does not judge people by their actual ‘deeds’ but by the ‘deeds’ they would like to do. In other words, God judges the inner being, which is the same as saying that He judges the person’s faith.

– END OF SUMMARY –

God judges all people by their deeds.

This principle is well established in the Scriptures. For example:

This is what Jesus taught.

The Old Testament and Jesus consistently taught that people will be judged by their deeds. For example, Jesus said:

“The hour comes when all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth;
– they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and
– they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-19).

“Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matt 12:36-17).

“The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works” (Matt 16:27).

As another example, in Christ’s parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats as an analogy of the final judgment, He said:

“I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me” (Matt 25:31-)

Revelation teaches the same principle.

In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, He said:

“I will give unto every one of you according to your works” (Rev 2:23).

Later, John “saw the dead, small and great, stand before God… they were judged every man according to their works“ (Rev 20:12-13).

Paul also said that we will all be judged by our deeds.

Many think that Paul taught that people will “reap corruption” or “eternal life” (Gal 6:8) irrespective of what kind of people they are and what they do. It may, therefore, be a surprise to some that Paul also taught that we will all be judged by our deeds:

“We will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Rom 14:10).

“God … will render to each person according to his deeds:
– to those who by perseverance in doing good … eternal life;
but
– to those who … obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation” (Rom 2:6-8; cf. 2:9-13).

“If you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom 8:13).

“We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor 5:10).

“Those who practice such things (“the deeds of the flesh”) will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19, 21; cf. Rom 2:13; 14:10; Gal 6:7-8; 11:15; 2 Tim 4:14).

See Smashing Idols for some more examples.

Deeds or Works?

Why would God judge our deeds if nobody is saved by the Works of the Law?

Paul said that nobody will be “justified by the works of the Law” (Gal 2:16; cf. Rom 3:20). Why, then, did he also say that God will judge us by our deeds and that “the doers of the Law will be justified” (Rom 2:13)?

To answer this question, we understand both what is meant by “deeds” and by “the works of the Law.”

The Works of the Law refer to the rituals of the Law of Moses.

In the early decades of the Church, there was a controversy in the church over whether Gentile Christians must observe the law of Moses (cf. Acts 15:5). To argue why they must, certain Jewish Christians told Gentile Christians:

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1).

It was to oppose this claim that Paul wrote:

“Man is not justified by the works of the Law” (Gal 2:16).

The “Law” in this phrase, therefore, refers to the Law of Moses.

This article sometimes refers to these Jewish Christians as “Jews” because what they did was to continue the Jewish thinking in the church.

The primary issue in this controversy was circumcision (Acts 15:1; Gal 5:2-3; 6:12-15). However, once the Gentiles are circumcised, all the other requirements of the Law of Moses must naturally follow, for these Gentiles would have become members of Judaism through circumcision. The purpose of these Jewish Christians, therefore, was to ensure that Gentile Christians comply with the entire Law of Moses.

Circumcision is not intrinsically a moral deed; it is a legal requirement. For this reason, and because Paul said that nobody will be justified by these “works,” “the works of the law” do not refer to moral deeds but specifically to the external ceremonies and rituals of the Law of Moses by which the Jews attempted to justify themselves before God.

As can be seen in the quote above, these Christian Jews used the Law both as the norm for human behavior and as the means of salvation. Consequently, in their view, grace is not required; you earn salvation through the ceremonies and rituals.

God judges our deeds against His eternal principles.

Our purpose is to understand why God judges people by their “deeds” if nobody will be justified by “the works of the Law.” Above we explained what “the works of the Law” are. The purpose of this current section is to explain what these “deeds” are:

The word “law” has different meanings.

Paul uses the word “law” often in his writings but with different meanings. For example:

The first five books of the Bible; the books of Moses, as in the phrase “the Law and the Prophets” (e.g. Rom 3:21),

“The book of the law” (Gal 3:10), meaning the book which Moses wrote up and put beside the ark, or

The Ten Commandments specifically (e.g. Rom 13:10).

Christians are not subject to the law of Moses.

The Acts 15 Church Council decided that Gentile Christians do not have to observe the Law of Moses. God gave the Law to Israel to serve as their guardian, but only “until the seed would come” (Gal 3:19). Paul, therefore, proclaimed the “freedom” (Gal 5:1, 13) and “liberty which we have in Christ Jesus” (Gal 2:4) from the Law of Moses.

Christians are subject to the “Law of Christ.”

Paul referred to “the Law of Christ” (e.g. Gal 6:2). In another place, Paul wrote that he, himself, is:

“Not … under the Law … though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ” (1 Cor 9:20-21).

This statement refers to three ‘laws’:

      • Paul is ‘under’ (subject to) “the law of Christ.”
      • He is not ‘under’ “the Law,” referring to the Law of Moses.
      • He is “without the law of God.” Here “law of God” is a general term that includes both of the other two laws.

Both the Law of Christ and the Law of Moses are God’s laws, but they are two distinct ‘laws’ and we are subject only to the “Law of Christ.” It would be wrong to strive to comply with the Law of Moses, except to the extent to which Christ incorporated the principles of that law into His teachings.

The Law of Christ reflects God’s eternal moral principles.

Christ gave this law through His own teachings. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus discussed some of the Ten Commandments and some other Old Testament laws, but then gave His own version of those laws, starting with the words, “But I say to you” (e.g., Matt 5:44). This is, in other words, how Jesus formulated His law.

Jesus enacted “the Law of Christ” when He said:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations … teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt 28:19-20).

This ‘law’ was passed on by the apostles. For example:

The “commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus” (1 Thess 4:2).

The ‘law’, as explained by Christ, refers to God’s eternal moral principles. See the article Law of Christ for further discussion.

God judges our deeds against the Law of Christ.

The “deeds” by which God judges people can be either good or bad deeds. For example:

“God … will render to each person according to his deeds:
– to those who by perseverance in doing good … eternal life;
but
– to those who … obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation” (Rom 2:6-8).

For that reason, these ‘deeds’ are not the same as the requirements of the Law of Moses and, therefore, different from “the works of the law.” Rather, they refer to the standards for moral behavior. Consequently, the ‘law’ to which Paul referred in his statement, “the doers of the Law will be justified” is “the Law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). It is against this “Law” that our “deeds” are judged:

Those that sin will die, for “the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23).

But those that “are putting to death the deeds of the body, … will live” (Rom 8:13). (See Eternal Life and Death.)

“Works” do not require grace but ‘deeds’ do.

There is another reason why these two systems are different, namely:

In the Jewish “works of the law” system, grace is not required; you earn salvation and save yourself through the external rituals and ceremonies (works) of the Law of Moses.

In contrast, as explained below, in the Christian system, deeds can never justify a person, God judges people by their deeds but saves them by grace.

Conclusion – no contradiction

To say that people are judged by their deeds does not contradict the statement that nobody is “justified” by the “works of the law” because these two statements assume:

    • Two different laws or norms for human behavior and
    • Two different means of justification.

Deeds or Grace?

Why would God judge our deeds if people are saved by grace?

In this section, the question is, if people are judged by their deeds, why did Paul also say that God justifies people “by grace … through faith” (Eph 2:8; cf. Gal 2:16, 20; 3:2, 5-9, 11, 14, 22, 24, 27; 5:5)?

People are judged by their deeds but saved by grace.

People are unable to comply with God’s eternal moral principles as reflected in the Law of Christ:

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23; cf. Rom 3:9).

“The Scripture has shut up everyone under sin” (Gal 3:22).

So, no person deserves eternal life. When we read that all will be judged on the basis of their “deeds,” that does not mean that people earn redemption through their deeds. Nobody will be saved (justified = put right with God) strictly on the basis of good deeds. If we were to be judged only by our deeds, we are all doomed.

Rather, those people who are elected by God on the basis of their deeds are “justified as a gift by His grace” (Rom 3:24, 9). In other words, people are judged by their deeds but saved by grace:

    • Judging of deeds determines WHO must be saved.
    • Grace is HOW they are saved.

This means that God’s judgment is subject to His grace, which is His merciful kindness:

Eternal life is “the free gift of God … in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).

“By grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:5).

Faith

What is the role of “faith” in justification?

If people are judged by their deeds but saved by grace, why did Paul also write that people are saved “by grace … through faith” (Eph 2:8; Rom 5:1). Why is faith also required? This may be understood in one of two ways:

1. Faith is not something that God will judge. Faith is simply the believer’s response to the realization that God loves us and judges in mercy.
OR

2. Faith determines our desire to do God’s will and God does not judge us by the deeds we literally do but by the deeds that we want to do. So, to say that God judges our deeds is to say that God judges our faith.

Both these answers seem right. So, below I provide arguments for both:

Option 1: Faith is not something that God judges.

It sometimes seems as if Paul is saying that God will evaluate our faith to determine whether we will be saved. For example:

“A man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28).

“Gentiles … attained righteousness … by faith; but Israel … pursue it … by works” (Rom 9:30-32).

However, it is proposed in this section that faith is not something that you must do. It is not another requirement for justification. You will be judged by your deeds; not on the basis of your faith.

If that is true, what is faith?

Faith is trust in God because we know He loves us.

As stated, in Jewish thinking, you don’t need God because you earn salvation through your “works.” In contrast, for Paul, since man is saved by grace, salvation is always subject to God’s judgment.

But we also know that God is merciful and kind, not wishing that anyone should die. We know that He will only do what is best for every one of His creatures:

“God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).

Since we know that God loves us (e.g., 1 John 4:8), and since we know that we cannot do anything for our own salvation, we can and must trust God for our salvation. That is the meaning of “faith.” It is our response of trust in God and our reliance on His mercy.

This means that grace and faith cannot be separated. Grace is what God gives. Faith is not a requirement for God’s grace; it is our response to God’s grace:

“It is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace” (Rom 4:16)

To have “faith”, therefore, does not simply mean to believe that God exists. “The demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). The Greek word can also be translated as “trust,” and that is perhaps a more appropriate translation than “faith.”

Option 2: Faith and “deeds” cannot be separated.

In this alternative answer to the question of what ‘faith’ is, God evaluates or judges our faith but, for the following reasons, faith is the same as or the driver of ‘deeds’:

God does not judge us by the evil we DO but by the good that we WANT to do.

In Romans 7, Paul describes himself as someone who wants to do what is right and good but he actually does the opposite; he does what he hates (Rom 7:14-15, 18-20, 21-23). In this, Paul represents all Christians.

But, despite his evil deeds, Paul had the assurance of salvation (Rom 7:24-25). That means that Paul was not judged by the evil “deeds” that he actually does but by the good “deeds” that he would like to do.

This applies to all Christians: Since we are unable to meet God’s standards, if He judged us only by our evil external deeds, we would all have been doomed. But God judges us by grace. For that reason, He judges us by the good ‘deeds’ we want do to. God will save the people who want to comply with His law, even though they most often fail. Such people are regarded as “doers of the law” (Rom 2:13).

The willingness to do His will reflects our faith.

We can then argue that both the things we ‘want’ to do and ‘faith’ reflect the inner being of the person and, therefore, are either the same thing or ‘faith’ determines what we ‘want’ to do. In that case, if God judges the one, He also judges the other.

Key Conclusions

Other Articles

Listen to Graham Maxwell, a well-known preacher, as he explains, from the letter to the Galatians, his view of the Atonement and of Justification.

 

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