Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
With a new look
No, we’re not saved by works. Before a man or woman gives their life to Jesus there are no works that they can do to get them saved.
We’re NOT Saved by Works, But…
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9 New International Version).
This meaning of saved, by the way, means redeemed from sin. And there are no works in the world that could redeem us from sin. There are also no works in the world, of the world, that can get us the heaven. I just ran across a verse for the 145th Psalm that ties into this.
“The Lord is ready to help all those who call out to him. He helps those who really mean it when they call out to him,” (Psalm 145:18 New International Reader’s Version).
Other versions simply say that He is near them, but I chose this one because it says that God will help us, if we are honest. How many children of God have you heard lie about their need? These are also the people that say that you are not saved by works, but act like they are.
​
Did you get what I just did? Born again does not mean saved from sin; I never thought of that before. But you are born again when you confess your faith that Jesus is the Christ, you’re saved from sinful past when you give your life to Jesus as Lord; not as Savior but as Lord; that was Him speaking. Lord means the one you are going to obey.
Now, once you have given your life to Jesus as Lord, and by doing so making the pledge to obey Him, there are works that He wants you to do. These works are actually expressions of love and faith.
​
You have probably, hopefully read in James that faith without works is dead (James 2:20). Well, faith works by love, that means that love without works is dead or dormant.
​
Jesus did these works of love in His Earthly ministry, as one man on the Earth. And He said,
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father,” (John 14:12 New International Version).
He, actually, told us that by these works (expressions) of love people will know that you are the followers—true disciples—of Christ (Mark 16:16-18).
​
See, we have a covenant of love, and religion—the worldly run religion made out of Christianity today—has been watering it down ever since it began. Our covenant of love says that when we show the love of God to others that love will work on those whom we show it to.
​
So, we’re not saved by works, but we are saved to do works, it’s just works of a different caliber, from a different source.