“Against this compromising solution of the problem, the Apostle insists upon a sharp alternative: a man may be saved by works (if he keeps the law perfectly), or he may be saved by faith; but he cannot possibly be saved by faith and works together. Christ, according to Paul, will do everything or nothing; if righteousness is in slightest measure obtained by our obedience to the law, then Christ died in vain; if we trust in slightest measure in our own good works, then we have turned away from grace and Christ profiteth us nothing…. Everywhere the basis of the New Testament is the same–the mysterious, incalculable, wondrous grace of God. ‘The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’
“The salvation of the Christian is certain because it depends altogether upon God; if it depended in the slightest measure upon us, the certainty of it would be gone. Hence it appears the vital importance of the great Reformation doctrine of justification by faith alone; that doctrine is at the very center of Christianity…. All that is clear from what has already been said. But it is quite inconceivable that a man should be given this faith in Christ, that he should accept this gift which Christ offers, and still go on contentedly in sin. For the very thing which Christ offers us is salvation from sin–not only salvation from the guilt of sin, but also salvation from the power of sin.
“The very first thing that the Christian does, therefore, is to keep the law of God: he keeps it no longer as a way of earning his salvation–for salvation has been given him freely of God–but he keeps it joyously as a central part of salvation itself. The faith of which Paul speaks is, as Paul himself says, a faith that works through love; and love is the fulfilling of the whole law. The faith that Paul means when he speaks of justification by faith alone is a faith that works.
“A Christian, according to Paul (as also really according to James), is saved not by himself but by God; but he is saved by God not in order that he may continue in sin, but in order that he may conquer sin and attain unto holiness.” — J. Gresham Machen
The biblical question regarding faith and works is not whether we should have this one or that, because we should have both. The question is whether we think we can keep the law of God apart from the life-giving regeneration of the Holy Ghost. Paul’s answer to that question is found clearly in Titus: “not by works of righteousness we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us: by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Justification is the free gift of God. But all those who are justified are also glorified; the Holy Spirit does not begin a work in us and then ignore us until the last day. He who began a good work in us will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ. We are indeed saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves (Eph. 2:8). We are truly God’s own workmanship. But because we are his workmanship, we have been created unto good works which God previously ordained.
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REB
