THE GRACE OF GOD AND WORKS OF MERIT ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

Robert R. Taylor, Jr.

 

Misconceptions abound within the realm of religion relative to grace and works. There are those who teach that salvation is wholly of grace with nothing demanded on man’s part. There are those who negate the place of grace and give the works of men all major emphasis. Both positions are wrong! Paul affirms, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Paul did not say it was wholly of grace with nothing expected of man; he did not say it was wholly of works with nothing expected of God.

Much of the confusion relative to grace and works centers in a determination to place ALL works in the same category and then reject the totality of the assembled category. There are works which are included. These are the works of God inclusive even of belief or faith as we learn in John 6:28-29. Peter places divine approval upon works of righteousness in Acts 10:34-35. Paul, in a truthful triad, speaks of “work of faith,” “labor of love,” and “patience of hope” (1 Thess. 1:3). With included works, those commanded by God of men harmonize with grace, there is neither discord nor antagonism. There are works which are excluded. These would be works of the law of Moses, works of the devil, works of merit, etc. The latter forms the burden of this assigned article.

 

Works of Merit Defined

Be it kept firmly fixed in mind that grace is favor minus merit; it is unearned mercy and kingly kindness undeserved in benevolent action. Yet merit is that which is earned or deserved. A man works forty hours per week for a certain salary or wage. At the end of the work week, he has merited or earned his check. Redemption is not like that. It is a matter of God’s grace (his unmerited favor and unearned kindness), and yet, he beautifully bequeaths it upon conditions he is pleased to impose. Meeting these conditions does not mean we have earned or merited salvation; we have simply appropriated it by the spirit of submission to stipulations set forth. When the Bible says we are not saved by works, we may rest assured that it is speaking of EXCLUDED works—NEVER of works of obedience, works of righteousness, or the works of God. Consider the scriptural WHY of this proposition in our subsequent segment of serious study.

 

Works of Merit Depicted

Paul says in Ephesians 2:9, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Is he eliminating all works? Not likely, for he says in the subsequent verse, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (2:10). Surely, Paul is not eliminating all works in verse 9 and affirming the acceptability and even the essentiality of other works in the subsequent verse. That would be strange indeed! He tells us what kind of works are eliminated. It is the kind that, when done, will enable a man to boast. This is what meritorious works are all about—works that encourage boasting and bragging. When such works are done the doer, in pride, can brag and boast.

Likewise, Paul tells us what works are included—the good works ordered and ordained by Deity for man to walk in the fulfillment of the same. The Ephesians had obeyed the gospel. They had heard, believed, and had been immersed (Eph. 1:13; Acts 19:1-7; Eph. 5:26). Yet, these were not works of merit. They were the God-imposed, Christ-commanded, and Spirit-revealed works of obedience or one of its definite derivatives. Paul said:

By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name . . . But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness . . . For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil . . . But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith . . . (Rom. 1:5; 6:17-18; 6:19, 26).

In Romans 4, Paul denies that Abraham was justified by works. What kind of works? Works that would have permitted him to glory or experience merit therein. Paul does not depict an irreverent or dis-obedient patriarch here. Quite the contrary, he portrays a believing Abraham (Rom. 4:3), an Abraham who left us with steps of faith to tread in emulation of him (4:12), an Abraham who recognized “it is of faith, that it might be by grace . . .” (4:16), an Abraham who is the father of the faithful (4: 16), and an Abraham who “was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (4:20-21). Abraham was a man of faith, of trust, of obedience. Yet as the rich recipient of God’s golden grace, he never merited or earned what God graciously gave him, what heaven beautifully bequeathed him. Neither has any other person from Adam to anyone living today.

In Romans 11:5-6 Paul speaks of the election of grace and writes, “And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise, work is no more work.” Brother Whiteside well states in his par excellent commentary on Romans:

No amount of works can blot out sins already committed. Forgiveness is a matter of grace, no matter how many conditions one must fulfill in order to be forgiven. If a man’s works had always been perfect, he would have no sins to be forgiven; he would stand justified on his own merit. There is no grace when a man merits justification. Works by which a man merits justification, and commands which one must obey to be saved, are distinct matters. It is unfortunate that many religionists cannot, or will not, see this distinction, which should be plainly seen by any Bible reader. Because they fail to make this distinction, they conclude that a sinner must do nothing in order to be saved. A man has no real understanding of either works or grace when he thinks conditions of forgiveness make salvation a matter of works and not of grace. Nothing that a sinner can do merits salvation. Many things are of grace, and yet conditional. Is anyone so simple as to think Naaman’s healing of leprosy was any less a matter of grace because he had to dip seven times in the river Jordan? Is any so blind that he cannot see that giving sight to the blind man was a matter of grace, even though he had to go wash in the pool of Siloam? If so, he needs his eyes opened as badly as did the blind man (A New Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Saints at Rome, pp. 225-226).

In a Gospel Advocate Adult Quarterly lesson some years back, I penned these concluding thoughts on Romans 11:5-6, “There is neither excuse nor justification for all the errors currently taught about grace that makes any and all works unnecessary and that grace both precludes and overextends law. Such would make Christianity totally unnecessary.”

 

Conclusion: Works of merit and God’s grace enjoy no affinity; God’s grace and works of obedience that allow man to appropriate that grace enjoy admirable, attractive affinity.