Not Of Works

Not of works is absolutely important to Christian theology, yet many evangelicals get the concept very backwards. The word "of" denotes origin and not method or cause. It can be speaking of works starting or causing the salvation process or of works completing salvation.

G1537

ἐκ, ἐξ

ek  ex

ek, ex

A primary preposition denoting origin

As long as works are not used as the origin of God's choice in saving or used as Man completing his own salvation  the theology would not violate the passage.

1. God chose us to be saved before the creation, so our works did not start salvation.

2. Our salvation comes through God's work on the cross and his power to raise us and convert our bodies into new spiritual bodies. We do not have this power.

The gk word ek does not rule out works of faith we do to comply with god's plan. They neither start salvation nor complete it. Abraham being justified by works is still well within this concept.

The context isn't justification but salvation, justification is a step in the salvation process but is not the end of it. We can be justified by works without being saved by works.

God does rule out some works in this intermediate area of justification in Titus 3:5-8, he did not rule out all works,

What is the difference between a work of righteousness and works of faith or even works of obedience?

Tit 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 

The washing of regeneration is an act of Christ, it came from God and not man. Ephesians 5 says Christ cleansed the church through the washing of water, not man cleansed himself. It is a work of God upon us.

Works eminating from righteousness vs a work done to us as an act of mercy and given by the Holy Spirit.

I was listening to a Baptist program and the speaker was using Ephesians 2:8-10 to say salvation wasn't of works, he went into a 30 minute lecture on how our works are too evil to save us. It was right down the protestant/Evangelical handbook on how evil man is. This despite the fact man was created unto good works. We should realize man was created with natural love by God.

The preacher was missing the point, Paul does rule out works of our own goodness whether we can do good or not, we don't have to lie and say man is incapable of any good at all, since God chose a work sent by the Holy Spirit which is tied to faith and not our goodness.

The question, can natural love and reason somehow save us? Not according to Paul.

"That not of yourselves"

It isn't based upon inate good we were created with or a plan we could devise. Keep in mind it isn't referring to or ruling out works divulged through the Gospel which had been hidden from man and are completely spiritual. Salvation isn't offerred or completed based upon the natural good of man, it has to be un-natural and God supplied beyond what God gave man in creation. 

"not of works lest anyone should boast"

What he left out was that Paul's point wasn't man's evil works, but God's grace creating us with good works. Since good works were a grace from creation we should boast in God who made good works a part of his creation. We should boast in God for the good in the world.  Of course man can choose evil works as well, but God clearly made us for good. Plus the good in man had no ability to reason a plan of salvation, it was God given and hidden from man until that point.

"created in Christ Jesus unto good works"

We see wisdom from creation and wisdom from the Gospel, the first despite their goodness had no power to save us.

1Co 2:7  But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 

The plan of Christ to save us was from creation and man had good works all along, but we were chosen for salvation before we did good or evil, and despite God knowing we would do some good, the good we have from God's grace doesn't rule out our times of sin.. According to Romans man has 

"natural affection" and a conscience, Adam knew nakedness when God sought Adam and eve in the garden. God provided an answer to their guilty concience by providing clothing. Yet they had the ability to understand something was wrong.

The Baptist Preacher got worked up over things Paul never taught. He never taught our works were too evil in this passage, only that we shouldn't get the credit for the good God created us with, and the good from creation didn't take away the sin we committed. Thus we still need salvation from sin. Salvation from sin requires works divulged in the Gospel which are un-natural, they are not of natural creation.