If I Prayed, Am I Saved?

If I have prayed, inviting Jesus into my life, I am a Christian. I don’t have to do anything else.

When I put that on the wall two weeks ago, it got a heap of yellow spots meaning that it is a statement that we are not sure about or have questions about. Clearly this is very relevant to all of us. How can we be sure that we have been saved? Is it just a case of praying or do we need to do something? Can we think we are saved but actually not be? Might we get turned away on judgement day?

What I am going to say will be controversial. You won’t hear this teaching many other places, which means one of two things: either this is what the Bible teaches and we need to change our thinking or this isn’t what the Bible teaches and I am misleading you. You need discern what the Bible says? Have your Bibles open and test me.

When we were talking about Martin Luther, we referred a couple of times to…

Ephesians 2:8-9 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Sola gratia – by grace alone, not by works. It is a gift; we cannot earn it. By God’s grace, when we put our faith in Jesus. Sola fide – by faith alone. But…

James 2:24

You see that people are justified by what they do and not by faith alone.

Uh oh, we have a problem!!! Paul says that we are not saved by works but by grace through faith. James says that we are saved (or justified) by works and not by faith alone.

Has James got this completely wrong? Martin Luther wrote that James’ epistle was an epistle of straw (as opposed to gold or silver.) You can understand that when Luther had rediscovered the truth of salvation by faith and here was James saying that faith alone is worthless. James said that faith alone was worthless so Luther said that James’ letter was worthless. Is James wrong? Let’s read the passage and then compare James with other New Testament authors.

I have tried to summarise James’ teaching in two diagrams. Do they accurately reflect what James says?

READ James 2:14-26

James says that our deeds prove the reality of our faith. Faith that produces works that is real and will save. So-called faith that produces no works is dead; it is not real faith and therefore will not save. Abraham had faith but it was his willingness to sacrifice Isaac (Gen 22) that proved that he really did trust God. He could say he trusted God but it was his actions that proved it. It was when Abraham had the knife raised above Isaac that the angel intervened and said, “Now I know that you fear God.”

James says that works are necessary for our salvation. If there are no works, then there is no faith. And if there is no faith, then there is no salvation. Does anyone else in the New Testament agree? For each passages, ask 2 questions: Does it mention works? What is the relationship between works and salvation?

What about Paul himself?

We read Ephesians 2:8-9 but look at v.10. [Questions]  We have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works that God prepared in advance for us to do. At the very least, that says that God expects more from us than just a prayer. He expects us to do the works He has prepared in advance for us to do.

Romans 1:5 and Romans 16:26 – the beginning and the end of Romans. [Questions] Paul says that the gospel had been made known, and he had been called to be an apostle, to call the Gentiles to the obedience of faith. We are actually called to the works (to the obedience) but that obedience comes from faith. First we must have the faith but we are called to the obedience. That looks exactly like James!

Romans 2:4

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

“The riches of God’s kindness, forbearance and patience.” That is the grace of God, but we show contempt for God’s grace if we do not repent. The intention of grace is to lead us to repentance. Repentance is about what we do. It is about doing a 180o turn and living differently.

Then Romans 2:6 says God will repay us according to what we have done. This passage (vv.1-16) is very clearly about judgement. It is slightly difficult but it repeatedly says that God judges us on the basis of our works. Maybe Paul is saying, along with James, that works produced by faith are the evidence of real faith. It is the faith that saves but the works that prove the reality of the faith.

1 Thessalonians 1:3

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith, hope and love are all internal but they all produce external evidence. The evidence of love is labour. The evidence of hope is endurance. The evidence of faith is work. That sounds exactly like James.

1 Thessalonians 1:8b-9

…your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God…

Everybody in the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia was talking about the faith of the Thessalonians. What were they saying? They were talking about how they had turned from idols to serve the living and true God. The evidence of their faith was their new lifestyle and it was a lifestyle of serving God. The reality of their faith was seen in their works.

Maybe Paul and James are not saying contradictory things but actually teaching the same thing. We are saved by faith but real faith produces works. Our actions prove and complete the faith.

Let’s go to the top. What about Jesus Himself? What did He teach?

“By their fruits you will know them” (Mt 7:16,20). How can you tell if a tree is good or bad? Look at the quality of the fruit. How can you tell if someone has faith? Their actions will tell you.

He also said, “You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last…” (John 15:16) We have been chosen to serve, producing fruit that will last – eternal fruit – Kingdom of God fruit.

In Matthew 7, after saying “By their fruits you will know them”, Jesus was even more direct.

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Can you imagine what it will be like for these people? They fully expect to get into heaven. They call Jesus ‘Lord, Lord’. They have done amazing things for Him – in His name. Very clearly this is about entering the Kingdom of Heaven. But Jesus will say, “I never knew you.” Only those who do the will of God will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who are obedient will be saved. These people have done great works but they hadn’t done what God had asked them to do. What a shock to be absolutely confident and then to be turned away. Some people say this is the scariest passage in the Bible.

Just in case we haven’t understood, Jesus then told the story of the two men who built houses, one on the rock and the other on the sand. When the storm came, the one on the rock stood but the one on the sand collapsed. Does the storm represent judgement? What was the difference between those two men? What determined whether the house stood or fell? Obedience. They both listened to Jesus but only one put Jesus’ words into practice.

It has often been taught that if you just pray the sinners’ prayer – you tell God that you need forgiveness and you believe that Jesus died for you and you invite Him into your life – you are saved. Is that in the Bible? If that has been our understanding, then Jesus’ words about obedience might be terrifying. We might have thought that our salvation was assured but have we been doing the will of God?

There is more. Think of all the parables about a master or king who goes away. When he returns the big question is: Are his servants doing the work that he left them to do? If not, all of those parables contain graphic descriptions of those servants being cast into outer darkness. Jesus seems to agree with James. Are we doing the work that Jesus has left us here to do?

What about John? Does he also emphasise the importance of our works for our salvation?

1 John 2:3-6

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. [Wow! Obedience is the proof.] 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. [It is not what we claim; it is what we do.] 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. [If we say we are Christians then we must live like Jesus.]

John answers the question “How can I know that I am saved?”

1 John 3:10

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.

Did you know that there is so much emphasis on works in the Bible? We are not saved by our works. We are saved by grace. Salvation is a free gift from the gracious, generous, merciful, forgiving God. It is received through faith in Jesus. But real faith produces works and so the works are test.

If this is true, will you be saved? Are you being obedient to God?

One reaction would be to say, “I must do more good work. I must try harder.” That would be the wrong reaction. We are not saved by doing more or trying harder. Do not focus on the works. It is faith that produces the works and it is the faith that saves, so focus on growing in faith. Actually, just focus on Jesus. Focus on knowing and following Jesus. The better you know Him, the more you will know that you can trust Him. That is faith. That faith will then produce good works in your life. When we really love Jesus, and know that we are loved by Jesus, we will obey His commands.

I cannot emphasise this enough. We are saved by faith, not by our good deeds. But what is the evidence of genuine faith? Obedience. “Is my faith real?” The test is: Am I being obedient to God? Maybe we are at the beginning of the journey; maybe we are not obedient in everything; maybe we never will be 100% obedient. God is forgiving and merciful. But the question remains: Am I being obedient to God? Does my life show that I am following Jesus?

The Reformers – like Martin Luther and John Calvin – used to say, “We are saved by faith alone but faith is never alone.”

[Opportunity to respond]