You cannot be saved without good works.

Or

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” -- Ephesians 2:8-10.

So which is it?

Both are true.

Let me make a careful distinction: the source of salvation is the grace of GOD, but good works are the “fruit” produced by our salvation.

In other words if you honestly believe, and entrust GOD with your salvation, you will, out of gratefulness, want to do the right thing. Certainly you will make mistakes, and you will sin. But the fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT is that you will want to turn away from sin and you will reduce the tendency to sin.

You will have a battle going on within you. This is the new state, it is due to the fact that you have a new kind of life now, whereas before, you were dead to the things of the spirit, you now live in the spirit.

I’ve met many Christians who are concerned that they are not doing enough good things, and that is how it should be.

Works are the manifestation of what’s in your heart, and JESUS looks on the heart, on our deepest motivation. HE sees the desire to do good, or the lack of it.

As Paul said: “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!”. -- 1 Corinthians 9:24. The point is that running to win should be the believer’s attitude.

Also JESUS said: “So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” -- Matthew 18:8-19. Again the point is we should take this battle seriously in the extreme, not that we should mutilate ourselves. But we should be as motivated as Paul James and JESUS say. But in the deepest sense, behavior modification is not the real point either, because we will never stop sinning in this life. JESUS says in Matthew 5:28 “But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”. The point is that only HE can finally change us in the way that we need, i.e. a change of heart. This is what he promises in Ezekiel 36:26 “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”. Christianity is about JESUS CHRIST changing our heart, over time and eventually, permanently.

James said: ‘Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”’ -- James 4:13-15.

If you do not believe, this may sound like the Christian life is an unhappy one, with all this battle, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is the truest, most satisfying way to understand suffering. It is also the most meaningful, fulfilling life to lead.

Do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Don’t wait! Trust JESUS CHRIST to forgive you, and live! You will then do good things.