Faith and works are not opposites

Evangelicals tend to put a huge emphasis on salvation by faith, not by works. In other words, no one can earn or deserve forgiveness, a relationship with God and eternal life. This is a gift from God by grace through faith.

Yet in this emphasis, Christianity has suffered a great loss. Tozer uses a word picture that Jesus used, that of a tree. Jesus explained that faith and lack of faith can be discerned by the results of either one in a person’s life. If faith is there, then the fruit of faith will be also, but if faith is not there, the results will show it . . .

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16–20)

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33)

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Luke 6:43)

The Pharisees were religious leaders who thought they were God’s people, but Jesus bluntly told them that their lives did not produce the results of faith . . .

“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34–37)

Jesus was not saying that the fruit from a bad tree always appears rotten. It might look good at first or from the outside, but as He told the Pharisees, the inside is rotten because the tree is rotten. No matter what it looks like to others, God looks on the heart and knows our motivations and intentions.

The tree of faith in Christ produces fruits of faith — good works. They do not grow all by themselves and then become united to the tree but are a result of the union that happens when a person is saved through faith.

Tozer says, “Faith is not a substitute for moral conduct but a means toward it.” He adds “To oppose faith to works is to make the fruit the enemy to the tree; yet that is exactly what we have managed to do. And the consequences have been disastrous.”

I see that in my own life. How easy it is to claim salvation by faith and be lazy or neglect opportunities to do good things. I cannot let poor theology be my excuse because I know better, yet without the emphasis on fruit production, bad habits are easy to form. Living for Christ and producing good fruit means total surrender.

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Dear Jesus, Tozer ends his devotional thoughts with: “If there is true faith within, there will be obedience to God without. They walk together and they go down together. When faith fails, disobedience sets in.” I don’t want this to be true of me, yet it happens, even in little things. I drop faith in God’s wisdom and sovereign power and start to worry. I stop believing He wants to hear and answer prayer and either stop praying or pray out of duty instead of having a real conversation. You know all the other weaknesses in my faith. I confess to their reality and look to You for grace and strong encouragement to be a fruit-bearer.