We hear a lot about “works” in the life of a Christian, but what are works?
When we see “works” in Scripture, the reference is to works of the Law—Mosaic Law, including circumcision—or good deeds (obedient works of godliness and holy living—some examples: well-doing, loving others, forgiving others, being just, righteous conduct, etc.), something I’ve touched on here and in a few of my other writings.
The main argument against baptism for salvation is the misunderstanding of “works.”
Many consider baptism a “work” in and of itself, thus believing it is in direct conflict with Scripture such as Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” This is where the idea by grace ALONE through faith ALONE comes into play. Yet, this is not what this passage says in context nor does Scripture support this concept (“alone” is added, and when we add even the smallest word change to Scripture, it can have significant impact).
Never once does any Scripture mention, refer to, or even hint that baptism is a work. Ever. Even the early church fathers give examples of “works” (a few examples are offered below) and mention baptism as a critical component of salvation (something I’ve written about here).
What’s interesting to me is that God promised to do something new for Israel (Isaiah 33 and 34). This was not only in reference to deliverance from Babylon then, but a future deliverance in Christ, along with His work through His Holy Spirit, which we see enacted in the New Covenant (which was inaugurated with Christ’s death and resurrection). God often gave revelation of what He was doing in the immediate but also in the future (as we see often with words like this regarding Israel’s freedom from captivity and mankind’s ultimate freedom in Christ, and like we also see with visions regarding eschatology). Likewise, we see some indications of this “new thing” with a “new spirit” in other passages.
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Joel 2:28-32 (what was inaugurated at Pentecost [quoted] in Acts and is “the last days,” until Christ’s return)
“And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.
These are reiterated when Jesus confirms the Holy Spirit, His Helper, will come (Matthew 3:11/ John 1:33; 14:26; 15:26).
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Now, when we first look at the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1), we see this promise, this new thing, this prophecy fulfilled under the New Covenant. Jesus ordered the Apostles not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father of the Holy Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in John 14:26 and John 15:26, was to teach the Apostles and to help them testify and remember about Christ and His teachings so they could fulfill the Great Commission to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). This is why we see them all gathered together in the upper room waiting. They were not yet equipped to do the task given, as they were not yet filled with the Spirit; so, they were waiting for that promise. In the meantime, they, with one accord/working together in unity with the women (the daughters), were devoting themselves to prayer, and they also fulfilled Scripture to replace Judas (Psalm 69:25; 109:8) at the will and direction of God.
* This is where we come to understand Apostles were CHOSEN by God/Christ Himself and were required to have been witness to the resurrected Christ. Why there are no chosen Apostles today. Apostle is “one who is sent out.” While there are no [A]postles today, Christians can still be generically referred to as [a]postles in the sense that they are sent out as ambassadors of Christ to share the Gospel and make disciples (but do not have the authority which was bestowed specifically on the chosen [A]postles).
Once Pentecost arrived, they were all still gathered in one place, still waiting. Then God’s promise and prophecy of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. This “new” thing, this “new” spirit, came to fill those and equip those in the “one place” (although Scripture doesn’t specifically say if it was still the 120 assembled in one place or just the Apostles, being that it referred to 120 gathered before and is a fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that sons and daughters/male and female servants were to be filled and prophesy, it is of proper discernment that it is, in fact, the 120). From there, the Holy Spirit was at work.
*The Spirit’s activity itself was nothing new, as God used His Spirit to work in people He chose in the past for specific purposes [Micah 3:8/ Deuteronomy 34:9/ Exodus 35:30-31/ Matthew 10:1/ Numbers 11:16-17/ etc.], this is why there was nothing new about sign gifts, service gifts, and truth gifts, but from here, this New Covenant work of the Spirit now offered everyone (both Jew and Gentile) the ability to receive His Spirit for salvation and sanctification gifts, what we see in Scriptures like Ezekiel 36:25-27.
The Spirit of God then used them as a mouthpiece, speaking in multiple languages (tongues).
*This is where too many people put too much (misplaced) emphasis on “tongues” being the special gift, when sign gifts were nothing new. The fact is, the focus should be on salvation and sanctification, the purpose of this gift of the Holy Spirit under the New Covenant. This (salvation and sanctification [moral power]) is what was new, the point of this Pentecost event.
From there, using Peter as a conduit (which would seemingly explain what we see in Matthew 16:18-19), we see the first conversions when the Holy Spirit, through Peter, instructs the gathered “men of/house of Israel” (who had probably already submitted to John’s baptism of repentance) to now repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and so they, too, could receive the gift of the Holy Spirit themselves (Acts 2:38). To save themselves by doing this (Acts 2:40). In which they complied and were added to the church, the body of Christ as His saved saints (Acts 2:42). Thus, they then devoted themselves to the Apostles teachings, to fellowship, to breaking of bread (the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. They were doing life together as the body. They were praising God. They had glad, generous hearts. And the Lord, Himself (through HIS CONVERSION WORK by what we read in this account of belief, repentance, and baptism) added to their number day by day those who were being SAVED (Acts 2:47).
This is what we need to know about baptism as part of the salvation plan in the New Covenant with the NEW thing of the Holy Spirit. Christ’s baptism, both water and spirit (John 3:5/ 1 John 5:6-12/ 1 Peter 3:18-22), is part of salvation. We can see if baptism is any “work” at all, it is the work of the Lord Himself, not of man. Therefore, while we submit to the action, it is a spiritual work not of our doing. “Historically, for its first 1,500 years Christendom was nearly unanimous in its belief that water baptism is the moment of time when God initially bestows saving grace upon the sinner” (Cottrell).
Here are some thoughts from the early church fathers and Scriptures which may help clarify “works.”
From him [arose] kings, princes, and rulers of the race of Judah. Nor are his other tribes in small glory, inasmuch as God had promised, “Thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven.” All these, therefore, were highly honoured, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen… What shall we do, then, brethren? Shall we become slothful in well-doing, and cease from the practice of love? God forbid that any such course should be followed by us! But rather let us hasten with all energy and readiness of mind to perform every good work. For the Creator and Lord of all Himself rejoices in His works. For by His infinitely great power He established the heavens, and by His incomprehensible wisdom He adorned them. He also divided the earth from the water which surrounds it, and fixed it upon the immoveable foundation of His own will. The animals also which are upon it He commanded by His own word into existence. So likewise, when He had formed the sea, and the living creatures which are in it, He enclosed them [within their proper bounds] by His own power. Above all, with His holy and undefiled hands He formed man, the most excellent [of His creatures], and truly great through the understanding given him — the express likeness of His own image. For thus says God: “Let us make man in Our image, and after Our likeness. So God made man; male and female He created them.” Having thus finished all these things, He approved them, and blessed them, and said, “Increase and multiply.” We see, then, how all righteous men have been adorned with good works, and how the Lord Himself, adorning Himself with His works, rejoiced. Having therefore such an example, let us without delay accede to His will, and let us work the work of righteousness with our whole strength. Clement of Rome—discipled by Paul
“We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Now here we have the words: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. To what else do they refer than to Baptism, that is, to the water comprehended in God’s ordinance? Hence it follows that whoever rejects Baptism rejects the Word of God, faith, and Christ, who directs us thither and binds us to Baptism… But if they say, as they are accustomed: Still Baptism is itself a work, and you say works are of no avail for salvation; what then, becomes of faith? Answer: Yes, our works, indeed, avail nothing for salvation; Baptism, however, is not our work, but God’s (for, as was stated, you must put Christ-baptism far away from a bath-keeper’s baptism). God’s works, however, are saving and necessary for salvation, and do not exclude, but demand, faith; for without faith they could not be apprehended. For by suffering the water to be poured upon you, you have not yet received Baptism in such a manner that it benefits you anything; but it becomes beneficial to you if you have yourself baptized with the thought that this is according to God’s command and ordinance, and besides in God’s name, in order that you may receive in the water the promised salvation. Now, this the fist cannot do, nor the body; but the heart must believe it. Martin Luther
These are all examples of works. Again, nothing in Scripture even alludes to baptism as a work in and of itself.
Another good, edifying read for this topic is Saved by Grace #9 — IS BAPTISM A WORK? by Jack Cottrell
References:
Cottrell, Jack. October 9, 2015. Saved by Grace #9 — IS BAPTISM A WORK? Retrieved June 7, 2023, from Saved by Grace #9 — IS BAPTISM A WORK? | Jack Cottrell