By: Will Basham

I’ve often heard it preached that every world religion is a system of works to achieve access to heaven or enlightenment and Christianity is different than every other religion. Christianity is set apart because it is not a set of works that earn us access to heaven, but rather it’s an acknowledgement that what we do could never save us. Where every other worldview and religion says, “do this; do that,” the gospel says, “it’s done. It’s all done.” This sentiment of our faith compared to all others is true. The gospel is good news because we could never do enough good on our own and we are saved by grace through faith. Our salvation is not a result of our works.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church, he addresses this truth and emphasizes grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “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 truth of salvation by grace alone lies at the very core of our gospel message. But I want to draw our attention to what this truth leads to in the very next verse. Verse 10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

As if the first 9 verses of chapter 2 of Ephesians weren’t mind-blowing enough, and that’s not to mention chapter one, we see that even our works after becoming a Christian are prepared beforehand. Up to this point in the letter, Paul has highlighted God’s sovereignty, his predestination of the elect, and how we are raised from spiritual death to no credit of our own. As I’m reading along, I begin to think, “Wow, that’s a lot that God has done! Now my work finally begins.” And that’s true. Our work does begin when we’re raised to life out of spiritual death. But my mind is continually blown by the fact that all the things I’m called to do as a Christian were “prepared beforehand” by God!

When my wife leaves home for an extended period of time, she often will leave me a to-do list. This list is not exhaustive, but it includes the things that I must not forget to accomplish — important things like our kids’ medication doses and times, chores that need to be kept up with, etc. If my wife wrote out every single thing, then it would feel as if she’s overbearing or, dare I say, nagging. But since she writes the things I must not forget and because I know she loves me and has my best interest in mind, I’m thankful for the list of reminders. It is a great help to me.

So it is with our Heavenly Father. And it often seems that his to-do lists are graciously short and beneficial to us, aren’t they? Micah 6:8 tells us, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Those are just three simple things that all of us can handle. In another part of the Bible, Jesus is asked what the most important commandment is.

“And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” -Matthew 22:37-40

Our Lord is not overbearing and does not require anything from us to be saved. But he does give us works that we are to carry out as disciples. He has prepared these works beforehand. The work that the Bible calls us to is joyful and helpful and the call to Christian work is part of the grace that God has given us! 1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

So what kind of things are on a Christian’s must-do list from God? I believe one of them is to be deeply woven into the family of God — his Church. The regular gathering of saints together for worship of God and fellowship with one another is not seen as optional for the Christian. It is so important for us to be with God’s people. In Acts chapter 2 we see first century Christians just really having two programs in their church at Jerusalem: Sunday gathering for the apostles’ teaching and fellowship in one another’s homes. At our church, we do the exact same thing and personally, I recognize that not only do I need both of those things in my life, but the God who did all the work for my salvation has told me to do these works for my sanctification. It breaks my heart that families would have to ask one another on Saturday night if they’re going to church the next day. As for me and my house, church gatherings are vital rhythms of life.

Another thing we are given in scripture as a must-do is living a life of charity. Christians have been given so much so we are to in turn give to others. We give in lots of different ways. We give financially to churches and charities, we give in service through our church and to our community, and we give sacrificially through leveraging resources for the sake of the gospel. This life of charity really is a reflection of living selflessly. Philippians 2:3 tells us that when we live our lives in this way, we are embodying the mind of Jesus himself. “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” A life of charity also means that a big part of our work as a Christian is to give the gospel to the lost; good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection to those who desperately need to hear this message.

Finally, we are called over and over in scripture to the biblical work of devotion to God. This embodies hearing from God through his word and speaking to God through prayer. A snare that I see many Christians fall into is the belief that if they do the work of personal growth good enough then they don’t need to do the work of giving and gathering. I’ve heard, “I go to church in the woods when I’m hunting and in God’s creation,” and “I just help anyone in need when I see a need.” Often, we don’t see that God’s church places us in postures of worship and presents to us needs that we can fill. And when we become reclusive, we really only serve ourselves.

Proper devotion always leads us toward brothers and sisters in Christ as well as into the world to reach the lost. But we must prioritize personal growth through Bible reading and taking all of our needs to God in prayer. Jesus spent lots of time alone and in retreat so he could pray. But wholistic Christian work is going to involve balancing all that God has asked us to do for his glory and our good. And we do these things, not as a way to earn grace, but as a response to grace freely given to us. And in turn, this work becomes another grace to us: gathering with God’s people encourages and serves us, giving in God’s name accomplishes his mission and grants us the privilege of being part of it, and growing in our relationship with our God deepens our understanding of the riches of his love for us. May we all be diligent to work to these ends.