Introduction
“I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Timothy 6:13-14 (KJV)
Paul expects the Christian life to look a certain way. So he instructs Timothy to pay attention to how he lives. Timothy is supposed to obey the commandment of God because God “quickeneth” him. In other words, when a person believes in the death and resurrection of Christ for salvation, the Spirit transforms the believer into a New Creation. This is an active and dynamic change. It’s also a slow and gradual change that isn’t separate from the gospel. The New Creation is not an optional add-on to Jesus’ death and resurrection (2 Cor. 5:17). Sanctification is gospel change. When a Christian grows in holiness throughout their life, that is the payoff of the gospel promise of a New Creation. Elsewhere Paul speaks of resurrection life with the charge, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).
Salvation Makes a Narrow Path
The Christ life means fleeing certain things and pursuing certain things. Mortification and vivification are words that reflect the twin nature of sanctification—putting to death the deeds of the flesh and bringing to life the deeds of the Spirit. Paul’s imperative in 1 Tim. 6:14 is to keep the commandment until Christ returns. What commandment? The commandment of God.
Paul says elsewhere, “The doers of the law will be justified” (Rom. 2:13). Paul is not speaking hypothetically. He is evoking the same idea as James, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourself” (James 1:22). Paul is trying to encourage obedience to God’s Word. Why? Because obedience to God’s commands is the standard by which people are judged. When God renders to each according to his works, there are two outcomes. Those who are doers of the law will, in the end, receive the ultimate vindication at the last judgment. Those who are self-seeking will, in the end, receive God’s righteous wrath and fury (Rom. 2:6-8).
Similarly, Jesus spoke of a narrow path (Mt. 7:13-14). Jesus speaks metaphorically but not hypothetically. There are two paths: One righteous and one wicked. The narrow path is where your words justify you. The wide path is where your words condemn you (Mt. 12:36-37). The narrow path is on Jesus’ right, where he will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Mt. 25:34). The wide path is on Jesus’ left, where he will say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 25:41). Those on the narrow path fed the hungry, welcomed the stranger, visited the sick, and clothed the naked (Mt. 25:35-40). Those on the wide path gave the hungry no food, gave the stranger no welcome, gave the naked no clothes, and gave the sick no visits (Mt. 25:41-46).
Justification is by Faith Alone
The whole mind of evangelicalism condenses abruptly about one idea—justification by faith—a certain congelation that ceases to be capable of fuller theological perceptions. This is why some evangelicals blush when Paul, James, and Jesus talk like this. And that blushing often translates into the charge of legalism. They don’t charge Jesus with legalism, of course. But they charge you with legalism when you quote him. To this charge, we reaffirm the glorious truth that a person IS justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone, unto the glory of God alone. Faith is the antecedent condition of justification (Rom. 5:1). Works are not efficacious for acquiring justification (Rom. 3:23f; 5:5).
Yet Paul urges “you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1). The new life you live—the “worthy” life you live—is not separate from the gospel. It is not merit theology to live the new life you were given. It’s not legalism for Paul, James, or Jesus to expect you to live the new life you were given. The new life is not lived separate from the fact of Christ’s death and resurrection but because of Christ’s redemptive work (Rom. 6:1 – 7:6). The good works don’t meritoriously cause justification. They are part of the consequent conditions of the order of salvation and the way to eternal life (Prov. 19:16; Mt. 7:21; 25:34-36; Phil. 1:6; Heb. 12:14; 2 Pet. 1:11).
Judged by Works
Scripture declares that Christians will be judged by their works (Is. 59:18; Mt. 16:27; Rom. 14:12; Rev. 20:12f). So the situation is this: Christians are justified by faith alone (Rom. 5:1), it is true. And they are judged by their works (2 Cor. 5:10), it is true. How can this be? What does this mean about faith and works? It means that those who are vindicated in the end are those who have kept the commandments. This is why Paul commanded Timothy to keep the commandment without issuing three volumes of qualifications about justification by faith (1 Tim. 6:14). An abundance of good works doesn’t cause justification (Rom. 4;1-8; 5:9, 18; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:21) but an abundance of wicked works restricts people from inheriting the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:6). On judgment day, a person is not made righteous, but they can be recognized as righteous (Gal. 5:5).
For example, can a person inherit the kingdom of God if they are unrighteous, sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, practicing homosexuality, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, or swindlers? No, they will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10). They must be washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Christ and by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 6:11).
For another example, can a person inherit the kingdom of God if the works of the flesh are evident in their life: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these (Gal. 5:19-21)? No, they will not inherit the kingdom of God. The works of the Spirit must be evident in their life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Those who belong to Christ crucify the flesh not just outwardly, but with its passions and desires (Gal. 5:24).
The Christological Synthesis
Theological mistakes about the relationship between faith and works are always Christological. Salvation is not just found in Christ’s death and resurrection but in our death and resurrection. Believers are united with Christ such that when Christ died to sin, they died to sin. As Christ was raised from the dead, believers are raised from the dead. This union with Christ is not an abstraction buried deep in a theological book. It includes an experiential aspect. By faith in Christ, believers walk in the newness of life and do not continue in the bondage of sin (Rom. 6:6). Christ’s death can’t be separated from his resurrection. Therefore, a Christian’s death to sin can’t be separated from the resurrection life. Reread that sentence. Soak it in. Just like salvation requires the death and resurrection of Christ, so too the saved must existentially die and be raised with Christ (Rom. 6:1-6).[1] “There is … no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus … the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus … the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1-4).
Conclusion
To say that good works are necessary for salvation is not to say they are meritorious. A person is justified by faith alone on the front end and vindicated according to their works on the back end (Gal. 5:5; Mt. 12:36f). Justification by faith alone takes into account the entirety of Christ’s completed work. To have standing with God, sinners claim nothing but the cross and resurrection of Christ. The Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 70 says that God declares believers right with him “not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ.” On judgment day, God will judge everyone’s works (Rom. 2:6) and secrets (Rom. 2:16). Judgment will take into account the entirety of the person’s completed life. “Those who have done good” will receive “life” and “those who have done evil” will receive “judgment” (Jn. 5:29). Jesus said, “Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Mt. 3:10). When a person’s life work doesn’t match their profession of faith, they are dead and unsaved (James 2:14-17).
The thought of being judged by your life work may spark concern. You know yourself better than anyone. You know that you are far from perfect. To this concern, it is best to ask: Who is this Jesus Christ who is judging works on the final day? It is the same magnanimous God who established the line of David, saying, “Because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5). It is the same compassionate Jesus who cast the demon out of the daughter of a gentile dog (Mk. 7:24-30). It is the same gracious Lord who restored Peter after his denial (Mk. 14:66-72). It is the same prodigal Father who didn’t stone the rebellious son (Dt. 21:18-21) but “while he was still a long way off … saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Lk. 15:20). It’s the same Creator God who, after Adam and Eve sinned, “made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). It is the same kingly Abba who “so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).
Other Articles on this subject
[1] Richard Gaffin, Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul’s Soteriology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R, 1987), 41-62.
Trinity Reformed Church 