Works, Grace, and the Gospel

It is important in studying any passage of Scripture to begin with an understanding of the context in which it has been placed. The two verses listing the fruit of the Spirit do not exist in a vacuum, and it is crucial to our study to take a look at the book of Galatians as a whole.    

The book of Galatians was written by Paul (through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) to the believers in Galatia. The reason Paul was writing to them was that the Galatian believers had fallen prey to false teaching regarding the relationship of works to salvation.

In a nutshell, you could say that Paul presents the Galatians with a truth and its two extremes. In the first four and a half chapters, he gives a detailed argument against works-based salvation, specifically the false doctrine of the Judaizers, who wanted to add adherence to the Old Testament law as a requirement for salvation.

It is clear from this first part of Galatians, as well as Scripture as a whole, that the Gospel is of grace, by faith, as Ephesians 2:8-9 states:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Works:

The Galatian believers had mixed the truth of the gospel with a lie. After having placed their trust in Christ’s finished work of redemption as full payment for their sin, they were now persuaded that Christ’s sacrifice was not enough: it was up to them to make up the difference by keeping the Old Testament law.

There are several problems with this. The first is that salvation by the law would necessarily demand that the law be kept perfectly.

It only takes one sin to bring the death sentence of sin upon a soul. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” and you and I can attest to the truth of that statement in our own lives.

Each of us has broken at least one of God’s laws, and no amount of good deeds can change that fact in the sight of God.

The next problem with the philosophy of grace-plus-law is that keeping the law was never God’s salvation plan to begin with. Galatians 2:15-16 addresses this point:

“We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Paul here is describing the prideful way the Jewish Christians were hanging onto certain aspects of the law (and not very consistently, either,) while looking down on the Gentile Christians as “sinners” or inferior because they did not do likewise. This passage joins many other clear statements in Scripture which show us that the gospel isn’t about anything we do: it’s about what Christ has already done.

A good summary of Paul’s argument against the false doctrine of works-based salvation is found in the first verse of chapter 5, which says,

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Paul goes on to say that faith in the law for salvation negates faith in Christ: if you can save yourself under the law, why did Christ come? As Paul puts it,

“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” (5:4)

Paul isn’t saying that these Christians have lost their salvation because they are trying to keep the law: instead, he is pointing out that faith in the law and faith in Christ (salvation by grace) are incompatible. If one is true, the other is necessarily false.

Liberty

So, now that the law has been shown to be fundamentally ineffective in terms of salvation, it can be completely discarded and we can just do what we want, right? Not at all. From 5:13 on, Paul addresses another side of the issue, wisely acknowledging the tendency of mankind to swing from one extreme to the other.

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (5:13-24)

While maintaining the truth of salvation by faith through grace, Paul turns our attention to the true role of the law in the life of the Christian, and that’s where the fruit of the Spirit comes in.

There is a delicate tightrope of truth between works salvation and total denial of the relevancy of doing right in the Christian life. Salvation by faith through grace is not an isolated event. It is the glorious moment when the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell in the heart of the believer, nevermore to leave. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is the source of any true “good works” we do, hence Paul’s call to walk in the Spirit:

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye are led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.” (5:16-18)

You see, we are prone to give into the lusts of the flesh, to do what feels good at the moment, but that is not the will of God for the Christian. He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we might live according to His will, doing those things that He says are right.

Walking in the Spirit will end up looking a lot like keeping the law. That’s why Paul makes a point of stating that those walking in the Spirit are not under the law. We are not bound to keep its every statute on pain of eternal death in hell. Instead, we follow Jesus’ example through the Holy Spirit’s leading, seeking to “do always those things that please Him.” (John 8:29)

Believers in works-based salvation do good because they have to, but the Spirit-led, saved-by-grace believer does good because he or she wants to. That is the true relationship of works to salvation: they are the result, not the cause.

The intersection of works, grace, and the Gospel is life in the Spirit, which is Paul’s focus throughout the rest of the book of Galatians. It is in this section on Spirit-filled living which we find the fruit of the Spirit listed. This is a significant fact, because the fruit of the Spirit is not a list of things we do, or qualities we need to somehow work up inside us: they are instead the natural outpouring of the Spirit of God flowing through us as we yield to Him.

As we begin this look at the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit, remember that it’s not about us somehow doing better: it’s about God working in and through us. When we demonstrate the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit, it is solely because we are allowing the Spirit to guide our actions and attitudes. As in all things, it’s not about us, it’s about God.

“Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.”

1 Thessalonians 5:24