Do the volunteers at your blog believe in salvation by works?

      No. We believe in Salvation by Grace alone through the shed blood of Jesus. We believe that “good works” when appropriate and pleasing to God, are done out of LOVE for God. Work that is proper and good is the result of the human heart being touched by the Holy Spirit and trained up to mirror the likeness of Christ. Works are the proper result of Grace already present within each believer. This is frequently called “Sanctification” in the Lutheran Church. Different Christians may call it by other terminology. But “a rose is still a rose by any other name.” Human works are necessary to the growing up of believers for the kingdom of God. We live here for a purpose and that purpose is to show Christ to others. We can not do this effectively without living out good actions, thoughts, and feelings. We work to aid humans and ourselves in this respect and to show love for God, not to earn salvation.

      Some people can appear to do a good deed without faith, but a person with faith will always be convicted by the Holy Spirit to do good, even when it does not benefit himself. If a man says that he is saved but then has no outward sign of change that is the result of his repentance, then he is probably lying about his true motives for claiming to be a Christian. God can determine whether or not a soul is willing to change for Him or if a person is simply lying in order to coexist with Christians for some other reason. This could be a difficult or easy thing for people to see clearly in others. There are people who successfully deceive many with their works but he or she cannot ultimately deceive God with incorrect agenda.

      One thing is for certain, that those who love God and are grateful will always display some form of good works. These works won’t always be what you or I may stereotypically call “works.” But we do not define works the same in every person and neither does God. Every part of the body of Christ has it’s own gifts and talents. Works look different for a pastor, doctor, lawyer, artist, musician, mother, chemist, police officer, rich man or poor man. Each gives back to others in his own way by the power of The Spirit and by the influences of Christ on his or her life through the study of the Holy Bible.