...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Colossians 1:10-12)
According to reliable surveys, at least 57% of Evangelical church members believe that you need good works to gain eternal life, in addition to believing on Jesus Christ.
Are the vast majority of self-described Evangelicals wrong about salvation? The Word of God says, emphatically and unequivocally, that they are.
Colossians chapter one teaches us the proper order: Christ is the root, good works are the fruit. Christians aren't Christians because of their good works. Christians are Christians because they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the order. Christ comes first - the preeminent Christ. He takes up residence in the heart of the believer, and good works are the result.
In this message we shall not only consider the proper place of good works in the life of the believer, we shall also address two common errors about good works. On the one hand, some say that because believers are saved by grace alone, good works do not matter in the Christian life. The opposite but equally deadly error comes from those who say that good works are necessary to have eternal life - that good works save, or contribute to salvation in some way. We shall demonstrate from Scripture that both teachings are false gospels.