We believe that it is our faith in Jesus Christ that saves us, not anything that we do. That does not mean that our actions are not important, they are to our neighbors and those in need.
As Christians who happen to be Lutheran, we believe that when talking about how we are saved, the emphasis is on God’s action and activity. We are saved by the grace of God through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”). So, even the faith we have is a gift from God, given to us through the Holy Spirit at our baptism, through God’s Word. This is what saves. We trust in God and God’s action and promises, not anything we do.
Now, once we have that clear in our heads, we can move on to talk about verse 10 of Ephesians 2, “For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” What God has created us to be are ones who live our lives caring for others. Serving others. Doing good works. These are done, not to earn points with God, or to impress people. If that is why we do them, they gain us nothing according to Jesus (Matthew 6:2-16). Rather, we do these good things because God has first served and forgiven us, and we are called to do the same.
So, faith alone saves us. Yet, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). So, trust in God to save you and live out your faith towards others. You never know, you might be serving Jesus (Matthew 25).
Let me know if you have further questions by contacting me.
God’s Blessings,
Pastor Brian
Steven Lloyd says
Hello, Sir. You got mostly right here. Even when you said that faith is a gift. Except the passage your referring to is actually talking about salvation being the gift. It says in the new Testament that God has dealt every man a measure of faith and tasted death for every man. So it’s not that he only gave faith to those who will trust them. That’s why the lost is without excuse because they have every opportunity to believe in God and be born again.