Note from Randy: Earlier this year, I shared Kevin DeYoung’s article Faith and Works: Does James Contradict Paul? on my blog. A reader wrote us with this question in response:

I read the article you posted on Randy’s blog from Kevin DeYoung. However, the equation he shared of F(aith)=J(ustification)+W(orks) still does not ring true with me.  I have pondered it, repeated it to myself and still do not come up with anything different from Faith+Works=Justification.  I am sure a lot of it has to do with DeYoung being brighter than I am.  Yet this equation still is troublesome. If someone would like to use other words to convince me of the correctness of the equation, I am all ears.

My thanks to Stephanie Anderson, EPM staff, for her excellent response.

I wonder if your questions come up because Scripture (including the book of James) does very much emphasize the importance of our works, and eternal rewards has tended to be a neglected area of doctrine in evangelicalism. You may be familiar with what Randy has written about eternal rewards and how God will reward His children for their works done in this life (see Can We Really Earn Eternal Rewards?).

In that article, Randy explains:

Let’s be sure this is perfectly clear: Salvation and rewards are different.

Salvation is about God’s work for us. It’s a free gift, to which we can contribute absolutely nothing (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

Rewards are about our work for God.

Salvation is dependent on God’s faithfulness to his promises, and on his mercy.

Rewards are conditional, dependent on our faithfulness (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:26-28; 3:21).

Belief determines our eternal destination...where we’ll be

Behavior determines our eternal rewards...what we’ll have.

Works do not affect our redemption. Works do affect our reward. Just as there are eternal consequences to our faith, so there are eternal consequences to our works.

Because we speak of rewards so rarely, when we do speak of them it’s easy to confuse God’s work and man’s. We may, for example, mistakenly believe that Heaven is a person’s reward for doing good things. This is absolutely not the case. Eternal life is entirely “the gift of God” (Romans 6:23). In going to heaven we don’t get what we deserve. What we all deserve is hell. Heaven is a gift, not a reward.

In regard to salvation, our work for God is no substitute for God’s work for us. In regard to rewards, God’s work for us is no substitute for our work for God. Of course, this doesn’t mean we work in our own strength to earn rewards. Ultimately even our reward-earning works are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:29).

I love Ephesians 2:8-10 because it lays it out so clearly (see what I’ve bolded)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

There it is: we are not saved by works (as if we could ever contribute to our salvation) but we are absolutely saved to do good works! They aren’t the means by which we are saved, but God definitely intends that they be the result.

I hope this helps. It really is such good news that we can’t contribute to our salvation by our own works. Otherwise, we would be constantly wondering, “Is it enough? Have I done what’s required? Will I really enter God’s presence when I die?” Instead, we can look to Christ and know that we are saved because He paid our debt all completely and perfectly! And then we can rejoice and serve Him with joy in response, doing what Ephesians 2:10 says: walking in the good works God has prepared for us.