491 years ago today, a certain German monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed up 95 Theses on the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.

Simply stated, we do nothing to make ourselves right with God.  We don’t work towards salvation.  Only God makes us holy.  Only God makes us pure.  Only God who justifies.  Only God who saves us.

Not us but Jesus Christ alone.

Then…

Romans 1:17 (ESV) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

By that God-given faith, then we do works based on the changes in our heart by God especially according to:

James 2:14-26 (ESV) What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

It is faith then works.

Not works then faith.

It is not what we do for Him but what He does in us that makes us saved.