What We Believe & Why - Chapter Seven

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What We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

Chapter Seven
Belief is not a Work

INTRODUCTION: TEXT: John 6:29

From the fig leaf clothes of Adam and Eve until this good hour, men have sought, through one means or another, to justify themselves by their own efforts or works. Some are so insistent that salvation from sin's penalty is by works that they are constantly hoping to find a "proof text" to support the idea. This they think they have done in John 6:29. In this verse, Jesus answered and said unto the people, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

I. FROM THIS TEXT, MANY ASSUME THAT FAITH OR BELIEF IS A WORK.

A. The idea of some is that whenever a person has faith in the gospel of Christ, he has worked a work:

1. It is assumed from John 6:29 that the antecedent of the impersonal pronoun, "this" is "believe on him whom he hath sent." Thus, "the work of God" is equated with belief, so that belief of the gospel is understood to be a work.

2. This verse is then paralleled with other misunderstood verses for the building of a groundless case. For example, both I Thessalonians 1:3 and II Thessalonians 1:11, mention "your work of faith," and again the premature conclusion is that faith is a work. With this preconceived conclusion in mind, it is easy to see how Philippians 2:12 could be misunderstood to mean that salvation from sin's penalty is a work, when it says, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." The illogical case is then further substantiated by misusing such scriptures as Romans 2:10 which says, "But glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good..."; and Romans 2:13, "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified."

3. Another line of supposed proof to support their idea that faith is a work is also offered. Mark 16:16 which says, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved" and Acts 2:38 which says, "Repent and be baptized... for the remission of sins," are cited as passages to prove that faith and baptism are on the same level. Such a conclusion is a false premise. The assumption is that if faith and baptism are on the same level, then faith and baptism are equally enjoined and thus equally essential to salvation. By then pairing this idea with I Peter 3:21 and Hebrews 6:1-2 which indicate baptism to be a good work, these people jump to the conclusion that if baptism is a good work and baptism is just as essential and important to eternal life, as faith, then faith or belief must be a good work.

4. Thus, again the efforts of Satan to convince the world that salvation comes by works or human efforts get a great boost.

B. There is yet another group who believes faith is a work, but who believes it to be God's work, not man's.

1. These are the ones who understand divine election, or sovereign grace to mean that God arbitrarily saves some, while He does not arbitrarily save others. The idea is that man has no real choice in the matter of his salvation, but that if God has decided to save a man, He will unilaterally reach into that man's heart and give him faith.

2. Thus, from John 6:29, it is again understood that "believe on him whom he hath sent" is "the work of God." The difference between this group and the first group is that this group believes faith or belief to be God's work, while the first group believes it to be man's work. Both groups believe faith to be a work. This latter group pairs such scriptures as Ephesians 2:8 with John 6:29. This verse says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." They then argue that "faith" is "the gift of God." What they misunderstand here is that salvation is the gift of God not faith. The antecedent of "it" is "saved" not "faith". Thus salvation is "the gift of God," not the faith that results in salvation.

II. THE FACT IS THAT FAITH IS NOT A WORK BY ANYONE: GOD OR MAN.

A. Faith is a mental state of the heart (or mind) not an act by man or God:

1. Faith is translated from the Greek word "Pistis" meaning a firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing.

2. Believe is translated from the Greek word "Pisteuo", meaning to be persuaded of, or to put confidence in; to trust.

3. By definition, it becomes evident that faith is not a work by God or man.

B. If it is true that faith is a work (and it is not), then all of those who are saved have worked for their salvation. Ephesians 2:8 clearly says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith." Acts 16:31 also says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

1. It is quite clear that salvation is appropriated by faith. Thus, if faith is a work, salvation is appropriated by work.

2. That is totally out of harmony with what God says on the subject. His words are "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) He again declared in Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." God also said in Galatians 2:16, "that a man is not justified by the works of the law."

3. Men may contend long and loud that faith is a work, and that salvation is by works, but God contends differently and every honest Bible student must take the Word of God over any and all men. God's contention is that salvation is totally apart from any work that any man can perform.

C. The context of the John 6:29 text quickly establishes that the work under consideration is not the work of any human.

1. A work is being considered, for verse 29 clearly says, "This is the work of God."

2. So, a work is under consideration, but our Lord Himself, who is doing the talking, says the work is "the work of God." If it is God's work then it is not man's work.

3. This forever undercuts the idea of those who contend that faith is the work of man. Even if John 6:29 was speaking of belief to be a work (and it is not), that work would be the doing of God not man. When such passages as II Thessalonians 1:11 and I Thessalonians 1:3 speak of the "work of faith," they are not seeing faith as a work. They are speaking of the works that will result from true faith. In other words, faith will produce works and the works. produced by faith are "the works of faith." Thus, Paul spoke of the works of the Thessalonian believers and said that because of them "in every place you faith to Godward is spread abroad." (I Thessalonians 1:8)

4. A right dividing of the scriptures will not allow anyone to conclude faith to be the work of man.

D. Furthermore, faith is not a work of God.

1. It is true that in John 6:29 a "work of God" is being considered, but as the remainder of this lesson will show, it is not belief or faith which is the work.

2. This passage lends absolutely no comfort to the false idea that God has all faith stockpiled in heaven and that when He gets ready to save a certain person, He reaches into that stockpile, gets a little faith, and puts it into that man.

III. THE WORK OF GOD UNDER CONSIDERATION IN JOHN 6:29 IS THE FEEDING OF 5,000 MEN WITH 5 LOAVES AND 2 FISHES.

A. John 6:1-14 records the performance of this miraculous work by Jesus.

B. The following day, the same people who were fed and who were doubtless yet amazed by such a miraculous thing, came to Jesus.

1. John 6:22-25 records their coming and their question to Jesus. "The day following, when the people, which stood on the other side of the sea, saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone; [howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:] when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?"

2. When they arrived, Jesus exposed the fact that they had sought Him out, not for the scriptural help which he could give them, but in order to eat food. He said to them in John 6:26, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled." Then He advised them, "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the father sealed." (verse 27)

3. In response to that advice, "then said they unto him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God?" (verse 28) Theirs was the same age old idea of Satan as to how to be saved. They wanted to know what they could do that would merit eternal life. They wanted to do some works to make things right with God.

C. Jesus' statement to them in verse 29 vividly exposes the fact that these people had completely missed the point of His miraculous work of feeding the 5,000:

1. He "said unto them, This is the work of God." The feeding of 5,000 was the work of God. The antecedent of "this" is not "believe on him," or "faith." The antecedent is Jesus', who was God in the flesh, (Matthew 1:23) miraculous work of feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. This is precisely the work of God that the entire context is discussing.

2. Once Jesus made the statement of verse 29, the people immediately perceived that He was referring to some work that He had performed, not to belief or faith being a work. They immediately asked Him, "What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work?"

3. As you can see, they were looking for another work to make them believe, but the fact is that Jesus had already performed a miraculous work, the designed purpose of which was to cause them to believe on Him to be the Savior. After He reminded them that the feeding of the 5,000 was the work of God, He then said that its purpose was "that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (verse 29)

D. So, a serious consideration of the context surrounding John 6:29 establishes the fact that it is not belief or faith which is the work of God or man. The work being discussed by our Lord is the feeding of the 5,000 and that was the work of God not man. And the purpose of that divine work was to cause men to believe that Jesus was indeed the Christ and, in so believing, to receive eternal life. (John 5:24) To come along later and assume that believing is a work is to completely miss the point, as did the multitude who saw Jesus feed the 5,000.

1. The "work of God" in John 6:29 was the feeding of 5,000, and its purpose was to make men believe on Jesus. Many saw this work, and other miraculous ones like it, yet believed Him not. Thus Matthew 11:20 says, "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not."

2. But the works, including the feeding of the 5,000, were not done just for their benefit. They were performed and recorded for us also, that we too, might "believe on him whom he hath sent." Thus, Jesus said in John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

3. Thus, do not be deceived into thinking faith or belief is a work of God or man. It is not. Belief in Christ is a mental state that a person should reach once he has considered the mighty works of God, divinely recorded, which testify that Jesus was indeed the Christ.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"