Sure I knew - 32 years ago, when I decided to yield my life to the Savior; when I personally accepted YaHuWaH 's offer of salvation through His Son YAHUSHUA. Oh yes, I knew that faith was vital. But my question remains: Are works important? And is it heresy to preach the importance of doing good works? Today we are going to find out. In this study I will quote many verses to show you that a person's 'works' are important, more important than most Christians remotely imagine.

2. Works of the Flesh

To begin with let me be clear as to what I mean when I use the word 'works.' I'm certainly not talking about a person's employment or job. Neither do I mean:

• Works of Penance: Punishing one's body, incorrectly supposing that this will please YaHuWaH and somehow win His favor.
• Endeavoring to Purchase Forgiveness for one's own or another's sins by constantly paying out sums of money to the church.
• Endlessly turning the Rosary: a string of some 55 or 165 beads, each supposedly representing a prayer.

Oh no! when I use the word works, I most certainly do not mean these practices, which, sad to say, have been adopted from paganism by the fallen Church. Trying to earn or pay for salvation by these futile 'works' is totally against all Bible teaching.

In this article I use the word 'works' as it is used in the Scriptures. Here we find that Works fall into two categories:

• The Works of the flesh.
• The Works of the spirit.

3. Works (Fruit) of the Spirit

The 'works of the Spirit' are defined in the very next verse. Notice that they are called here the 'fruit of the Spirit.' Remember our opening definition about works being: labor, deeds, actions, outcomes, products, fruit.

4. Justification

The Bible teaches that a believer is justified by FAITH in YAHUSHUA the Messiah: but it also says that one's faith must be alive - else it is useless. What is living faith? The Scriptures teach that living faith is faith that is reflected in good works, obedience! If obedience is absent in a believer's life, (assuming that he/she has time to practice obedience) then all his/her professions of faith are meaningless. In other words a believer is justified by living faith which is reflected in good works, obedience to YaHuWaH !

5. Advice Concerning Works

There are literally scores of Bible verses exhorting believers to do good works. In fact, YaHuWaH 's objective when sending His Son to Earth was that we should be saved from sin to live righteous lives. Therefore to suggest that good works are unimportant is a sign of colossal ignorance, of spiritual blindness. It is an argument only used by the workers of iniquity: those who do not want to obey YaHuWaH 's commandments and whose lives are a contradiction of the faith they profess.

6. The Savior Knows the Works of Every Soul

Are works important? works are very important. Good or bad they are being recorded on the spiritual data files above: media infinitely more sophisticated than computer disks. Multiplied billions of facts are being written to those heavenly files every millisecond. Let us never forget that fact!

Hearken to the Savior's warnings to the seven churches and all mankind in the following verses.

Are works important? Of course they are important. If works weren't important, why did the Master mention them so often in his letters to the seven churches? I can tell you, that your works (the fruit, outcome, actions, your deeds) are the best - perhaps the only - indicators that you are a true believer. If you don't have accompanying good works (obedience) you don't have faith. We could even say that:

• Professions of faith: "Lord, Lord"
• Miracles, Wonders
• Prophecies
• Long fasts, Endless prayers
• Church Attendance
• Songs of Praise
• Shouts of Hallelujah!

7. The Great Day of Judgment

Now back to the question: Are works important? Sure they are. No Christian is going to say that the 'fruit of the Spirit' is unimportant. But few realize that the word 'works' is synonymous with 'fruit.' Both words mean - the outcome, the end product. I have provided many texts to prove that the Almighty closely considers people's works, their behavior, their actions, their fruit. He takes note of what we do. Every motive, every thought, every word, every action is recorded in the divine registers above. The Bible teaches that on the Day of Judgment, everyone will be judged according to their works - their fruit.

Let me summarize what you have just read: for we are here dealing with one of the most important subjects in the entire Bible.

1. Are works important? Millions of Christians answer: 'No, works are not important. Perhaps they are confusing 'works' with 'penance,' 'rosary beads,' 'prayers for the dead' etc. The Bible doesn't mean these things when it tells of works. It means faith which is reflected in obedience to the Almighty's commandments. Strange as it may sound, in the opinion of these believers, anyone who teaches obedience and the necessity of doing good deeds, (good works) is preaching 'salvation by works' - preaching heresy! This is a popular viewpoint. But is it right?
2. The answer is, no it isn't right: it's dangerously wrong. For we find, when we study the Scriptures, that works are very important.
3. Instead we are to do good works which also express themselves in the fruit of the Holy Spirit: (love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance) The Master said in his sermon on the mount: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
4. Believers are justified by faith: but to be of value their faith must be alive. It must exhibit itself in obedience and good works. If these are not present, then their worship is vain and futile. If they continue in sin (disobedience) all their professions of faith ("Lord, Lord!") and all their miracles and wonders will count for nothing. They will be kept out of the Kingdom of Heaven on the Master's orders.
   "Depart from Me ye workers of iniquity."
5. Scores of Bible texts advise us believers to do good works. Indeed that is why YAHUSHUA the Messiah died for us.
6. The Savior knows our works, better than we remotely imagine. He is extremely interested in the performance of every member of His church. He knows our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, pressures and persecutions. He knows everything about us all; and He will judge us on the basis of that knowledge. These are sobering thoughts; which we do well to keep in mind.
7. The great Day of Judgment approaches: when every person on Earth will be judged according to his/her works.

8. Matthew 16:	27: For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.
   Revelation 20:	12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before YaHuWaH ; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.