Faith and Works by H. S. Gurney

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 2, 1858

Faith and Works.

By H. S. Gurney

[Bro. Smith: I have an English work in my library, written by Geo. B. Cheever, D. D., from which I make a few extracts. H. S. Gurney.]

A MAN of great intellectual powers, and ardent, not yet perfect, piety, once heard two pilgrims of apostolical authority conversing in the way to heaven. One of them said, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. The other said, Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. The man went away and reported that there was a quarrel between those two, and that the latter of the two was strawy in his sayings. The mistaken man was Martin Luther.

Now there is so far from being a quarrel between Paul and James, that there is not even a difference. The two passages are only opposite side of the same great truth. We were once traveling with a little company of missionaries in Turkey, when we came in sight of a beautiful, distant olive-orchard on the side of a hill, with the wind agitating the branches, and turning the under side of the leaves to the sun. There arose quite a contest among us as to the color of those olive-leaves. Some asserted that it was pure dark green, for that was universally the color of the olive. Others said as confidently that it was a silvery gray, appealing to the sight before us. When we came to the orchard itself, we found both assertions to be true, the under side of the leaves turned up by the wind to the sun in our first position, showing them of a silvery gray, while the upper side with the sun falling on that, in our next position, showed their natural color of a beautiful, fresh green.

So here in these two texts are the two sides of the same previous olive-branch of truth, the great distinguishing truth of the gospel, the truth of justification and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. One text shows the side towards God in Christ, the other the side towards man; both are equally true, indeed are one and the same truth.

It is at one and the same time an undeniable truth, that faith without works is the only true religion, and yet that faith without works is no religion at all, and also, that works without faith are no better than sin.

A religion of works is selfish, self-seeking, bargaining, distrustful religion. A religion of faith is a disinterested, self-denying, self-forgetting, confiding religion. A religion of works is scrupulous, fearful, cramping, prison-like and superstitious. A religion of faith is unsuspicious, fearless, open-hearted, generous, and free. . . .

There are only these two religions, the true and the counterfeit, faith without works, and works without faith. The religion of faith is the only true, the only possible religion for fallen beings. For such there can be no such thing as a religion of justifying works. Such beings have no works to offer but works of sin, or mingled with sin, and therefore works needing to be forgiven. But if you present to God as the ground of your salvation works needing to be forgiven, you present not piety, but impiety and presumption. You present to him as merit what can deserve and bring nothing but condemnation. As a fallen being, you can present nothing to him but faith; that is, you can only trust in his mercy without works, having no works to bring but your sins, or the good things of God spoiled by your sins, and having nothing that you can do but just submit and trust, willing that he should do what he pleases. . . . If you are a fallen being, a sinful creature, you can have no works to bring but what are proofs of sin. Therefore, the only true religion possible is that of faith without works, that of submission and trust, as a guilty, lost sinner. . . . There cannot be a religion of justifying works, which is not a religion of lies. And no matter how elevated, refined, and noble, or excellent the works may be supposed to be, the supposition of justifying merit in them, of a purchase of salvation by them, rots and putrefies them. For even love itself presented as merit, and faith itself presented as a justifying work, becomes a vain palpable lie. The very fact of presenting it as merit, for reward, proves that it is not true love, or true faith, but a forgery. . . . It is evident that faith without works is the only true religion, the only religion possible for mankind. But here some one will turn upon me and say out of God's own word in the apostle James, that faith without works is dead. And yet we say that faith without works is the only true religion possible for mankind. Very well. There is no contradiction here, and both these propositions are perfectly true. By faith without works James means a faith which does not produce works, which is no faith at all but devils' faith, believing, trembling, disobeying.

There is a great difference between faith without works as the way of salvation, that is a reliance only on the unbought, undeserved mercy of Christ without works, and faith not producing works, which is a dead faith. Faith without works is sure to produce works, and will show itself by works, and is true piety; that is submission, trust, confidence in God, the acceptance of his way of salvation, without any trust in ourself. A man thus coming to God by faith without works, comes indeed not bringing any works to rely on, not bringing to God anything as a ground of acceptance and pardon, but trusting, believing, having faith only.

But this faith is not dead, though it be faith without works; but it is a faith that will produce works, a living faith, or else it is a lie; it is no faith but death. As a faith producing works, it is a religion of works, and in this view the only true religion of works in the world, or possible, is the religion of justification by Christ alone, through faith alone without works.

That is the only religion that produces true works of piety, the religion of faith without works. But in order that it may be a living faith, a faith which will produce works, it must be a faith without works, a simple trust, a submissive resting in God's mere love and mercy, and not on works. But the apostle James means by faith without works, a faith not producing works, which indeed is false and dead. There is no difference between Paul and James, nor ever was, nor ever will be, although the one declares that there is no true religion but that of faith without works, and the other that faith without works is dead.