Can we separate works and faith always?

When we look at the teaching of Jesus we see that ‘works of faith’ are not shown as optional, or as a result of salvation, but as the basis of salvation. We see the same emphasis in James. In direct contrast to this we appear to see in Paul the absolute absence of works in the plan of salvation. This has been reconciled in various ways, but one point which struck me is that when Paul speaks of the absence of works he is speaking of the works of the Law and not the works of faith. In fact Paul uses the term ‘works of faith’ as an essential part of the Christian life and works of the Law as totally unnecessary at any stage of the Christian life.

If we look at the teachings of Jesus more closely – for instance the judgement scene in Matthew 25, the people are not judged by the works of the Law but by the love and generosity in a Christian heart and the works of faith. So there is essentially no contradiction between Jesus and James and Paul as they all speak of ‘works of faith’ as the essence of the Christian life.

But there is a problem. Traditional Protestant thinking have held even ‘works of faith’ as a part of the sanctification process which takes place AFTER salvation and so it does not affect our salvation at any stage. But the teaching of both James and Jesus would appear to contradict that not only in the judgement scene of Matthew 25 but also statements like Matthew 6:15, 18:21-35 and James 2:18-19.

Can this contradiction be resolved? One solution is to give up the artificial separation between salvation and sanctification and see them as a part of the same process which cannot be divided. This means that once salvation has begun so has sanctification and some parts of sanctification is immediate, especially those connected with the love for the material. Why is this so? Because salvation begins when we turn away (repent) from the material and turn to God. This turning away from the material results in the generosity becoming a part of the Christian life style. The second is the love that is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which we receive when salvation begins. James 4:1 says that wars come from chasing mat3erial things. If repentance – the step before salvation – is repentance from our love for the material, not only should generosity set into the life of a believer at salvation but also the disappearance of hatred and war.

There are various sins that rule over a person’s life and these are dealt with over a period of time, but there are some sins that seem to be dealt with immediately – love of money and hatred for people. The putting of love of money and hatred for people into the sanctification process post salvation and not as a part of the salvation process represented by repentance is not supported by the plain teaching of scripture.