Galatians 3:2-3
Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Truth: All parts of salvation are by grace through faith!! There is much talk in the church today about the doctrine of sanctification. Sanctification is the doctrine of becoming Holy and shaped into the image of Christ. The debate is what part do WE play in our sanctification ... our becoming holy. Some would tells us that God "saves" us and then we in "obedience" perfect that salvation through works. Others would say that once we are saved, we do nothing else. That process, after our initial salvation is called, "sanctification." However, it should be noted that the "after" we are saved part is misleading. Salvation begins with Predestination (something done prior to the universe being formed) and ends with Glorification (something done when we stand with Christ in heaven) ... see Romans 8 for that chain that is never broken:
Romans 8:29-30
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Paul is quite clear in his letter to the Thessalonians in regard to who does the "sanctification" leg of salvation:
2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NASBStr)
But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
Yet, despite clear statements in the Scriptures, false teachers attempt to convince the church that sactification is something we do rather than something that is happening in us, by the Spirit. However, no Scripture can be as clear as the one in the above text written to the churches in the region of Galatia. They were tempted to leave the gospel Paul had taught them and, instead, believe in a gospel taught by false teachers, Paul thought should be accursed ... he actually tells us twice they are accursed (Galatians 1:7-9). Paul warns the believers in Galatia to make sure they are not lead astray by a gospel that starts with faith, but is finished by works. This is what many in the modern church preach. They would tell us that salvation is by faith. However, if you listen to their preaching you will soon come to realize that my "staying" saved is based upon my doing the things they list out in their sermons and comments that indicate you are "doing" to show you are part of the "community." This might be ever so faint, but any works that attribute any part of salvation to works is false teaching. Paul tells us in numerous occasions that sanctification is, like justification, through faith. It is the Spirit that does the sanctification (shapes us into the image of Christ) and, as the above passage states, the Spirit is given to us by faith. The fruit that demonstrates we are in the faith is not the fruit of a franchise church system or denominational creed. The fruit that proves we are in the Body of Christ is the the Fruit of the Spirit, Paul will later list in this book of Galatians (see Galatians 5:22-23). The truth is God justified us by faith and He is sanctifying us by faith. Good works are a result of what He does in us, not something we do for Him to prove our faith.
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