TSIYON NEWS

From Eliyahu 

We all know, or should know, that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. Yet, Yeshua’s insistence on disciples bearing fruit can sound a lot like works, so can create some confusion. If we don’t fully understand the totality of this truth as regards bearing fruit, it can lead to the trap of legalism. That is, the burden of “earning” our salvation, which has proven to be impossible for imperfect humans to do.

The apostle Paul makes it crystal clear that our salvation is not by works: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of Elohim, not of works, that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The Father extends the gift of salvation in His unmerited favor extended to us (grace), by virtue of faith in the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua for those who believe, not as a reward for our moral ledger. As Paul argues in Romans: “There is no one righteous; no, not one… for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of Elohim.” (Romans 3:10, 23)

Yet even as we are thankful for grace, Yeshua and the Apostles insist that genuine faith produces works as its natural fruit. James confronts a “dead faith” that refuses to act: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24), adding, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). How do we reconcile Paul’s insistence that we’re not saved by works with James’s insistence that true faith shows itself in deeds? “How much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14)

And what are the dead works Paul mentions here? Is Paul speaking against the Torah of Moses as synonymous with “dead works”?

The key to all of this is distinguishing between two kinds of works:

• Dead Works are Meritorious Works which we perform to earn God’s favor - these Scripture rejects (Romans 4:4).
• Faith Works, Fruitful Works, which flow from a heart transformed by grace - these God prepares and delights to see (Ephesians 2:10).

When we rest in Messiah’s finished work and are united with Him by faith, the Holy Spirit births good works through us. But when we attempt to earn salvation through moral performance, we trap ourselves under the weight of legalism and fear.

To understand how authentic fruitfulness arises, we turn to Yeshua’s vivid picture in John 15. He declares, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the Farmer” (John 15:1).

In this metaphor:

• The Vine is Messiah Himself - our source of spiritual nourishment and Life.
• The Branches are disciples, grafted into the Vine through faith.
• The Farmer is the Father, cultivating, pruning, and overseeing every branch.

Yeshua continues: “Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit; for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Notice what He does not say: “Work harder,” or “Perform more deeds.” He says, “Abide.”

To abide means to remain, to dwell, to cultivate an ongoing relationship. Our capacity to bear spiritual fruit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23) depends entirely on our connection to Messiah. It is our manifestation of that spiritual fruit within that enables us to sow the seed of the Word into others, to bring forth other disciples as fruit for the Kingdom.

But what if we do not abide? Messiah warns, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Those who will not abide He takes away, lest they become an impediment to other branches.

More often though, troubled branches just need some pruning. Pruning often feels painful - life’s trials, convictions of sin, the Lord removing certain good things so that the best things might flourish. Yet pruning deepens our roots and strengthens our capacity to bear more abundant fruit. Pruning can feel awful, but it’s a good thing, because it will reestablish that pruned branch in a more vital relationship to the Vine.

Finally, Yeshua promises: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). This is not carte blanche for self-serving desires but a guarantee that as we remain rooted in His Life and Word, our deepest longings align with the Father’s Will, and He brings increase for the Kingdom through our prayers.

Despite that clear picture from Messiah, many believers, though well-intentioned, fall into the trap of guilt-driven effort. They toil under the burden of perfectionism: “I must do more, be better, and earn God’s approval.” Scripture warns against this legalism: “These are matters of appearance… they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” (Colossians 2:23).

Religion often promotes that guilt-driven effort for the sake of building earthly kingdoms. Such guilt-driven effort is a curse, because it is never satisfied, and it never leads to fulfillment. Trust me, I know because I’ve been there, but thanks to the grace of Yeshua my Messiah I was set free from that bondage into the glorious freedom of the sons of Elohim. (Romans 8:15-17)

Paul was like I once was, in that he once was under the bondage of a false religion that pushed a merit-based concept of salvation. The Jewish sect he grew up under viewed the Torah of Moses as a checklist by which a Jew could earn salvation. Paul was set free from that mentality by meeting the resurrected Messiah, through whom he was saved by grace to do the will of the Father, apart from keeping any checklist, including the Torah. Paul said: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the scroll of the Torah, to do them.” (Galatians 3:10 CJB)