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Works Are Not Evidence of Faith (Technical Explanation)

by Robert P. Terry
Published May 10, 2026

Faith is not evidenced by works in the sense that works can give us assurance of having faith, for although faith is present where there are God-pleasing works (not as the cause, but as one of the variables necessary for creating the conditions for performing works), the nature of faith precludes it from being evidenced by works because faith and works are antithetical to each other. Faith is simply there because of its positively correlative relationship with works. By way of analogy, a fire cannot exist apart from air, but we've missed the point entirely as to the nature of air if we think that we can prove that we have air by something that utterly consumes air. Faith is similar. Once you think you've identified faith, what you've really identified is something else. It is impossible to be conscious of faith and conscious of the object of faith at the same time. This means that people who say that works are evidence of faith are actually turning faith into a work by trusting in faith itself, rather than believing in Christ, the object of faith.