"If your life is unholy, your heart is unchanged; and if your heart is unchanged, you are an unsaved person. If the Saviour has not sanctified you, renewed you, given you a hatred of sin and a love of holiness, he has done nothing in you of a saving character. The grace which does not make a man better than others is a worthless counterfeit. Christ saves his people, not in their sins, but from them. 'Without holiness no man shall see the Lord.' 'Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.' If not saved from sin, how shall we hope to be counted among his people." -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening
The saved are also changed.
The transformed are also conformed.
Those perfected are also being made perfect.
If nothing has changed, you are not saved.
If you're not being conformed to Christ, you have not been transformed by Him.
If you're not being made perfect, you are not counted perfect.
This is not legalism. This is not reintroducing works as a post-script. This is not agreeing to leave works out of the recipe mix as long as we get to insist on it being sprinkled on top. This is allowing for works to be left out of the recording, but demanding it be allowed into the mastering. Works do not save. Works cannot save. Only grace through faith in Christ's substitutionary life, death, resurrection and ascension can save. And it does. And when it does it changes the root of the matter which changes the fruit of the matter. Repentance is confirmed by its fruit. If the fruit tastes the same, the root remains unchanged. Change the root and the fruit follows.
Works follow faith by necessity and in that order.
If your faith is not followed by works, that is proof positive that whatever you do have, it is not Biblical faith. The appraisal confirms it as fool's faith.
Faith is the source of works. It cannot follow. Faith bows and works curtsy. Faith proposes and works accept. Faith opens the door and works walk on through.
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