By Joshua L Mullins

The Apostle Paul carried a message that turned the world upside down in his day—and it still has the power to do the same in ours. He boldly proclaimed that no one can earn God’s favor through human effort. Salvation comes as a free gift, received by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Yet if you spend time in Paul’s letters, especially the practical guidance he gave to his young coworker Titus, you’ll notice something that seems almost contradictory at first. The same apostle who insists we are saved by grace also fills his writings with strong calls to live out our faith through good works. How do these truths fit together without canceling each other out?

The key is found in a simple but life-transforming distinction: the root of our salvation and the fruit that grows from it. When we read Paul’s short letter to Titus alongside his masterful explanation of the gospel in Romans and his other epistles, one clear theme emerges. Grace doesn’t do away with the need for a changed life. Instead, it supplies the power that produces real, lasting change.

Saved by Mercy Alone

Paul never rushes into commands about Christian behavior. He first lays a firm foundation in the unmerited mercy of God.

In Titus, he writes with crystal clarity: “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). He follows it immediately with this hope-filled promise: “that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).

This same truth anchors the book of Romans. Paul spends the opening chapters showing that every person—Jew and Gentile alike—has fallen short. No one can stand before God on the basis of personal goodness. He declares, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

To remove any doubt, Paul adds: “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:4-5). And in Ephesians he puts it in words many of us memorized long ago: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The consistent message across Paul’s writings is unmistakable: works have zero purchasing power when it comes to salvation. Our standing with God rests entirely on His mercy, not our merit. That truth should bring tremendous relief to every weary soul who has tried—and failed—to earn God’s approval.

Created with a Purpose

If good works cannot save us, why does the New Testament speak about them so often? Because salvation is not the end of the story—it’s the beginning of a brand-new life with fresh purpose.

Right after declaring that we are saved by grace and not by works, Paul reveals God’s intentional design for every believer: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

We are not saved by works, but we are most certainly saved for them. God has already prepared a path of meaningful, good works for each of us to walk in as we follow Christ.

That explains the practical tone running through the entire letter to Titus. Because we have been justified by grace, Paul says we now have both the privilege and the responsibility to live differently. He urges believers to be “zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14), to set an example by being “in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works” (Titus 2:7), to be “ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1), and to be careful to “maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).

In Galatians, Paul captures the heart of it: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). Real faith is never passive. When it is genuine, it naturally expresses itself in acts of love that meet real needs. This is exactly what Paul has in mind when he closes his letter to Titus with the charge: “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).

A faith that produces no visible fruit is incomplete. God intends for our lives to overflow with goodness that points others to Him.

So what exactly are these “good works” the Bible keeps talking about? According to Scripture, good works are practical deeds that flow from a genuine faith in Christ and a heart transformed by His mercy. They are not attempts to earn God’s favor, but the natural overflow of love for God and for others. Jesus Himself modeled this when He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). Good works include meeting urgent physical needs—such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting the sick or imprisoned, and caring for orphans and widows (Matthew 25:35-36; James 1:27)—as well as living with integrity, working honestly so we can share with those in need, showing kindness and hospitality, speaking truth in love, and shining as lights in a dark world so that others may see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven (“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” — Matthew 5:16). In short, good works are anything done in faith, motivated by love, and aimed at blessing others while honoring God. They make the gospel attractive and prove that our faith is alive and real.

Grace at Work Within Us

Does this emphasis on good works somehow undermine the message of grace we find in Romans? Not at all. The two fit together beautifully.

In Romans 6, Paul anticipates the very question many still ask today: If grace covers sin so completely, why not just keep living however we please? His answer is firm and full of hope: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).

Grace is not a free pass to remain unchanged. It is the liberating power that breaks sin’s hold and sets us free to live holy, righteous lives.

Paul describes the daily reality of this process to the Philippians: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).

We are called to actively live out what God is already working inside us by His Spirit. The same grace that justifies us also renews us day by day.

That is why Paul can make this heartfelt appeal in Romans: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). Our service and good works are simply the reasonable, grateful response to the overwhelming mercy we have received.

Whether Paul is praying that we would be “fruitful in every good work” (Colossians 1:10) or reminding us that Scripture equips the believer to be “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17), the message remains the same. God’s Word and God’s Spirit work hand in hand to make our lives useful and fruitful for His kingdom.

The Evidence of a Transformed Life

Paul’s letters—from the deep theology of Romans and Ephesians to the practical instructions in Titus—all tell the same story from different angles. Grace justifies the ungodly and sets us free from sin’s power. Then it produces a transformed life that naturally bears the fruit of good works.

He takes this so seriously that he even points to the presence (or absence) of good works as evidence of genuine faith. He warns about false teachers who “profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work” (Titus 1:16). This echoes his earlier words in Romans: “who ‘will render to each one according to his deeds’” (Romans 2:6).

Good works are never the currency that purchases our salvation. They are the beautiful receipt that shows we have truly received God’s grace.

Because you have been radically loved and freely forgiven, you can step into each new day with fresh confidence—ready, eager, and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do what is good.

Mercy is the root. A life marked by love, service, and good works is the fruit—and that fruit brings glory to the gracious God who saved us.

What a privilege it is to live this way!

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