David starts Psalm 15 with a question. He asks, “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain?” Click the link to the psalm and you’ll see how he answers it. One of the biggest sources of confusion when it comes to Christian theology is the relationship between faith and good works. 

There are some who seem to think that what they do doesn’t really matter. In their minds, they gave their life to Christ and are cool with God, even though their lives don’t reflect his presence. On the other side of the spectrum, there are those who do and say all the right things, but are convinced that their entrance into heaven is based on their performance. Neither side is correct.

The relationship between faith and good works is quite simple. They are two sides of the same coin. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul reminds us that it is only our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross that gives us right-standing with God. On the other side, James 2:26 says, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

So how do you reconcile the two passages? Paul is saying that it is faith alone, in Christ alone, that gives us righteousness and salvation. James is telling us that Christ’s presence in our lives inevitably manifests in good works. The presence of the Son of God in someone’s life is not without effect. If there is no change in the life of the person, then their “salvation” isn’t real. This isn’t to say that Christians don’t sin, but it is to say that Christianity is a supernatural thing. It’s the presence of the living God inside flawed humanity. When God enters a human heart, things begin to change from the inside out. Faith and good works are two sides of the same coin.

In Psalm 15, David is giving us some of the behaviors that we should expect to see from those who claim to follow Christ. In fact, we should take inventory in our lives and see how we’re doing.