Perbedaan Kristiani dengan Agama Lain

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Pertanyaan:

Apakah ada justification by good work in Christianity? Jika ada, apa bedanya dg agama lain? Jika tidak ada, mengapa dan bagaimana menjelaskan kepada org non Kristen?

Jawaban:

Terima kasih atas pertanyaannya. Mari kita bersama-sama memikirkan hal penting ini.

A) Apakah ada justification by good work in Christianity? Jika ada, apa bedanya dg agama lain?

Di dalam Kekristenan ada perbuatan baik (good works) dan ada pembenaran (justification), tetapi tidak ada pembenaran karena perbuatan baik (justification by good work). Iman Kristen percaya bahwa kita dibenarkan oleh iman untuk melakukan perbuatan baik. Efesus 2:8–10 mengatakan:

2:8 Sebab karena kasih karunia kamu diselamatkan oleh iman; itu bukan hasil usahamu, tetapi pemberian Allah, 2:9 itu bukan hasil pekerjaanmu: jangan ada orang yang memegahkan diri. 2:10 Karena kita ini buatan Allah, diciptakan dalam Kristus Yesus untuk melakukan pekerjaan baik, yang dipersiapkan Allah sebelumnya. Ia mau, supaya kita hidup di dalamnya.

Ada beberapa hal penting dari ayat di atas.
Pertama, kita diselamatkan oleh kasih karunia melalui iman (ay. 8-9).
Kedua, kita diciptakan untuk melakukan pekerjaan baik (good works) yang telah dipersiapkan Allah sebelumnya (ay. 10).

Marilah kita membahas kedua hal ini.

Pertama, diselamatkan oleh iman berarti keselamatan diberikan kepada kita semata-mata atas dasar kasih Allah. Kita percaya kepada keselamatan yang Allah berikan dan menerimanya.

Inilah yang membedakan ajaran agama Kristen dari agama-agama lain yang mengajarkan bahwa manusia harus melakukan perbuatan baik untuk memperoleh pahala atau keselamatan. Allah tahu bahwa usaha manusia tidak akan pernah berhasil mencapai keselamatan melalui perbuatan baik. Sebanyak apa pun perbuatan baik yang dilakukan, itu tidak akan pernah cukup untuk mendapatkan pengampunan-Nya.

Karena itu, Allah sendiri yang berinisiatif menyelamatkan manusia. Hal ini digenapi oleh Kristus di kayu salib. Dengan menerima keselamatan ini, kita dibenarkan dan memperoleh pembenaran (justification). Wayne Grudem menjelaskan hal ini sebagai berikut:

. . ., Paul quite clearly teaches that this justification comes after our faith and as God’s response to our faith. He says that God “justifies him who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26), and that “a man is justified by faith apart from works of law” (Rom. 3:28). He says, “Since we are justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Moreover, “a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16). 

After Paul explains in Romans 1:18–3:20 that no one will ever be able to make himself righteous before God (“For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law,” Rom. 3:20), then Paul goes on to explain that “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23–24). God’s “grace” means his “unmerited favor.” Because we are completely unable to earn favor with God, the only way we could be declared righteous is if God freely provides salvation for us by grace, totally apart from our work. Paul explains, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9; cf. Titus 3:7). Grace is clearly put in contrast to works or merit as the reason why God is willing to justify us. God did not have any obligation to impute our sin to Christ or to impute Christ’s righteousness to us; it was only because of his unmerited favor that he did this. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 722-23, 729)

Dengan demikian, dapat disimpulkan bahwa pembenaran (justification) tidak kita peroleh melalui perbuatan baik (by works), melainkan karena anugerah yang kita terima melalui iman (by faith).

Sebelum kita membicarakan hal kedua, yakni perbuatan baik, kita perlu memperjelas makna dari Yakobus 2:24: 

2:24 Apakah gunanya, saudara-saudaraku, jika seorang mengatakan, bahwa ia mempunyai iman, padahal ia tidak mempunyai perbuatan? Dapatkah iman itu menyelamatkan dia?

Ayat ini perlu dimengerti sesuai dengan konteksnya, yakni ayat 17-18. 

2:17 Demikian juga halnya dengan iman: Jika iman itu tidak disertai perbuatan, maka iman itu pada hakekatnya adalah mati. 2:18 Tetapi mungkin ada orang berkata: "Padamu ada iman dan padaku ada perbuatan", aku akan menjawab dia: "Tunjukkanlah kepadaku imanmu itu tanpa perbuatan, dan aku akan menunjukkan kepadamu imanku dari perbuatan-perbuatanku."

Yakobus membahas banyak orang yang mengaku beriman, tetapi tidak melakukan perbuatan baik. Buah dari iman adalah perbuatan baik. Karena itu, Yakobus menegur mereka yang tidak mau menyatakan iman mereka melalui perbuatan.

Penjelasan Yakobus tidak bertentangan melainkan sejalan dengan Paulus dalam Efesus 2:8-9. Hal ini mengantar kita kepada pokok pembahasan kedua, yaitu bahwa kita diselamatkan untuk melakukan perbuatan baik (good works). Dalam Efesus 2:10 dikatakan bahwa kita diselamatkan untuk melakukan perbuatan baik. Ini berarti Allah ingin kita menjadi berkat bagi orang lain, bahkan bagi seluruh ciptaan-Nya. Kita berbuat baik sebagai ungkapan syukur atas anugerah keselamatan yang telah Allah berikan, bukan untuk memperoleh pembenaran dari Allah. Sebaliknya, karena kita telah dibenarkan, maka kita dipanggil untuk memberkati orang lain.

Dalam kaitan dengan ini, perlu dibahas pertanyaan selanjutnya: bagaimana dengan perbuatan baik orang yang tidak percaya? Kita tentu bersyukur akan hal ini. Tuhan mengaruniakan hati yang baik kepada banyak orang yang tidak seiman dengan kita. Inilah cara Allah memelihara ciptaan-Nya. Anugerah umum diberikan kepada manusia sehingga mereka memiliki hati yang rela menolong dan memelihara kehidupan yang baik di dunia ini. Bagi kita orang percaya, hal ini mendorong kita untuk terus berbuat baik karena kita telah menerima anugerah-Nya.

B) Bagaimana kita menjelaskan hal ini kepada orang non-Kristen? 

Menjelaskan iman kepada orang yang belum mengenal Kristus tentu tidak mudah. Namun, kita perlu dengan rendah hati menerangkan apa yang kita percayai. Berikut beberapa langkah praktis yang dapat kita lakukan:

Pertama, persiapkan hati kita dengan berdoa, membaca penjelasan di atas, dan mempelajari ayat-ayat yang berkaitan dengan hal ini. Mohon Roh Kudus memimpin kita dan memberikan hikmat dalam menjelaskannya.

Kedua, kita harus semakin giat berbuat baik kepada sesama dan ikut menjaga kelestarian alam semesta. Seperti yang dijelaskan dalam kitab Yakobus, melalui perbuatan kita, kita menyatakan iman kita.

Ketiga, dengan sikap yang baik dan rendah hati, kita menyampaikan apa yang kita imani. Jika mereka tidak menerima pandangan kita, jangan berkecil hati. Teruslah berdoa agar Roh Kudus bekerja di dalam hati mereka.

Question:

Is there justification by good works in Christianity? If there is, how is it different from other religions? If not, why, and how can we explain this to non-Christians?

Answer:

Thank you for your question. Let us reflect together on this important matter.

A) Is there justification by good works in Christianity? If so, how is it different from other religions?

In Christianity there are good works and there is justification, but there is no justification because of good works (justification by good works). The Christian faith believes that we are justified by faith in order to do good works. Ephesians 2:8–10 says:

2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

There are two important points in these verses. First, we are saved by grace through faith (vv. 8–9). Second, we are created to do good works which God prepared beforehand (v. 10).

Let us discuss both.

First, being saved by faith means salvation is given to us solely on the basis of God’s love. We believe in the salvation God provides and receive it.

This is what distinguishes Christianity from other religions that teach that humans must do good works to earn merit or salvation. God knows that human effort will never succeed in attaining salvation through good works. No matter how many good works are done, they will never be enough to obtain His forgiveness.

Therefore, God Himself took the initiative to save humanity. This was fulfilled by Christ on the cross. By receiving this salvation, we are justified and obtain justification. Wayne Grudem explains this as follows:

Paul quite clearly teaches that this justification comes after our faith and as God’s response to our faith. He says that God “justifies him who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26), and that “a man is justified by faith apart from works of law” (Rom. 3:28). He says, “Since we are justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Moreover, “a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16).

After Paul explains in Romans 1:18–3:20 that no one will ever be able to make himself righteous before God (“For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law,” Rom. 3:20), then Paul goes on to explain that “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23–24). God’s “grace” means his “unmerited favor.” Because we are completely unable to earn favor with God, the only way we could be declared righteous is if God freely provides salvation for us by grace, totally apart from our work. Paul explains, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God—not because of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9; cf. Titus 3:7). Grace is clearly put in contrast to works or merit as the reason why God is willing to justify us. God did not have any obligation to impute our sin to Christ or to impute Christ’s righteousness to us; it was only because of his unmerited favor that he did this. (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 722–23, 729)

Thus, it can be concluded that justification is not obtained through good works, but by grace received through faith.

Before discussing the second point—good works—we need to clarify the meaning of James 2:24:

2:24 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

This verse must be understood in its context, namely verses 17–18:

2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James addresses many people who claim to have faith but do not do good works. The fruit of faith is good works. Therefore, James rebukes those who refuse to demonstrate their faith through works.

James’ explanation does not contradict but rather aligns with Paul in Ephesians 2:8–9. This leads us to the second point: we are saved to do good works. Ephesians 2:10 says we are saved for good works. This means God wants us to be a blessing to others and even to all creation. We do good as an expression of gratitude for the salvation God has given, not to obtain justification from God. On the contrary, because we have been justified, we are called to bless others.

In relation to this, we must also consider: what about the good works of non-believers? We are certainly grateful for this. God has given many people, even those who do not share our faith, good hearts. This is how God sustains His creation. Common grace is given to humanity so that they have hearts willing to help and maintain good life in this world. For us believers, this encourages us to continue doing good because we have received His grace.

B) How do we explain this to non-Christians?

Explaining faith to those who do not yet know Christ is certainly not easy. However, we must humbly explain what we believe. Here are some practical steps we can take:

1. Prepare our hearts by praying, reading the explanation above, and studying the related verses. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and give us wisdom in explaining.
2. Be diligent in doing good to others and in caring for the preservation of creation. As James explains, through our works we demonstrate our faith.
3. With kindness and humility, share what we believe. If they do not accept our view, do not be discouraged. Continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will work in their hearts.