Let's try to define works, I'll give you couple verses here to start off with, first is John 14:15 - "if you love me, you will keep my commandments." Second verse is Matthews 22:39 the second is like it love your neighbor as yourself. Now Christ was referring to the first of that statement in 37 which was the commandment which is most important and is of courses to love your God and but he was not talking of the 10 Commandments. The Jews had approximately 613 Commandments which they considered to be from God. And Christ was saying the second most important in all the commandments was love your neighbor as yourself any further went on to say that these first two commandments loving God and loving your neighbor, were the basis for all the other commandments in the Bible.
Aren't we talking about going out and doing works while helping other people aren't we doing it because as John 14 says
if you love me. We are not doing this work, whatever it may be, because were expecting some sort of payment. We are doing it out of our love for our Creator and Lord. In the Ephesians 2:10 Paul tells us that we were created by Christ, in Christ for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in Him. In other words our walk with Christ will bring about opportunity to do good works and we should be prepared when these opportunity's arise. We should be doing these good works not because the church congregation assigned them to us or that we are trying to earn favor with Christ, but because we have devoted ourselves to Christ and our love for Him and our neighbors we also love and serve.
If I was going to define works I would define works
as a byproduct of love for our Lord and our fellow man.
Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, pay is not considered as a gift, but as something owed. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares righteous the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.
