Faith and Work (እምነትና ስራ): An In-Depth Examination of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Perspective

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church teaches that while faith is essential and foundational to salvation (ድኅነት), it is not sufficient on its own. Rooted in Holy Scripture, this teaching emphasizes the necessity of good works alongside faith on the path to salvation. This essay examines key biblical passages that affirm the vital roles of both faith and works in the journey toward salvation.

Faith is undeniably the starting point for salvation. As the Apostle Paul states: “…ኢየሱስ ጌታ እንደ ሆነ በአፍህ ብትመሰክር እግዚአብሔርም ከሙታን እንዳስነሣው በልብህ ብታምን ትድናለህና” (Romans 10:9). This highlights the centrality of faith in the redemptive process. Faith is the means by which one acknowledges and accepts God’s grace. Likewise, Hebrews 11:6 affirms, “ያለ እምነትም ደስ ማሰኘት አይቻልም፤ ወደ እግዚአብሔር የሚደርስ እግዚአብሔር እንዳለ ለሚፈልጉትም ዋጋ እንዲሰጥ ያምን ዘንድ ያስፈልገዋልና።.”

Faith is the doorway through which believers enter into a relationship with God. It is the response to His call, an act of trust in His promises, and the acceptance of His salvific work (የማዳን ስራ) through Jesus Christ. However, the Bible does not teach that faith alone is sufficient to guarantee salvation. That is why the Bible never states that faith alone is sufficient for salvation. The Holy Church upholds that faith alone and work alone are not sufficient; both are required for salvation.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, in line with the Holy Scripture, rejects the notion of "faith alone" (sola fide) as the sole requirement for salvation. James 2:24-26 explicitly states, “ሰው በእምነት ብቻ ሳይሆን በሥራ እንዲጸድቅ ታያላችሁ። እንደዚሁም ጋለሞታይቱ ረዓብ ደግሞ መልእክተኞቹን ተቀብላ በሌላ መንገድ በሰደደቻቸው ጊዜ በሥራ አልጸደቀችምን? ከነፍስ የተለየ ሥጋ የሞተ እንደ ሆነ እንዲሁ ደግሞ ከሥራ የተለየ እምነት የሞተ ነው።” This verse highlights the harmonious relationship between faith and works in the Christian journey.

In James 2:14 it is written that “ወንድሞቼ ሆይ፥ እምነት አለኝ የሚል፥ ሥራ ግን የሌለው ሰው ቢኖር ምን ይጠቅመዋል? እምነቱስ ሊያድነው ይችላልን?” This verse emphasizes the insufficiency of "faith alone" (sola fide) for salvation, underlining that faith without works is not effective or complete.

James 2:17 states “እንደዚሁም ሥራ የሌለው እምነት ቢኖር በራሱ የሞተ ነው።” Faith without works is dead by itself.

James 2:18 – 19 records “ነገር ግን አንድ ሰው፦ አንተ እምነት አለህ እኔም ሥራ አለኝ፤ እምነትህን ከሥራህ ለይተህ አሳየኝ፥ እኔም እምነቴን በሥራዬ አሳይሃለሁ ይላል። እግዚአብሔር አንድ እንደ ሆነ አንተ ታምናለህ፤ መልካም ታደርጋለህ፤ አጋንንት ደግሞ ያምናሉ ይንቀጠቀጡማል።” Claiming faith requires demonstrating it through good works. If salvation were by faith alone, even the demons would be saved, as they too believe.

James 2:20 reveals “አንተ ከንቱ ሰው፥ እምነት ከሥራ ተለይቶ የሞተ መሆኑን ልታውቅ ትወዳለህን?” Faith disconnected from works is dead.

James 2:21-23 reads “አባታችን አብርሃም ልጁን ይስሐቅን በመሠዊያው ባቀረበ ጊዜ በሥራ የጸደቀ አልነበረምን? እምነት ከሥራው ጋር አብሮ ያደርግ እንደ ነበረ፥ በሥራም እምነት እንደ ተፈጸመ ትመለከታለህን?መጽሐፍም፦ አብርሃምም እግዚአብሔርን አመነ ጽድቅም ሆኖ ተቈጠረለት ያለው ተፈጸመ፤ የእግዚአብሔርም ወዳጅ ተባለ።” Abraham's faith was demonstrated by his works.

1 Peter 1 : 17 states “ለሰው ፊትም ሳያደላ በእያንዳንዱ ላይ እንደ ሥራው የሚፈርደውን አባት ብላችሁ ብትጠሩ በእንግድነታችሁ ዘመን በፍርሃት ኑሩ።” After embracing faith, we will be judged according to the deeds we perform.

Mathiew 3: 10 recorded “አሁንስ ምሳር በዛፎች ሥር ተቀምጦአል፤ እንግዲህ መልካም ፍሬ የማያደርግ ዛፍ ሁሉ ይቈረጣል ወደ እሳትም ይጣላል።” Those who fail to produce good fruit, i.e., those who live in sin will face divine judgment, symbolized by being "cut down" and "thrown into the fire."

John 5: 28-29 “በመቃብር ያሉቱ ሁሉ ድምፁን የሚሰሙበት ሰዓት ይመጣል፤ መልካምም ያደረጉ ለሕይወት ትንሣኤ ክፉም ያደረጉ ለፍርድ ትንሣኤ ይወጣሉና በዚህ አታድንቁ።” All who have done good will rise to eternal life, while the wicked will rise to face judgment, emphasizing accountability for one’s deeds.

2 Thessalonians 3: 13 “እናንተ ግን፥ ወንድሞች ሆይ፥ መልካም ሥራን ለመሥራት አትታክቱ።” This verse highlights that faith should be accompanied by persistent effort in doing good deeds.

Galatians 6: 9 “ባንዝልም በጊዜው እናጭዳለንና መልካም ሥራን ለመሥራት አንታክት ” In addition to faith, effort is essential in doing good, as it ultimately bears fruit and brings rewards.

Mathiew 5፡16 “መልካሙን ሥራችሁን አይተው በሰማያት ያለውን አባታችሁን እንዲያከብሩ ብርሃናችሁ እንዲሁ በሰው ፊት ይብራ።” This verse emphasizes the importance of good works in glorifying God and leading others to honor Him.

The parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46 illustrates that people are judged not only by faith but also by their deeds. The Lord’s judgment is based on the tangible expression of faith through good works. According to the parable, those who live out their faith through good deeds will be declared at the Second Coming: “ንጉሡም በቀኙ ያሉትን እንዲህ ይላቸዋል፦ እናንተ የአባቴ ቡሩካን፥ ኑ፤ ዓለም ከተፈጠረበት ጊዜ ጀምሮ የተዘጋጀላችሁን መንግሥት ውረሱ።… እውነት እላችኋለሁ፥ ከሁሉ ከሚያንሱ ከእነዚህ ወንድሞቼ ለአንዱ እንኳ ስላደረጋችሁት ለእኔ አደረጋችሁት ይላቸዋል።” (Matthew 25:34,40). Those who fail to combine faith with good works during their earthly lives will be condemned with the words: “በዚያን ጊዜ በግራው ያሉትን ደግሞ ይላቸዋል፦ እናንተ ርጉማን፥ ለሰይጣንና ለመላእክቱ ወደ ተዘጋጀ ወደ ዘላለም እሳት ከእኔ ሂዱ።… ያን ጊዜ፦ እውነት እላችኋለሁ፥ ከሁሉ ከሚያንሱ ከእነዚህ ለአንዱ ስላላደረጋችሁት ለእኔ ደግሞ አላደረጋችሁትም ብሎ ይመልስላቸዋል።” (Matthew 25:41,45).

The Apostle Paul further affirms that faith and works are interconnected. In Ephesians 2:8-10, he writes: “ጸጋው በእምነት አድኖአችኋልና፤ ይህም የእግዚአብሔር ስጦታ ነው እንጂ ከእናንተ አይደለም፤ማንም እንዳይመካ ከሥራ አይደለም።እኛ ፍጥረቱ ነንና፤ እንመላለስበት ዘንድ እግዚአብሔር አስቀድሞ ያዘጋጀውን መልካሙን ሥራ ለማድረግ በክርስቶስ ኢየሱስ ተፈጠርን።” While salvation is definitely a gift of grace accessed through faith, Paul emphasizes that believers are created in Christ to do good works, which are an integral part of the Christian life.

Let us examine the verses commonly cited by those who claim that salvation is through faith alone.

1.     “ሰው ያለ ሕግ ሥራ በእምነት እንዲጸድቅ እንቆጥራለንና።” (Romans 3:28). However, when we read further in Romans 3:29-31, we see that this verse is not about good works, but about the Mosaic law, specifically circumcision (ግዝረት): “…ወይስ እግዚአብሔር የአይሁድ ብቻ አምላክ ነውን? የአሕዛብስ ደግሞ አምላክ አይደለምን? አዎን፥ የተገረዘን ስለ እምነት ያልተገረዘንም በእምነት የሚያጸድቅ አምላክ አንድ ስለ ሆነ የአሕዛብ ደግሞ አምላክ ነው። እንግዲህ ሕግን በእምነት እንሽራለንን? አይደለም፤ ሕግን እናጸናለን እንጂ።” (Romans 3:29-31). This passage addresses the Mosaic law—specifically circumcision—and does not discuss good works. Circumcision is not considered a means of salvation in the New Covenant. Rather, believing in Jesus Christ as the Savior is the essential and foundational step to salvation (Romans 10:9). It is important to note that the verse does not state “by faith alone.”

2.      “ጸጋው በእምነት አድኖአችኋልና፤ ይህም የእግዚአብሔር ስጦታ ነው እንጂ ከእናንተ አይደለም፤ማንም እንዳይመካ ከሥራ አይደለም።እኛ ፍጥረቱ ነንና፤ እንመላለስበት ዘንድ እግዚአብሔር አስቀድሞ ያዘጋጀውን መልካሙን ሥራ ለማድረግ በክርስቶስ ኢየሱስ ተፈጠርን።” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Christ saved us freely, requiring nothing from us; it is purely a gift from God. However, this does not negate the need for good works. As stated in Ephesians 2:10, "እኛ ፍጥረቱ ነንና፤ እንመላለስበት ዘንድ እግዚአብሔር አስቀድሞ ያዘጋጀውን መልካሙን ሥራ ለማድረግ በኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ ተፈጠርን።", we are created to live according to good works. The phrase "እንመላለስበት" refers to our actions and conduct, highlighting how we are meant to live out these good works in our daily lives.

3.     “ከወደደን ከትልቅ ፍቅሩ የተነሣ በበደላችን ሙታን እንኳ በሆንን ጊዜ ከክርስቶስ ጋር ሕይወት ሰጠን፥ በጸጋ ድናችኋልና” (Ephesians 2:5). The salvation accomplished on the cross was not because of our works but because of His immense goodness. When it says, "በጸጋ ድናችኋልና," it emphasizes that God, out of His boundless love, took on flesh and saved us from our past sins without expecting anything from us. He saved us, not because of our good deeds, but because of His love. However, this does not mean that we are exempt from living a moral life, avoiding sin, and striving for righteousness after receiving salvation.

4.     “ነገር ግን ሰው በኢየሱስ ክርስቶስ በማመን እንዲጸድቅ እንጂ በሕግ ሥራ እንዳይሆን አውቀን፥ ሥጋን የለበሰ ሁሉ በሕግ ሥራ ስለማይጸድቅ፥ እኛ ራሳችን በሕግ ሥራ ሳይሆን በክርስቶስ እምነት እንጸድቅ ዘንድ በክርስቶስ ኢየሱስ አምነናል።” (Galatians 2:16). It is essential to distinguish between works of the law (የሕግ ሥራዎች) and good works (የጽድቅ ሥራዎች). The works of the law mentioned here refer to Mosaic laws, such as circumcision (Genesis 17:10; Galatians 5:6), lamb sacrifices for atonement (Exodus 12:3-7; 29:38-39; Leviticus 4:32-35; 5:6; John 1:29; Hebrews 10:10-12; 9:12-14; 10:18; Matthew 26:28), and ritual purifications (Leviticus 15:5; Hebrews 9:13-14). These laws found their fulfillment in the sacrificial blood of Christ.

Good works ( (የጽድቅ ሥራዎች) are actions carried out in obedience to God’s commandments, stemming from a living faith. They are the fruits of the Holy Spirit and are essential for growth in holiness and salvation (theosis). These include loving God and neighbor (Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:37-39), acts of charity and compassion (Matthew 25:35-36, James 1:27), repentance and forgiveness (Acts 3:19, Matthew 6:14), prayer and fasting (Matthew 6:6, 6:17-18), obedience to God's commandments (John 14:15, 1 John 3:18), bearing the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and caring for the poor (Proverbs 19:17, Luke 6:38).

Thus, Galatians 2:16, often cited by those advocating a "faith alone" view, does not refer to the good deeds mentioned above that are essential for salvation. Instead, it addresses the Mosaic laws listed earlier, which the Bible explains were fulfilled and transformed by the redemptive power of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5.     “በእርሱ የሚያምን ሁሉ የዘላለም ሕይወት እንዲኖረው እንጂ እንዳይጠፋ እግዚአብሔር አንድያ ልጁን እስኪሰጥ ድረስ ዓለሙን እንዲሁ ወዶአልና።” (John 3:16). The Church acknowledges that faith is crucial for salvation. In John 3:16, the phrase "የሚያምን" refers to trusting and committing to Christ as Lord and Savior. However, faith is not simply a one-time act; it is a dynamic, ongoing relationship with Christ. In Orthodoxy, faith is the beginning, but it must be expressed through obedience, love, works, and holiness. This means living in union with Christ, demonstrated through faith, love, and works. While John 3:16 emphasizes the importance of faith for salvation, it does not claim that faith alone is sufficient. Therefore, John 3:16 teaches a comprehensive view of salvation: faith is the foundation, but works are the visible fruits of that faith.

Thus, based on the above biblical truths, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church views faith and works not as opposing forces but as complementary elements of salvation. Faith is the root, while good works are the fruit. Without faith, good works lack divine purpose and direction; without works, faith is empty and lifeless, as witnessed in James 2:17: "ሥራ የሌለው እምነት ቢኖር በራሱ የሞተ ነው።"

In conclusion, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s teaching on salvation aligns with the biblical witness that both faith and works are necessary for salvation. Faith is the initial step that connects believers to God’s grace, but it must be accompanied by good works as the evidence and fulfillment of that faith. The Bible clearly rejects the idea that faith alone suffices for salvation, emphasizing instead a life of active love and obedience to God. In a world where misunderstandings about the nature of salvation abound, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church’s perspective offers a holistic understanding rooted in Scripture. Faith and works together form the path to salvation, leading believers to a life that glorifies God and serves others.