Good Works: The Effect, not the Cause, of our salvation

In my travels back and forth between Bucknell and home this summer, I keep passing a sign for a church reading: "Good Works are the effect, not the cause, of our salvation."  I can't help thinking how appropriate this sign is as I prepare to volunteer for a year in Durban, South Africa with YAGM.  It serves as a reminder to me of two of the most important reasons for service.

First, service is a conduit to express my thanksgiving for the gift of grace granted to me through Jesus' death and resurrection.  Second, service helps me become more aware of God's ever-present love.  Those I serve with become more aware of God's love through my actions.  Likewise, as I am serving, I see God's love expressed in ways new to me.

Keeping in mind the uplifting power of service, the apparent contradiction between "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith [...] not by works" (Ephesians 2:8-9) and "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20) is resolved.  The joy of my salvation in Jesus Christ is so great, that it naturally expresses itself through service with others.  If my faith becomes so weak that I stop rejoicing in my salvation through service, then my faith has indeed become dead.