Salvation Cannot Be by Works and God’s Grace
“NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). This Bible verse makes it plain and simple that good works will not save anyone. Listen to the message of Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”
Salvation is not by merit. “Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and NOT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW: for BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED” (Galatians 2:16).
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions!!! The plain teaching of the Inspired Word of God is that salvation is NOT BY WORKS.
Romans 11:6 clarifies this matter, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But IF IT BE OF WORKS, THEN IT IS NO MORE GRACE: otherwise work is no more work.” If salvation comes by works, then it is NOT by God’s grace anymore. The whole reason that Jesus died on the cross is because we cannot do enough good works to get saved. There is NO amount of good deeds that can reconcile us to God. Only through Jesus Christ can anyone be saved. If it is possible for us to get to Heaven by living a good and upright life, then Jesus died for nothing… “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, THEN CHRIST IS DEAD IN VAIN” (Galatians 2:21).
In John 6:29 Jesus tells us the only WORK which men must do to be saved… “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Amen!
Jesus Christ Paid a Sin Debt that We Could Not Pay
Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. That’s God’s grace! Like it or not, you are just too sinful and wicked to save yourself—you CANNOT earn your way into Heaven. This is the very reason why God had to provide a way of escape for humanity. This way of escape has been provided through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God did this because He loves us very much, more than we can possibly comprehend. Don’t make the mistake of creating God in your own image, you were created in God’s own image. You are the object of the Heavenly Father’s love—so much so that He created you in His very own likeness. Jesus paid for our sins because He loves us… “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1st John 3:16). What a precious Savior!
The Apostle Paul Relied Upon God’s Grace, Nothing Else
“But by THE GRACE OF GOD I am what I am” (1st Corinthians 15:10). The Apostle Paul knew where his bread and butter came from. He knew Who had given him the wisdom and ability to write to the churches. Paul didn’t take anything for granted, but gave God the benefit of the doubt for everything good in his life. God’s grace is God’s goodness, His doing for us what we certainly don’t deserve. We deserve to go straight to Hell, but God has given us the gift of eternal life. This is by God’s grace. God’s grace is everything that God has ever done, is doing, or ever will do for us. We deserve nothing! When someone arrogantly claims that they are trying to impress God with their good works, they are unknowingly admitting that they know nothing concerning the grace of God. Salvation cannot be of grace and works as we have already learned from Romans 11:6. The grace of God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, if we could save ourselves, then we wouldn’t need the grace of God or a Savior.
Salvation is not based on our goodness but on Jesus’ goodness.
If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). This salvation in Christ is a precious gift, and, like all true gifts, it is unearned (Romans 6:23b). The message of the gospel is that we can never be good enough to get to heaven. We must recognize that we are sinners who fall short of God’s glory, and place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Christ alone was good enough to earn heaven, and He gives His righteousness to those who believe in His name (Romans 1:17)
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