Salvation is by God’s Grace alone, which comes to us through
Faith alone and on account of Christ’s work alone so that on the last day we may
cry out with the other Saints and Angels not because of anything we did but to
God alone be all the Glory in the Salvation of His people.
I want to be gentle yet clear about this, our Justification
(or righteous standing before God) is by works however it is on account
of Christ’s work’s alone and not our own. And we receive this Alien (or
Imputed) righteousness, which belongs to Christ, from Christ only through trust
in Him and in His completed (or sufficient) work in attaining Salvation for us.
For example lets say your pastor taught Salvation by Faith
plus anything that you added to the equation even if it were something good
like tithing, obedience, chastity, charity, morality or environmentalism then
what he told you would be a heresy and if you looked to or put your trust in
having done that action, work or moral improvement to save instead of in Christ
alone for your Salvation you would have put your faith in an idol and that
cannot save you.
You may ask, if this is so then why is the commonality in
every other world religion works? Basically it’s because they are false
man-made religions that cannot save.
Simply put, “by works” seems right to Mankind. The basic
desire of Man’s fallen nature is Control, especially of his own life and his
own destiny – being judged by works allows Man to be in Control not God. Also
“by works” tickles Man’s pride (by saying he can pull it off if he just tries
hard enough) and it registers with his innate sense of justice in trying to
judge himself by weighing his own Good Works vs. his Sins. This broad path of
works righteousness always leads to death and destruction. This system has
to reject the sufficiency of Christ’s accomplished work to save so that it
can rely in whole or in part on itself. Fallen Man fails to see the horror of
his own sins in God’s eyes and at the same time he fails to see the holy
otherness or righteous perfection of God. Scripture says our best – best –
best good works are a steaming pile of animal poop (Philippians) or used
and bloody menstruation pads (Isaiah) before God. Add to this Jesus’ words in
Matthew who says God’s standard is 100% moral perfection and James who says if
you fail at just 1 point of God’s Law you are guilty of breaking all of it. It’s
all or nothing. You can have Heaven and moral perfection via Christ’s
righteousness or Hell and incompetent failure via your own self-righteousness.
Mull these passages over in your mind, heart and soul. Think
about them and pray to the only God who is God, who is real, who is there, who
hears and acts.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of
God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in
righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life. For by grace you have been saved through
faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of
works, so that no one may boast. But to all who did receive Him (Jesus), who
believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God. For God said to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I
will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on
human will or exertion (works), but on God, who has mercy.
Salvation is a Gift from God received not by works,
grasping, choosing it, or feeling saved deep down in you heart of hearts, but
by trust (or faith) in the finished work of Christ for your Salvation. It’s
both that easy and that hard - believe HIM.
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