You Cannot Obtain Salvation By Your Works

You Cannot Obtain Salvation By Your Works

If I were to ask you how a sinner can be accepted before God, what would your answer be? The way of salvation is clearly stated in the following scriptures.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” (Timothy 3 v 5)

“Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 1 v 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.” (Ephesians 2 v 8-9)

From these Bible verses it is evident that works have no part in obtaining salvation. Works of charity, works of morality, works in the church or community – whatever we might do to commend ourselves to God – are swept away.

“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” (Isaiah 64 v 6)

We certainly cannot expect to bribe God with a lot of dirty rags! Our only hope is to look to Jesus, who took our place and removed our guilt. He came into the world;

“Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9 v 26)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2 v 24)

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5 v 21)

Divine justice demanded death. God has met this requirement in the death of His Son Jesus. The Jews questioned Jesus further;

“Then they asked him, ‘what must we do to do the works God requires?”

“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this; to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6 v 28-29)

Works by just believing is not doing; it also includes resting upon what has already been done. It is accepting God’s testimony as true, and it is trusting Him who is faithful.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5 v 24)

May God help you to see that all the doing is done, and whosoever believeth hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.