■ Salvation by ^ o rk s The Popular Teaching of Today Tested Out by the Word of God. Christ, the Author and Finisher . Bv I H. TODD JEnglairj
“ Ye must be born again.” “ Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). It is life that is the great necessity, and not works. The works that are produced by the natural man are only works of the flesh and are described in Gal. 5:19-21, and in Heb. 9:14; such are called “ dead works” from which there is need o f , purging by the blood of Christ- There are quite a number of very plain statements in the Word of God to the effect that salvation is absolutely free and that works are of no avail. “ 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” (Eph. 2:8, 9). “ Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according Jto His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3 :5). “ To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom. 4 :5). Salvation is of grace and grace alone, which means that it is absolutely free. It is a gift. And the only way in which it can possibly be received is by faith. The apostolic answer to one who cried out, “ What must I do to be saved?” was “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). Grace does not only mean that salva tion is free but that it is for those who in no way deserv« it, or rather it is for those who deserve the very opposite. Grace is mercy offered to rebels. It is
ALVATION from sin and its consequences and penalty can not be by any works of man, though many teach such a doc
trine and very many are depending on what they call “ good works” to com mend them to God, and to atone for their sin. “ Salvation is of the LORD,” is the statement of Scripture (Jonah 2:9; Psalm 3 :8). It is God who saves and He alone. The New Testament opens with the birth of Jesus the Son of God, and announces, “ His name shall be called Jesus for HE shall save His peo ple from their sins.” Man can have nothing to do with his salvation because of what he is natur ally as a sinner. The only works that could possibly please God or find ac ceptance with Him must be righteous and holy and perfect: but “ there is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). “ There is none that doeth good, no, not one” (v. 12). Sinners are “ dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph, 2 :1). “ For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts” (Matt. 15:19). “ The heart is deceitful above all things and incur ably wicked” (Jer. 17:9). Many other ■passages might be quoted to show how utterly corrupt man is naturally and ■therefore quite incapable of producing good works or of doing anything to save himself. This is further borne out by the words of the Lord Jesus to Nicodemus, a good man, who was a teacher of the Law and a member of the Sanhedrin.
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