“8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV).
A dying Christian once said, "Preacher, the church of Christ religion is a good one to live by, but a poor one to die by." That man's problem, and the dilemma in the mind of many others is, "How can I be saved when I have not lived a sinless perfect life?"
The problem with that question is that the one asking is looking at salvation from the view of the Old Testament. The Law of Moses demanded sinless perfection. Paul bemoaned the fact that he could not measure up to that standard (Romans 7:10, 15, 19). No one but Jesus did.
The idea that we must live perfect lives or have more good points than we have bad ones, is not the New Testament Christian faith. We are not saved by the works of the Law, nor by a good point — bad point system, but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Even under the Law of Moses, God showed that one could not be saved separate and apart from Him. The first time one sinned, he was just as guilty as someone who had broken all the commandments: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).
Since the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins, there was no justification in the Law or its works (Hebrews 10:1-4). The church of Christ meeting in Galatia was plainly told, “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).
How then could Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, or others be saved? ANSWER: By grace through faith. "The just shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).
Some think grace is restricted to the New Testament. Not so. Noah “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). Those who lived by faith under God's grace in the Old Testament, "39 …obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:39-40).
In Jesus, those who lived by faith under the Patriarchal and Mosaic systems, are made one with us: “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him” (Ephesians 1:10).
Regardless of what one has done, when he believes the Gospel of Christ, repents of his past sins, confesses the precious name of Jesus as Lord, and is buried with his Lord in baptism, he is saved by God’s grace through faith (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:9-10; Romans 6:3-4). That is salvation by grace through faith.
Christians are not saved because they live sinless lives, but because they walk in the light trusting in the soul cleansings blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). From Adam to Christ, men were saved by grace through faith. From the cross to our day, men are saved by grace through faith. As Paul puts it, "from faith to faith" (Romans 1:17).
Abraham believed God and was called "The Friend of God," yet he did not live a sinless life (James 2:23). If Abraham was saved without sinless perfection, we are too. No matter how good a person is, when he is confronted with the perfection, glory, and majesty of God, he cries out as did Isaiah, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5).
That does not mean we are lost. In and of ourselves we are undone. Our hope rests in God's grace through our faith. May we learn to appreciate God's love, mercy, and grace. When we do, we will not make the statement made by the dying member of the church.
God’s Plan Of Salvation
We appreciate your love of the Scriptures and desire to learn more. We must always stay true to what the Bible teaches. Even if we discover it teaches something different than what we have been told before.
To discover God’s requirements for salvation we must consider all the verses that deal with the topic. One verse may emphasize one aspect while other verses could add other requirements. By looking at the totality of the Bible’s teaching, we can learn what a sinner must do to obey God’s plan for salvation.
In the Scriptures we find God’s plan for salvation has five steps:
The first step is to hear the faith saving message of salvation (Romans 10:17). In other words, one must learn of the truth before they can obey it John 6:44-45).
The second step is to have faith, or believe that Jesus is indeed LORD, the Christ, the Son of God (John 3:16; 8:24; Mark 16:15-16). However, this is not the only step. Faith alone will NOT save (James 2:14, 17, 24).
The third step of God’s plan is repentance. The sinner is required to repent, which is composed of sorrow for sin and a change of will which results in a changed life – a turning from sin to God (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 17:30; 2 Corinthians 7:10).
The fourth step is confession. The sinner is required to confess their faith in the Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (Acts 8:37; Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:9-10). Only those making this confession will have the Father (1 John 2:22-23).
The fifth step is water baptism (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:18-19; Acts 8:36-39; 10:47-48; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:20-21). Ananias told Saul in Acts 22:16, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” Saul was a man who already had faith, being repentant and in prayer (Acts 9:1-18; 22:1-16), but he was still in sin and needed to do something more. He needed to obey the final step of God’s plan for salvation.
Our sins are washed away not by the water of baptism, but by the blood of Christ (Revelation 1:5) when we submit to God’s plan for salvation to hear, believe, repent, confess, and be immersed in water (baptized). Only then are we saved from past sins and added to the Lord’s church (Acts 2:38, 41, 47; Mark 16:16).
We do not earn our salvation and there are no works of merit which will save us (Ephesians 2:9), but there are works of obedience (Romans 1:5; 16:26) which God requires (Ephesians 2:10; James 2:19-20).
Just Christians
Again, we commend you for your desire to learn more and would encourage you to carefully consider the Scriptures we have given to see what they teach for yourself. Please don’t put your trust in the words of any man. Men can be wrong, but God’s word is always right.
The apostle Paul commended the Philippians because they were just as faithful in their obedience to God when he was gone from them as when he was with them (Philippians 2:12). It isn't always this way. We have the Sunday Christians who wouldn't be recognized as such on weekdays.
There is nothing finer than to be consistent in our actions and attitudes. It is unfortunate when Christian parents can't be the same at home as on the job, or at church services.
A flower does not bloom more beautifully because there are many who are watching with appreciation. It would be just as lovely in a deserted place with no eyes to admire it.
The stars shine down with as much wonder and mystery in the untraveled desert as in the crowded cities. We are still who we are wherever we are. To wear the name "Christian" is an honor and a responsibility (Acts 11:26).
The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. Through the free gift of God’s grace by Jesus’ blood (Ephesians 2:8; Revelation 1:5) and your obedient faith (Romans 1:5; 10:17; 16:26), salvation is offered. If you have Bible questions or wish to comment on this post, please do so. Lord willing, a Bible answer will be provided for every Bible question.
The churches of Christ are neither Catholic, Protestant, nor Jew (Romans 16:16; Matthew 16:18-19). We are the loving suffering body of Christ (Ephesians 1:20-23; 4:4-6) – CHRISTIANS: “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:16; cf. Acts 11:26; 26:28).
We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35). Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA.
