God Wants You To Be Spiritually Poor

Matthew 5:3 – “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Spiritually poor – that is God’s will for you. Contrary to contemporary theological exegesis, our Lord was unmistakably clear – “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Some biblical scholars have explained it away. “He means,” they insist, “that we are to be humble.” But He did not proclaim, “Blessed are the humble.” He clearly stated, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

How can this be? To hear it taught in many pulpits today, one would get the impression that God wants His children to be rich, both materialistically and spiritually. In other circles, many ministers insist that, while God does not mind if His children are monetarily poor, He surely wants us to be spiritually rich. After all, is not this the comfort we give to God’s poor people? Do we not console them by reminding them that they are richer than their wealthy neighbors – because their wealthy neighbors’ possessions are only physical, while their own salvation is worth more than all of earth’s gold?

In spite of our efforts to console God’s poor with heavenly riches, it is yet true that God wants His children to be spiritually poor.

Christians, especially American Christians, are accustomed to abundance. Most American families have more than one vehicle. Most Americans have several pairs of shoes, cupboards full of food, and closets full of clothing. Make no mistake about it – this attitude of abundance carries over into our spiritual lives. We get the notion that God wants His children to be spiritually rich. Somehow, we have gained the impression that God desires His children to have storehouses that are filled and overflowing with His grace, love, peace, and joy. However, for us, we would be better off spiritually poor.

What about Exhortations for Christians to Be Spiritually Rich?

I can hear the objections of some of my readers. Does not the New Testament exhort Christians to be spiritually rich? It does. A couple instances come readily to mind. In Luke 12, Jesus tells of a rich fool, who planned to build bigger barns for his earthly treasures, but made no preparation for his soul. Christ concluded the parable in Luke 12:21 by saying, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Surely Christ was exhorting us to be “rich toward God.” Another instance that presently confronts me is 3 John 1:2, where John says to Gaius, “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” Did you catch that? John wished for the soul of Gaius to prosper! Is this not an exhortation to the prosperity of the soul?

I acknowledge these exhortations for Christians to prosper spiritually. There are other such exhortations in the New Testament. These exhortations notwithstanding, Christ still proclaimed, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Can there be any legitimate reconciliation between the New Testament exhortations to be spiritually rich and Christ’s unmistakable blessing upon the spiritually poor? I believe that there not only can be such reconciliation, but such an understanding exists.

On one hand, Christians are spiritually rich. On the other hand, we are spiritually poor. Both terms – “poor” and “rich” – describe the state of the true child of God. We are rich in the many spiritual possessions God has graciously given to us. We are poor in our Father’s wise distribution of those possessions.

In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father tells the older brother, “All that I have is thine.” This statement best describes the child of God and his spiritual possessions. Everything God has belongs to us. All the peace of God in heaven is ours. If you are lacking in peace of mind, this is a most unnecessary lack. All the love God has is ours. Christ has everything, and we have Christ! “Rich” is a good word to describe such a disposition.

However, although we possess everything God has to offer, God does not allow us to build barns and store His love, joy, and peace in abundance. Our heavenly Father, in His wisdom, distributes His greatest possessions to us as we need them. Let me give you a few examples of great possessions that our Father gives us only as we need them.

Provision for Physical Needs

I began this post with Matthew 5:3, where Christ said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” The fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew are known as the Sermon on the Mount. In the same sermon, Jesus taught His disciples to pray. In that model prayer, we find this phrase – “Give us this day our daily bread.” Notice carefully how our Father plans to meet the needs we may have. He does not instruct us to ask for a year’s supply of bread; not a month’s supply of bread; not even a week’s supply of bread; but daily bread! God promised to meet our needs when the day arises that we need them! I am rich because I have a heavenly Father who will supply all my needs. But He does not give me the means to meet the need until the need arises. So, like a poor beggar, I am dependent on my heavenly Father.

Ability to Stand in Time of Persecution

I have seen a number of Christians who seem to love to torment themselves. Often, such Christians perform this “self torment” in the area of persecution. Many American Christians are aware that, though we currently have freedom to worship in our great nation, this freedom is not guaranteed. Consequently, Christians worry about whether or not they will be able to stand for Christ should they called upon to suffer for Him. Such worry is unnecessary. You say, “Don’t you believe Christians should be ready to suffer for Christ?”

No. As a matter of fact, if you peruse my spiritual barn and look for “ability to stand in time of persecution,” you will be disappointed. It is absent from my shelves. Allow me to be frank with you. I do not have what it takes to suffer for Christ. I am spiritually poor. I just don’t have it. But I do not panic. Whatever I need when I am called on to suffer for Christ – my Father has it! And He will see that I have it at the very hour I need it.

In Mark 13, Christ told His disciples that they would be brought before judges and be persecuted for His name’s sake. In verse 11, Christ said these words – “Take no thought.” What does “take no thought” mean? Does it mean to “prepare to suffer for Christ”? No, not at all! As a matter of fact, it means the exact opposite. Christ then told His disciples why they need not worry about persecution. They would be given exactly what they need “in that hour.” Not before then. God will give me the ability to stand for Him when I need it.

Grace to Die

If you are a Christian, and if I were to ask you whether or not you are ready to die, I am certain you render an affirmative reply. I am almost equally certain, that if you were told by a specialist that you had contracted a terminal illness, you would wish the physician to take whatever necessary steps needed to lengthen your life. We say we are ready to die. Of course, when we say it, we are generally not dying. When Christians genuinely believe themselves to be dying, they typically struggle to remain alive. This is both normal and commendable. Christ promised to give us life, and even more so, abundant life. Even though Christians know our names are recorded in heaven, we still would rather live than die.

If I conducted a check on the inventory in my spiritual barn and looked for “grace to die,” I would find that such grace would be absent. Is this cause for alarm? Not at all. I am not ready to die. At this point, I would much rather live than die. I do not have what it takes to lie down and peacefully journey from this life to the next. I do not have such grace. What can I say? I am spiritually poor. But my Father has such grace. And He will give it to me in that moment.

Corrie ten Boom, whose family suffered persecution in World War 2, tells of a conversation she had with her father. She asked her father about being ready to die. Her father responded, “When you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you your ticket?”

“Why, just before we get on the train,” Corrie replied.

“Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we’re going to need things, too. Don’t run out ahead of him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need – just in time.”

The Worst Kind of Backsliding

Galatians 5:4 - "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."

If God Examined Your Works
Suppose you were called upon by Almighty God to stand before Him right now. Suppose the Lord required this of you for the purpose of examining your works. As you stand in the presence of a just, holy God, He gives you the orders of how your works will be examined. He tells you to present your best works first, then your evil, bad, corrupt works.

So, you prepare to show the Lord your best works. You go to church regularly; so you present it to the Lord. You give to work of God; so you make that known to Him. You treat your neighbors in a kind fashion; so you do not hesitate to call names of your neighbors to whom you have shown kindness. Then, you stop for a minute. You think, making sure you can tell of another good work, without stretching the truth in any way. You tell the Lord, that, you are not a gossiper. You do not spread rumors on people. You do not lie. You give to charity. You pay all of your bills on time. When you owe money to any party, you are prompt to pay what you owe. You study the Bible regularly. You pray every day. You even fast on a regular basis. You make it a point to witness to so many people a week. And, you go on and on. Hours pass, and you still rattling off your best works. In your mind, you are thinking, "This isn't so bad; I'm a lot better than I thought I was!" You present your good works to the Lord for eight solid hours. Then, after a period of silence, the Lord asks simply, "Are you finished presenting your best works?" You answer, "Yes." There is another long silence before the Lord responds to all these good works you have presented to Him. You wait, wondering what the Lord will say about all these great things you have done. Suddenly, you hear a sound from the throne. You listen, but can't make out the words. Then, you realize that the Lord is not speaking; He is gagging at all your good works. Your BEST WORKS have made the Lord regurgitate all over heaven. This is the Lord's response to your BEST WORKS; you have not even presented your evil works yet!

Oh, you think this is far fetched. It's only an analogy, but it correctly reflects the Lord's opinions of your best works.

Isaiah 64:6 - "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

ALL our righteousnesses are as FILTHY RAGS! When we think of filth, we think of homosexuality (and it absolutely is). When we think of filth, we think of adultery, fornication, pornography, lying, stealing, cheating, child molestation, child abuse, domestic abuse, legalized murder of babies, and sins of this nature. And, yes, every one of these things are sheer filth in the sight of a holy and just God.

But God used this word, "filth" to describe our goodness; our best righteousness.

The Pharisees' Religion - A Religion of Righteousness
Upon reading the New Testament, you quickly discover a religious group of people called Pharisees. They strove to keep every jot and tittle of the law of Moses, even adding to it! They were strict. They had rules and regulations. Jesus spoke of their righteousness. Notice:

Matthew 5:20 - "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Here, Jesus speaks to a multitude, using the Pharisees as an example. He tells the people, "If you are not more righteous than the Pharisees, you'll not enter the kingdom of heaven!" The Pharisees were the strictest bunch around! I'm not sure it was even possible to get more strict than they were (I've been in churches that have tried)! Know this: Jesus was not teaching, that to go heaven, you must be more strict than the Pharisees. However, He was teaching that you have to be more righteous than they were. Then, Jesus begins to expound.

"You have heard it said, Thou shalt not commit adultery," He begins. "But I say unto you, He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery already in his heart." The rules of the Pharisees dealt with actions; Jesus was dealing with the heart!

Then Jesus goes on to say that they have heard the command, "Thou shalt not kill." But He informs them, "I say unto you, if you are angry with your brother without a cause, you are in danger of the judgment." Again, Jesus deals with the heart!

The problem with the righteousness of the Pharisees is that their righteousness didn't go DEEP ENOUGH. It didn't get into the heart. Their righteousness was manifested in rule-keeping. There was never a change of heart!

I have heard Holiness preachers say that we are going to have to be more strict than the Pharisees to get to heaven. But Jesus was NOT teaching us to have more rules than them; He was rather teaching us to be more righteous than them. We need a righteousness that is not merely conformity to a rule, but rather a change of heart. There's only one thing that will change your heart from filthy to clean - the blood of Jesus Christ!

II Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

The Most Important Fact You Will Ever Learn
When a person hears a clear declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and decides to respond, the first thing that the individual must do is let go of every feeble, sorry effort to save himself. You are not fully trusting Christ if you are trusting in any effort of your own to save yourself. The greatest truth you will ever admit is that you are hopelessly lost - that your best works are pitiful and disgusting in the presence of a holy God. Once you realize this, salvation is on the horizon! Help is on the way!

How the Galatians Fell from Grace
At the beginning of this blog post, I opened with a scripture from Galatians 5:4, which shows us that the Galatian churches were fallen from grace. Those in the Galatian churches realized this truth. At some point (probably under Paul's preaching), the Galatians heard the gospel. They finally let go of their religion of works, and trusted Jesus only for their salvation. Every lost person must do this if they expect to be saved. You must let go of every philosophy, ideal, religion, creed, and everything else, placing all of your faith in Jesus Christ alone.

But at some point, the Galatians slowly began going backwards. They had backslidden; they had fallen from grace. There is a very important fact we must realize about this backsliding. The Galatians did not go back to doing evil works; they went back to trusting in GOOD WORKS. The Galatians did not forsake Christ to become murderers, thieves, extortioners, liars, adulterers, homosexuals, and the such like. There is a backslidden state worse than that! And that is the state in which the Galatians found themselves! The only state worse than falling from grace to become a murderer or a thief is to fall from the grace of God, trusting in your works rather than in Jesus Christ.

In the third chapter of Galatians, Paul describes the method by which the Galatians fell.

Galatians 3:3 - "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

The Galatians began their walk with God at "the altar," if you will. They began their journey realizing that if they were to be saved, Christ would have to do it, for they could not save themselves. They cast aside every work of their own and trusted solely in Christ. They began IN THE SPIRIT. But now, they went back to trusting in works to keep them saved. I've heard it over and over - "Oh, the Lord will save you. But if you're going to 'stay saved,' you have to..." and then the list of works is preached. Dear reader, get this straight. If works can't get me saved, works can't keep me saved! If going to church won't save me, going to church won't keep me. If paying my tithes won't save me, paying my tithes won't keep me. If dressing modestly won't save me, dressing modestly won't keep me.

Paul plainly asks the Galatians in Galatians 3:3, "Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" You began trusting in Jesus, and now you're going back to a bunch of works that couldn't save you to start with???? Paul is flabbergasted! He is absolutely beside himself! He is certain that he taught them better than that! He has preached to them that Christ is their only hope, and now they are trusting their works to keep them saved!

No, the Galatians wouldn't fit a "backslider's category" among many churches. But Paul said they were fallen from grace. Not because they went back to BAD WORKS; but because they went back to trusting in GOOD WORKS.

Yes, placing faith in good works to keep you saved is the worse kind of backsliding that has ever been. Look at what Paul tells the Galatians about trusting in good works to keep them saved:

1) Works cannot justify - Galatians 2:16
2) Rebuilding works once destroyed makes you a transgressor - Galatians 2:19
3) If works could justify, Christ died on the cross in vain - Galatians 2:21
4) If you trust in works, Christ is become of no effect - Galatians 5:4
5) If you trust in works, you are fallen from grace - Galatians 5:4

Clearly, trusting in works after you are saved is backsliding as much as anything. We must trust in Christ for salvation, and in Christ alone.

Nothing can for sin atone; Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of good that I have done; Nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow!
No other fount I know!
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!*

*Robert Lowry

I'm Not "Barely Saved"

I hope I have made it clear that I do not believe in salvation by works - AT ALL. Any type of a works-based salvation is an insult to Jesus Christ and His work on the cross. If I can be made righteous, be kept righteous, or be more righteous because of any work of my own, then Jesus suffered, bled, and died in vain. It is the blood and the blood alone that cleanses from sin. After I get through writing about salvation by grace, my intentions are to write about works. Works do have a place in the Christian walk. That place is not in salvation. I will show as plainly as I can where works fit in the Christian walk.

But for now, I am still stirred concerning the simplicity of salvation. There are those in Holiness churches who wish to make salvation hard. It is the spirit of religion that wants to do this. There is a vast difference between "God's plan of salvation" and "religion." Religion always has a long list of things to do in order to be saved. God's plan of salvation, however, is different. Yes, God the Father has a long list of demands as well. Just read Genesis through Deuteronomy if you don't believe me. The Father hates sin and demands righteousness and holiness. The law of Moses proved that man could not keep the demands of God the Father. The Bible says that the law was given "that the whole world might become guilty before God." The law shows us just how lost we are. Even though God the Father has very high demands, when man couldn't fulfil them, He sent His Son Jesus Christ, and Jesus fulfilled every demand of the Father. Now, to be saved, all that is necessary on our part, is to place our faith in Christ. This is God's plan of salvation - that the Father has high demands of holiness, and Jesus fulfilled every one of them to perfection. We just trust Christ to be saved. This is different than religion. Religion pulls out a list of rules, gives them to you, and expects you live every last one of them without fault in order to be saved. The religious man chokes at the thought of Christ fulfilling every law of God, and consequently, we just trust Him to be saved.

However, there are religious, Holiness folks who are ready to chain you up with demands, rules, and standards. Then, they make those standards the plan of salvation. Those who believe in a "hard" salvation that can only be attained by the skin of our teeth use a few scriptures to show how "hard" salvation is. One of those scriptures is found in I Peter 4:18 - "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" I have heard this preached this way - "If those who are righteous (i.e. keep a very long list of holiness standards) are just BARELY saved, where does that put those who don't keep all those standards?" The thrust of the message was this: If you live by every commandment in the Bible, you're just barely saved. I don't want to be critical, but there's a lot wrong with that.

First off, I am not saved by keeping any standards; I am saved by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ! Secondly, the word, "scarcely" does not mean "barely." It means, according to Noah Webster, "with difficulty." When you exchange the word, "scarcely" for "barely," you do a serious injustice to the passage, as well as to the blood of Jesus Christ. If the blood saves me (and it does, according to I John 1:7), and I'm just "barely" saved, then the blood just "barely works." The One doing the cleansing, Jesus Christ, did a shoddy job, if I'm just barely saved. To be "barely saved" means that the work that Jesus did on the cross just "barely" pleased the Father. Is that what the Bible teaches? Absolutely not! In Matthew 3:17, the Father said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am WELL PLEASED!" Dear friend, when I trust in the cross of Christ to save me, there's no way I can be "barely saved." The Father is extremely pleased with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. By the blood of Christ, I am extremely saved! By His grace, I am saved through and through. I can say this because I am not trusting in my works to save me. As for people who use this verse to say that they're "barely" saved, someone needs to let them know - if you're trusting in your standards to "barely" save you, you're not "barely saved" either - you're not saved at all! Standards, rules, and works can't lift a finger to save you!

So, what does this verse mean? To understand it, you need to throw the word, "barely" out of the picture. Let's look at the verse piece by piece - "If the righteous..." Now, that does not mean, "If those who keep a bunch of standards." Standards do not make righteous; the blood of Jesus does. "The righteous" in this verse are those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

"...scarcely be saved..." The word scarcely means, "with difficulty." When someone is confronted with the message of the gospel, there are always difficulties present. You may say, "Wait a minute! I thought you said salvation was easy!" Yes, you're right. Thanks for paying close attention. The difficulties do not lie in the plan of salvation; they lie within the one hearing the message of salvation. When the gospel is preached, those who hear it will always think of many reasons to put it off. Circumstances in their life may make it easier (in their thinking) to stay lost. They may think, "I work around a lot of filth," or children may think, "No one in my house is saved and I may not be received at home if I get saved," and so forth. Others may let the crowd they hang around keep them from getting saved. These are the difficulties one must overcome to make up their mind to serve the Lord. "If the righteous scarcely be saved..." Those who have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ had to overcome these difficulties to be saved.

The rest of the verse states, "...where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" Now, the point of the verse is this: The ungodly and sinner will present their inconvenient circumstances as excuses on the Day of Judgment. However, they will not be excused. Those who are saved had to overcome the same difficulties. When a man stands before God and says, "Lord, I would've served you, but I worked around so many people who were sinners," a man from the same workplace may rise and testify against him, and say, "Lord, I worked at the same place, but I served you." The man offering his circumstance as an excuse will be inexcusable. Whatever reason you give for not being saved - you've had a hard life, you've been mistreated, you've been sexually assaulted as a child, you were raised in a non-Christian home, etc. - do you really think these circumstances will serve as valid reasons when you stand before God? These circumstances are all horrible, and I'm not minimizing any of them. But, dear friend, do you think you're the only one that's ever went through these things? You're absolutely not the only one! As a matter of fact, every saved person in the world who has ever been saved had to overcome difficulties just like these to be saved. "If the righteous scarcely be saved," where does that put those who let these circumstances keep them from getting saved? LOST for ETERNITY!

The Simplicity of Salvation

II Corinthians 11:3 - "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

I have made several statements in recent blog posts concerning the simplicity of the gospel, and I may repeat a few of them for emphasis. However, I want to "zero in" on how simple it really is to be saved.

I stated previously that some preachers, especially in the Holiness ranks, have gloried in how difficult they make salvation. It feeds the flesh to think first, that salvation is extremely difficult; and second, I GOT IT! It feeds one's pride to think that salvation is so hard that only a scant few will receive it; and you just happen to be in that small elite!

Let me say, first, that there is great difficulty regarding our salvation. God the Father required a great deal to save us. However, when the Father sent Jesus Christ to this world, He fulfilled every requirement of the Father. The Father required perfection; Jesus was perfect. The Father required keeping the moral law; Jesus kept it. The Father required a sacrifice to pay for our sins; Jesus carried the cross to Calvary, willing lay upon it, and paid our sin debt in full. Yes, there is a hard part to salvation, but Jesus fulfilled the hard part.

All that is left for us to do is the easy part - that is, to believe on Christ, trusting Him to save us. That's it! Salvation is easy for us to attain, because Christ took the hard part out of it! If you think that salvation is hard, you need a fresh look at Calvary. You missed something. Jesus did not come to be whipped, mocked, scorned, beaten, and nailed to rough, rugged, tree to make it hard on us! If the Father wanted a plan that was for US to carry out, don't you think He would have just left us under the law? The law was so hard that man couldn't keep it. No man has ever kept it in its entirety. If a man tells you he has kept the whole law, I wouldn't believe anything else he says.

To show you how easy it is to be saved, let's look at the plainest chapter in the Bible regarding salvation - Romans 10. Let's start with verse 5 -

"For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth those things shall live by them."

This simply means that if you're going to be justified by the law, or by works, you must keep every single law, without exception, to perfection. You are not allowed to pick and choose which laws you want to keep and which laws you want to leave off. I am amazed at the number of preachers who will preach Deuteronomy 22:5 - "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man..." but they refuse to preach Deuteronomy 22:11 - "Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together." They are both part of the law, and even in the same chapter! Yet people pick and choose which part of the law is going to bind us. But Paul makes it clear that if you're going to be righteous by the law, you must keep every law, without exception. Galatians 5:3 states this same truth.

Well, since I couldn't keep the entire law, the good news is this - there is another way to obtain righteousness. That brings us to verse 6 -

"But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)"

If we can't be justified by the law (and we cannot, according to Galatians 2), then we must be justified by FAITH. If you are going to saved through faith, Paul says here, "Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven?" Friend, some people have salvation so high that no one can reach it! Some preachers preach a salvation so complicated that someone would have to ascend into heaven and bring it down. Friend, the salvation that I preach is not so high that you can't reach it. I preached a few weeks ago that if a person is drowning, you may have a lifeline. But if you don't get the lifeline to them, they're still going to die. God not only provided a great plan of salvation at the cross of Calvary, but He also put it within our reach! He made it simple enough that "whosoever will" can be saved! It's not so high that we can't get to it. When preachers present a salvation that is so complicated they can barely attain it themselves - that is not the salvation of the Bible!

Now, let's look at verse 7 -

"Or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead)"

Friend, Paul first shows that salvation is not so high we can't reach it. But here, he tells us that it's not so low and so dead that it can't change a man's life. Yes, some men preach it so high that people can't reach it. Others, however, have got it so low that if you did get it, you'd have to resurrect Christ from the dead. That's how dead some people's salvation is. THAT'S NOT SALVATION EITHER. Some people preach a salvation so dead that it has no power. This dead salvation is introduced by "saying a sinner's prayer." But it produces no change. Friend, there is a Biblical salvation that is within reach, yet has power to change a wicked man's heart.

So, where is this salvation? It's not in heaven - so high we can't reach it. It's not in the grave - so low that it's dead and buried. Let's look at verse 8 -

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach."

Where is salvation? It's in your mouth and in your heart! If you have a mouth that can confess and a heart that can believe what God says, you can be saved right now! You don't have to climb into heaven and get it! It's not so powerless that you have to raise it from the dead! So, how do you get it? Look at verses 9-13 -

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Two things to do to be saved: Confess and believe. Confess Jesus to be Lord of your life, and believe Him to do it. If you ask Jesus to save you, believing that He will, you will be saved in that instant. Biblical salvation is THAT SIMPLE. If anyone makes it harder than that - RUN!

The Work of God

I Thessalonians 1:3 – “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love…”

Today I wish to expound upon three aspects of the work of God. The theme of Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians is the work of God. Much is written in this epistle regarding Paul’s work among them; their work in the kingdom of God; and most importantly, God’s work in His people.

One of my favorite verses of scripture is as follows:

Psalm 118:23 – “This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”

This verse deals with Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, being rejected by the Jews. Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11. In each instance, He was showing the Jews how they would be rejected by God and how that God would turn to the Gentiles. Can you imagine how hard it was for the Jews to conceive of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to take the chief cornerstone away from them, and use it to build a Gentile church? How is something of this magnitude going to be done? “This is the Lord’s doing!” God is going to do it! Whether Israel approves of it or not, God is going to do it! Whether Israel supports it or not, Jesus told them, “God is going to do it!”

Let’s get something straight! There are some things that will happen just because God is going to do it! I know for a fact that man-made global warming will NOT destroy our planet! It is predestined that God Almighty is going to burn this mess to a pile of ashes! For all you “green” people out there who think you’re saving the planet by riding around in a bullet shell, I’ve got news for you! Your efforts to save the planet are all in vain! God is going to destroy this planet and no legislation will stop Him! God’s going to shut the liberals down and shut the atheists up, and there’s not one thing that any world leader will do about it! “This is the Lord’s doing,” and it cannot be stopped!

I would like to look now at three aspects of the work of God.

God’s Work FOR Us – Grace

First, I would like to look at what God did FOR us. When we speak of what God did for us, we are speaking of grace. Man is lost hopelessly – so hopelessly that no effort on His part can save Himself. I am still amazed how people who have been in church for years testify that they are going to heaven because they have been faithful. Friend, no amount of faithfulness on your part will take care of your sin, or of the penalty of death that results from it.

God sent His only begotten Son into the world. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, took my sins upon Himself as though they were His sins. He was whipped, beaten, mocked, spit upon, crucified, and separated from His Father for my sins. The only way I could have ever paid off my sin debt is to die forever in a lake of fire! But Jesus took my sins and yours upon Himself. He did this so we need never to die the second death. Calvary is God’s work FOR us. Christ did upon the cross what no man could do for himself. Christ satisfied the wrath and justice of God completely. Grace is God doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Calvary is the grace of God.

God’s Work IN Us – Faith

I am amazed at how many ministers in various denominations have no clue concerning Bible salvation. Some think that getting sprinkled as an infant contributes to the salvation of the soul. Some think that being saved from sin is the result of a person’s willful cessation of sin. While I believe strongly that God’s people are called to holy living, I believe just as strongly that salvation is not “cessation from sin.” You can cease from all your bad habits and start doing good and righteous things and be as lost as any man has ever been. Some think erroneously that salvation is the product of being baptized “in Jesus’ name.” Some think that salvation is composed of repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, and being filled with the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking in tongues. None of these things are correct.

I discussed the subject of salvation with a man recently. This man was of the opinion that we are saved by keeping the moral law of God. He describes salvation as “trusting Jesus” AND “ceasing from sin.” I asked the man this question: “If you were in the Philippian jail and the jailer came to you and asked, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ what would your response be?” I never got an answer. Because in the word of God, Paul and Silas WERE in the Philippian jail. And the jailer DID ask, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas gave a clear, concise response. Their response was not, “Get down on your knees for an hour and if you feel better, thou shalt be saved.” They did not say, “Quit your sinning, and thou shalt be saved.” Neither did they say, “Be baptized,” or “Be baptized in Jesus’ name and thou shalt be saved.” What Paul and Silas answered is echoed throughout the New Testament – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

Believing, or having faith, is the work of God. Believing is not your own work of any kind. When you believe on Jesus Christ to be saved, you are not DOING anything; you are rather trusting fully what Christ HAS ALREADY DONE! Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely believing that God exists; or believing that Christ died on the cross. Devils believe these things, and tremble at the thought of them! Yet no devil is saved. Believing is fully trusting Christ to save you based upon HIS WORK upon the cross. We have faith because God gives it to us. The man who has faith cannot boast of his faith; for he has no faith, unless God graciously bestows it to him. Notice:

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.”

Notice how Paul words this – “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and THAT…” What is “that”? The context teaches us that the word, “that” refers to faith. We are saved “through FAITH, and THAT not of yourselves.” Paul is teaching plainly that the faith to be saved does not dwell within us. It is given to us by God! Paul goes on to say, “It is the gift of God!” Romans 12:3 teaches us that God has dealt to every man “the measure of faith!” Trusting Christ fully to save you is not your work; it is the work of God! You are simply trusting what Christ has already accomplished FOR us!

John 6:29 – “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

God’s Work THROUGH Us – Good Works

We previously looked at Ephesians 2:8 & 9, that salvation is by grace (God’s work for us – sending Christ to die upon the cross) through faith (God’s work in us – trusting Christ’s work upon the cross). Now, I wish to examine these verses once more, but this time let us look at them along with verse 10:

Ephesians 2:8-10 – “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

After we are saved by grace, through faith, we are then created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works. The best evidence of genuine salvation is a change in one’s living!

Make no mistake about it – we are justified in the sight of God by faith, apart from works altogether.

Romans 3:21 – “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.”

Romans 3:28 – “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

Galatians 2:16 – “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 3:11 – “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

Clearly, the Bible teaches that we are justified, or declared innocent, completely by faith, and completely apart from works. But, let us look at some verses in James 2:

James 2:14 – “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?”

James 2:17 – “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

James 2:24 – “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Now, let us notice a couple of things. Galatians 3:11 states that NO MAN is justified by works of the law in the sight of God. James 2:24, just as clearly, states that by works a man IS JUSTIFIED, and not by faith only. There is a simple, clear, Biblical explanation for this.

The passages I gave you in Romans and Galatians deal with us being justified in THE SIGHT OF GOD (Galatians 3:11). James 2, however, deals with us being justified in the SIGHT OF MAN (James 2:15, 16, 18). When a man places his faith in Jesus Christ, he justified in the sight of God instantly, even before God sees the first good work. God does not need to see a good work before He knows we have faith, for He can see our heart! Our fellow man, on the other hand, cannot see our faith; he can only see our works! Therefore, to be justified in man’s sight, we must prove our faith by having good works! Make no mistake about it – the passages in Romans and Galatians deal with justification in the sight of God, and we are justified in His sight without any works whatsoever.

Galatians 3:11 – “But that no man is justified by the law IN THE SIGHT OF GOD, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

James 2, on the other hand, is not about us showing God our faith; it is rather about us showing MAN our faith:

James 2:15, 16 – “If A BROTHER OR SISTER be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

In these verses, James clearly states that claiming to have faith without works will in no way profit A BROTHER OR SISTER!

James 2:18 – “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: SHEW ME THY FAITH without thy works, and I will SHEW THEE my faith by my works.”

Again, it is clear here that the subject is not about showing God our faith; it is about being justified in the sight of man. “Shew me thy faith without thy works,” Paul says, “and I will show thee my faith by my works.” When James 2 is put in context, there is not a single contradiction with Romans and Galatians whatsoever.

We are completely justified in the sight of God by faith, apart from works of any kind. But it is the will of God for God to work THROUGH us! He wants us to submit to His work so that we might show the world our faith. Genuine faith in Christ makes a person a new creature (II Corinthians 5:17). Genuine faith in Christ will make a change in the life, mind, and heart of an individual. The best way to show your faith by your works is to let Jesus Christ do the living in your life. When this is done, Christ will work the work of God THROUGH you!

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

This is the key – “…nevertheless I live; yet NOT I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME!” When we let Him live, there will be an abundance of good works in our life – not to show God our faith; but rather to show man our faith, that they might see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven!

Simple Truths Regarding Salvation

1. Man is lost because of his sin. Sin is the transgression, or breaking, of God’s law (I John 3:4). Even before a person commits a sin on his own, every person is a sinner from the time of his birth (Psalm 58:3). Although all have sinned (Romans 3:23), you did not become a sinner when you sinned; you became a sinner when Adam (the first created man) sinned (Romans 5:19).
2. Man, on his own and at his best, is completely lost and unable to save himself. His best works, the sum of all his righteousnesses, are as filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Man, without having to do anything, is by nature a child of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
3. Because of his lost condition, man is on his way to a literal, burning, eternal hell. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and the Bible teaches that the lake of fire is called the second death (Revelation 20:14).
4. Because man is completely incapable of saving himself, man must depend upon an outside source to save him. Consequently, God, in his love for mankind (John 3:16), provided a plan to save mankind from the penalty, practice, and presence of sin. We call this plan “salvation.”
5. God’s loving act of providing salvation for mankind is called grace. Man has broken God’s laws, and the penalty of death and hell is just and fair. God could have provided no salvation whatsoever for mankind, and His righteousness would not have been diminished in the least. However, God provided salvation for mankind. When God provided a plan of salvation, every lost individual was “without strength,” or “unable to save himself” (Romans 5:6); every lost individual was a sinner (Romans 5:8); and every lost individual was an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). Hence, man did absolutely nothing to earn salvation. The only thing we earned as lost individuals was a place in hell. When God devised a plan to save man, this plan was not provided because of what man had done; it was provided rather in spite of what man had done. Grace, defined as “the unmerited, or unearned favor of God toward man,” was shown to mankind when God presented a salvation plan to fallen man.
6. God’s plan of salvation is in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. In order to save man, God sent His only begotten Son into the world (John 3:16-17). Jesus Christ lived as a man, yet he lived without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He never broke a single law of God. Christ never sinned in word, in thought, or in deed. This point is of absolute importance. If Jesus Christ were to save mankind from sin, it was necessary that Christ have no sin whatsoever. And though he was tempted in all points as we are, yet he was proven to be absolutely sinless.
7. Because Jesus Christ, as a man, never committed a single sin, God the Father laid upon Jesus every sin you and I ever committed or ever will commit (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus then paid the penalty of sin, which is death. Jesus died a horrific death upon an old, rugged cross. At the moment of His death, Christ declared “It is finished,” indicating that the penalty of our sins had been completely paid in full (John 19:30). It was very important that Christ be sinless upon the earth. Had Christ committed any sin of His own, He would not have been able to pay for my sins; He would have rather died for His own sins. But since He had no sins of His own for which to die, He could rightfully die for my sins and yours. And He did just that. Christ’s death is sufficient to save the whole world from sin. Absolutely nothing else needs to be done to pay for our sins. To prove that Christ's death was indeed a sacrifice that was holy, without blemish, and accepted by the Father, God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 1:3).
8. Although God showed grace by sending His Son to save us from sin, and although the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to save the entire world (I John 2:2), not everyone will be saved. This is because God’s salvation is not “by grace alone.” In other words, just because God showed grace to you by sending Jesus to die for your sins does not mean that you are saved. Titus 2:11 tells us that God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared to everyone. But everyone will not be saved. Even though Christ died on the cross, some men are yet lost (II Corinthians 4:3). If salvation were “by grace alone,” then the whole world would be saved because God’s grace appeared to whole world when Christ died for all (II Corinthians 5:14-15).
9. The salvation that God provided is “by grace,” but it is also “through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). “By grace” speaks of what God did when He sent Jesus to die upon the cross. But you are not saved until you place your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. When you realize that you are hopelessly and helplessly lost, and you understand that Christ’s death upon the cross is completely sufficient to pay for your every sin, you must then place your faith in Christ and in Him alone to save you. Jesus repeatedly stated and the scriptures continually declare that all you must do to have everlasting life is to “believe” on Jesus Christ (John 1:12; John 3:14-18; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:28-29; John 6:35; John 6:40; John 6:47; John 7:38; John 8:24; John 11:25-26; John 12:44-46; John 20:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:39; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 1:16; Romans 3:21-22; Romans 10:9-13; I Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 3:22; I Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 10:39; I John 3:23; I John 5:1; I John 5:4-5). When the Bible says to “believe” on Him, it is not talking about believing in God’s existence, or even believing that Jesus died on the cross. “Believing on Jesus Christ” means that your faith is in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25). You trust nothing and no one except Jesus Christ to save you.
10. To have your faith in Christ means that your faith is in absolutely nothing else outside of Christ to save you. If you think you are saved because you have been baptized, then your faith is in baptism, not in Christ, and consequently, you are lost. If you believe you are saved because you have spoken in tongues, then your faith is not in Christ. If you are trusting sacraments to save you, then you are not believing on Jesus Christ. If you think you are saved because you keep certain standards of dress or standards of separation, then your faith is not in Christ. When Jesus said “No man cometh to the Father but by me” (John 14:6), that’s exactly what He meant.
11. The salvation that God provided is not only “by grace” and “through faith,” but it is also completely “apart from works” (Romans 3:20-21; Romans 4:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). There is not a single work you can do to save yourself, and there is not a single work you can do that will keep you saved. Many admit that salvation is by grace, through faith, and apart from works initially, but “in order to keep your salvation,” they claim, “you must do this, do that, or do the other…” Romans 11:6, however, completely contradicts this. According to Romans 11:6, if a man is saved by grace, then his salvation is no more of works. And if a man is saved by works, then his salvation is no more of grace. You are not granted the privilege to claim to be saved by grace, and then demand certain works to be done to keep your salvation. You are saved either by grace and completely apart from works, or else you are saved by works and completely apart from grace. You cannot mix grace and works into salvation.
12. The act of believing on Jesus Christ for salvation is not a work of the man doing the believing; it is rather the work of God (John 6:29). God has given to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Thus, the faith to believe on Jesus Christ is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
13. Through prayer, a lost man desiring to be saved may express to God that his faith is in Christ. Romans 10:13 states, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Please note that a person’s prayer does not save him; he places his faith in Christ, and Christ saves him. If a man is not fully trusting Christ for salvation, then he may pray all day long, and yet be lost. There is no “sinner’s prayer” recorded in the Bible. There are no certain words to say. You simply must express to the Lord in some way that all of your faith is in Christ and Christ alone. The thief who died upon a cross beside our Lord’s cross said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom.” The Lord promised him, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43). A tax collector simply prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” And the Bible said he went home justified (Luke 18:13-14). Saul of Tarsus simply prayed, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” He was saved immediately (Acts 9:6). Salvation is not wrapped in certain words; it is rather received by faith. When you simply express to the Lord in prayer that you are trusting Him completely to save you, placing yourself only at His mercy, He will save you the very instant you believe on Him.

Tearing Down One Bible Doctrine to Preach Another

To the Bible teacher who rightly divides the word of truth, there is no contradiction between any two Bible doctrines. To the Pharisee, however, the promotion of one Bible doctrine means the demotion of another. This, however, is a tremendous fallacy. If you feel the need to tear down one Bible truth in order to exalt another, then you are not teaching Biblical truth. Look what Christ said regarding the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:23 – “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

The Pharisees emphasized the paying of tithes, even down to the spice! In their opinion, you could not rigidly pay tithes AND promote judgment, mercy, and faith. So, their promotion of one teaching (tithes) demoted another teaching (judgment, mercy, and faith). Christ, however, makes it plain, that they need not tear down one doctrine in order to promote another. “These ought ye to have done,” Christ said, “and not to leave the other undone.” A minister can promote tithes AND mercy at the same time.

The reader should beware of these trends. They are everywhere. If you hear a teacher or preacher tear down one Bible doctrine so that he may promote another, steer clear! No Bible doctrine should ever preached at the sacrifice of another. Let me give you some examples of teachers today who tear down a Bible doctrine in order to exalt another.

Tearing Down Fellowship to Exalt Prayer

I recently read an article in the Miracles & Missions Digest written by Jack Skinner entitled “The Love of Christ ‘Constraineth’ Me.”* In the article, it is clear that Jack Skinner is an advocate of prayer. He believes that Christians and preachers should be men and women of prayer. I, too, believe this. There is no disagreement here. However, multiple times in the article, Mr. Skinner presented two options to the reader. Either the reader can have fellowship with man, or the reader can have fellowship with God in prayer. For some reason, these two options cannot co-exist with Mr. Skinner. Let his own words be quoted:

“Many have forsaken the prayer meeting before service and a lingering altar service in exchange for fellowship with man before and after their services.” (Skinner, p. 2)

Someone may state that, in this quote, Mr. Skinner does not condemn fellowship with man. It may be said that Mr. Skinner is only against exchanging times of prayer for fellowship with man. But Mr. Skinner does not stop here.

“While many seek fellowship of men and look for God to send in people (numbers), a true shepherd seeks the fellowship of God.” (Skinner, p. 3)

In this quote, it becomes quite apparent that some seek fellowship of men, but true shepherds seek fellowship with God. For some reason, a true shepherd, in the opinion of Mr. Skinner, cannot have fellowship with both God and man. Perhaps his most compelling quote on this subject is his advice to the new convert:

“After making peace with God, stay on your knees in prayer and find you a man of God who has paid the price to learn the importance of prayer, who will tell you the truth and not tickle your ears. If you cannot find one, pray and support some mission which is out seeking and searching for lost souls instead of building a kingdom here on earth for fellowship with one another.”

Could he be clearer? Mr. Skinner is convinced that the minister who has fellowship with man is not engaged in fellowship with God. Make no mistake about it. Our churches spend much more time in fellowship with one another than in fellowship with God. I have no desire to scrap the altar call and replace it with fellowship with one another. I have no desire to do away with our time of prayer in the mid-week service so that we may have more fellowship with one another. But what does the Bible say? The Bible certainly exalts prayer. But, in exalting prayer, does the Bible tear down the idea of Christians having fellowship with one another? Not one bit! As a matter of fact, the Bible emphasizes heavily the doctrine of fellowship with one another. In I John 1:3, John shows us a definite connection between fellowship with God and fellowship with God’s people! We can, and should, have them both! You do not have to sacrifice fellowship with God’s people in order to have fellowship with God. I John 1:7 tells us that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another! There is nothing wrong with Christians getting together to enjoy each other’s company! Of course, it can be overdone. It should also be noted that not all socializing is fellowship. But when done properly, having fellowship with one another will enhance our fellowship with God. Christians are commanded to exhort one another (Hebrews 10:25), to pray for one another (James 5:16), to encourage one another (Hebrews 12:12), to love one another (John 15:17), to edify one another (Romans 14:19), to receive one another (Romans 15:7), to admonish one another (Romans 15:14), to serve one another (Galatians 5:13), to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), to forbear one another (Ephesians 4:2), to be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32), and to comfort one another (I Thessalonians 4:18). Not one of these things can be done if we do not get up off our knees and have fellowship with one another! It is not God’s will to neglect these things in order to “stay on our knees” all the time. I am definitely in support of prayer; but I am just as supportive of Biblical fellowship. One should not be practiced at the expense of the other. We need them both!

Tearing Down the Resurrection to Promote “the Cross”

There is a movement today that preaches “the cross,” they claim. Their idea of preaching the cross is to say the words, “the message of the cross” every other sentence. Jimmy Swaggart and his circles of fellowship have promoted this type of teaching. When you first hear Jimmy Swaggart, or a minister like him, speak of “preaching the cross,” it sounds right and biblical. Certainly, I believe that Christ’s work upon the cross completely pays for the sins of mankind. When, while upon the cross, our Lord cried out, “It is finished,” that’s exactly what He meant! Nothing needs to be added for the payment of our sin.

Those who preach this so-called “message of the cross,” however, go further than this. They think that it is wrong to emphasize any other doctrine at all other than the cross. Although the Bible plainly states that Christ rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25), this is omitted from the theology of these teachers. Friend, listen carefully. Some will try to convince you that if a man preaches the resurrection, then that man is not preaching “the cross.” Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached BOTH the cross (death of Christ) and the resurrection of Christ. Paul preached repeatedly the resurrection and stated plainly in I Corinthians that had not Christ resurrected, we would be yet in our sins (I Corinthians 15:17). Remember, genuine men of God see no contradiction in preaching BOTH the death AND the resurrection of Christ. Only Pharisees see a problem with preaching the doctrines of both tithes AND mercy.

Tearing Down Grace to Preach Holy Living

This is perhaps the most popular modern example of promoting one Biblical doctrine at the expense of another. Both grace and holiness are Bible doctrines. Both should be preached. One does not need to be minimized so that the other can be promoted. Yet, this occurs often in many types of churches.

I have noticed that some preach the need for holy living so strongly that they almost hate the word “grace.” Others seem to preach grace so strongly that they despise the word “holiness.” Both, however, are Bible doctrines, and neither should be promoted at the expense of the other.

Salvation is by grace. This means that our salvation is solely achieved because God had favor upon us, a favor that we could never earn. Our salvation is by grace (Ephesians 2:8), through faith (Ephesians 2:8), and completely apart from works (Romans 4:6). Some say that they believe that all this is true INITIALLY, but after we are saved, we must then maintain our salvation by works. However, this is a complete contradiction to Romans 11:6, a verse dealing exclusively with our election:

Romans 11:6 – “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

This verse is plain – our salvation is either solely by grace and solely apart from works, or else it is solely by works and solely apart from grace. There is no mixing grace and works when it comes to salvation.

However, after we are saved, the grace that saves us then teaches us to live holy before God and man.

Titus 2:11-12 – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

After God’s grace brings His salvation to you, you are then taught by the same grace to live pleasing unto the Lord. Hence, there is no contradiction between grace and holiness. True grace teaches holiness, and true holiness is first a partaker of God’s grace completely apart from works. There is no need to embrace one Bible doctrine while rejecting another. We can have both grace and holiness.

Let us beware of any teacher or preacher who emphasizes one Bible doctrine while tearing down another.

*Skinner, Jack. Miracles & Missions Digest. Volume 57, Number 4. June-July 2013. “The Love of Christ ‘Constraineth’ Me.”

Salvation's Perfect Order

There are three aspects regarding our salvation. These aspects are presented in the New Testament repeatedly, always in the same order. It is very important that we present these three aspects in the order that the Bible places them. To get them in the wrong order is to preach a false, unbiblical salvation.

Grace First
The first aspect, the foundation of our salvation, is the grace of God. Grace is the provision that God made for our salvation. “Grace” is a word that is unknown today to so many of our churches. Noah Webster defines “grace” this way – “Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him.” At the root of grace is God’s love, and the chief characteristic of grace is that God loved us when did not merit, earn, or deserve it. This love of God toward mankind is the FIRST aspect of our salvation, being plainly set forth in I John 4:19 – “We love him because he first loved us.” Romans 5:8 reveals this grace – “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God’s grace is manifest to us in his expression of love toward us. He loved us before we loved Him; He loved us in spite of us; He loved us while we were yet sinners. The proof of the grace of God is in the cross of Christ. God proved His love to mankind in the giving of His Son to lay down His life upon the old, rugged cross. This is the foundation, the focal point, the center, and the theme of the entire gospel – God showed grace to mankind by loving us when we were undeserving, filthy, rotten sinners.

I will mention it here, having already expounded on it. The opposite of grace is works. This is best shown in Romans 11:6. Grace and works are opposites. The foundation of our salvation is God’s grace, and when I speak of grace, I am referring to God sending His own Son to die upon the cross of Calvary. Before we could be saved, God made the first move, even when we did not deserve it. He sent His Son to die. Many of us know the definition of grace. But they say that a picture is worth a thousand words. And if you want to see a portrait of grace, it is the picture of Jesus Christ hanging on an old rugged cross, expressing His love to mankind in spite of them and their sin. Grace – no wonder they call it amazing!

Faith Second
Concerning our salvation, it is clear that the Father made the first move by sending His only begotten Son to shed His blood upon the cross of Calvary. This was done prior to any effort was made on man’s part to turn to God. Now that Christ has died, was buried, and rose again from the dead, what do we do to be saved?

The second aspect of our salvation is faith. To obtain salvation, we simply believe, or place our faith, in the Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary. The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ constitute the picture of God’s grace toward man. Grace is God’s provision for our salvation; faith is God’s prerequisite for our salvation. To be saved, we must, as the apostle Paul who was blameless concerning the law, let go of every feeble effort to save ourselves, counting it all but dung, and rest solely and completely in Jesus Christ. God made provision for our salvation by sending Jesus to die for our sins. Consequently, we trust His provision completely to save and keep us.

Works Third
Grace is God’s provision for our salvation; faith is God’s prerequisite for our salvation; and works are God’s product of salvation. After we are saved, the resurrected Saviour lives in us, producing good works. Good works are a result of salvation, not a requirement of salvation. This is where many slip up. The New Testament absolutely emphasizes the holy, separated life of a Christian. But just as much, the New Testament emphasizes this life to be lived in us, through Jesus Christ. Repeatedly, the New Testament reveals the order I have presented here; grace first, faith second, and works third. To try to have good works so you can be saved or stay saved is to preach another gospel; a gospel that should be recanted and completely dismissed.

Verses That Show This Order
Now, I want to look at some verses that deal with salvation, and show how the scriptures repeatedly bear out that the proper order of our salvation is grace first, faith second, and works third.

Ephesians 2:8-10 – “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

This passage needs little explanation. First, the apostle says, “By grace are ye saved.” Grace first. Then, the apostle states that our salvation is “through faith.” Faith second. Then, the apostle makes it clear that our salvation is not of works. He makes it plain that we do not work so we can be saved; but after we place faith in the grace of God, the apostle states, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.” Here, the apostle shows that our salvation produces good works. He shows how these good works are done – “We are His workmanship.” HE IS THE ONE DOING THE WORKS IN US. Works third.

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

The first aspect of our salvation presented here is that Christ was crucified – this is the expression of God’s grace to man. Grace first. Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ.” This means that when we place our faith in the finished work of Jesus, we died when He died upon the cross. Paul connects our crucifixion with Christ with our faith being placed in Him. Faith second. As a result of being crucified with Christ, “Christ liveth in me.” When we live by faith, Christ does the living in our hearts, producing a life of holiness and righteousness. Works third.

Titus 2:11, 12 – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

The first words of this passage, “For the grace of God.” Grace first. The next words, “that bringeth salvation.” Salvation second. Verse eleven states, “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.” Works third, directly resulting from salvation by grace. So many use this verse to show how grace teaches us to live right; and it does! But before grace teaches us to live right, it brings salvation. After it brings salvation, then it teaches us to live right. Living right is shown as a result of salvation; not a requirement of it.

Titus 2:13, 14 – “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Notice how this passage begins – “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us.” This giving of Himself for us is grace. The next words state plainly, “That he might redeem us from all iniquity.” Redemption second. Then he said, “…and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Works third. Again, we see that faith in the finished work of Christ results in good works.

Titus 3:4, 5, 8 – “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 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; This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

First, the apostle mentions, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared.” Grace first. Then, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” Salvation (apart from works) second. Then, in verse 8, Paul states, “…and I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.” Works third. Paul explains, not only that our salvation is a result of salvation and not a requirement, but also that our good works should be done because they are profitable unto men. I do not maintain good works so I can be saved; I maintain good works, for one reason, that lost mankind may see my good works, and glorify my Father which is in heaven, according to Matthew 5:16.

I John 2:2, 3 – “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.”

The first words of the passage are, “And he is the propitiation for our sins.” John is referring specifically to the death of Christ, which the only act of righteousness that appeases the wrath of the Father. Grace first. Then, John states in verse 3, “And hereby we do know that we know him…” Knowing Him is second. Then, the evidence of having met the Lord is given, “…if we keep his commandments.” Works third. Again, we keep His commandments, not so we can meet Him; but rather because we ALREADY know Him. It would be good to state here, that the apostle is so sure that knowing the Lord results in keeping His commandments, that in the next verse, he plainly states, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

The New Testament is so clear on the order of our salvation. God showed grace to mankind by sending Jesus to die for us when we did not deserve it; we place our faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone, obtaining salvation; and as a result, Christ lives a holy life through us. This is the gospel, and anything that contradicts it is a false, perverted, deviation from truth.

If You Are Kept by Works, I Have Questions!

In the previous post (it would benefit the reader to read the previous post, “The Perverted Gospel” before reading this one), I showed extensively how the Galatians were a people bewitched by a perverted gospel. That perverted gospel was not a new gospel presented to them by the Jehovah’s Witnesses; it was not the dogma of Mormonism; nor was it the principles of liberal theology; it was simply the common error that we who are saved by trusting Jesus Christ are kept by keeping works of the law.

Still today, this idea that we are saved solely by grace and kept by trusting in works is still prevalent in churches today. It is possible that one who is reading this post is seething with anger, hating every word I write. It could be that someone reading this post is a staunch advocate of “staying saved” by keeping commandments. If you are that person, I have questions for you, and I would love for you to email me, and answer these questions.

Question 1 – What percentage of your faith is in Jesus Christ and what percentage is in law-keeping?
If 100% of your faith is in Jesus Christ, and you are trusting solely in Him, why do you preach that keeping our salvation requires us to keep laws and commandments? YOU CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. Either all your faith is in Christ, or it is not. If your salvation depends upon keeping commandments, at least some of your faith is in WORKS. I am asking – what percentage is in Christ; and what percentage is in law-keeping?

Now, I have heard preachers get up and preach this way – “If you’re going to ‘stay saved,’ you must…” then they preach a list. Then, if you were to corner these preachers after church, they would make it clear – “Oh, I don’t believe that we are kept by works…I believe we must keep our faith in Christ…I just believe that if we really have our faith in Christ, good works will follow.” WHOA! Wait a minute! That’s an entirely different message than what was preached from the pulpit! If you believe that we are both saved and kept by trusting Christ, then don’t get up and preach that we must keep a list of works in order to “stay saved!” YOU CANNOT HAVE IT BOTH WAYS. So, answer me. How much of your faith is in Christ and how much of your faith is in keeping laws and commandments? As for me, 100% of my faith is in Jesus Christ, and 0% is in the keeping of laws and commandments. How about you?

Question 2 – If part of your faith is in Christ and part of it is in law-keeping, what does Romans 11:5, 6 mean?
Romans 11:5, 6 reads this way – “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

These verses refer to our election, or the method by which God chooses us. We are chosen by God not by works (our doings), but by grace (God’s doings). Verse 6 makes it clear – if we are chosen by grace, there is no working (on our part) involved. If we are chosen by works, then God has nothing to do with it. This passage makes it plain that you cannot split your faith between Christ and law-keeping. You cannot be saved by grace at the altar, then by works when you get up. It is either all God’s doing, and we put our faith in Him; or it is all our doing, and we put our faith in works. If I am reading these verses wrong, educate me. Answer the question clearly – what does Romans 11:5, 6 mean?

Question 3 – If works can’t get you saved, how can works keep you saved?
When you went to the altar and asked the Lord to save you, you were resting solely upon Jesus Christ and His work on Calvary. You knew that all of your works were powerless and could not save you. But when you got up from the altar – those powerless, dead works of law-keeping suddenly have power! The same works that you would not trust at the altar, you now trust to keep you saved. Those works couldn’t give you life in Christ; but now they can sustain life in Christ. I don’t understand. Help me. Laws that never could give salvation can maintain salvation. How is this possible? If works can’t get you saved, how can works keep you saved?

Question 4 – Why is Jesus Christ and His work on the cross not good enough for you?
If you are preaching that children of God must keep laws in order to “stay saved,” the work of Christ is insufficient for you, and I want to know why.

You should note that the work that Jesus did – His death, burial, and resurrection – is extremely pleasing to the Father.

Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

Matthew 3:17 and Matthew 17:5 – “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

When Jesus died on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished.” If it is finished, why do you add to it? Why is your message, “Trust the Lord for salvation, but after you’re saved, keep a list of commandments?”

In the book of Galatians, twice Paul emphasized the fact that Christ GAVE HIMSELF.

Galatians 1:4 – “Who GAVE HIMSELF for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present, evil world.”

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and GAVE HIMSELF for me.”

When Christ GAVE HIMSELF, He gave His ALL. How can you have a silly opinion that Christ’s all is not enough to save us, or keep us saved? How can you tell anyone that what Christ did is enough to get us saved, but if we’re going to “stay saved,” we must keep commandments?

Christ’s giving of His all is so pleasing to the Father. I do not understand how you can be so displeased with Christ that you require law-keeping to “stay saved.” I look forward to your answer to this question.

Question 5 – If you were in the Philippian jail, and the jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” what would your response be?
You say, “Oh, I would say, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.’” Of course you say that, because it’s the right answer. But, why don’t you say that when you tell someone how to be saved? Why do you tell people, that, in order to “stay saved,” it is going to take law-keeping? If you believe in keeping laws to “stay saved,” you disagree with Paul’s message of salvation to the Philippian jailer – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Question 6 – Why are you so eager to put us under the law of Moses?
I have elaborated on this in the previous post, so I will not expound much on it. However, it does demand an answer. Galatians 3:10; Galatians 5:3; and James 2:10 all teach plainly that if you are under ANY of the law of Moses, you are under ALL of it. Understanding this, why would you want to subject yourself to such bondage? The entire nation of Israel was under the law for 1,500 years, and not a single individual could ever keep it. And then, we have preachers, who want to strap that law to everyone with whom they come in contact. Everyone in Israel who tried to carry the law of Moses died under its weight. So, why are you so bound and determined to put us under the law of Moses?

Question 7 – If you believe that Christians are kept saved by keeping laws and commandments, how do you explain Galatians 2:16; Galatians 2:19; Galatians 2:21; Galatians 3:11; Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20; Romans 3:28; Ephesians 2:8, 9; and Titus 3:5?
All of these verses contradict the very thought of justification (salvation) being a result of law-keeping or works of any kind. You cannot ignore these verses. If you are kept by keeping laws, then I want to know what each of these verses mean. You owe an explanation here!

Question 8 – Why do you sing songs that emphasize faith in Christ alone if you do not believe them?
If you believe that we are kept by keeping commandments, there are a host of gospel songs you should never sing again. I will mention only a few.

Amazing Grace – The third verse states, “Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come! ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace shall lead me home.” If you believe that works will lead you home, then sing it that way! Quit singing a song you do not believe!

Nothing but the Blood – The third verse reads this way – “Nothing can for sin atone, Nothing but the blood of Jesus! Naught of good that I have done, Nothing but the blood of Jesus!” If you believe that good works keep you saved, then you do have faith in “good that you have done.” You do not believe this song, so leave it alone!

The Solid Rock – The first verse reads, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but WHOLLY lean on Jesus’ name.” Either lean wholly on Christ or quit singing the song.

Jesus Paid it All – The title is self-explanatory. If you do not believe that the work of Christ pays for your sins in full, throw this song out.

Christ is All I Need – You do not believe it if you need works to maintain your salvation.

‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus – The second verse says, “O, how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His cleansing blood, Just in simple faith to plunge me ‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood.” The writer forgot to add that we are trusting in commandments as well. If you sing this song and do not believe that it’s all in Jesus, you are singing a lie.

If you believe that works keep you saved, and you sing these songs, I want to know why you sing lies. I look forward to your answer.

Conclusion
If the reader believes that keeping commandments is keeping you saved, I sincerely encourage you to email me, answering these questions. These questions are serious, not sarcastic. I genuinely want to know how you deal with these questions if all your faith is not in Christ. I look forward to hearing from the one who believes that we are kept by works.

The Perverted Gospel

Galatians 1:6-9 – “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

This is a continuing thought of my previous blog post, “The Worst Kind of Backsliding.” It would benefit the reader to read “The Worst Kind of Backsliding” before reading this post. In this post, I am going to “zero in” on some points I made in the previous post.

The Perverted Gospel
Paul writes to the Galatians in a very frank, clear, and candid manner concerning teachers who had come to them preaching another gospel. Paul states, that in reality, there is no other gospel than the gospel of Christ, presented and received by grace. This new gospel that the Galatians were witnessing was simply a perversion of the true gospel.

The perverted gospel contains elements of the true gospel within it; but it is not the true gospel. The perverted gospel even has Christ in it somewhere; but Christ is not the center of the perverted gospel.

What is this perverted gospel? The perverted gospel, against which Paul warns, is the teaching that salvation is by grace at the altar, and works when you get up. Let me say it another way. The false teachers who had come to Galatia were saying things like, “Now, if you want to be saved, Christ will save you by trusting in Him. But, if you’re going to ‘stay saved,’ you have to…be circumcised…keep the law of Moses…do this…do that…hold your mouth a certain way…do everything I do…” and on, and on, and on. Paul spends, not a verse; not a chapter; but an entire epistle correcting this false doctrine.

Sad to say, this is a teaching of salvation by works that is still prevalent today; and it is just as wrong. Paul the apostle would correct it today as he did then. If you believe that salvation is a gift from God, but that it must be kept by the recipient obeying commandments, keeping standards, dressing a certain way, or any other work of any kind, Paul wrote the epistle of Galatians to you; and this blog post is written to you as well.

Paul’s Candid Question
Galatians 3:2, 3 – “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

Paul’s question is to them who had started the race by the hearing of faith, but they were attempting to finish the race by works of the law. If the reader has started his Christian experience trusting Jesus by faith, but is trying to finish his Christian experience by keeping works of the law, this reader is demanded by Paul the apostle to answer this question. “ARE YE SO FOOLISH? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Paul is asking you, in my words, “Are you so stupid, that you began in the Spirit, by the hearing of faith, and now, you’re made perfect by the flesh, by works of the law?” Paul is asking, “You mean to tell me that keeping the law of Moses wasn’t good enough to get you saved, but it’s good enough to keep you saved?” Paul is demanding an answer from you. He is asking, “Are you telling me that Jesus Christ is all you needed to get saved, but He is not all you need to stay saved?” By now, Paul is red in the face. He is beside himself in dealing with these Galatians.

We are not saved by keeping the law, and certainly, we cannot be kept that way. Assuming that the reader is still trying to maintain his salvation by keeping laws and commandments, let us look at some perfectly clear and extremely strong statements made by Paul regarding this subject.

If You’re under the Law, You’re Under it All!
Galatians 3:10 – “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”

Galatians 5:3 – “For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the WHOLE LAW.”

Here are the Galatians, who received salvation by simply trusting Jesus, now attempting to maintain their salvation by keeping “parts” of the law of Moses. This teaching is still prevalent today, and it is not Biblical. Paul is reminding the Galatians that if you are going to place yourself under ANY of the law of Moses, you place yourself under ALL OF IT! I will not elaborate here, because I have elaborated on this point extensively in my posts, “I Am Not Under the Law!” and “Why I Don’t Need the Law.”

I will say that James 2:10 bears out the same thought – “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of ALL.”

If you are putting yourself under any the law of Moses, Paul is reminding you that you are UNDER ALL OF IT. If you trust Jesus who fulfilled the law, you are trusting Him for the completion of ALL OF IT. With the law, it is all or nothing! Paul’s points get stronger. Let’s look at some more.

By the Works of the Law Shall No Flesh Be Justified
This truth is hammered in the book of Galatians. Paul is obstinate in his view that we are not justified (saved) as a result of any work of any kind. Paul’s passion on this subject is made so obvious by his extremely strong statements regarding this subject. Let us look at these statements.

I AM DEAD TO THE LAW!
Galatians 2:19 – “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.”

Paul stated here, that he is dead to the law. How did that happen? Paul had been executed. Who executed him? THE LAW DID! Paul states clearly that he is not under the law, and CANNOT be under the law. It is impossible for Paul to be under the law, because the law has already killed him! Where did this execution take place? It took place at Calvary. Jesus died with Paul’s sins upon Him. Paul died with Him. That’s why the next verse, Galatians 2:20, says, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me!” Through the law, Paul died to the law, that he might live unto God! Friend, when we get saved, we are dead to the law through the cross of Christ. It is our execution that the law promised. The law killed us at the cross, and the resurrected Saviour gives us life! He lives in us! Law-keeping never saves anyone to start with; it only legislates, accuses, arrests, and executes; it is Jesus Christ that gives life!

CHRIST IS DEAD IN VAIN!
Galatians 2:21 – “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”

Wow! This verse needs no explanation (unless, of course, you believe righteousness is come by keeping laws). Paul says clearly that if righteousness is come by the law, Jesus Christ bore the crown of thorns; suffered under deathly blows; carried a heavy, wooden cross; was tried as criminal; was nailed to a tree; and hung between two thieves – ALL FOR NOTHING. Dear reader, if you are saved or kept by doing things, don’t you ever take communion again – Jesus’ body was broken and His blood was poured out – FOR NOTHING. He poured His blood; but you are not trusting in it. He suffered His body to be broken, but you are being kept some other way.

Think about it. If being saved or staying saved is a result of keeping laws, what need was there for Christ to die? Why didn’t the Father just send us His Spirit, giving us a Holy Ghost baptism, and tell us, “I’ve given you my Spirit so you can fulfil the law?” It sure seems like the Father required too much out of Jesus, if keeping laws is what saves or keeps us. I’ll tell you why the Father didn’t just give us His Spirit to help us fulfil the laws and be saved – RIGHTEOUSNESS DOES NOT COME BY THE LAW. I didn’t say it; it was Paul who said plainly and strongly, “If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain!”

CHRIST SHALL PROFIT YOU NOTHING
Galatians 5:2 – “Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.”

If you believe that you are kept saved by keeping laws, do not sing, “Christ is All I Need,” because you do not believe it. If you saved or kept by keeping laws, Christ is of no profit or benefit to you. You would be just as saved if there were no Christ. Let me say that again. If you are KEPT SAVED by doing things, you would be just as saved if there were no such man as Jesus Christ. Your salvation has NOTHING TO DO with Jesus Christ. It has to do with how well you keep commandments. No wonder Paul hated this false doctrine of justification by works. This stupid doctrine really is a perverted gospel.

CHRIST IS BECOME OF NO EFFECT TO YOU
Galatians 5:4a – “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law.”

No effect! The phrase “of no effect” literally means “entirely useless!” If you are justified by keeping laws of any kind, Christ is useless to you! It is a statement similar to the above – Christ shall profit you nothing.

YE ARE FALLEN FROM GRACE!
Galatians 5:4 – “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

The ironic thing about this phrase, fallen from grace, is that it does not refer to people forsaking Christ and falling into EVIL WORKS. It refers, rather, to people forsaking Christ, returning to the law, and trusting in GOOD WORKS. Paul plainly said, “If you are justified by the law, you are fallen from grace!” When a preacher gets up and preaches, “If you don’t do this…do that…keep this law…keep that law…you’re going to fall from grace,” it is really he who has fallen from grace. He has left the true gospel is now preaching the perverted gospel.

Now, these are some very strong statements regarding the false doctrine of justification by law-keeping of any kind. Paul makes it very clear, that if you are kept by works, you cannot be attached to the promise of being dead to the law and alive to God; Christ is dead in vain; Christ profits you nothing; Christ is of no effect, or useless to you; and you are fallen from grace! If you understand these clear, strong statements, there is no way that you can believe that anyone’s salvation is maintained by works of any kind. The above-mentioned verses are not the only ones in Galatians that prove that we are not justified by works of the law. Note:

Galatians 2:16 – “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 3:10, 11 – “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

The True Gospel
I have shown clearly that the perverted gospel is the teaching that “Christ can save; but if you’re going to ‘stay saved,’ you must…do this…do that…and so forth.” The true gospel, on the other hand, is summed up well Hebrews 12:2 – “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is both author and finisher of our faith. The law of Moses is not the finisher of my faith. So-called “holiness standards” are not the finisher of my faith. Faith in Christ started me on this journey; and faith in Christ will take me the rest of the way!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come!
‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home!*

If you don’t believe it, quit singing it!

*John Newton