SALVATION BY GRACE ALONE
Rom. 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
As much as things seem to change in society, nothing really ever changes. Religion is always trying to build a tower of works to heaven to reach God. Good works can never save a man. That is the essence of the gospel preached by the Apostle Paul. We can be justified before God by grace through faith. Salvation is a gift from God accessed only by faith which is also His gift. The new pope recently restarted this controversy (it never really goes away). Here is a recent statement made by the new pope that proves to be quite alarming.
“But the pope, in a morning Mass on Wednesday, suggested that belief and faith weren’t the biggest factors. He said, CNN reported: “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ — all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone. ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist.’ But do good: We will meet one another there.”
This brings us back to the importance of Paul’s revelation of grace rediscovered by the Protestant fathers during the reformation. Here is something Luther said about this topic.
“The Apostle draws into his argument the testimony of the Prophet Habakkuk: “The just shall live by his faith.” This passage carries much weight because it eliminates the Law and the deeds of the Law as factors in the process of our justification.
The scholastics misconstrue this passage by saying: “The just shall live by faith, if it is a working faith, or a faith formed and performed by charitable works.” Their annotation is a forgery. To speak of formed or unformed faith, a sort of double faith, is contrary to the Scriptures. If charitable works can form and perfect faith I am forced to say eventually that charitable deeds constitute the essential factor in the Christian religion. Christ and His benefits would be lost to us.”
Even more terrifying is the recent trend of protestant, supposedly evangelical ministers, who are tiptoeing around a message of good works sprinkled with a dose of universalism. Now of course few people will admit their universalist doctrine but a deemphasis of redemption, propitiation, and salvation by grace alone leads down the slippery slope that preachers have slipped into that leads ultimately to universalism. Paul told Timothy to hold on to the precious doctrines by the Holy Ghost ( 2 Timothy 1:13). What are those precious doctrines? Christ died to save sinners. Christ bore our judgment (the judgement of God on the sinfulness of man). Salvation comes by grace alone by faith alone, not of works lest anyone should boast.
5 thoughts on “SALVATION BY GRACE ALONE”
Gospel Truth Sets Us Free, Free To Be Always In Need Of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Yes, His Sacrifice Alone Was Too Great Of A Price To Otherwise Point To Another Or Many Other Way(s) Of Salvation. The Scriptures Tell Us: Lean Not Unto Your Own Understanding, But In All Your Ways Acknowledge Him. Yes, From Time-To-Time We All Get Confused And Miss-The-Mark. Yet We Are Given Repentance When Sincerely Asked. And No, We Should Never Make Our Confusion A Way Of Life, A Way Of Doctrine, A Way Of Salvation. Thank You Lord For Your Grace and Mercy. Thank You Lord For Chastening and Repentance. For There Is No Other Way. You Alone, Lord Jesus, Saves. Amen.
God’s gift of grace poured out through the blood of His own Son cannot be improved on; it can only be expressed as godly works through a grateful and yielded heart. That makes the works a simple and natural outflow of this grace. Works are not the source of salvation but are instead the fruit of a saved one (the branch) filled and led of His (the Vine) Spirit.
Good Morning, thank You Lord, for Your Grace and Mercy and our Pastor.
Thank You Lord for Your Words= Bible and precious Holy Spirit that dwells in us daily and leads us
Corrects us, shows us, guides us, shapes us, transforms us into the image of You.
Thank You, LORD, for your Salvation, its all because of Your work, not good works of men, but You shape us to do good works for You.
As for me I will Boast in the Lord not self. For He is good. I will acknowledge the King daily and follow what His Word Says. And yes we do slip off track sometimes, but thank God we can Repent right then and there when we slip and have the Holy Spirit teach us on that incident that we just messed up on and learn and do better until it is no more. Focusing on His word daily will help us along with The Holy Spirit.
Those Precious doctrines. Holy Spirit lead us, shape us, Hallelujah, all my trust and faith is in You Lord. Your Promises
Have an awesome day in our Lord, Pastor Frank, love you all.:)
Amen!! Christ alone! Awesome blog! Open eyes jesus! Open hearts jesus! Break off the religion and bring truth of your love and word!! Let the pope have a Luther life change and anyone else in religious works! Come lord!! Holy ghost come!! Break off the chains!!
every morning I thank God for another day I get to spend with Him and to be able to enter in to His presence and will for this day, to have this I have to count only that the Lord is true and nothing else and what He doese in my life and relationship for this day, so many out there that will turn Gods truth into a spun deal when the Lord says it we can see it as coming from Him we are not ignorant those that know the Lord, keep Him and his word in our hearts beleive God will work in our lives and help us be obedient to Him his word Love Him with a first nlove and others in our lives in Christs love in us, I know if we do this we will never be decieved, The Lord will make sure of this. I know if we know Him and Love Him He will put straight paths in front of us with us knowing all the stuff thats bad is only for a season, but not to look at the bad but give it to the Lord He will help us to stand, if we put it all in Him and only Him.