SALVATION COMES BY GRACE
The truth that makes men free rests in the radiant simplicity of the Lord’s own words: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This is the gospel in its most condensed form—grace revealed, Christ given, faith invited. And Scripture, as if unwilling to let us miss the wonder, adds its own commentary again and again.
Paul’s thunderous affirmation in Ephesians reinforces the Lord’s declaration: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). The gospel is a gift; salvation is rooted not in human merit but in divine mercy. One would have to deny the very authority of Scripture to deny this central truth.
Yet some, though seldom by open confession, effectively deny salvation by faith in their attempt to emphasize the necessity of obedience. They see rightly that Scripture everywhere commands holiness, and that those who persist in disobedience have no hope; but instead of placing obedience within the framework of God’s free grace, they allow obedience to overshadow grace altogether.
In their zeal, salvation by faith becomes nearly indistinguishable from salvation by works. They confuse the fruit of salvation with its foundation, making human performance the ground of justification. In doing so, they repeat the ancient error of those who “fell from grace” because they sought to be “justified by law” (Gal. 5:4). However sincere their intentions, the result is spiritually disastrous.
The witness of Scripture stands unshaken: man cannot save himself. He cannot climb his way to heaven on the rungs of his own obedience; he must rest entirely on the finished work of Christ. Yes, the grace of God instructs us, trains us, empowers us to live soberly, righteously, and godly (Titus 2:11–14). But grace never shifts the ground of justification from Christ to us. If righteousness could come by law-keeping, Paul reminds us with piercing bluntness, “then Christ died in vain” (Gal. 3:21).
Therefore, the church must continually reemphasize salvation by grace through faith. We must “stir up our minds by way of remembrance,” for the enemy is subtle. He speaks often of the “necessity of obedience,” yet uses the very language of holiness to pull our gaze away from the cross and toward our own efforts. If we are not watchful, we may soon find ourselves embracing “another gospel”—a distortion of the one once delivered (Gal. 1:6–9). The gospel of Christ is a gospel of grace; and grace, when believed, will always lead to obedience—but obedience will never replace grace.
BDD
