Why Faith, Not Works: Understanding God's Plan for Salvation

# Why Faith, Not Works: Understanding God's Plan for Salvation

There's a question that has puzzled humanity throughout the ages: How do we get right with God? Can we earn our way to heaven through good deeds? Can we work hard enough to deserve salvation? The answer might surprise those who've spent years trying to prove their worth.

## The Uncomfortable Truth About Boasting

Romans 3:27-31 presents a challenging reality: there is absolutely no room for boasting when it comes to salvation. Pride has no place at the foot of the cross. We contribute nothing to our redemption. This isn't meant to discourage us, but to point us toward the only source of true hope.

Think about it this way: if we could save ourselves, would God have sent His Son? Would Jesus have needed to live a perfect life, be rejected by the very people He came to save, be beaten beyond recognition, and willingly die on a cross? The answer is clear. None of that would have been necessary if human effort could bridge the gap between us and God.

The world constantly whispers a different message. It tells us to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, to make something of ourselves, to earn our place. But these are dangerous lies designed to keep us from the truth. Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that access comes through faith alone.

## Four Reasons Why Faith Trumps Works

### 1. Faith Eliminates Our Pride

Ephesians 2:8-10 couldn't be clearer: we are saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves. It's a gift from God, not earned by works, so that no one can boast. This isn't arbitrary; it's by divine design.

Why does this matter so much? Because countless people waste precious time and energy trying to save themselves. They're doing good things, but for the wrong reasons. They're trying to earn God's love, earn salvation, earn position in heaven, or earn respect from others. When we do good for these reasons, our efforts become hollow and useless.

Even Abraham, the father of many nations, wasn't justified by works. If he couldn't save himself through his efforts, what hope do we have of doing so?

This doesn't mean works are unimportant. Scripture tells us we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared in advance for us to walk in. The key difference? These works flow from salvation; they don't create it. True faith naturally produces good works, not as a means to earn salvation, but as a response to having already received it.

James 2:14-26 reminds us that faith without works is dead. If someone claims to have faith but shows no evidence of it in their life, that faith is questionable. Real faith transforms us and compels us to action. But the sequence matters: faith first, then works as evidence.

### 2. Faith Exalts What God Has Done

When salvation depends on faith rather than works, all glory goes to God. Consider the man from whom Jesus cast out demons in Luke 8. After his deliverance, he wanted to follow Jesus immediately. Instead, Jesus sent him home with specific instructions: tell everyone what God has done for you.

This man couldn't have delivered himself. Only Jesus could set him free. And that's precisely why his testimony was so powerful. He went throughout the entire city proclaiming and preaching what God had accomplished.

We need to examine our language carefully. How often do we say "I got this" or encourage others with "You got this"? While well-intentioned, this phrase can mislead people into thinking they're sufficient on their own. The truth is, we don't "got" anything. God has it in us. God has it in you.

This might seem like semantics, but how we speak reveals how we think, and how we think determines what we believe. Say "I got this" long enough, and you'll start to believe you don't need God.

### 3. We Can't Keep The Law

The law was never intended to save us. It was given to point us to Jesus, to show us there's a better way. Galatians 3:23-25 explains that before faith came, we were kept under the law, which served as a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ so we might be justified by faith.

Here's the problem with trying to be saved by keeping the law: James 2:10 tells us that whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. Every single one of us has sinned, continues to struggle with sin, and will sin again. If salvation depended on perfect law-keeping, we'd all be doomed.

But here's the good news: if you're in Christ, you're a new creation. Second Corinthians 5:17 declares that old things have passed away and all things have become new. You're no longer defined by your sin. You're not a sinner saved by grace; you're a saint who will occasionally sin but whose identity is rooted in Christ's righteousness, not your own failure.

### 4. Faith Establishes and Sustains Your Relationship With God

This might be the most important reason of all. When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple separating the Holy of Holies from the people was torn from top to bottom. This signified that Jesus' sacrifice was sufficient and acceptable, and through Him, we now have direct access to God the Father.

John 1:12 tells us that to all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. If you're saved, you're not just forgiven; you're adopted. You're a son or daughter of God with all the rights and privileges that come with that relationship: inheritance, the presence of the Holy Spirit, kinship with Jesus, and direct access through prayer and study.

But here's the critical point: Hebrews 11:6 states that without faith, it's impossible to please God. Those who come to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.

Without faith, you cannot please God. It's impossible. So why would anyone try to approach Him through works?

## The Invitation

If you've been carrying the burden of trying to earn God's approval, it's time to lay that down. If legalism has bound you, if works have oppressed you, if you're exhausted from trying to be good enough, there's rest available.

Jesus isn't waiting for you to get your act together. He's waiting for you to trust Him, to take Him at His word, to believe that His sacrifice was sufficient. Faith opens the door to relationship, to peace, to the abundant life He promised.

The choice is yours: continue striving in your own strength, or rest in His finished work. One path leads to exhaustion and failure. The other leads to life.