IS SALVATION BY FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST or BY DOING GOOD WORKS

(keeping Biblical commands)?

Is a person saved (justified), forgiven, and given eternal life in heaven by doing good deeds, keeping the commands in the Bible, or by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior or a combination of the two? Let’s see:

Eph. 2:8, 9 says that we are saved by faith, not works.

Gal. 2:16, 21 says that we are justified by faith, not by the works of the Law.

Gal. 3:11 says we are not justified by the Law, but by faith.

Rom. 4:2-5 says we are made righteous by faith, not by works.

Isa. 64:6 says that all man’s righteous deeds are like filthy rags.

Titus 3:5 says that we are saved by God’s mercy, not by our righteous deeds.

John 3:14-16, 18, 36 says that belief in Jesus Christ gives eternal life.

John 6:47; 11:25-27 says that belief in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God gives eternal life.

John 20:31 says that belief in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God gives eternal life.

Acts 10:38-43 says that belief in Jesus Christ gives forgiveness of sins.

Rom. 3:23-30 says we are justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.

Acts 15:1, 5-11 says we are cleansed by faith, saved by grace, not by observing the Law of Moses.

Rom. 9:30-32 says that righteousness is gained by faith, not by works.

Rom. 10:9, 10 says we are saved by belief in Jesus as the risen Lord.

Gal. 3:21-26 says we are justified and become a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus, not by (keeping) the Law or a law.

Gal. 5:4 mentions the dangerous consequences of trying to be justified by (keeping the) law.

2 Tim. 3:15 says that salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Tim. 1:8, 9 says we are saved by God’s grace and purpose, not by our works.

Heb. 10:10-14 says we are sanctified (made holy) and perfected by Christ’s death for our sins.

Rom. 11:5, 6 says that a remnant of Jews are to be saved by grace and not by works.

ARE CHRISTIANS ETERNALLY SECURE (once saved always saved)?

Can a Christian lose his salvation once he has accepted Christ as his Savior? According to Heb. 10:10, once a person has been sanctified through faith in Christ’s substitutionary death sacrifice for his sins, the believer enters a permanent and continuous state of salvation. The word “sanctified” in the Greek (hegiasmenoi) here is a perfect participle meaning that the Christian is in a permanent and continuous state of holiness because Jesus paid the penalty for all of the believer’s sins (past, present, and future) already.

Eph. 1:13, 14; 4:30; 4:30 show that the believer in the gospel has been sealed (secured) with the Holy Spirit (at the point of conversion, when he believed) for the day of redemption (until Christ returns to take Christians to heaven – 1 Thes. 4:14-17) and is given as a pledge or guarantee of our inheritance in heaven. So the Christian is secured (sealed) as God’s own possession to be brought to heaven’s guarantee.

Rom. 11:28, 29 show that the “gifts and calling of God are irrevocable” (can’t be altered or changed). Since “grace” and “faith” (Eph. 2:8, 9) as well as, “justification” and “eternal life” (Rom. 3:24; 6:23) are all gifts of God, then the believer can’t lose his salvation because he never earned it to begin with, and God promised to not take it away once given. Christians are referred to in the New Testament as those who are “called” by God (Rom. 1:6; 8:30; 9:24; 2 Thes. 2:13, 14). The word “called” when referring to God’s calling a person, means elected or chosen to be saved and have eternal life in heaven. So, since the calling of God is irrevocable (Rom. 11:29), then those individuals whom God picked out to be saved and go to heaven will be, no matter what (2 Tim. 1:8, 9; 1 Pet. 1:3, 4; Eph. 1:4, 5, 11, 13, 14; Rom. 8:30; 2 Thes. 2:13, 14; 1 Jn. 5:11-13).

FORGIVENESS OF SINS

According to Col. 2:13, 14, the believer is forgiven of all of his sins. 1 Pet. 3:18 says that Christ died for sins once for all (once for all sins for all time). That’s why He could “bring us to God”, because all of the believer’s sins are paid for (past, present, and future). Heb. 9:26, 28; 10:10-14 also confirms this. Christ’s death sanctified the believer, perfected the believer for all time. This could only be true if the believer was forgiven for all of his sins, and because we’ve been forgiven for all of our sins and been made positionally perfect in the eyes of God, that’s why Paul could say in Eph. 2:6 that we’re already in heaven positionally.