Faith Plus Nothing
Greetings brothers and Sisters, and friends, grace and peace to you in the name of God our Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I thank God for you and the opportunity to share with you this good and wonderful news. Lord thank you for this time you have given me to share concerning the good news you have allowed me to receive. Lord Guide me and direct the words I use to help my friends have a better understanding of you and your goodness and your kindness and your love, In Jesus name Amen.
8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8,9).
My friends, there is only one requirement that needs to be met for a person to be saved and receive eternal life. It is by faith and faith alone that anyone can be saved. It is really amazing that people that have been saved have somehow forgotten how they received such a gift. We like the Pharisees before us have begun adding to the requirements God has already set before us for salvation. It is the lack of faith that caused the human race to sin and fall from grace and receive the just penalty of death. Gen 2:16 -3:16-17.
In Galatia, people who were not Christians were telling people who were newly born Christians and those who were seeking to become Christians, that to be saved you had to have faith in Jesus plus do good works to be saved. This is the logic that was used in perverting the scriptures concerning salvation. You had to believe in the work that Jesus did but you also had to do good works these two requirements were in contradiction to each other. If you believe in the work of Jesus Christ nothing else can be added to that proclamation. Either you believe and based on your faith you are saved or you don’t believe and you are not saved.
If you are relying on your good works, you are depending on yourself for salvation. Your logic is that if you do enough good works, you will be able to secure salvation for yourself. The logic you are applying to this approach is, If you were to do enough good works that will outway all the bad or evil things you have done, God will look at your good works and compare them to your bad works and find that you have redeemed yourself by your works , and that this would obligate God to be just and give you eternal life. My friends God is not obligated to anyone. Nor is God dependent on anyone for anything. Everyone and everything is dependent upon God for its very existence. It is impossible for you to redeem your self. Although your life is demanded as payment for sin, once that payment is made, you can no longer be. No other person who is a descendant of Adam is able to pay for you, because they need someone to pay for them.
The only person who is able to pay the penalty is the person that created us. Our creator’s life is more valuable than the life He created. His life being without sin is more than enough to pay for the lives of everyone who lives and has ever lived upon the face of the earth forever. He is the Son of God. It pleased the Father that in Him is the fullness of God (Col 1:19). He is the image of the invisible God, All things were created by Him in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things were created by Him, and for Him (Col 1:15,16). To State it explicitly, Jesus is God. His Father sent Him to die on the cross for our sin. He was able to die for us and pay the penalty for our sin and death was unable to hold him in the grave, with great power he rose from the dead. Death has no dominion over Him. The work that Jesus did, by being in perfect obedience to God and dying on the cross for our sins, is acceptable to God. God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. Faith in Jesus Christ and nothing more can save you. Thank You, Lord, Amen. My friends, I hope this message has brought you closer to Jesus. If you understand trust in Him today. Brothers and sisters tell all your friends. God bless you. If this message has helped you let me know, Blog. Like.
Rev. Reginald Stevens
