But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26, NIV)
I have often felt that, if an announcement went out on Sunday that man could save himself by riding a bike all the way across the country, that on Monday both coasts would be lined with bicycles. Our desire to justify ourselves by our own actions, by our own works, by our own deeds, is so innate that we would do almost anything to save ourselves and then take credit for having done so.
I firmly believe that most people on the wide path that leads to eternal damnation believe in their hearts that they are good people, that they have tried to live their lives doing far more good than evil, that consider their good works to far outweigh their bad, that, if there is any fairness in the universe, if there is truly a God, surely He will not punish them, surely He will reward them for lives well-lived. Unfortunately, they are wrong, dead wrong, and one day they will discover just how wrong they are.
We cannot save ourselves. Indeed, all our “good works”, all those things that we think will sway God, if He exists, to welcome us with open arms, are, if not done in faith, nothing more than filthy rags. Our “being a good person” is a joke, a sad joke, a joke with a horrible ending. If we think “being good” will save us, we couldn’t be more wrong. None of us is good. No, not one. We are all poor, miserable sinners, totally broken, desperately in need of being saved. We are all drowning in an ocean of sin, completely unable to do anything about it. We need someone to throw us a life preserver, to pull us up out of our hopeless situation, to save us.
Fortunately, this is just what Jesus did. By His death on the cross, He paid the price, the ransom, for our sins, He exchanged His perfect righteousness for our filthy sinfulness, He opened the kingdom of Heaven to us, He threw us the life preserver without which we would drown in our sins.
We are saved by God’s works, specifically by Jesus’ atoning death on the cross, and not by any “good works” we may have done. Salvation by any means other than faith in Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us with His death on the cross, is a fallacy. There are not multiple paths to God, to Heaven. There is one, and only one, and our works contribute nothing to it.
Christianity is unique, different than all other religions, in that it believes that we are saved by God’s works (imputed righteousness) and not by our own works (works-based righteousness). All other religions emphasize works-based salvation, that only by meeting some threshold of doing good works will they receive eternal rewards. What this means is that most people traversing the path to Hell are either misguided souls who believe their own good works will save them (if there is a God) or believe in a god that will reward those who perform enough good works. Both are, unfortunately, sadly, going to die in their sins and spend eternity paying for them.
As possessors of the truth, the knowledge that we are saved by grace through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, God has appointed us as His representatives, His royal priests, His ambassadors to the world. We have been given the task of sharing the gifts, the time, talents and treasures He has bestowed upon us, with others. He has called us, not to hide what we believe, but rather to be beacons of light and life, believers who shine their faith to the rest of the world by their words and deeds.
Although it’s a long hymn, “Salvation unto Us Has Come” beautifully summarizes how we are saved by God’s works and not our own. In addition to clearly articulating that we cannot satisfy the Law, that our good works cannot and will not save us, it emphasizes several of our core beliefs, (1) “Sola Gracie”, we are only saved by God’s free grace and favor, (2) “Sola Fide”, we are saved through faith alone (and not good works), (3) “Solus Christus”, that only the works of Jesus Christ can save us, can redeem us, can pay the ransom for our sins, can satisfy the Father’s wrath against our sins, (4) “Sola Scriptura”, that God’s Word is inerrant and cannot be broken, (5) that we become children of God through Baptism, (6) that salvation via the Law is simply not possible, that the Law is instead a bright mirror that shows us our sins, our helplessness, our deep and total corruption, (7) that good works are our response to God’s works, are proof that our faith is alive and (8) that God is a Triune God, Father, Son (Jesus) and Spirit, to whom we owe all blessing, honor, thanks and praise. For these reasons, this hymn is one of my favorites and a good way to close this article.
1 Salvation unto us has come
by God’s free grace and favor;
good works cannot avert our doom,
they help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
who did for all the world atone;
he is our one Redeemer.
2 What God did in his law demand
and none to him could render
caused wrath and woe on ev'ry hand
for man, the vile offender.
Our flesh has not the pure desires
the spirit of the law requires,
and lost is our condition.
3 It was a false, misleading dream
that God his law had given
that sinners could themselves redeem
and by their works gain heaven.
The law is but a mirror bright
to bring the inbred sin to light
that lurks within our nature.
4 From sin our flesh could not abstain,
sin held its sway unceasing;
the task was hopeless and in vain,
our guilt was e’er increasing.
None can remove sin’s poisoned dart
or purify our guileful heart,
so deep is our corruption.
5 Yet as the law must be fulfilled
or we must die despairing,
Christ came and has God’s anger stilled,
our human nature sharing.
He has for us the law obeyed
and thus the Father’s vengeance stayed
which over us impended.
6 Since Christ has full atonement made
and brought to us salvation,
each Christian therefore may be glad
and build on this foundation.
Your grace alone, dear Lord, I plead
your death is now my life indeed,
for you have paid my ransom.
7 Let me not doubt, but truly see
your Word cannot be broken;
your call rings out, "Come unto me!"
No falsehood have you spoken.
Baptized into your precious name,
my faith cannot be put to shame,
and I shall never perish.
8 The law reveals the guilt of sin
and makes us conscience-stricken;
but then the gospel enters in
the sinful soul to quicken.
Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live;
the law no peace can ever give,
no comfort and no blessing.
9 Faith clings to Jesus' cross alone
and rests in him unceasing;
and by its fruits true faith is known,
with love and hope increasing.
For faith alone can justify;
works serve our neighbor and supply
the proof that faith is living.
10 All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
to Father, Son, and Spirit,
the God who saved us by his grace;
all glory to his merit!
O triune God in heav’n above,
you have revealed your saving love,
your blessèd name be hallowed! (Paul Speratus, 1484–1551)