Salvation Is Not by Works (Part 1)
The case against good works getting you to heaven
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[God] saved us not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit
Titus 3:5 (NET)
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If anyone ever hits you with the “good works can get me to heaven” argument, this is a useful verse to counter with.
We can’t save ourselves.
And we don’t have enough righteous works to bridge the infinite gap caused by sin.
It’s God who does the saving.
More than that, God does this because He’s merciful … not because we’re so awesome that God just HAD to go out and get us on the team.
I’m not that awesome.
Augustine of Hippo, a famous early church theologian, called humanity massa peccati (mess of sin). I think that’s a pretty accurate description of what we are without Christ …
A mess of sin.
But God, in His loving mercy, reached down and did the hard work of salvation. And now offers eternal life as a gift to us if we place our faith in Him.
I know that’s Christianity 101 … but … I’ve found that no matter how many times I hear it, I never get tired of it.
The story of salvation is too wonderful to hear once and move on.
No, I love returning to that story over and over and over again. Like a little child who wants to hear their favorite story every day.
I hope my curiosity never ends.
Of course, that only covers the first part of the verse. I’ll tackle more tomorrow.
— Ricky Ketchum
P.S. Speaking of child-like curiosity, my Scottish internet friend James Shrimpton wrote a children’s book about the story of the Bible. I got an email last week from him saying that it just passed 10,000 copies sold (amazing!).
It’s called The King and the Dragon. I’ve read it, I like it, and if you’re looking for a children’s book with a wholesome, Christian message (again, literally the story of Jesus) then I give it my highest recommendation.
You can grab it here: Amazon link to “The King and the Dragon”
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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