How can salvation be not of works when faith is required?

Answer

Our salvation depends solely on Jesus Christ. He serves as our substitute, bearing sin’s penalty “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”, (2 Corinthians 5:21); He is our Savior from sin “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”, (John 1:29); He is the originator and perfecter of our faith “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”, (Hebrews 12:2). The work required for salvation was fully accomplished by Jesus Himself, who lived a flawless life, bore God’s judgment for sin, and rose from the dead “but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”, (Hebrews 10:12).

The Bible is explicit that our own deeds do not contribute to earning salvation. We are saved “not because of righteous things we had done” “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”, (Titus 3:5). “Not by works” “not of works, lest any man should boast.”, (Ephesians 2:9). “There is no one righteous, not even one” “as it is written, There isNone is righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10). This indicates that offering sacrifices, keeping the commandments, going to church, being baptized, and other good deeds are incapable of saving anyone. Regardless of how “good” we are, we can never meet God’s standard of holiness (Romans 3:23; Matthew 19:17; Isaiah 64:6).

The Bible is clear that salvation is conditional; God does not save everyone. The one condition for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. Over one hundred times in the New Testament, faith (or belief) is stated to be the sole condition for salvation (e.g., John 1:12; Acts 16:31).

One day, some people asked Jesus what they could do to please God: “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus immediately directs them to faith: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:28-29). Therefore, the question pertains to God’s requirements (plural), and Jesus’ response is that God’s requirement (singular) is that you believe in Him.

Grace is God giving us something we cannot earn or deserve. According to Romans 11:6, any kind of “works” destroys grace—the concept is that a worker earns payment, while the recipient of grace simply receives it, unearned. Since salvation is entirely by grace, it cannot be earned. Faith, therefore, is a non-work. Faith cannot truly be considered a “work,” or else it would nullify grace. (See also Romans 4—Abraham’s salvation was based on faith in God, rather than any work he performed.)

Imagine someone anonymously sent you a check for $1,000,000. The money is yours if you want it, but you still must endorse the check. Signing your name in no way can be seen as earningDuring the million dollars—the endorsement is a non-work. You can never brag about becoming a millionaire through sheer effort or your own business acumen. No, the million dollars was simply a gift, and signing your name was the only way to receive it. Similarly, exercising faith is the only way to receive the generous gift of God, and faith cannot be considered a work deserving of the gift.

True faith cannot be deemed a work because true faith entails a cessation of our works in the flesh. True faith has Jesus and His work on our behalf as its focus (Matthew 11:28-29;Hebrews 4:10).

Taking this a step further, true faith cannot be seen as a work because even faith is a gift from God, not something we generate on our own. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” «For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: », (Ephesians 2:8). “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” «No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. », (John 6:44). Praise the Lord for His power to save and for His grace to make salvation a reality!