Can Our Good Works Save Us?
If our good works can save us from eternal damnation Christ is crucified for nothing. God has made a provision for our salvation and restoration through faith in His crucifixion, just by faith alone by His grace. You cannot please God by any means other than faith in Him and His grace.
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
John 6:29
He was sent to give His life a ransom for all who believe in His crucifixion. All religions seek God through traditional practices, and try to please god through rituals, rites, ceremonies, charity works, doing good and so on. In christianity you cannot please God through any of these. You can please God only through believing in Christ and His crucifixion. Jesus Christ came seeking man and accomplished His own sacrifice for the redemption of man.
“how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? “
Hebrews 9:14
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),Ephesians 2:4-5
What is born of flesh is carnal and what is born of the spirit is spiritual.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
II Corinthians 5:17
The new creation happened when the Word of God is heard ànd was believed and it was considered righteousness.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.Romans 10:17
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—Galatians 3:5
God supplies the spirit when we hear the Word of God. When the spirit starts controlling our lives we do good works. Our good works cannot give us salvation. Salvation happens by faith in the crucified Christ.
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.Ephesians 2:8-10
We have no role to perform except believing in the redemption through crucified Christ. So your good works have no role in your salvation. When you believe you are saved and the Holy Spirit takes charge of you. You know that you belong to Christ and start living imitating Christ. Still there are chances that we err and sin which in turn will grieve the Holy Spirit who is with us. He reminds us of sin and we repent and return to God again. This is an ongoing process of sanctification. We truly repent and try to lead a holy life. Still we know that our righteous actions are like the dirty rag. We will be rewarded in the end for our good actions, but this cannot give us salvation. Righteousness is the product of salvation through faith in Christ alone by grace alone.
“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. “
II Corinthians 5:9-10
Prayer
Thank you Lord for your abundant mercy towards us. Thank you Lord for saving us through faith in you by your grace. Thank you Jesus for sealing us with the Holy Spirit, giving Him as our constant companion. Thank you for the salvation through your great sacrifice. Help us to live worthy of you. We are unable to do anything to please you except through faith in You. Help us to stand firm in faith and in Your grace. Forgive our weaknesses. Help us to lead a holy life. Thank you Lord. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen
Sol. Salomi Kurian