Salvation is 100% the work of the Lord—grace from start to finish. It is all of God and none of man. No human effort, no good works, no religious activity can ever satisfy the perfect righteousness of God. Works do not save—they never have, and they never will. The only work that matters is the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, where He bore the penalty for sin in full (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:8; 1 Pet 3:18). He gets all the praise and glory. I dare not try to steal any for myself. Yet, if I think my good works contribute in any way to my salvation, then, to that degree, I am attempting to add to His finished work on the cross. And to that degree, I am trying to steal His glory for myself. Human pride desires this—it wants me to have glory for what I do. But God does not share His glory with sinners, with prideful men who think their tainted good works help save them. No. I am a spiritually dead sinner, separated from God, morally bankrupt, bringing absolutely nothing to God. He does all the work of salvation; I simply receive His grace gift. The moment I believe in Christ, I receive forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43), the imputation of divine righteousness (Phil 3:9), eternal life (John 10:28), and the absolute guarantee of a future home in heaven (John 14:1-3). He alone deserves all the praise for saving me—an ungodly, wretched sinner who deserves the lake of fire.
Divine forgiveness is granted to me solely by grace through faith in Christ (Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). The Bible teaches that “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43). Here, forgiveness is granted solely on the basis of faith in Christ. There is no mention of works, rituals, or human merit—only faith in Christ as the necessary and sufficient condition for receiving forgiveness. Elsewhere, it is written, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). Here, the basis of forgiveness is Christ’s sacrificial death, and the means by which it is applied to the believer is God’s grace. The phrase “according to the riches of His grace” underscores that forgiveness is entirely an unmerited gift from God, not something earned or deserved.
Furthermore, the moment a person believes in Jesus Christ as Savior, God declares that person righteous on the grounds that God’s perfect righteousness has been credited to their account (Rom 4:5-7). God gives His righteousness to the one who believes in Christ as Savior. The Apostle Paul describes this as “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17). It’s a free gift from God to us. This righteousness is not our own, which is relative to whatever standard we might follow, but God’s righteousness deposited in us. Paul calls it “the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9). When God looks at us, as Christians, He sees His righteousness in us and declares us justified in His sight (Rom 3:24, 28; Gal 2:16). God justifies “the ungodly” the moment we believe (Rom 4:5), and we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28). Good works should follow our justification (Gal 6:10; Eph 2:10; Tit 2:11-14), but they are never a condition of it (John 3:16; Rom 4:1-5; Eph 2:8-9). We are justified before God, not because of any good works we do, but because of the work of Jesus on the cross and the imputed righteousness of God that is credited to our account (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross, and we are redeemed “with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:19). As Christians, we are “justified by His blood” (Rom 5:9), and not by any good works we may produce before, during, or after salvation. That’s total grace!
Grace Offends the Proud
The doctrine of grace offends human pride because it utterly removes all grounds for boasting, leaving no room for personal merit in salvation. People naturally resist the idea that divine forgiveness is granted solely by grace through faith in Christ, apart from any promise of moral improvement (Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). The flesh craves validation, seeking to contribute something—whether good works, religious rituals, or moral effort—to earn or prove righteousness. But Scripture is clear: salvation is an unmerited gift (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8-9), based entirely on Christ’s work on the cross, received through faith alone in Jesus (Acts 10:43; Rom 4:5). This is intolerable to those who believe their morality or religious devotion should give them an advantage before God. Grace levels the playing field, placing the upright citizen and the lifelong criminal on equal footing—both hopeless apart from Christ, both justified the same way (Rom 3:24, 28; Phil 3:9).
Pride is further offended by grace because it contradicts human notions of fairness. The idea that a sinner who believes in Christ on his deathbed is equally justified as a lifelong churchgoer is repulsive to those who think in terms of merit. But God does not justify the worthy—He justifies “the ungodly” (Rom 4:5). His standard is perfect righteousness, which no one can attain through effort, so He freely credits it to those who believe (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21). This infuriates those who want to earn or prove their salvation through moral improvement and good works.
Many also reject grace out of fear that it leads to lawlessness. The argument is simple: If works are not required for salvation, won’t people sin freely? It is possible that a person might continue in sin after being saved (1 John 2:1), but not without consequences—either divine discipline (Heb 12:6; cf. 1 Cor 11:30) or loss of eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:10-15). Justification is distinct from sanctification. God, who justifies us, also calls us to be sanctified; however, the former is not conditioned on the latter. We are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Though good works should follow salvation (Gal 6:10; Eph 2:10), they are never a condition of it.
God Saves the Helpless
God has saved me, a helpless sinner in need of grace, and He did this as an act of love and mercy toward me, because I cannot save myself (Rom 5:8; Tit 3:5). I am like the helpless, crucified thief next to the Lord of glory—guilty, condemned, and utterly incapable of saving myself. My hands are nailed, unable to perform any good work. My feet are fastened, unable to walk a path of righteousness. I have nothing to offer, nothing to give—only the desperate plea of a condemned sinner in need of grace. Yet, in that moment of helplessness, salvation is as near as the One beside me, and He is open to hear my cry. With a simple act of faith—and faith alone—I turn to Christ, and in compassion and grace He promises me paradise when I die (Luke 23:43). I simply trust Him at His Word, and He saves me entirely. He does the work; I receive the blessing. And oh, what joy fills my soul as I cling to His promise! That is salvation—total, unearned, unmerited, all of Him and none of me. That is total grace! Amen.
Bound to my cross, bearing my blame,
Helpless to save, feeling my shame.
To the Lord of glory, a plea I make,
He speaks, and saves, for mercy’s sake.
His love flows down, so full and free,
He paid the price that ransomed me.
Now heaven’s joy is mine to share,
A home with Christ, beyond compare.
No work I bring to earn His grace,
But from His love, my hands embrace,
The call to serve, to walk His way,
A life of light, His name to praise.
Dr. Steven R. Cook
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- The God-Man: Understanding the Deity and Humanity of Christ
- Defining Salvation in the Bible
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Thanks for notes on Calvinism. It’s not an issue for me, but I am greatly concerned about It apparently gaining ground rapidly, especially among younger pastors.
Hello Ronnie, thanks for your comment. Yes, it is a growing trend. I’m praying for ways to understand and address it.