Replies

I’m not ignoring the verses you cited. They simply do not mean what you suggest they mean and you have cherry-picked a few proof texts while ignoring the clear passages I cited. The overwhelming weight of Scriptures are on my side here.

You seem committed to popery, so I rather doubt I will change your mind. And I know you can’t change mine. I’ve had a really tough 36 hours or so and I’m running on fumes. I’m too tired to go back and forth. I know I shared the truth in my initial comment. Accordingly, I said “believe as you will.”

By the way, you did not deal with ALL the “pertinent” verses. Here are a few more that teach salvation is not by works. Someone sent me this list, so I don’t know who put it together. I simply know it’s a good place for someone trusting works, whether in whole or in part, to start studying. Wrestle with these and get back to me.

1. Eph. 2:8-9 - “For BY GRACE are ye SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast.”
2. Rom. 4:6-7 - God imputes “Righteousness without works.” (See #9, #4, #45, #7, #12, #53)
3. Rom. 10:3 - It’s a grave mistake for anyone to try to, “Establish their own righteousness.”
4. Rom. 5:17 - Heaven deserving righteousness is a “GIFT,” not something you earn.
5. Rom. 5:18 - Justification to God is a “FREE GIFT,” not something you work toward.
6. Phil. 3:9 - Paul, as ‘good’ as he was, still wouldn’t trust his “Own righteousness” to save him.
7. Rom. 3:22 - God’s righteousness is credited to “ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE,” not all that work.
8. Rom. 8:3-4 - The flesh is too “Weak” to save itself. We need a Saviour. We need Christ. (See #86)
9. Rom. 4:3 - Abraham’s faith, not works, “Was counted unto him for righteousness.”
10. Rom. 4:4-5 - Works are “Not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” Faith is counted as righteousness.
11. Gal. 3:10 - To earn Heaven you’d have to “Continueth,” perfectly, in the whole law. (See #81, #86)
12. Titus 3:5 - “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.”
13. John 5:24 - In Christ we’ve “PASSED from death unto life.” We don’t have to “wait” to find out.
14. Rom. 9:31-32 - Israel, “Sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.” (#33, #54)
15. Acts 4:12 - No other name but Christ can save us— not the name of works, nor our own name.
16. John 1:12-13 - Only God’s power, through His Son, makes us a child of God. We are not born into
God’s family by “Blood” (heritage, family ‘pedigree’), “Nor will of the flesh” (good works), “Nor will
of man.” (minister, or man made religion), “But of God.” (See #12, #53, #21, #17, #22, #46, #15)
17. Isa. 45:22 - No one else can save a soul from Hell but God; “There is none else.”
18. Acts 13:39 - “And by him [Christ] all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye
COULD NOT BE JUSTIFIED by the law of Moses.” (See #33, #54, #53, #5, #42, #64, #82, #87, #80)
19. Rom. 8:7 - We can’t follow God’s law even if we wanted to. So how can we save ourselves? (#86, #8)
20. Matthew 7:21-23 - Christ describes a future scene in which some who are trusting in their “Many
wonderful works,” will, sadly, be told by Christ: “I never knew you: depart from me, Ye that work
iniquity.” Their good works will not save them. We all have to trust Christ, and Him ALONE. (#46, #12)
21. John 10:1 - We must enter through Christ, “THE DOOR,” not by “Some other way..” (See #46)
22. John 8:24 - A person can work all they want, but it won’t save them. Jesus said the bottom line is
that, “If ye believe not that I am he [the only way], ye shall die in your sins.” (See #53 and #69)
23. Rom. 4:2 - If Abraham could have saved himself, he’d have something to brag about. (See #25, #1)
24. Acts 10:1-43 - Cornelius’ good works would put anyone today to shame, yet he still had to get saved
by trusting solely in Christ to save him. (See #6, #12, #1, #88)
25. Rom. 3:27-28 - “Where is boasting then?...Of WORKS? nay.” (See #1 and #23)
26. 1 John 5:13 - If your salvation depends on a lifetime of good works, then why does the Bible teach
that you could “KNOW” for sure, before you die, that you are going to Heaven? The answer is because
salvation doesn’t depend on you, but on Christ, who ALREADY paid the price for your sins. (See #87)
27. Heb. 1:3 - “He had BY HIMSELF purged our sins.” He doesn’t need help from us! (See #15)
28. Heb. 2:3 - If we have to work at earning it, why does the Bible call it “So great salvation”?
29. Heb. 2:9-10 - Christ is “The CAPTAIN of their salvation.” He tasted “Death for every man.”
30. Heb. 2:14-15 - Christ is the one who will “DELIVER” us from death, not ourselves! (See #53)
31. Heb. 2:17 - Christ makes “RECONCILIATION for the sins.” We can’t reconcile ourselves.
32. Heb. 5:9 - Christ is “The AUTHOR of eternal salvation,” not us! It’s not in our hands.
33. Gal. 2:16 - “Knowing that a man IS NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS of the law, but by the
faith of Jesus Christ, ....that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and NOT by the WORKS
of the law: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.”
34. Heb. 9:28 - “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.” God won’t accept good works.
35. Heb. 10:10-12 - Christ’s body was offered “Once for all.” So stop insulting God with your works.
36. Heb. 10:14 - “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them.” STOP WORKING at it!
37. Heb. 10:17-18 - “There is no more offering for sin.” So stop offering your good works.
38. 2 Cor. 1:9 - “We should not trust in ourselves, but in God,” who has ALREADY paid the price.
39. 2 Cor. 1:10 - Christ “Delivered us from so great a death.” He had to; we can’t deliver ourselves.
40. Eph. 1:12-13 - You are saved by trusting in Christ, and, “After that believed, ye were SEALED.”
41. Jer. 17:5 - “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.”
42. Job 25:4 - “How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a
woman?” (For God’s answer, see #86, #63, #54, #33, #82, #80, #73, #5 and Isaiah 1:18)
43. Isa. 12:2 - “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust.” Don’t trust good works, trust the Saviour.
44. Luke 18:9-14 - Jesus gives a parable teaching that self righteousness WILL NOT save a person.
45. Ezek. 33:13 - “If he trust to his own righteousness...” He better be perfectly sinless or else!
46. John 14:6 - Jesus said, “I am THE WAY...no man cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME.”
47. 1 Tim. 2:5-6 - There’s ONLY “One mediator between God and men,” Jesus Christ, not ourselves.
48. Col. 2:14 - Christ took our sin debt, “Nailing it to his cross.” It’s ALREADY paid for! (See #34-37)
49. John 19:30 - While on the cross, Christ said, “It is finished.” It’s paid. We don’t have to work for it.
50. Matt. 11:28-30 - Christ offers “REST” to all those working at trying to earn their way to Heaven.
51. Isa. 53:4-6 - Christ was, “WOUNDED FOR OUR transgressions.” Why? So WE don’t have to be.
52. Heb. 4:9-10 - The person who accepts Christ as Saviour, “Hath CEASED from his own works.”
53. Gal. 2:21 - If you could earn Heaven, why did Christ die? “Then Christ is dead in vain.” (See #86, #8)
54. Rom. 3:20 - “Therefore by the deeds of the law there SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his
sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (See #33, #14, #82, #80, #87, #42, #73)
55. Gal. 5:1-4 - “Christ hath made us free.” He had to; we can’t free ourselves, no matter how “good.”
56. 2 Tim. 1:10 - “Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death,” with no help from us.
57. 1 John 4:14 - Christ was sent, “To be the Saviour of the world”; we couldn’t save ourselves.
58. 1 Tim. 4:10 - “The Saviour of ALL men.” Why try to save yourself? You already have a Saviour.
59. Acts 16:30-31 - When the Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul didn’t say,
keep the Ten Commandments, but rather, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
60. Luke 7:49-50 - Christ told the woman: “Thy faith hath saved thee,” not thy works! (See #1)
61. Eph. 1:7 - “Redemption through HIS BLOOD, the forgiveness of sins,” not through our works.
62. 1 Pet. 1:3-5 - “According to his abundant MERCY,” not according to our good deeds. (See #12)
63. Rev. 1:5 - Christ, “Washed us from our sins in his own blood”; can’t wash ourselves with works.
64. Titus 3:7 - We are “Justified by his grace,” not by our good deeds, baptism, or church membership.
65. Titus 2:11 - “The grace of God that BRINGETH SALVATION hath appeared to ALL MEN.”
66. Eph. 4:32 - We are forgiven, “For Christ’s sake,” not because of our good behavior. (See #88)
67. Eph. 2:4-5 - “(By grace ye are saved),” not by works. The two don’t mix according to Rom. 11:6.
68. Acts 26:18 - “Through this man [Christ]...forgiveness of sins,” not through our efforts!
69. Heb. 7:25 - Only Christ is “Able to save.” Only He can “Make INTERCESSION for them.”

70. Rom. 3:10 - “There is none righteous, no, not one.” So how can anyone save themselves?
71. Rom. 3:12 - “There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” So how can anyone save themselves?
72. Eccl. 7:20 - “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good.” Can anyone save themselves?
73. Rom. 4:25 - Christ has already died for our sins. He, “Was delivered for our offences and raised
again FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.” So what role does a person play in their own salvation?
74. Rom. 5:10 - “We are reconciled to God by the death of his Son,” not by the fruits of our works.
75. John 6:28-29 - “Then said they unto him, WHAT SHALL WE DO, that we might work the works
of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD, THAT YE BELIEVE
ON HIM whom he hath sent.” (See #59, #22, #10, #53)
76. 1 Pet. 3:18 - “Suffered for us...that HE might bring us to God.” Do we have to help Him save us?
Didn’t He suffer enough to pay the price? Heb. 7:25 says He did. He saves to “The uttermost.”
77. Matt. 5:20 - Your self-righteousness would have to surpass that of the Pharisees— Impossible! (#70)
78. 1 John 2:2 - Christ, “Is the propitiation [payment]...for the sins of the whole world.” If He can
pay for the sins of the whole world, why would He need our help in saving us— mere individuals?
79. Rom. 8:8 - “They that are in the flesh cannot please God.” So what chance does anyone have?
80. Rom. 3:23-25 - Through Christ’s death we are “Justified freely” (made right with God). His death
provides: “Redemption” (we are bought back to God), “Propitiation” (a settlement of our sin debt),
“Remission [forgiveness] of sins.” It’s all by God’s “Grace” not our works. (See #1, #35, #36, #78)
81. James 2:10-11 - “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in ONE POINT, he is
guilty of all.” We can’t possibly save ourselves; God demands sinless perfection. We need a Saviour.
82. Romans 5:8-9 - We are “Justified by his blood,” not our good works. That’s why “When we were
sinners, Christ died for us.” Therefore, “We shall be saved from wrath through him.”
83. Matt. 18:11 - Jesus came “To save that which was lost [us].” Why? Because we can’t save ourselves.
Otherwise, why send Christ to die for our sins if we could pay for them ourselves? (See #53, #8, #86, #76)
84. Acts 15:10-11 - “Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,” not through
works. Grace is not works; works is not grace, as explained in Rom. 11:6 (see #90, #1, #53)
85. 2 Cor. 5:21 - “Christ was made sin for us...that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him.” Why trust our own “righteousness” if God offers to impute us His righteousness? (Rom. 4:22-24)
86. Matt. 19:25-26 - “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, WHO THEN
CAN BE SAVED? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, WITH MEN THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE;
but with God all things are possible.” (See #8, #41, #42, #81, #11, #45, #70, #19)
87. Rom. 5:1 - “Therefore being JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, we have PEACE WITH GOD through our
Lord Jesus Christ.” There can be no real peace when a person spends their life wondering if they have done
enough good works. Peace is knowing it’s been paid for ALREADY. (See #52, #50, #26, #53)
88. 2 Tim. 1:9 - “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, NOT ACCORDING TO OUR
WORKS, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began.” God had a “payment plan” ready before any of us were even alive to work!
89. Rom. 10:9-13 - “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [i.e. Repent], and shalt
believe in thine heart [i.e. Trust] that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED
...For whosoever shall CALL upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED.” (See #15)
90. Rom. 11:6 - “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.”
91. Gal. 1:4, 92. Rom. 1:16, 93. Gal. 3:21, 94. Heb. 9:22, 95. 1 Tim. 2:6, 96. Acts 10:43,
97. Isa. 43:11, 98. Gal. 3:24, 99. Heb. 9:12-14, 100. 1 Tim. 1:15, 101. Heb. 6:1