Do good works save you…what did Jesus teach?

Do we need to do good works for salvation? That is a big question in some religious circles. Both Christian and Non-Christian groups alike teach that we need to do good works in order to obtain salvation.

The big question that we need to ask is, “Is this biblical or man-made?” So where do we need to go to find an answer to whether or not works are needed for salvation? The best source I believe is Jesus Christ Himself, and Matthew chapter 7 is where you will find His teaching on this topic. In this chapter Jesus is still preaching the Sermon on the Mount, and at verse 13 of this chapter Jesus starts to tell the people about the way to heaven (narrow is the gate…). He then goes on to tell the people to beware of false prophets who will come to deceive them into believing something else, and at verses 21 – 23 we find the following words of Jesus:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ Matt 7:21-23 (NASB)

Obviously, “on that day” is talking about the day when Jesus comes to judge us all, which will determine where we will spend eternity. Right before Jesus passes judgment, what does Jesus say the people will appeal to in order to show Him that they are worthy of a heavenly reward?...their good works. Jesus listed out a bunch of things that the people said they did in His name, and what was Jesus’ response to all of this? Did He say, “Well done, your heavenly reward awaits you”? No, Jesus told them to depart from Him because doing those things isn’t what saves you. Only our relationship with Christ, our acceptance of Him as Savior and our obedience to Him will matter. No faith in an organization or denomination will save you...it's only our faith in Jesus Christ that will save you.

New Blog Page

Hello all. Since everyone else seems to have their own blog page, I thought that I might give this a try. Right now, I will just be posting observations, thoughts, etc on what I see happening in the world today (through the internet and other sources) from a Christian point of view. Topical subjects as well as issues within Christianity will be discussed. The comments section will be turned off for the time being until I see how this goes, but I hope that what I post is informative to all. I will also use this blog site to announce new content on our website (www.truth4christ.com) just in case you visit this blog site more than our main website. Keep coming back for new content, or subscribe to this RSS feed.

- Tim