GOD Works, Not Good Works
How many times have you heard it said that if someone is good enough, then they will have entrance into heaven? How many times have you said it yourself? “I have to go to church this Sunday,” as if your salvation depends on it. “If I follow the Golden Rule and show kindness to enough people, I will be saved.” It is easy to fall into that pattern of thinking, especially considering the way the world operates today. But is it based on truth? More people are talking about good works than what I like to call “God Works.” The work of God can be seen in this verse below–a gift from Him to us, if we choose to accept it.
“For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9
When Jesus Christ died on that cross at Golgotha, He did so because of His love for all of us, and because God knew that we could never DO enough or BE enough on our own in order to enjoy eternal fellowship with Him. He is a perfect God–how could we even begin to measure up? God did not set up a “salvation-meter” for us to try and meet with all our church attendance, acts of kindness, and various other good works. Good works are a result of our love for God and Him working through us, not the means by which we get to heaven. If we love God, we will want to allow Christ’s life and love to reflect through us. Good works will never be a way of salvation for anyone. It is God’s grace (God’s works), not any act of our own, that has saved us if we receive it by faith in a prayer of surrender.
Would you like this free gift from God in your life? Would you like to stop trying to earn your way to heaven, a futile effort without exception? Just tell Him. It can get very tiring trying to earn your way to heaven, especially when it was meant as a free gift. Save yourself some energy and disappointment and receive the work of God as a gift and then watch your life unfold with many good works, not because you need them for salvation, but because the living God is abiding in you and you in Him!