Faith Alone, God's Plan of Salvation

3. Faith Alone, God's Plan of Salvation God provided salvation for all by sending Christ as payment for the sins of the world,

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that who so ever believeth on Him should not perish, but have a everlasting life." His sacrifice was complete and accepted by God; therefore, it was never required again. In Hebrews 10:12 we are told, "But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God."

God's acceptance of Christ's payment was evidenced when He raised Him from the dead. In Romans 4:25, He ". . . was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification."

Salvation was provided by God and completed by Christ. Christ is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He designed it. Christ's coming to earth to take on human flesh, His death on the Cross, and His Resurrection without the help of man completed it. Therefore, it will be offered to man only on God's condition.

A. Salvation Is for All.
Christ's sacrifice has paid for all sin, past, present—and future. Therefore, since the wages of sin is death, if one sin was left unpaid for, Christ would still be in the grave. Since we have all sinned and the penalty for sin has been paid, then all are welcomed to God's salvation.

"For God so loved the world (everyone) that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him (Christ) should not perish, but have everlasting life." The world is everyone, the invitation is to whosoever; therefore,

"This is the record that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." - 1 John 5:11-12

B. Salvation given only as a free gift by faith.
Notice Ephesians 2:8-9,

"For by grace are ye saved, through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."

Let's analyze each part of this verse:

"Grace" - Grace is giving us what we do not deserve. Since all have sinned, none deserve eternal life, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

That's grace, Christ dying for us while we cared nothing for Him!

"Are ye saved." - Since Christ paid for our sins, we are saved from eternal damnation by not paying the debt of our own sins.

"Through faith." - Faith and believing both mean the same, i.e. trusting and relying upon God's payment for our sin, the death and resurrection of Christ.

(1)God does not give you the faith to believe with; but rather, gives us Jesus Christ. God loved the world, thus fulfilling His responsibility. Believing, or not believing, is our responsibility.

"Not of yourselves." - Faith excludes any human good on the part of the believer for salvation. Salvation is never given on behalf of promises, resolutions, commitments, or discarded bad habits. "Not of yourselves" means "not of yourselves!" (Titus 3:5, Isaiah 53:6).

"A gift of God." - Salvation is a gift— period! There is no payment for a gift or it then ceases to be a gift. Salvation is a gift of God received by faith only.

"Not of works." - This is the same as "not of yourselves." Twice God emphasizes that no human good can obtain the sal-vation of God. Isaiah 64:6,

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our right-eousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

C. Works Before Salvation Won't Get You to Heaven.
In John 6:28-29 a group of lost people asked Christ what good works they could do for God. Here is the record,

"Then said they unto Him (Christ), What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" (28)

Since they were lost, no amount of good works would justify them. Our Lord answered them in one clear and concise statement.

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that YE BELIEVE ON HIM (Christ) whom he hath sent" (29) Our works account for rewards only after salvation, not before. They are considered as filthy rags prior to salvation (Isaiah 64:6).

D. Self-righteousness- -We Must Be Lost Before We Can Be Saved.
In Luke 16:1-31, just after Christ had given the Parable Of The Unjust Steward, He was derided by the Pharisees. In Luke 16:24 we are told, "And the Pharisees also who were covetous heard all these things and they derided him (Christ)." The reason they did this is given in Luke 16:15,

"And He (Christ) said unto them, ye are they which JUSTIFY YOURSELVES before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."

E. The Pharisee and the Publican.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee and the other a Publican." - Luke 18:10 What caused Christ to give this parable? The answer is found in Luke 18:9, "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others."

One can easily see why Christ condemned this Pharisee after listening to his self-righteous prayer. Listen to Him in Luke 18:11-12,

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, and adulterers, or even as this publican. (11) I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess." (12) This man is characteristic of many self-righteous church members today. Church members, but lost. Self-justified, but condemned. The publican pictures the sinner, who knows and admits he is a sinner. Until one realizes he is a sinner, he has no need of a Savior. The publican came, not justifying himself, or even worthy to look to Heaven,

"And the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes into Heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER."

Now let us see who God accepted in Luke 18:14,

"I tell you this man went down to his house JUSTIFIED rather than the other."

F. The Jews.
In Romans 10:1-4, Paul prayer was that his kinfolk, Israel, would be saved. He acknowledged they were religious; but, self-righteous and lost. Here are Romans 10:1-4 in their entirety.

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. (1) For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. (2) For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. (3) For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (4)

Yes, religious and self-righteous, but lost. They, as many today, will not submit themselves unto the righteousness of God; but are trying to establish their own righteousness. One does not need Christ's righteousness when they are convinced their own is sufficient. The Word of God cannot penetrate a person who is full of self!

G. Faith Gives Us Christ's Righteousness.
"For He hath made him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (Christ)." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 When I trust Christ by faith as my Savior, God gives me the righteousness of Christ, and takes my sin and judges it completely paid for at the Cross. . . where He was made sin for me. Now I can...

"...be found in him (Christ) NOT HAVING MY OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Php_3:9).

Paul, in Galatians 2:21 said,

"I do not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."

In God's Word, faith, believe, and trust all have the same meaning when appearing in connection with salvation. All three mean you are relying 100% on Christ as your payment for sin. Then, and only then, can one have the absolute assurance you will never perish but have everlasting life. I can then say with Paul in Galatians 2:20,

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

What a relief it is to know for sure where I am going when I die! Our assurance is found in 1 John 5:11-13...

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (Christ). (11)

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. (12)

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life..." (13) There are only two ways to approach God...

Rejected--coming to God with your OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Accepted--coming to God as a sinner,
Accepting Christ by FAITH.

God's Work Done God's Way Yields A Bountiful Harvest.
A Clear Gospel Produces Believers; Not Counterfeit Christians.