Advertise Your Business or Website at HomewithGod

WILL GOOD WORKS SAVE A PERSON? - NO. 3

By George W. Sinquefield

The Holy Bible, King James Version

Ephesians 2:8 through Ephesians 2:10
⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

        This is my third sermon on this subject. I pointed out in the other two that good works cannot save a lost soul because:

1.    One cannot be saved by being obedient to the Old Testament law.
2.    That good works cannot give life to a spiritual corpse.
3.    That good works will not change our sinful nature nor impart a new nature.
4.    That good works without faith cannot please God.

1.    Good works cannot remove sins which one has committed.
2.    Good works cannot fit one to stand acceptably before God.

Acts 4:12
¹²Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

I.    Good works cannot remove sins one has committed.

        What about our past sins? If one straightenes up now and begins to do a lot of good works will this take care of his sin debt? The Bible teaches that, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" and it also tells us that good works cannot take away sin. The very best of works are set forth in the Law, the Ten Commandments, but even these cannot take away sin.

Galatians 2:21 (KJV)
²¹I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 3:21 (KJV)
²¹Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

        H. A. Wilson, associate of Billy Graham, put it like this:

        Suppose a man has been working at the task of cleaning out the stove and chimney. In the process he has gotten his clothes covered with dirt and his face and hands are literally black with soot. While he is in this condition, his good wife calls him to dinner. Suppose he argues thus: "I really should be clean to eat dinner and to associate with my wife, so I will shun all dirt from now on, I will act as a clean man should act." With this attitude of mind he goes to the dining room and seats himself at the table as though he were washed and ready for dinner. When his wife, who has been detained for a moment, comes in, he arises and attempts to embrace her as he would were he actually clean. Will all such actions, which would be very proper if he were really clean and ready, remove the grime from his clothes and person? "How foolish!" you say. Yet dear friend, it is no worse than for a man who is defiled by sin to seek to be free from sin by reformation and good works. Good works cannot remove sin.

        Suppose again that a man has robbed the United States mail. In some way he escapes the clutches of the officers of the law and goes to another state where he is not known. In that state he lives an exemplary life. He marries and rears a family. In all things he is the best of husbands and fathers. He acquires considerable property and conducts himself as a good citizen should. And he so wins the respect of his fellow townsmen, that they make him mayor. In this office he serves for several years. In all this time he maintains absolute integrity, in not one thing giving the least occasion for question as to his faithfulness to the trust committed to him. Twenty years roll by and in all this time he has perfectly kept all the laws of country, state and municipality. This will remit the penalty for his crime, will it not? Will it not satisfy justice? No one who is at all familiar with the processes of law could for a moment assent to this proposition. The righteousness of his conduct during those twenty years or many more for that matter could never satisfy the demands of broken law. Only one thing can satisfy justice, and that is for the crime to be punished. When full punishment has been meted out then, and only then, is a man free from the penalty of broken law.
 

Revelation 1:5 (KJV)
⁵And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
⁷In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

1 Peter 1:18 through 1 Peter 1:19 (KJV)
¹⁸Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

        God gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to bear the penalty for our sin and this He did when He died on the cross. He satisfied to the righteous demands of God's law. He paid the sin debt of all who believe on Him as Savior.

        When a lost sinner believes in Jesus, accepts Him as his Savior, he is forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross. The Scriptures tell us that this repentant sinner is justified.

Acts 13:39 (KJV)
³⁹And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Galatians 2:16 (KJV)
¹⁶Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in 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.

Romans 3:2 (KJV)
²Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

        We define justification as, "The judicial act of God whereby He declares the sinner (who repents and puts his faith in Jesus as Savior) free from all guilt because Jesus paid the penalty for his sins on the cross of Calvary" Justification means, "To announce the verdict Not Guilty!" When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God declares us "not guilty" because Jesus paid our sin debt.

II.    Good works cannot fit one to stand acceptably before God.

        It is not enough that the sinner be justified -- declared not guilty. He must have a positive righteousness in order to stand in the presence of God.

Hebrews 12:14 (KJV)
¹⁴Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Matthew 5:20 (KJV)
²⁰For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

        How can we get this necessary righteousness? Can we get it by doing a lot of good works? It is not by good works but by faith. Our righteousness must be the righteousness of God and it comes to us by faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:20 through Romans 3:24 (KJV)
²⁰Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. ²¹But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; ²²Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: ²³For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ²⁴Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

        But of her God says:

Romans 9:31 through Romans 9:32 (KJV)
³¹But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. ³²Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

Romans 10:1 through Romans 10:4 (KJV)
¹Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. ²For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. ³For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. ⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

        The testimony of the Scripture goes further.
 
 

Galatians 2:21 (KJV)
²¹I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

        How clear it is that righteousness does not come by the Law and if righteousness does not come by the Law then it cannot come by good works. For the works of the Law, including the Ten Commandments, are the very best of good works.

        When a person believes in Jesus he is clothed in the righteousness of God.
 
 

Romans 9:30 (KJV)
³⁰What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)
²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Romans 4:5 through Romans 4:6 (KJV)
⁵But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ⁶Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

        "Impute" is the key word here. It means "to place to the account of." God imputes or puts on the sinners's account the righteousness of Christ so that in His sight the believer is completely righteous. The righteousness is God's gift to the believer.

Romans 5:17 (KJV)
¹⁷For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

        The man who endeavors to enter God's presence with no better righteousness than his own righteousness, which consists of good works, will find himself in the same pridicament as the guest that attempted to make himself presentable at the wedding feast without putting on the wedding garment provided by the Lord of the feast. The story is told in Matt. 22:11-13:

Matthew 22:11 through Matthew 22:13 (KJV)
¹¹And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: ¹²And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. ¹³Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

        Better might a hobo, clothed with dirty and vermin-infested garments, attempt to be presentable at a stylish function by acting like a man of culture, than for the sinner to hope to be presentable before God, dressed only in the filthy rags of his own righteousness, for the testimony of Isaiah is:

Isaiah 64:6 (KJV)
⁶But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

        Here again the grace of God does what our good works could never do. When we simply trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, God gives to us the robe of His own perfect righteousness. For it is written, "The righteousness of God . . . is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believer"(Rom. 3:22).

        Good works cannot remove our past sins (or any sins, past, present, or future) and they cannot fit us to stand the presence of God.

        When we accept Jesus as Savior our sins are forgiven and we are clothed in His righteousness. A man dies and goes to heaven. Of course, St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in." "Okay," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart." "That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "That's worth three points!" "Three points?" the man says. "Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithes and service." "Terrific!" says St. Peter, "That's certainly worth a point." "One point?" says the man. Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans.." "Fantastic," said St. Peter, "That's good for two more points." "TWO POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I will get into heaven is by the grace of God!" "Come on in!" St. Peter said.

        Once again let us read and understand what God's Word tells us about this all important matter.

Ephesians 2:8 through Ephesians 2:9 (KJV)
⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

        Have you by faith in Jesus accepted the salvation Jesus gives? Remember you are not saved by what you do (your good works) but by what Jesus has done. Your part is to believe in Him.

John 3:16 (KJV)
¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.