Jesus + nothing else= salvation

 

Read Galatians 3

 

Paul turns to the Galatians and He says something like this:

‘You fools! Who on earth has been deceiving you? When I came and preached the Gospel to you, you saw Jesus Christ as the crucified Son of God, and you knew that there was no other way of being saved. 

'By faith you came to believe that salvation was entirely through His cross, and that you didn’t have to ‘perform’ or ‘do’ anything to be accepted by God. But what has happened to you now ? I can’t believe you are being so stupid!

'You began the Christian life by faith, by simply believing in the cross. And you received God’s gift of the Holy Spirit in the same way by faith. 

 

'But now you are saying that in order to go on living the Christian life, you have to do something—you have to observe a few laws here and there—you have to "perform" in order for God to still accept you! 

He accepted you at the beginning, just as you were. He accepted you because of what Christ did for you. So what makes you think you now have to maintain your relationship with Him by doing something to keep it? I’m heartbroken by this.

 

Do you ever feel this way? I know I do! Many days my gratitude alone convicts me into believing I must do more. The truth is nothing but the blood of Jesus could justify us. Now as it pertains to the righteousness God asks of us while we await glorification, all that is required is our constant surrender. It is by that surrender that the Holy Spirit, unhindered by our flesh will continue the ministry of Christ. For it is not our works but the works of the spirit that give life. This is why Paul said our works apart from the spirit are filthy rages. 

 

Less of me and more of you God. This should be our response after receiving forgiveness, Grace, and mercy, and just as we came to Him now we should walk, in humble surrender.

 

Don’t put back onto the yoke that which Jesus already paid for. We don’t need to put thousands of years of laws back onto our shoulders after they have already been crucified by Christ.

For to try and follow a single law for earning or maintaining salvation is to be guilty of them all.

Romans 10:9-11 "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

If you ever think that you can do something to earn the gift of salvation, you will begin to think that you deserve it, when you think you deserve it you will never be grateful for it. Salvation comes from Christ and Christ alone.

We are to work FROM our salvation and NOT FOR our salvation.

Do good. Not to be saved, but because you have already been saved.