Salvation by Grace

The Universal Problem of Sin

⊕ Romans 3:10-12
[10] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: [11] There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. [12] They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

⊕ Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

⊕ Ecclesiastes 7:20
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

⊕ 1 John 1:8
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Scripture declares the universal reality of human sinfulness—'there is none righteous, no, not one.' All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is not a matter of degree but of kind; even one sin separates us from the holy God.

Sin is not merely moral failure but rebellion against our Creator, transgression of His law, and falling short of His perfect standard. The carnal mind is enmity against God, not subject to His law, neither indeed can be.

Every imagination of man's heart is only evil continually. This diagnosis, though devastating to human pride, is essential for understanding our desperate need for divine intervention.

The Just Penalty for Sin

⊕ Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

⊕ Ezekiel 18:4
Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

⊕ Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

⊕ Revelation 20:15
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

God's holiness demands justice—'the wages of sin is death.' This death encompasses physical mortality, spiritual separation from God, and ultimately eternal punishment in the lake of fire. 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die,' declares the Lord.

It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Divine justice cannot simply overlook sin or pretend it never occurred.

God's righteousness requires that sin be punished, His law satisfied, and His holiness vindicated. The seriousness of sin is measured not merely by the act itself but by the infinite dignity of the One against whom it is committed.

Understanding this penalty magnifies the wonder of God's salvation.

The Impossibility of Self-Salvation

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

⊕ Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

⊕ Isaiah 64:6
But 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.

⊕ Galatians 2:16
Knowing 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.

Salvation cannot be earned through human effort, religious observance, or moral reformation. 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done,' Scripture declares emphatically.

Our best efforts are as filthy rags in God's sight. No man is justified by the works of the law, for by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified.

If righteousness came by the law, then Christ died in vain. This truth demolishes human pride and self-righteousness.

We cannot save ourselves any more than a drowning man can pull himself up by his own hair. Recognizing our utter inability to save ourselves prepares us to receive God's gracious provision.

The Glorious Gift of Grace

⊕ Ephesians 2:4-5
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

⊕ Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⊕ Titus 2:11
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

⊕ 2 Corinthians 8:9
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

Grace is God's unmerited favor toward those who deserve His wrath. 'By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.' While we were yet sinners, dead in trespasses and sins, God demonstrated His love toward us in that Christ died for us.

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. This grace is not God's response to human goodness but His sovereign initiative toward the undeserving.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich. Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life.

Christ's Substitutionary Atonement

⊕ Isaiah 53:5-6
[5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

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

⊕ 1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

⊕ 1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

God's salvation centers upon Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. 'He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.' God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Our sins were imputed to Christ; His righteousness is imputed to us. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, suffering the just for the unjust to bring us to God.

This exchange—our sin for His righteousness—constitutes the heart of the gospel. Christ satisfied divine justice, propitiated God's wrath, and purchased our redemption.

Salvation Through Faith Alone

⊕ Romans 10:9-10
[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

⊕ Acts 16:31
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

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

⊕ Ephesians 2:8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

God's requirement for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.

Whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This faith is not mere intellectual assent but wholehearted trust in Christ's person and work.

It involves repentance from sin, acknowledgment of Christ as Lord, and reliance upon His finished work rather than your own efforts. Faith is the empty hand that receives God's gift, the channel through which grace flows, the means by which Christ's righteousness becomes ours.

The Eternal Security of the Believer

⊕ John 10:28-29
[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. [29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

⊕ Romans 8:38-39
[38] For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, [39] Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

⊕ Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

⊕ Jude 1:24
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Those whom God saves, He keeps eternally secure. 'I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.' Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. God is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before His presence with exceeding joy.

Your salvation rests not upon your faithfulness but upon God's. You are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

This assurance flows not from presumption but from confidence in God's promises and Christ's completed work.

Grace Produces Godly Living

⊕ Titus 2:11-14
[11] For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; [13] Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; [14] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

⊕ Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

⊕ James 2:17-18
[17] Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. [18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

⊕ 1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Though salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, genuine faith produces transformed living. The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Faith without works is dead, being alone.

True conversion results in a new nature that cannot continue in sin as a practice. This is not legalism but liberty—freedom from sin's dominion to serve righteousness.

Good works do not produce salvation but provide evidence of it. Where the Spirit regenerates, holiness inevitably follows, not as condition but as consequence of saving grace.