Are We Saved by Doing Good Works?

by Charles Stanley

The Christian life is just that—a life, not a lifestyle. Sadly, a lot of churches preach Christianity as a list of dos and don'ts. Then faith looks like a formula: Jesus' saving grace plus doing good things minus doing bad things = righteousness. Most of us have enough problems without worrying about whether we're following the extra-biblical rules of one church. A man-made formula for righteousness runs counter to scriptural teaching. In fact, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for such heavy-handed religion (Matt. 23:1-4). He, on the other hand, offered liberty through grace. Neither keeping God's Law by self-effort nor adhering to extra rules makes a person free. Legalistic believers are in bondage and growing ever weaker. When a person accepts the saving grace of Jesus, he or she receives a new life (Rom. 6:4). This is not an uptight lifestyle of doing good works. A believer is a changed person—same body but a transformed mind and heart. Christ lives through you. His Holy Spirit flows into your spirit as sap runs in a grapevine. It's like getting a spiritual blood transfusion! Strength pumps into places where weakness once prevailed. Why rely upon your frail self when the courage and power to follow God's will is available through Christ? I know what it feels like to burn out from trying to do good in my own strength. My desire for you is that you'll surrender to the Lord. Depend upon Him to change you from the inside out, and trust that He will. Jesus is your life. He will never get tired of transforming you. Taken from "The Source of Our Strength" by In Touch Ministries (used by permission).