It is very difficult for some people to comprehend the fact that we can do NOTHING to merit God’s salvation, or to help with gaining salvation. Salvation is a 100% free gift from God that comes through putting our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul and his companion, Silas, were imprisoned in Philippi. Let’s pick up the story by reading Acts 16:25-30, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The jailor had a sincere desire to be saved, so he asked what he must do to attain salvation. Paul and Silas’ answer was short, but complete. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Verse 31). Nothing of works in mentioned here…only faith!

The Lord Jesus said to the woman who anointed His feet in Luke 7:50, “And he said to the woman, THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE; go in peace.” It was not the work of anointing His feet that saved her, but the anointing showed that she had faith.

The Lord Jesus said to a certain blind man in Luke 18:42, “And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: THY FAITH HATH SAVED THEE.”

Titus 3:5 is emphatic, “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.”

Over and over again, the scriptures make it clear that salvation comes ONLY through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus said in John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” ONLY through faith can a person be saved.

Let’s consider Ephesians 2:8-9. “For by grace are YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should BOAST.” If our salvation could possibly come as the results of our own works, then we could brag that we had saved ourselves (or that we ‘helped’ Jesus save us.) That would mean that in the eternal glory, we would not give the Lord Jesus total praise and glory for our salvation…we would take credit or partial credit for our salvation, thus robbing our dear savior of His glory. Romans 11:36 says, “For OF HIM, and THROUGH HIM, and TO HIM, are all things: TO WHOM BE GLORY FOR EVER. Amen.” (299.4)