When We Overemphasize Our Works for Salvation


I. Introduction:

A. Your works matter (Romans 2:6-11, I Corinthians 3:8, Galatians 6:7-10, Colossians 1:10, Titus 2:11-14, I Peter 3:8-12, and Revelation 22:12-14)!

  1. The Judgment Day will be focused on your works (Matthew 16:27).
  2. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
  3. Faith without works is dead faith (James 2:14-26).

B. It is certainly true that you have control over your salvation (Acts 2:40 and Philippians 2:12).

  1. What happens though when someone takes those facts and then goes down the road of “look at me” (Luke 18:9-14; cf. Matthew 23:12 and I Peter 5:5-6)?
  2. What happens when someone gets the “holier than thou” mentality (Isaiah 65:5)?
  3. Boasting is not possible when you understand what we will talk about in this lesson (Romans 3:24-31; cf. Ephesians 2:1-10).

II. Body: Not according to our works (II Timothy 1:8-12; cf. I Timothy 1:12-16).

A. Salvation is not in you (Acts 4:10-12).

  1. Salvation is BY Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:9).
  2. Salvation is IN Christ Jesus (II Timothy 2:10; 3:15).
  3. You can’t get to the Father without Jesus (John 14:6).
  4. It is Jesus who will return and bring salvation (Hebrews 9:27-28).
  5. For those of us who have sinful pasts, the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (II Peter 3:15).
  6. Christ came by the kindness of God, not because any person was doing awesome works (Titus 3:3-7).
  7. It doesn’t matter how awesome you or I think we are, salvation is not apart from Jesus in any way (I John 5:11-12).
  8. Jesus, not you, is the Savior (John 1:29 and I John 4:14).

B. Jesus is the source of our salvation (Hebrews 5:8-9), but He did not work alone. Salvation involved the coordinated work of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Apostles, promises, etc.

  1. The Father sent Jesus (I John 4:10).
  2. Had Jesus died, gone to Heaven, and the Gospel stalled in Acts 2, we wouldn’t be talking about salvation in Christ (Titus 1:1-3).
  3. Jesus’ blood purchased the church (Acts 20:28) which He will save (Ephesians 5:23). Yet God's plan for the church involved far more than Christ's death alone (Ephesians 2:11-22).
  4. Even before Jesus was in this world, His coming had to be according to the promises which relied on more than one person or thing (Acts 3:17-26).

C. All things work together in God’s plan (Ephesians 1:9-10).

  1. Take the combination of good works and Christ for example. The best of “good works”, apart from Christ, are useless (John 15:1-11).
  2. Take the combination of the individual and the church for example. I can be a great person, strong in the faith, but I need my brethren too (Ephesians 4:15-16, I Thessalonians 5:11-14, and Hebrews 10:23-25).

III. Conclusion: Do good, but be humble (Luke 17:7-10)!



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