Works-Based Gospel Exposed: Salvation by Grace, Not Works

Dear Mark,
Let me start by saying how grateful I am that we both agree on the most important truth: Christ has done it all for us, and we are saved by His finished work on the cross. I also appreciate that you are strong in your convictions. I am strong in mine as well. As the Scripture says, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Romans 14:5).
Rather than listing many verses back and forth, I’d like to simply share three examples and then ask you two honest questions.
First, God blessed and counted Abraham righteous because he believed (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). Second, in 1 Corinthians 15:1-2, Paul says we are saved by the gospel “unless ye have believed in vain.” And third, Ephesians 1:13 says that after hearing the word of truth, “after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.”
My questions are these:

In these three instances (and others like them), how do you understand the clear order and the word “after”? If faith is only evidence of regeneration that has already occurred, how do we explain these passages that place believing before the blessing, salvation, or sealing?
Then secondly, Timothy 2:4 says that God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Since this is God’s will that all men be saved, why (according to your view) does He not choose and predestinate every single person?

I’m asking these questions sincerely, in the spirit of growth and a desire to understand the Scriptures more clearly. I’m not looking to argue, but to search the Word together. May God give the increase as we both seek to be approved unto Him.
In Christ,
Truth Matters Today and Everyday :)

Some additional verses/passages:
John 5:40-ye WILL NOT come to me, that ye might have life-if the choice were left up to man, this is the choice he will always make, unless God first does the work of grace in his heart
Acts 11:18-Then hath God also to the Gentiles GRANTED REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE-granted by God, not obtained by man’s will or choice
Isaiah 44:18-they have not known, nor understood, for HE HATH SHUT THEIR EYES, THAT THEY CANNOT SEE, AND THEIR HEARTS, THAT THEY CANNOT UNDERSTAND
Psalm 65:4-Blessed is the man whom THOU CHOOSEST, and CAUSEST TO APPROACH unto thee
Ephesians 2:1&5-dead in trespasses and sins-dead in sins-quickened together with Christ-those who are spiritually dead must be given life before they can respond to God; notice also that they are taken from dead in sins to quickened together with Christ (new birth, John 5:21)-there is no decision for Christ made in between, nor does God wait upon man for a decision
1 Corinthians 1:30-OF HIM are ye in Christ Jesus-not of your own will or choice
Mark 4:11-12-And he said unto them, Unto you IT IS GIVEN to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables, That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; LEST AT ANY TIME THEY SHOULD BE CONVERTED, and sins should be forgiven them-God bestows salvation upon whom he has chosen, and the rest are blinded
Romans 9:15-16-18-For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is NOT OF HIM THAT WILLETH, nor of him that runneth, but OF GOD THAT SHOWETH MERCY. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. It is often claimed that this passage in Romans 9 does not refer to eternal salvation, but note the context of verses 8 before and 26 following-the issue and subject being discussed is WHO IS A CHILD OF GOD by sovereign election versus who is not-and also the context following of 9:30-11:7-clearly the subject at hand is eternal salvation.
John 12:39-40-Therefore THEY COULD NOT BELIEVE, because that Isaiah said again, HE HATH BLINDED THEIR EYES, AND HARDENED THEIR HEART, THAT THEY SHOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, NOT UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED, and I should heal them.
Hebrews 4:2-3-For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them (the Jews in the wilderness) but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For WE WHICH HAVE BELIEVED do enter into rest, as he hath said, As I have sworn in my wrath, IF THEY (the wilderness Jews) SHALL ENTER INTO MY REST; ALTHOUGH THE WORKS WERE FINISHED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. Every person’s eternal destiny has already been decided-the works of who will believe or not were finished from the foundation of the world; but we humans do not know which we are, or which those around us are, until and if God brings the gospel to that individual and generates faith in them, thus showing that they are one of his.
Salvation is by God’s sovereign grace and power, and by the will of God, not by the will of man-it is ever and always has been by God’s choice, not man’s choice or will or faith decision.

Dear Truth Matters: I appreciate your comments; nevertheless I observe that you misunderstand the scriptures regarding faith and its origin. Hebrews clearly states that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of faith (12:2) and Phillipians 1:29 states that it is given unto you in the behalf of Christ to believe on him. Acts 13:48 makes clear that “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed”-notice the order given-they were not ordained because they believed; they believed because they were ordained. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep”. Again, note the order. Ephesians 2:8-9 state that all of salvation, including faith-is the gift of God. Your view of man contributing faith turns salvation into a cooperative effort between God and man, thus giving man something to boast of-“I got saved because I made a choice to believe”. Please review Romans 8:28-30 very carefully-God foreknew a people, God predestinated those people, God called them, God justified them, and God glorified them, all spoken of in the past tense because in the mind and plan and purpose of God, it is already a done deal-all of it, from eternity past to eternity future, salvation is entirely of God. Man makes no contribution whatsoever, otherwise man is the weak link in the chain, and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Thus to attribute ANY part of salvation to man-even a man-produced faith-is thus to make the entirety of salvation to depend on the weak link of man and his “choice” to believe. John 6:65-“no man can come to me (believe-compare 6:35) except it were given unto him of my Father”. In John 6:29 he had already stated, “this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” Belief is the work of God, not of man. As for your comments about the Biblical commands to believe-this is no different from God telling the Jews of the Old Testament to keep the Law-but could they do it? Joshua 24:19-And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins" Romans 3:20-“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (not the salvation from it). With all due respect, you have gravely misunderstood the New Testament references to believing-e.g. John 3:16-18, 36, 6:47, etc. These passages are descriptive of those who already believe, and are not imperatives directing man to believe in order to procure salvation as is so commonly thought. Man in his unregenerated unsaved fallen state has no will or inclination toward God, but is a hardened rebel whose will is part of, and bound by and governed by his NATURE, which is to be a hater of God-Romans 1:30. Jesus said in John 8:34 that whosoever committeth sin is the SERVANT of sin-his nature, including his will, is bound by sin. Psalm 10:4 states that the wicked, through the pride of his countenance, WILL NOT seek God, not in all his thoughts. In Hosea 5:4 God said of the Jews, “they WILL NOT frame their doings to turn unto their God”. John 3:19-20-This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, AND MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil (lost sinners) HATETH THE LIGHT, NEITHER COMETH TO THE LIGHT, lest his deeds should be reproved. Man, if the choice is left up to him, WILL NOT. So in order for anyone to repent and believe, God must first take away the stony heart out of man and give that person an heart of flesh-Ezekiel 36:26-27. This is the new birth (John 3:3), and the only way that anyone can or will believe on Christ. 1 John 5:1 says “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ IS born of God”-is, not “will be”. The new birth brings faith, not vice versa. John 1:12 is often quoted, but the next verse, 1:13, which is inseparably connected to it, is usually ignored-“them that believe (present tense) on his name-which WERE born (past tense) not of blood , NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, but OF GOD.” So believing on him is the evidence of and result of the new birth, not the other way around. Acts 18:27 states that Apollos “helped them much which had BELIEVED THROUGH GRACE”-not believed by their own choice or effort. Faith in Christ is God-wrought, not man-produced and not man’s contribution, otherwise the whole of salvation would rest upon man’s faulty will rather than upon the sovereign grace of God and the finished work of Christ. Salvation from first to last, from start to finish, from eternity past to eternity future is ENTIRELY of God, including faith-otherwise man takes the credit for believing and is saving himself by his faith “decision”. I have shown here that this popular and common “free-will decision” to “accept” Christ in order to be saved is NOT what the Bible teaches. Salvation is not an offer-it is entirely God’s work and God’s choice, and not man’s will or choice at any point along the way, and is bestowed by God upon those whom he has foreordained and predestinated unto life and given to the Son to redeem. John 17:2-“as thou hast given him (Christ) power over all flesh, that he should GIVE ( bestow upon, not offer) ETERNAL LIFE TO AS MANY AS THOU HAST GIVEN HIM”. It is not about what you or I believe; these are the WORDS OF GOD. He that is of God heareth God’s words-John 8:47.

Dear Mark,

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I truly appreciate your strong emphasis on Christ’s finished work on the cross as the sole and sufficient ground of our justification. You are absolutely right about that—nothing we do can add to or earn what He accomplished. His perfect obedience and sacrificial death alone provide the righteousness we need before God (as Romans 3–5 so beautifully explains).

At the same time, Scripture consistently teaches that while Christ’s work is the ground of justification, faith is the instrument or means through which God applies that justification to us. It is not that our faith justifies us in a meritorious sense (as if faith itself were a work), but that God justifies the one who believes in Jesus.

Here are just a few clear passages (KJV):

Acts 16:31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

John 3:16: “…that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:18: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed…”

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.”

Romans 5:1: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 3:28: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

Regarding John 5:24, I agree wholeheartedly with the present tenses—"hath everlasting life" and “is passed from death unto life.” What a glorious truth! The moment a person hears the word and believes, they immediately possess eternal life and have crossed from death to life. But notice the condition the Lord Himself places: “He that heareth my word, and believeth…” The believing is not described as something that happens after one already has life; it is the God-appointed response through which the Spirit grants and applies that life.

Grace through Faith is indeed a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8), wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit through the Word. But Scripture never presents it as “only evidence” while denying that believing saves. Instead, it repeatedly says things like “he that believeth… shall be saved” and “being justified by faith.” Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), and those who do not believe remain condemned (John 3:18).

I appreciate the emphasis on Christ’s finished work—He alone is the ground of our justification. But Scripture never separates His work from the God-given call to believe. Over and over, the Word says we are justified by faith, not merely that faith is evidence of something that already happened behind the scenes. If faith were only a sign of prior regeneration, then Jesus’ repeated commands to believe would lose their weight. Commands imply responsibility, and responsibility implies the ability to respond. God draws, convicts, and awakens—but He does not bypass the will He Himself gave us. John 5:24 does show that the believer has eternal life in the present, but the text still places believing as the condition, not the after-effect. The apostles echo this everywhere: “To him that believeth, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Faith is not the cause of salvation—Christ is. But faith is the God-ordained means by which we receive what Christ accomplished. I agree that regeneration is God’s work in us. But I cannot deny the gift of free will or the clear biblical pattern that calls every person to hear, believe, and respond. Grace does not erase choice—it enables it.

Would you be willing to walk through a few of these verses together? I am open to learning and would value your thoughts as “Iron sharpeneth Iron…” (Proverbs 27:17)

In Christ,

Truth Matters Today

Good article-except that faith in Christ does not justify-Christ’s finished work of the cross is what justifies his people. My faith is only the evidence of regeneration-that God has done the work of grace in my heart. Study the words of John 5:24 very carefully-he that heareth and believeth HATH everlasting life (already has) & IS PASSED (already from death unto life. Believing the gospel does not save-it is the evidence of God-wrought conversion in the heart.