A Brief Bible Study |
|
Your Bible Lesson For The Day
Can We Save Ourselves By Doing Good Works?
Can a drowning person save himself? Of course not. He needs someone else to save him. So it is with us as well, spiritually speaking. Look at the following Bible verses.
God’s Word says in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” God’s law demands perfection from all of us. It does not permit us to commit even the slightest sin.
But are we guiltless of sin and perfect in the eyes of God? God’s Word says in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and lack the praise of God.” God says we are not perfect; we are sinners who have failed to do what his law requires.
And should we think that we are perfect, God’s Word in 1 John 1:18 has a humbling message for us: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
What is more, if we think that we can save ourselves from eternal damnation by doing good works that obey the commandments, God’s Word informs us in Galatians 3:10, “For as many as are of works of law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT KEEP ABIDING BY EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW TO DO THEM.’ ” Being sinners, God says we are far from saving ourselves by obeying his commandments. Rather, we are under his curse of eternal punishment in hell because we failed to do everything demanded in his law perfectly.
In Galatians 2:16 God tells us how we become righteous in his sight and gain eternal salvation: “A man is not declared righteous as a result of works of law but by means of faith in Jesus Christ.”
So, can we be saved by doing good works? No. Because we are sinners who fail to do everything God’s law requires perfectly. Like a drowning person, we need a Savior to save us – the Lord Jesus Christ. Through faith in him we are declared righteous and saved.
God’s Word says in Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” God’s law demands perfection from all of us. It does not permit us to commit even the slightest sin.
But are we guiltless of sin and perfect in the eyes of God? God’s Word says in Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and lack the praise of God.” God says we are not perfect; we are sinners who have failed to do what his law requires.
And should we think that we are perfect, God’s Word in 1 John 1:18 has a humbling message for us: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
What is more, if we think that we can save ourselves from eternal damnation by doing good works that obey the commandments, God’s Word informs us in Galatians 3:10, “For as many as are of works of law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT KEEP ABIDING BY EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW TO DO THEM.’ ” Being sinners, God says we are far from saving ourselves by obeying his commandments. Rather, we are under his curse of eternal punishment in hell because we failed to do everything demanded in his law perfectly.
In Galatians 2:16 God tells us how we become righteous in his sight and gain eternal salvation: “A man is not declared righteous as a result of works of law but by means of faith in Jesus Christ.”
So, can we be saved by doing good works? No. Because we are sinners who fail to do everything God’s law requires perfectly. Like a drowning person, we need a Savior to save us – the Lord Jesus Christ. Through faith in him we are declared righteous and saved.
Return to the Brief Bible Studies page.
