Pelagianism – Works Versus The Gospel Of Grace

The Bible says five times that Jesus is God’s "free gift" (Romans 5:15-19). A person is free to reject that free gift just as they are free to reject the offer of friendship and love from another. That is their choice, just as it is their choice to commit sin because they are free to do so. However, they are not free not to sin because they are a ‘sinner’ by nature. It is God alone who deserves all acclaim for them, not sinning. All glory has to be God’s for faith because otherwise, it is not faith; it is the success of works and not grace.

No one can work their way to God or keep their salvation by doing good works (James 2:26). Continuous good works that result from genuine conversion proves that the Holy Spirit lives within them, and their faith is indeed alive and not dead (James 2:26; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5;5). Those who are Born-Again naturally stay (abide) in Jesus because they are a Good Tree that naturally, and automatically, produce good fruit that accompanies salvation (Luke 8:15; Romans 6:22; 1 John 2:29, 3:9, 5:18).

The Born-Again Christian “is justified by faith”, which Jesus provided them, and not made void by it (Romans 3:27-31). No person could ever be justified by deeds of law or by conformity with the moral or ceremonial law (Romans 3:20-21). The just/righteous demands of the “law” are to be “fully satisfied” in the Born-Again Christian by God’s grace and not by works, which is why Jesus said “I came not to destroy (the law or the prophets), but to fulfill” (Romans 8:4; Matthew 5:17 NKJV).

No one “born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9 NKJV, also 5:4-5; Revelation 3:5). The “Law was given through Moses,” but “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17 NKJV). The following verse sums up the whole doctrine of God’s super-abounding grace.

"What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV)