THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
THE GOSPEL IS NOT BY WORKS – IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD
Salvation is by Grace, through Faith, being the Gift of God.
Text: Ephesians 2:8-9
BRIEF RECAP
Welcome again brethren to our weekly Bible Study,
Where as you know, every week we just look to open the Word of God...
In order to discover “...those things most surely believed among us” (Luke 1:1).
Now - what can we say about our beliefs as Christians?
Well for one thing – what we should be able to say is:
We believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Of this core truth - there can be no doubt.
You see, in order to be a Christian – you need to first come to know Christ,
And in order to be saved – you need to first accept Him as your personal Saviour.
This is what the whole Gospel message is about – salvation through Jesus Christ.
And Brethren – this is what we believe!
During our past two lessons we have looked somewhat broadly in the Bible...
At what the Gospel actually is.
And to begin with – we simply viewed the Gospel through John 3:16:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Through this single verse – anyone can be introduced to the Gospel.
In fact, we saw how the entire basis of the Gospel message...
Is summed up really clearly through this one verse.
In just 25 words - we are shown how truly “Great” the Gospel is.
For God… - That’s the Greatest Person
So loved the world, - That’s the Greatest Love
That He gave His only begotten Son, - That’s the Greatest Gift
That whosoever believeth in Him – That’s the Greatest Invitation
Should not perish, but have everlasting life – That’s the Greatest Promise,
And we discovered – all of this leads mankind upto making the Greatest Choice
Of course, the choice we are talking about here...
Is the personal decision we must all come to make in this life,
As to whether we will believe in God’s Word...
And call upon Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.
That’s a choice we all have - God doesn’t make anyone get saved,
He simply declares the Gospel to all through His Word – and lets people choose.
Acts 16:31 says: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved
Romans 10:13 says: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Brethren it has only ever been our choice - as to whether we will choose to believe...
And call upon the Lord for His Salvation in Jesus Christ
Now last week, we actually added to this basic understanding
By also further Defining the Gospel...and learning of our need to Declare the Gospel to others.
Remember Mark 13:10 which states: And the gospel must first be published among all nations
The term Gospel in the Greek literally means: “Good News” or “Glad Tidings”,
And in a world full of bad – the Gospel is defined as what is good.
The Gospel is the “Good News” of Jesus Christ...
And it involves us sharing the “Glad Tidings” of His Salvation.
As we discovered, in the immediate context there...
Jesus was actually speaking in private with Peter, James, John and Andrew,
As He begun to reveal the things that would transpire during end time events.
And it was in the middle of that discourse with the disciples that Jesus said...
…The gospel must first be published [that means be openly preached and declared] among all nations.
In others words, Jesus taught – many things will happen in the end days,
But this one thing needs to happen first - “The Gospel must first be Declared”.
Jesus again reiterated this message to His disciples in the Great Commission.
Just prior to His final ascension into Heaven...
He instructed the Disciples in the work they should be doing until the day He returned.
Matthew 28:18 -19 says:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…
That term Teach used there in the Greek means:
“to instruct” and “to make disciples of others”.
Now Jesus spoke these words to His disciples back then,
And we now stand as Christ’s disciples today.
And their mission – has now become our mission,
We are to “teach all nations” – in order to make disciples of others…
And the Gospel of Jesus Christ is always the first thing we want to teach.
Brethren, this is what we believe – because this is what the Bible teaches.
INTRODUCTION
Today, I want to build further upon all these things that we most surely believe,
To also talk about how The Gospel is Not of Works!!!
I want to say that again ...The Gospel is Not of Works!!!
Turn with me now to our text today found in Ephesians 2:8+9.
Here the Word of our Lord declares:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Understanding this core truth is fundamental to our belief about the Gospel.
But does that mean?
What does God mean when He declares through His Word...
That getting saved through the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about works?
Well what are works?
“Works” are things that are done by us.
“Works” are physical actions.
And what the Bible teaches is that our good works - is not what the Gospel is about.
In other words, this is not how you get saved.
You do not work towards your salvation.
You do not work to earn it...
You don’t work to keep it...
Because the Salvation of God is all by grace...it is a gift of God...and Not of works!
Let me be really clear in saying this right now,
You can’t work your way into heaven – so there’s no point in any of us trying.
AS SINNERS – WE MISS THE MARK
Romans 3:23 says: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
We are all sinners the Bible says – and our sins are what separates us from a Glorious God.
Being a “Sinner” simply means that we are imperfect…
We have all made mistakes… we have all done things wrong.
God however is perfect…and Heaven is the perfect realm where He resides,
And nothing imperfect can ever pass over into that place.
We have all fallen short the Bible says.
In fact, that phrase come short in the Greek means – “to miss the mark”.
The picture given is one of an archer, who while shooting an arrow, misses the target.
And this is the sobering plight of every sinner.
A sinner on their own merit and good works is denied entry into Heaven.
Why? – because we all fall short God’s perfect standards.
When it comes to the conditions for entry into Heaven – as sinners we miss the mark.
But this is what is so neat about the Gospel,
Because even though we are sinners…
God provides for us all His plan for salvation through our Saviour Jesus Christ.
In fact, Romans 3:24 goes onto say that we are: …justified freely by His grace,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Jesus Christ is our Saviour – He lived the perfect life that none of us could ever live,
And He paid the ultimate price for our sins – so that we could be given entry into Heaven.
This is what the “Good News” of the Gospel is all about.
It is not about you working in order to be saved - Because you will never be good enough.
As a sinner - you will always fall short and miss the mark of Heaven on your own.
The question then is - how can anyone be saved?
Well the Bible teaches that there are a couple of things we need to know and understand,
And the first thing is that - we are Saved by Grace!
Paul declared in Romans that we are …justified freely by His grace,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
The act of redemption by the way is interesting...
Because it speaks of one paying a ransom in order for another to go free.
You see, Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross - so that our sins could be forgiven.
Christ in affect paid our ransom with His own blood - so that we could be set free,
And the way to Heaven be opened – not by our works – but according to His Grace!
1) SAVED BY GRACE
Of course, this theme of “divine saving grace” – is continued elsewhere in the Bible,
Including right here in our text found in Ephesians 2:8.
Notice again the opening to this verse: For by grace are ye saved…
This is the first thing we need to be clear on when it comes to the Gospel,
It’s according to God’s Grace that you are saved – Not according to your own good works!
The term Grace itself really speaks of: “the loving acceptance” and “unmerited favour of God”.
In other words, God’s Grace is not something earned or worked for...
But rather something given in love - and which is completely undeserved.
We are only saved according to God’s Grace the Scriptures declare.
And this is important to realise – because if we are truly saved by grace as the Bible declares,
And if God’s grace is something freely given in love – even though it is undeserved,
Then trying to work towards our own salvation is kind of pointless.
2) SAVED THROUGH FAITH
Please notice with me that there is only one criteria given here for Salvation...
And it’s not doing a whole lot of “good works”.
There is only one thing necessary in order to be saved and that is belief in Christ.
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
That term Faith is the Greek word písteos
And it simply means: “to believe” or to have “a firm conviction in the truth of something”
What do you need to do in order to be saved? – You need to believe!
You need to place your faith, hope and trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour,
Because it is only according to His grace - that anyone can be saved at all.
What do the Scriptures say?
...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, - Acts 16:31.
This verse doesn’t say that you need to believe – and then work hard in order to be saved.
In fact, the Bible doesn’t say that you need to engage in any good works at all for salvation,
Because it is not your good works that save you – It’s the good work of Jesus Christ.
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
Don’t get confused because we are not told that...
It is through “our own faithfulness” that we are saved.
No – trying to talk about our faithfulness is something completely different.
In fact, in order to be proven faithful – you need to do some things,
But what are we learning today? – Salvation is not by works!
The Gospel of Jesus Christ – has never been about your faithfulness God...
It has only ever been about Christ’s loving faithfulness to you.
You are not saved by being faithful to God...
You are saved by God’s grace - through faith in Him. That’s it!
Turn with me to John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Lets turn back to Ephesians Chapter 2:
Notice how verse 8 reads on – because we are told:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
How clear can God make it?
The Gospel is not about you.
Getting saved is not about the things you do...
Because it has only ever been about Jesus Christ – and what He has done for you!
Salvation is not by works the Scriptures declare,
Salvation is freely given through Jesus Christ as a Gift!
3) SAVED BECAUSE OF GOD’S GIFT
Notice now just the last 6 words of verse 8 as we are told: …it is the gift of God:
What is the Gospel – it is a gift we are told.
Salvation through Jesus Christ is something God wants to give you.
Eternal life and a home in Heaven forever is His gift to all mankind.
I think this is a really neat picture God is giving to us,
Because it helps us to understand yet again – that the Gospel and our very salvation is not of Works
It’s a gift we are told.
A “gift” is something bought and paid for by another.
A “gift” is something freely offered...and freely received,
It’s not worked for, or in any way earned – it’s just something freely given.
Imagine at your wedding – if someone brought you a gift,
But then said that you owed them money for it...
Or that you now needed to work for them – in order to pay off the dept.
That would be offensive and we would find that outrageous because that is not what a true gift is.
Brethren - God says what He means – and He means what He says,
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
The thing about a gift though – is that it really means nothing if it is not accepted.
A precious treasure can be offered to anyone as a gift...
But if they do not accept the gift it will never benefit them.
Today God is offering to us all – the free gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.
This precious gift – will surpass in value any other one could ever hope to receive,
Because it is ultimately the gift of eternal life and a home in Heaven forever.
But the offer of such a gift is wasted – if you will not receive it.
So how does one accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
How does one receive eternal life and a home in Heaven?
Well because the Bible declares this to be a gift from God - all you need to do is accept it.
All anyone must do is receive freely what is on offer - and accept Christ as their Saviour.
Remember - For by grace are ye saved through faith;
It’s though Faith that you accept Christ...
It’s by Faith that you take hold of this wonderful gift...
And its by believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you get saved.
4) NO ONE IS SAVED BY WORKS
So brethren this is what the Bible teaches - and this is what we believe.
Salvation is by Grace... received through faith...because it is a Gift of God.
But we are not done yet - because the Bible continues...
To reinforce what we have been talking about all along.
And that is that, the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is - “Not of Works”.
In fact, verse 9 declares to us all openly that it is: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Remember, none of us could ever be good enough to work our way into Heaven.
None of us can do enough good to earn entry– because we all “fall short” of God’s perfect standard
Our sins mean we need a saviour – and that saviour can only be Jesus Christ.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. - Acts 4:12
This is why Jesus declares: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. - John 14:6
The Gospel is not about you...
Neither is getting saved all about the things you do.
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So there is no room for boasting among us here – because you cannot earn your salvation.
Fasting, Praying, Tithing, Caring for the Poor, going to Church, Reading your Bible...
All of that stuff is great – but that is not what saves you.
Your entry into heaven is not conditional upon how good you are...
Because you’re a sinner and you will never be good enough!
Neither is your Salvation about the things you do – because it is not about works!
There is just so much confusion about this in wider religion today.
People believe they need to work for God’s acceptance.
They have been taught that must live righteous lives in order to go to Heaven.
Brethren that is wrong! That is a false teaching!
If you need to work to earn God’s Favour,
And if you need to be righteous to get to Heaven...
Then the Gospel is by Grace... and your Salvation is not a Gift from God – it’s about works.
And how can the Gospel be about works – if the Bible declares that its not!
TWO THEMES OF THE BIBLE – 1) SALVATION & 2) SERVICE
Do you know what the problem is here?
It’s people failing to understand what the Bible is really teaching...
And what God’s Word is really all about.
There many, many teachings in the Bible – but all of them fall under just two categories.
That is to say, for all of the truths taught...
All can be summarised as being about either one of two topics:
One is SALVATION and the other is SERVICE.
One is all about the Gospel – it’s about getting saved...
And being redeemed from Sin through Jesus Christ.
All the Bible teachings and verses we find about salvation always convey the same thing,
It’s about Grace, through Faith, being the Gift of God!
The other key theme in the Bible however is SERVICE,
And this is about what comes next after salvation.
You see, once a believer gets saved and receives the free gift of eternal life,
They then have the glorious “choice” to follow the Lord in their lives and to serve Him.
Salvation is not about works – but serving the Lord is.
We have a saying in my country and it is: “Do not get the cart before the horse”.
The horse must always come first to lead the cart – otherwise nothing works.
In the same way a person must first be saved – before they will ever be in a position to serve God.
However the acts of service to the Lord is not what saves you – because it is not of works!
Turn with me to Titus 3:5 - Notice again what God declares to us in His Word saying:
5 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;
Now let’s get some things clear here – first what is the topic?
What is it that Paul is really talking about here?
He is talking about Salvation, and He says…
Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His [or rather God’s] mercy He saved us.
That term Mercy there in the Greek speaks of “Compassion” or “Loving Kindness”.
So what is it that really saves you?
It’s not the righteous things you do – it’s the Love of God.
And verse 5 continues to say – that we are saved:
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; - verse 6…
6 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Notice who the real Saviour is here – it’s Jesus Christ – not you. You cant save yourself.
Now the terms “washing of regeneration” and the “renewing of the Holy Spirit”
Actually speaks of the Spiritual birth that takes place at the point of salvation itself,
Whereby the Holy Spirit first enters our heart and seals us unto the day of our redemption.
(Such things are spoken of in John 3:1-8, Ephesians 1:13)
Let’s read on now in verse number 7:
7 That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Again how are we justified in God’s eyes? It’s not by our good works-but rather by His grace!
Now this is all in keeping with what we have already seen – as taught elsewhere in the Bible.
This is all about Salvation according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ
But now notice how the topic of focus begins to subtly changes now in verse 8. Paul says:
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
So now we see Paul encouraging...“They which have believed in God”.
In other words, he addresses those who are already saved,
And He implores them to do good works, which he says – is good and profitable.
This is all about Service.
Remember, once you get saved – which is not by works...
You then have the ability to move on and serve God with your life.
Please, please – do not confuse these two messages.
One is about Salvation and the other is about Service.
One is about being saved through Jesus Christ...
The other is about following on to serve Jesus Christ.
These are two completely different topics – and they involve different things.
One is not by works – the other is by works.
As true Christians - We have to be able to make this distinction.
CONCLUSION
So then brethren – what can we say to all of this?
Well for one thing, The Gospel – is not about who you are or what you do,
It’s about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you.
Getting saved and going to heaven – is not by works of righteousness that we have done!
Hopefully this truth is now be becoming very clear.
You cannot work for your salvation.
The good works you do in this life is not what saves you,
God’s grace – and the precious gift of His Son Jesus Christ - is what saves you.
Its is all by God’s Grace...
It is only through Faith...
And it has always been the Gift of God
Brethren this what we believe – because this is what the Bible teaches!
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
