"Not According To Our Works"       

2 Timothy 1:9

 

     All churches and religious leaders claim to believe in and preach salvation by grace alone. But the "grace" they preach depends upon the will of man and the works of the flesh to make it effectual. And conditional grace is not grace at all. Any condition placed upon grace, before conversion, at conversion, or after conversion, is a total denial of the grace of God (Rom. 11:6).

     ELECTING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL (Eph. 1:3-4; II Tim. 1:9). God did not choose us because of works, or even faith, that he foresaw in us (Read Rom. 9:11-13). Our faith in Christ and the works of faith which we are enabled to perform are the result, not the cause, of our election by God. To preach conditional election is to preach salvation by works!

     REDEEMING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL. Where in the Bible is redemption setforth as something that is conditional? Redemption is something Christ accomplished on the cross, effectually applied to the hearts of God's elect by the Holy Spirit in the new birth (Gal. 3:13; Heb. 9:12-14; I Pet. 1:18). To preach conditional redemption is to preach salvation by works!

     JUSTIFYING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL(Rom.3:24;4:5). We are justified freely (without cause) by the grace of God through the redemption that is in Christ. To preach con- ditional justification is to preach salvation by works.

     REGENERATING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL (John 1:11-13; 3:8; 6:63; Rom. 9:16). Sinners are spiritually dead by nature. To place any conditions before them which they must meet before they can live is to tell them there is no hope. To preach conditional regeneration is to preach salvation by works!

     SANCTIFYING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL (Heb. 10:10-14). Christ is our sanctification (I Cor. 1:30). Where does the Bible command a man to sanctify himself? Nonsense! To preach conditional sanctification, conditional holiness, is to preach salvation by works (Gal. 3:1-3)!

     PERSEVERING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL (John 10:27-30). Christ's sheep shall never perish. To preach that they might is to preach salvation by works!

     GLORIFYING GRACE IS UNCONDITIONAL (Rom. 8:16-17, 29-30; Eph. 1:11). Our heavenly inheritance, reward in glory, was earned and purchased by Christ for us. To preach degrees of reward based upon our works is to preach salvation by works!

 

Don Fortner