144 – Ryan – From Works to Faith: Finding True Salvation in Christ with Empty Hands
“No email available. Ryan had been making every effort to find and please God, even obedience, and it had led to great frustration and despair.”
From Works to Faith: Finding True Salvation in Christ with Empty Hands
Have you ever strived relentlessly to obey God’s word, ticking off every box, only to feel totally void of God’s acceptance and salvation? We are putting the cart before the horse by trying to earn God's salvation through works, a path that leads to frustration, despair, and ultimately eternal torment.
Like Ryan, the subject of today's message, you might be on the precipice of a breakthrough but missing the key ingredient: a genuine faith which produces repentance from acts that lead to death (Heb 6:1). Faith comes first, then obedience.
The Bible warns us against this very trap. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Forgiveness of sins isn't a reward for our efforts or good deeds; it's a freely given gift, received through an initial act of true faith and repentance.
Consider the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He wasn’t up there, trying to merit God’s forgiveness by saying kind things to people who walked by. Instead, with a simple act of repentance, rebuking his fellow criminal, “Don’t you fear God…we are punished justly…but this man has done nothing”, followed by an expression of faith, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 23:42), he received forgiveness of His sins and the promise of eternal life.
This is the heart of true salvation, and we cannot bypass, a simple faith and repentance, with church attendance, Bible studies, law keeping, obedience, better behavior, prayer, confession, good deeds, etc.. Jesus indeed commanded us to strive, or “make every effort” to enter the narrow gate which leads to life (Luke 13:24). And while that “striving” for most people might be to give up their favorite sins, this world, or their self-life, ironically, it seems that for many others it would be to stop all their self-righteous attempts at pleasing God.
If you are still striving to earn your salvation, simply put down your sins, and come to Him with empty hands of faith, ready to receive the gift of salvation He freely offers. It is in this surrender that true peace and joy are found. (Acts 3:19, 26)
