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Monday, November 4, 2019

Salvation By Works?


THE BIBLE PRAYER LINE – Bible Questions Answered
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Bible Prayer Line Index



Bible Questions Answered:
“My brother in law thinks that he will go to heaven because of all the charitable works he has done...”
Jeremy/ Stoke-On-Trent, England   United Kingdom

Bible Answer:

Bible Texts:

Question: Are We Saved By Works?

Proverbs 14:12 KJV
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 KJV
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

Isaiah 45:22 KJV
Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Isaiah 12:2 KJV
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 43:11 KJV
I, even I, am The Lord; and beside Me there is no savior.

Isaiah 53:4-6 KJV
4 Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 55:8 KJV
For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith The Lord.

Isaiah 64:6 KJV
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Jeremiah 17:5,9 KJV
5 Thus saith The Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from The Lord.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Matthew 5:20 KJV
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 7:21-23 KJV
21 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 18:11 KJV
For The Son Of Man is come to save that which was lost.

Matthew 19:25,26 KJV
25 When His disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Luke 7:48-50 KJV
48 And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49 And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50 And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Luke 18:9-14 NLT (Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector)
9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else:
10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[b]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!
12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

John 1:12,13 KJV
12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:3 KJV
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 6:28,29 NLT
28 They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?”
29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one He has sent.”

John 8:23,24 KJV
23 Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not.
24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

John 10:1,2 NLT
1 “I tell you The Truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!
2 But the one who enters through the gate is The Shepherd Of the Sheep.

John 14:6 KJV
Jesus saith unto him, I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto The Father, but by Me.

Acts 4:12 KJV
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Acts 10:1-43 NLT (Cornelius Calls for Peter)
1 In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment.
2 He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.
3 One afternoon about three o’clock, he had a vision in which he saw an angel of God coming toward him. “Cornelius!” the angel said.
4 Cornelius stared at him in terror. “What is it, sir?” he asked the angel. And the angel replied, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have been received by God as an offering!
5 Now send some men to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.
6 He is staying with Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.”
7 As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants.
8 He told them what had happened and sent them off to Joppa.
(Peter Visits Cornelius)

9 The next day as Cornelius’s messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon,
10 and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11 He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners.
12 In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds.
13 Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”
14 “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”
15 But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”
16 The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
17 Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean? Just then the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. Standing outside the gate,
18 they asked if a man named Simon Peter was staying there.
19 Meanwhile, as Peter was puzzling over the vision, The Holy Spirit said to him, “Three men have come looking for you.
20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitation. Don’t worry, for I have sent them.”
21 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”
22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”
23 So Peter invited the men to stay for the night. The next day he went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Joppa.
24 They arrived in Caesarea the following day. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
25 As Peter entered his home, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!”
27 So they talked together and went inside, where many others were assembled.
28 Peter told them, “You know it is against our laws for a Jewish man to enter a Gentile home like this or to associate with you. But God has shown me that I should no longer think of anyone as impure or unclean.
29 So I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. Now tell me why you sent for me.”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me.
31 He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!
32 Now send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. He is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner who lives near the seashore.’
33 So I sent for you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here, waiting before God to hear the message The Lord has given you.”
(The Gentiles Hear the Good News)

34 Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.
35 In every nation he accepts those who fear Him and do what is right.
36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord Of All.
37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.
38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with The Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 “And we apostles are witnesses of all He did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross,
40 but God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear,
41 not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
42 And He ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be The Judge Of All—The Living And The Dead.
43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name.”

Acts 13:38,39 KJV
38 “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this Man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.
39 Everyone who believes in Him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.

Acts 15:10,11 NLT
10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear?
11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of The Lord Jesus.”

Acts 16:30,31 KJV
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on The Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Acts 26:18 KJV
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.

Romans 1:16 KJV
For I am not ashamed Of The Gospel Of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 3:10,12,20,22-28 NLT
10 As The Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one.
12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good,
20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
24 Yet God, in His grace, freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as The Sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His Blood. This Sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
26 for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.
27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.
28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Romans 4:6,7 KJV
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

Romans 4:1-8,25 NLT
1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God?
2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.
3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.
5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those whose record The Lord has cleared of sin.”
25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life to make us right with God.

Romans 5:1,8,9,10,17,18 NLT
1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
8 But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by The Blood Of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.
10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.
17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His Gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

Romans 8:3,4,7,8 NLT
3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow The Spirit.
7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.
8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Romans 9:30-33 NLT (Israel’s Unbelief)
30 What does all this mean? Even though the Gentiles were not trying to follow God’s standards, they were made right with God. And it was by faith that this took place.
31 But the people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded.
32 Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law instead of by trusting in Him. They stumbled over the great Rock in their path.
33 God warned them of this in the Scriptures when He said, “I am placing A Stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, A Rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.”

Romans 10:3,9-13 NLT
3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law.
9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.
11 As The Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.”
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him.
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.”

Romans 11:6 NLT
And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

II Corinthians 1:8-10 NLT
8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it.
9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And He did rescue us from mortal danger, and He will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us.

II Corinthians 5:21 NLT
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be The Offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Galatians 1:4,5 NLT
4 Jesus gave His Life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.
5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Galatians 2:16,21 KJV
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Galatians 3:24 KJV
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Galatians 5:1-4 KJV
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Ephesians 1:7,12,13 NLT
7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with The Blood of His Son and forgave our sins.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.
13 And now you Gentiles have also heard The Truth, The Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, He identified you as His own by giving you The Holy Spirit, whom He promised long ago.

Ephesians 2:4,5,8,9 KJV
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
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.

Ephesians 4:32 KJV
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Philippians 3:9 NLT
And become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.

Colossians 2:13,14 NLT
13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins.
14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.

I Timothy 1:15 KJV
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

I Timothy 2:5,6 NLT
5 For,There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—The Man Christ Jesus.
6 He gave His life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is The Message God gave to the world at just the right time.

II Timothy 1:9,10 KJV
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through The Gospel:

Titus 2:11 KJV
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Titus 3:5-7 KJV
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;
6 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior;
7 That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 1:3 NLT
The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of The Majestic God in heaven.

Hebrews 2:1-3,9,10,14,15,17 NLT
1 So we must listen very carefully to The Truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
2 For The Message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.
3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by The Lord Jesus Himself and then delivered to us by those who heard Him speak?
9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because He suffered death for us, He is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.
10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, A Perfect Leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—The Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
15 Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
17 Therefore, it was necessary for Him to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.

Hebrews 4:9,10 KJV
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.

Hebrews 5:9 NLT
In this way, God qualified Him as A Perfect High Priest, and He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him. 10 And God designated Him to be A High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:25 KJV
Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 9:11-14,22,28 NLT
11 So Christ has now become The High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world.
12 With His Own Blood—not the blood of goats and calves—He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.
14 Just think how much more The Blood Of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship The Living God. For by the power of The Eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.
22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
28 So also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.

Hebrews 10:10-12,14,17,18 NLT
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins.
12 But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
14 For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
17 Then He says,“I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”
18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

James 2:10,11 KJV
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

I Peter 1:3-5 KJV
3 Blessed be The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by The Power Of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I Peter 3:18 KJV
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, The Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by The Spirit:

I John 2:2 NLT
He Himself is The Sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

I John 4:14 KJV
And we have seen and do testify that The Father sent The Son to be The Savior Of The World.

Revelation 1;5,6 KJV
5 And from Jesus Christ, who is The Faithful Witness, and The First Begotten Of The Dead, and The Prince Of The Kings Of The Earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood,
6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer:

I Timothy 4:10 KJV
For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in The living God, who is The Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.