CHRIST PREACHED SALVATION AND ETERNAL LIFE BY FAITH ALONE WITHOUT WORKS By Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama) May 29, 2010 In Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, Romans 4:5 Paul defines salvation by grace. In these verses he says that salvation is unearned, undeserved, the gift of God and not of works. The only requirement to be saved in these verses is faith in Christ. Faith alone in Christ and in his death on the cross is the very heart of salvation by grace. In the gospel of grace, God took the works out of salvation and made faith the only requirement to be saved. With that definition in mind read the following words that Christ preached in his earthly ministry: Forget what you have heard and just notice what he says about faith and what he says a person must do to be saved. Read these verses carefully; John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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. John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. According to these verses: A. Not one work is mentioned to be saved or to receive eternal life. B. The only requirement mentioned for salvation and eternal life is believing in Christ. C. Salvation and eternal life was received upon believing. D. The person who believed was saved by Christ being lifted up on the cross and dying for his sins which is the gospel of 1 Cor. 15:3-4. E. Once a person believed on him, he could not come into condemnation. F. When he believed, he passed from death to life. G. Those who were condemned were condemned because they did not believe. This is what Christ preached in his earthly ministry concerning salvation and eternal life. This is exactly what Paul and we preach when we preach the gospel of the grace of God. Every thing that Christ said in these verses can and should be preached today. What you see in these verses is what we call salvation by grace through faith without works and where is it found? Preached by Christ in the four gospels during his earthly ministry! You will not find this message or doctrine in the Law given to Moses. This is contrary to the law. The law never made such promises. This shows us again that Christ did not follow the letter of the law in every thing he said or did. He said things the law did not say and in these verses you find the foundational truths of the gospel of the grace of God. He is the first man who ever preached salvation and eternal life by faith alone without works. Its no wonder the Bible says that as the law came by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. This also shows us that when Paul said to follow him as he followed Christ, he followed what Christ preached concerning salvation and eternal life in the four gospels.