Because of God’s indescribable loves for us, Jesus came to earth on a rescue mission. He was crucified on a cross to make provision for us to live eternally in heaven with Him. Did he come to make it possible for us to be able to do more good works, or, so we could keep the 10 commandments more perfectly? Did he come to reveal a path for us to work our way into heaven by following a good works-bad works grading system based upon our merit, or on a grading curve to compare ourselves with others?
Scripture tells us if it were possible to become righteous in God’s site through our own efforts, then there was no need for Jesus to come and die on the cross. (Galatians 2:21) Further, it says salvation is made possible only as a gift by the grace of God through faith, and not by our works, therefore we have nothing to boast about. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Grace is a favor we receive even though it is not deserved, so if salvation comes through grace, then it follows it is not deserved.
Why is God’s grace so necessary? We are told that it is our sin that alienates us from God (Romans 3:23), not our lack of good works. There is nothing we can do that can undo our sin, it has already happened. God is perfectly Holy, He hates sin, and is at war with sin no matter how minor it may seem to us, because sin is the antithesis of God’s perfect Holiness. God is also perfectly just and therefore must hold us accountable and punish our sin against Him, just as any civil court must punish violators of the civil law. The punishment for sin is described as eternal death (hell). (Rom 6:23) Man has a big sin problem, not a good works problem. So, without God’s grace, we are doomed in a hopeless situation. Because of our impossible predicament Jesus came to provide a way to erase our sin problem by dying for us, on our behalf, even though we didn’t deserve it, and arose again proving his deity and victory over sin. That act of grace, in essence, is the message of the gospel, the good news, taught throughout the New Testament Scriptures. In summary, no matter how many good works we try to do, we still need God’s grace because the real problem is our sin, not our lack of good works.
So, how do we access God’s grace and receive his forgiveness? Jesus was asked this question in John 6:28-29 in a similar conversation as he had with the Woman at the Well. Jesus first told his listeners, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you.” They in turn asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Belief in Jesus is often expressed in scripture as placing our trust in Him. We can have an intellectual belief that Jesus and his sacrifice can save people from their sin, but actually trusting in Him to save us/me/you is what the Gospel message is about. I believe that a skilled tight rope walker could wheel someone in a wheelbarrow across the Niagara Falls, but my getting in that wheelbarrow and trusting the rope walker to carry me safely across the falls is a totally different level of belief. Saving faith is placing our trust completely and totally in Jesus alone as our only and sufficient provider for our eternal life. He came as the Son of God to die in our place, to pay the penalty for our sins and rose again three days later. I believe all of that intellectually, and I am trusting in his grace to save me apart from my works or anything else. I have nothing to offer him except my trust in what he has promised, to those who have accepted his free gift through faith…no money, no church attendance, no good works accepted. That being so, I owe him my love and devotion, which I show by my obedience to him, all because of his grace.