Salvation Is By The Works of Christ ALONE!

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"For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, an then He will repay each person according to what he has done" (Matthew 16:27). 

"For You will render to a man according to his work" (Psalm 62:12). 

"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.  If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments and His statutes and His rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it" (Deuteronomy 30:15-16).

In Hebrews 9:27, the Word of God tells all humans everywhere what will happen to each one of us: "It is appointed a man once to die and after that to face the judgement."  We are assured of two certainties: we will die and, after death, we will face judgement.

But what will we be judged by?

God's Word further reveals that each one of us will be judged by his works:

"He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.  There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.  For God shows no partiality" (Romans 2:6-11).

There's just one major problem with this reality: "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).  Each of our works fall short of God's standard; therefore, His judgement still stands over us after death for our transgressions against His holy Law.

God, as Paul states, is the standard of glory and perfection that one must achieve by his works in order to be cleared on the day of judgement.  This is a problem (in the strongest sense of the word) for sinful man.

For since all have sinned in both their hearts and their actions, "and the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), there is no hope for man on the day of judgement based on his works.

But you will say, "What about my good works?  I am not all bad."  If any such good works are done by man, they are as "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6) before the holy God.  For if any man builds on his own ground, he is destined for destruction:

"But the one who hears [My words] and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.  When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great" (Luke 6:49).

Paul says it another way: "By works of the Law shall no flesh be justified in His sight" (Romans 3:20).

So, then, man can never be acquitted by what he does.  He fails the test at every turn.  There is only destruction to be found; even in the greatest works built by man's hands, there is only found to be utter worthlessness before the holy God of Heaven.

Is there any way man can be acquitted?  To be sure, yes!  And this way is by works, for God said that He would render each according to his works, and God is not a liar.  Indeed, God will judge us by our works.

But to the believer, the one who has faith in Christ, Christ's works have become his works; and his sins have become Christ's sins.  Through a great, scandalous exchange, Christ has exchanged His righteous robes for man's sin-defiled rags:

"Surely He has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our
transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). 

Therefore, it is by faith in Christ alone that one is justified, for His works have earned righteousness for His people and His death has payed the just penalty for His people's sins!  Christ has imputed (counted) the sins of His people upon His own body, bearing them to death on the accursed tree; and He has imputed (counted) His works of perfect obedience to His people, that they might be acquitted.  Praise be to God, rich in mercy and abounding in steadfast love!  Hallelujah!  Amen.


"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).