Over 185 times in the New Testament the sole condition given for salvation is belief, having faith or trust in Jesus Christ. The gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose on the third day. All those who place their trust in Jesus for salvation will be saved from the coming judgment. To add any other condition to faith for salvation is to make justification a matter of works.
During one of his great campaigns, D.L. Moody was approached by a man who had been to a number of the services and who, although convicted of his need for Christ, had kept on postponing a decision. Now the last night had come. The appeal was over, the people were going home, the work crew was busy folding up the chairs and dismantling the platform, and Mr. Moody was preparing to leave.
The man finally plucked up his courage. He came to the evangelist and blurted out, “Mr. Moody, what must I do to be saved?” Moody looked at him. “I’m sorry sir,” he said, “but you’re too late.”
“Too late, Mr Moody?” The man was desperate now. “Surely I’m not too late!”
“Yes, sir,” said Moody. “You’re too late. As a matter of fact, you’re 2,000 years too late if you want to DO something to be saved. All the DOING has been DONE. But if you would like to accept Christ by faith as your personal Savior, you’re just in time. You can do that right here, right now.”
I read about an instant cake mix that was a big flop. The instructions said all you had to do was add water and bake. The company couldn’t understand why it didn’t sell – until their research discovered that the buying public felt uneasy about a mix that required only water. Apparently people thought it was too easy. So the company altered the formula and changed the directions to call for adding an egg to the mix in addition to the water. The idea worked and sales jumped dramatically.
That story reminds me of how some people react to the plan of salvation. To them it sounds too easy and simple to be true, even though the Bible says, “By grace you have been saved through faith… it is the gift of God, not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9). They feel that there is something more they must do, something they must add to God’s “recipe” for salvation. They think they must perform good works to gain God’s favor and earn eternal life. But the Bible is clear: we are saved “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy” (Titus 3:5).
Unlike the cake mix manufacturer, God has not changed His “formula” to make salvation more marketable. The gospel we proclaim must be free of works, even though it may sound too easy. It must be free of “Do” even though that seems to be right. It is all of grace, for the gift of God is eternal life and it is received only by faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
What must I do to be saved? Nothing can be done. There is no work good enough but to trust in Christ. Faith is the only work for God that we can do. Hebrews 11:6 Without faith, it is impossible to please God.
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