Many people believe that being a good person will be enough to please God and earn them a place in heaven. While it’s commendable to be a good person or do good things, this is not what saves you from sin and death.
Good works are not a requirement for salvation. Instead, they are the results of salvation. This is what the Word of God teaches. You are not saved because you do good works. Instead, you produce good works because you are saved.
In Acts chapter 10, there was a man named Cornelius, described as a devout, God-fearing and generous man. The Bible mentioned he prayed regularly to God, yet he was not saved. This is mind-blowing!
By man’s standard, Cornelius seemed like a good man. Yet the Bible records that he didn’t have a right relationship with God until Apostle Peter preached the Gospel of Jesus to him, and he believed. Though he produced what seemed like good works while unsaved, he was still dead in sin.
Look at it this way. After a man is declared dead, his body may have some movements and reflexes, but it doesn’t change the fact that the man is still dead. However, when you see a man who is alive moving his body, those movements and reflexes prove that he is alive.
Similarly, you must first receive the life of Christ, which translates you from death to life, before you can do the good works that are pleasing to God. This is the right order when it comes to salvation and good works.
Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
This buttresses the truth that good works are not a requirement for salvation; instead, they are the results of salvation. Being a good person cannot save you from the power of sin and the penalty of eternal death. Only faith in the redemptive work of Jesus can save you.
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