But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
—Romans 11:6
I have always wondered about people who believe they can enter the kingdom of heaven by doing good works and being nice. I’d love to ask them one simple question: “How do you know when you’ve done enough? How do you know when you’ve been good enough?” It’s a question that should keep them up at night, because there’s no answer to it. There’s no scoreboard, no passing grade, no finish line you can be sure you’ve crossed.
That’s exactly Paul’s point, and it’s one of the most important truths in the Bible. “If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Grace and works are like oil and water. The moment you add your works into the equation of salvation, it stops being grace. You can be saved by grace or try to earn it by works, but you cannot do both.
The trouble with human goodness is that it’s simply not good enough to earn a place in heaven. None of us deserves it, because even the finest person on earth is sinful in God’s sight. As Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Lay your best efforts beside the perfect holiness of God, and they fall hopelessly short.
Now don’t misunderstand me. You can do genuine good. You can be a truly kind, decent, admirable person. There is nothing wrong with any of that, and the world surely needs more of it. But none of it translates into eternal life.
But here’s the good news that makes all the difference: God has made a way through His Son. What you could never earn, He freely gives. What no amount of good works could purchase, the grace of God provides as a gift. That’s why grace is such glorious news for the exhausted and the striving, it takes the impossible burden of earning off your back entirely.
So, as you share Christ with others, help them see this. Tell them there’s nothing wrong with achieving great things in life and being a good person. But if they ever want to enter heaven, there is only one way, and it is to place their faith in Jesus Christ. Free them from the “good enough” game they can never win.
THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ACHIEVEMENT, BUT IT WILL NEVER GET ANYONE INTO HEAVEN. SALVATION IS BY GRACE, NOT WORKS.
