We must realize, first, that we cannot save ourselves. It is utterly impossible.
Many people believe that if they do enough good things, those good things will eventually outweigh the bad things they have done, and that will earn their salvation.
But following this thinking will lead to destruction and eternal damnation because salvation is not earned based on a point system.
“There is a way that people think is right, but it leads only to death.”—Proverbs 14:12 (ERV)
God makes the rules. We don’t. If we are going to secure our salvation and make sure that our names are written in the Book of Life, we have to do it God’s way. There is no other way.
“When his disciples heard this, they were stunned. ‘Then who can be saved?’ they asked.
“Jesus looked at them carefully and said, ‘It’s impossible for human beings. But all things are possible for God.”—Matthew 19:25-26 (CEB)
God has declared once and for all that it is impossible for us to earn our salvation by doing good things because no matter how many wonderful things we do, it can never be good enough to measure up to God’s standard.
“As it is written and forever remains written,
“There is none righteous [none that meets God’s standard], not even one.
“There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God.
“All have turned aside, together they have become useless;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”—Romans 3:10-12 (AMP)
Jesus echoed this in an encounter that he had with a rich young man in Mark 10:17-18 (ESV):
“And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.’”
This young man thought that he had kept every commandment and done everything he needed to do to earn his salvation, but Jesus pointed out to him that even after all of his efforts, he was still lacking. After spending his entire life trying to do good things, he still fell short.
You can think of it this way. If a person does only good things all of his life, but one day he steals something from a shop, he will still be brought before the judge in court because of this one theft. If the man pleads with the judge and points out that all this life he has only done good things to help people, the judge may reply that,
“That is all good, but it does not change the judgment in this case. All of those good things that you did cannot change the fact that you are guilty, because on that one day you stole an item from the shop.”
The judge may appreciate all of the wonderful things that you did to help other people all your life, but it does not free you from the guilt of this one theft from the shop. You are still guilty before the judge.
Have you ever stolen something? Maybe not, but have you ever told a lie? Have you ever done something that was wrong? Of course you have. We all have done wrong things in our lives.
You stand guilty before God.
“You might follow all of God’s law. But if you fail to obey only one command, you are guilty of breaking all the commands in that law. God said, ‘Don’t commit adultery.’ The same God also said, ‘Don’t kill.’ So if you don’t commit adultery, but you kill someone, you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law.”—James 2:10-11 (ERV)
We all stand guilty before God. Scripture confirms this.
“Now we know that whatever the Law [of Moses] says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that [the excuses of] every mouth may be silenced [from protesting] and that all the world may be held accountable to God [and subject to His judgment]. For no person will be justified [freed of guilt and declared righteous] in His sight by [trying to do] the works of the Law. For through the Law we become conscious of sin [and the recognition of sin directs us toward repentance, but provides no remedy for sin].”—Romans 3:19-20 (AMP)
If we had to depend on our own efforts to earn our salvation and to have our names written in God’s Book of Life, it would be hopeless. It would be impossible.
But God loves us, and He has provided a way. It is not something that you can work for or do anything to earn. It is freely offered to you by God as a gift.