Not By Works

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."  Galatians 2:16

I was raised in a tradition that relied heavily on works.  I was taught and believed that I needed to keep up a steady flow of good works to remain in good standing with God.  If I blew it and sinned, I knew I had to do some sort of good works to make up for my failure.

I believed that Jesus died for my sins, but that my good works also played a part in my salvation.  I didn't understand at the time that relying on my own good works for salvation was an offense to the cross of Jesus.  Jesus' death on the cross accomplishes all that is needed for salvation, to teach that our good works are also needed, is akin to saying that Jesus didn't do enough on the cross.

Justification can be defined as the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ.  There is no room for our works in justification, it is an act of God in Jesus, as sinners we are to trust and receive the completed work of the Lord.