False Teaching - Good Works Will Get You to Heaven

False Teaching #4 – Salvation can be earned through doing good works or all “good” people will go to heaven.

It’s easy for people to fall prey to this false teaching because it lowers the standard significantly. Most people consider themselves to be “good.” Many believe that all they have to do is make sure their good deeds outweigh the bad.

“Good” deeds according to the world’s standards encompass a wider range of actions than those that qualify according to scripture. We tend to think of good deeds in terms of humanitarian aid, preserving the environment, lending a helping hand to your neighbor, etc. According to scripture, the key issue is motive.

If your motive is for personal gratification, your reward is in the satisfaction of doing the deed. You have “earned” nothing with respect to eternity.

Matthew 6:1–5 “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward….And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.”

Only if your desire is to glorify God, do your works qualify as good and accrue to heavenly reward.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Only by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through you can you perform good works.

John 15:4–5 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

So many of the cults are predicated on living according to a prescribed set of laws. Sometimes they take these laws right out of scripture and clearly out of context. Some even declare that salvation is by faith plus certain works. Scripture is very clear in declaring that it is through faith alone that one can obtain salvation; no one will be justified by their works. If that were possible, the death of Jesus on the cross was in vain.

Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

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

Our works prove our faith, but our works do not earn us our salvation. This the primary focus of the book of James.

James 2:14–18 “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”

Jesus phrased it differently, but the truth is the same.

John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”