Salvation by Works: A False Doctrine
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, August 17, 2026 (Donate)
Author and General Editor of the popular book series: World Religion
and Cults
If one looks at the state of religion throughout the world,
you cannot miss the fact that religions are massively different—even in their
ultimate goals. Atheistic worldviews offer no final salvation at all. If death
is simply the end of a person and all their works are useless—then there is
ultimately no rescue from death, no final restoration, and no eternal hope.
Many Eastern mystical religions offer a very different goal. Some
teach various forms of reincarnation that you can work for, enlightenment,
liberation, or absorption into an ultimate impersonal reality. The individual
hopes to escape the cycle of suffering and distinctions. From a biblical
perspective, however, this offers no genuine hope of eternal life with the
personal God who created us.
Pagan, moralistic, and works-based religions fare no better.
People are told, in one form or another, to do enough good, obey certain rules,
perform religious rituals, avoid certain sins, or accumulate enough merit in
the hope that things will turn out well in the end. But how much good is enough—and
what do you mean by good anyway? How can a sinful person know that the debt of sin has actually been paid? What about the guilt?
Then there are religions that mimic certain aspects of
Christianity and look forward to an end result described as heaven, paradise,
resurrection with new bodies, or eternal blessing. This includes more than
half of the world's population.
Image requested by Bodie Hodge*
But how do we get to heaven? Most religions answer
with some form of works. Do this. Avoid that. Perform this ritual. Keep these
commandments. Join this religious organization. Accumulate enough merit.
Perhaps, if your good outweighs your bad, things will, “cross your fingers”, work
out.
Yet God's answer is radically different—and remarkably
simple.
God Said What?
According to Scripture, salvation is by God's grace through
faith. It is a free gift. We don’t earn it by works.
"For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, NKJV).
Salvation is free to us, but it was certainly not without
cost to God. We sinned against our infinite and holy Creator and deserved His
righteous judgment (Genesis 2:17, 3:19). We could never pay that debt through
our own good deeds. In fact, doing good, doesn’t negate that we deserve to be
punished by God. We sinned, that needs to be dealt with by a perfect and
righteous Judge—God.
Jesus Christ did what we couldn’t do. Christ, God the Son
who came in the flesh, lived without sin and died in the place of sinners. He
was buried and rose bodily from the dead, showing…and proving…His victory over
sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Christ fully satisfied God’s wrath on our
sin through His death and resurrection. This is why Paul and Silas could answer
the Philippian jailer's question so simply:
"Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?" (Acts 16:30, NKJV).
Their response wasn’t, "Perform enough good
works." It was:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31, NKJV).
Those who believe in the Jesus Christ of Scripture, trusting
in His death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation, are saved. Genuine
saving faith will then produce fruit with God’s help. Repentance, obedience,
love for God, and good works should flow from salvation, but they don’t
purchase salvation. This distinction is essential. We aren’t saved by good
works. Bu t instead we are saved and then do good works because of our love for
God to be obedient to Him (Ephesians 2:10).
What Are We Saved From Again?
Why do we need a Savior in the first place? The answer goes
back to Genesis. God warned Adam concerning the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil, "in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die"
(Genesis 2:17, NKJV). Adam rebelled against God, and death entered God's once
"very good" and perfect creation (Genesis 1:31; Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans
5:12).
Image requested by Bodie Hodge*
The problem is therefore much greater than merely needing to
become a slightly better person. We have sinned against our infinite Creator.
“For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NKJV).
We sinned in Adam and we sin ever since. And the consequence
is death:
"For the wages of sin is
death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans 6:23, NKJV).
Apart from Christ, sinners face God's final judgment and the second death (Revelation 20:11-15). We therefore need far more than moral
improvement in our actions. We need to be rescued form death!
We need a Savior. The wonderful news is that believers don’t
have to live their entire lives wondering whether they have accumulated enough
merit. Scripture says believers can know they have eternal life:
“These things I have written to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have
eternal life” (1 John 5:13, NKJV).
When we believe in Jesus Christ (the Son of God), and His
death and resurrection, we are saved. Our assurance rests ultimately in Christ,
not in our ability to do enough “good works”.
That Seductive Error Of Works
The false doctrine of salvation by works is extremely seductive
because it appeals to human pride. We naturally want to contribute something.
We want to believe that we helped earn our salvation. But if salvation could be
earned, grace would no longer be grace. Paul writes:
"And if by grace, then it is
no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace" (Romans 11:6,
NKJV).
The world's religions are filled with systems in which
people perform works while hoping for something better after death. Islam, for
example, rejects the Jesus of Scripture and saving work of Christ and instead
incorporates obedience and deeds into its understanding of final judgment—a very
sexualized paradise.
Other religious groups likewise require religious works,
rituals, ordinances, or organizational loyalty while often redefining Jesus as
a created being, lesser divine figure, prophet, or one god among others.
From a Protestant perspective, Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox theology also creates serious problems where sacramental
participation, merit, indulgences, or other works are incorporated into the
process of justification rather than justification being received through faith
apart from works. Protestants historically—and rightly—objected that such
systems obscure the sufficiency of Christ's finished work.
The Reformers repeatedly returned to the biblical teaching
summarized by the phrase sola fide - faith alone. But Protestants shouldn’t become proud. Protestant churches
can fall into similar errors. Sadly, some Protestants teach:
·
Believe in Jesus plus baptism.
·
Believe in Jesus plus confession.
·
Believe in Jesus plus church membership.
·
Believe in Jesus plus speaking in tongues.
·
Believe in Jesus plus a particular spiritual
experience.
·
Believe in Jesus plus enough good behavior.
·
Etc.
Whenever something is presented as an additional basis for
justification before God, we should immediately compare that teaching with
Scripture. Adding unto salvation can be very dangerous!
What About Repentance?
Repentance deserves special attention because Scripture
clearly commands people to repent (Acts 17:30). Does that mean repentance is a
good work that earns salvation? No.
Biblical repentance is a change of the state of mind and
heart regarding God and sin that accompanies genuine faith. When someone truly
turns to Christ, that person is turning away from unbelief and rebellion and
turns to God. Repentance is therefore inseparably connected with saving faith,
but it should never be turned into a merit-based work that purchases or earns God's
forgiveness. Keep in mind that repentance is something granted by God (2
Timothy 2:25-26).
Consider someone who says they believe in Jesus and his
death and resurrection, but explicitly says they refuse to repent and they love
their sin and want to keep sinning. Does this person really have a saving faith
in the Jesus Christ of Scripture? No. They still idolize their sin above
Christ, and Christ is secondary at best.
Consider someone who says, they need to clean themselves up
and repent first before they consider Christ. They do these works in an effort “to
be better” so they think they are earning a worthy place before they
receive Christ. This too is in error. We don’t clean ourselves up enough to
become worthy of Christ. We come to Christ because we aren’t worthy and
desperately need His mercy.
Getting Precise
Adding anything to God’s salvation draws one into
error—potentially a grave error. Even those who argue carefully sometimes fall
into an error that can be subtle. So, I suggest we be gracious. Let me explain.
Consider if someone is arguing that the work of baptism is a
requirement for salvation. This is quite common and stems in part from a
misunderstanding of Acts 2:37-38. Baptism is extremely important. Christ
commanded it (Matthew 28:19), and believers should gladly obey Him.
However, in Acts 2:37, the crowd was cut to the heart by the
Gospel message they heard and now believed unto salvation after hearing about
Jesus and His death and resurrection.
So, they were saved at that belief. But then they are told
in Acts 2:38 to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins. It is easy
to see how one might think these factors were conditional for salvation. But
these other doctrines of repentance and baptism are distinct from salvation
that already occurred in Acts 2:37. This position is called baptismal
regeneration.
I once had a person say to me that those who held to
baptismal regeneration aren’t saved because they add a work to salvation. But
here is where we need to be very careful and get very precise.
A person who errs on the proper understanding of baptism
still believes in the Jesus Christ of Scripture and His death and resurrection.
So, this person is still saved, regardless of their understanding of the
baptism. Just because they have a misunderstanding of baptism—does that negate
their salvation in Christ when they believed on Him? No.
But look at the converse. When someone says that a baptismal
regenerationist isn’t saved, then they just added something to salvation. Did
you catch that? They just added that one must believe in the Jesus Christ of
Scripture and His death and resurrection PLUS also they must have the
correct understanding of baptism to be saved.
If someone has a false Christ, then we can certainly point
out that that person is not saved. For instance, if one denies that
Christ came in the flesh (i.e., God in the flesh) then they are an anti-Christ
and not saved.
If someone suggest they are good enough for heaven based on
their works, then they aren’t saved because they haven’t believed in Jesus. But
we need to be careful to see if they believe in the correct Jesus of the Bible and
His death and resurrection—that is the key.
Image requested by Bodie Hodge*
This is where Christians need to be careful. It is possible
to oppose works-based salvation so aggressively that we accidentally create
another requirement for salvation. If perfect doctrinal understanding were
necessary for salvation, none of us could have assurance because we would
constantly wonder whether some theological misunderstanding had invalidated our
faith.
This doesn’t make theological error unimportant. False
teaching should be identified and corrected from Scripture. But we must
distinguish between an error about a secondary doctrine and an error that
destroys the object or basis of saving faith. Throughout Scripture, salvation
is repeatedly connected to believing in Christ.
Consider Cornelius and his household. The Holy Spirit came
upon them before their water baptism (Acts 10:43-48). Their baptism followed as
an act of obedience and public identification with Christ.
The thief on the cross provides another important example.
He had no opportunity to be baptized, join a local church, take communion,
accumulate years of good works, or complete a religious program. Yet Christ
told him:
"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in
Paradise" (Luke 23:43, NKJV).
Christ was enough. Other passages compliment this (NKJV):
·
Acts 16:30-34: And he brought them out
and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
·
John 3:16-18: “For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who
believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.
·
Romans 10:9-11: that if you confess with
your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him
from the dead, you will be saved. For
with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will
not be put to shame.”
·
Romans 3:22: The righteousness of God,
through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no
difference.
·
Ephesians 1:13: In Him you also trusted,
after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also,
having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.
·
Mark 16:16: “He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
·
Romans 9:3: As it is written: “Behold, I
lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him
will not be put to shame.”
·
Romans 10:4: For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
·
Galatians 2:16: “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 the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be
justified.
·
Galatians 3:22: But the Scripture has
confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be
given to those who believe.
·
1 Timothy 1:16: However, for this reason
I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering,
as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
When Does Error Become Fatal?
We should distinguish between misunderstanding something
about salvation and trusting in something other than Christ for salvation.
Suppose a person says:
"I am going to heaven because
I have lived a good enough life."
That person is trusting in his own righteousness rather than
Christ. They aren’t saved.
Suppose someone says:
"I don't need Jesus. My
religious works will save me."
Again, Christ has been rejected. They aren’t saved.
Or suppose someone denies the biblical identity of Christ
altogether. Scripture warns strongly about false Christs and those who deny
Jesus Christ coming in the flesh (1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 7). A counterfeit Jesus
cannot save.
This is why Paul's warning in Galatians is so severe.
Certain teachers wanted to add circumcision and law-keeping to justification.
Paul responded:
"Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ" (Galatians
2:16, NKJV).
The question we should ask isn’t merely, "Does this
person have every doctrine perfectly correct?" Rather, we should be
asking, who are they trusting to save them?
Are they trusting Jesus Christ and His finished work? Or are
they ultimately trusting themselves, their works, their rituals, their church,
their goodness, or a false version of Christ? That distinction matters
enormously.
But Aren't Good Works Important?
Absolutely! Rejecting salvation by works doesn’t mean
rejecting good works. James famously says:
"Faith without works is
dead" (James 2:26, NKJV).
James isn’t contradicting Paul. Paul explains the basis of
justification: we are justified through faith apart from works. James explains
the evidence of genuine faith: real faith produces fruit.
In the same way, Christians do good works because God has
saved them. Good works demonstrate genuine faith; they don’t purchase eternal
life. If you see someone professing to be a Christian and their works are the opposite…then
you can judge a fruit by its tree! That person isn’t living as a saved person
does. Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:17-20). Paul
likewise teaches that believers were "created in Christ Jesus for good
works" (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV).
So good works have their proper place—but they aren’t
essential to salvation—Christ is. Works are the fruit of salvation, not the basis
of salvation.
Final Thoughts
Don’t add to God's salvation. Christ didn’t “almost
accomplish salvation” and leave us to finish the job. His work was sufficient
to unto salvation—only His work. On the cross, Jesus declared:
"It is finished!" (John
19:30, NKJV).
That should give every believer tremendous comfort. Our
salvation doesn’t rest upon whether we have performed enough religious
rituals, accumulated enough good deeds, attended church enough times, been
baptized correctly enough, given enough money, or understood every secondary
doctrine perfectly. Our salvation rests in Jesus Christ and His work alone.
At the same time, we should be cautious when evaluating
others. Some theological errors genuinely undermine the Gospel by replacing the
biblical Christ or substituting human merit for His finished work. Other errors
are serious misunderstandings held by people who nevertheless genuinely trust
Christ. Salvation isn’t Christ plus our works. Salvation is found in Christ
alone.
"For whoever calls on the name
of the LORD shall be saved" (Romans 10:13, NKJV).
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
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