Salvation: Grace or Works? Is Salvation Really a Free Gift?

Question

Is salvation really a free gift? I have heard many Christians say that salvation is free and that all that is required is that you receive it. If this is true, then why does it matter whether you receive it in this life or whether you receive it after bodily death, when you and Jesus could open the gift together?

Isn't it true that the Christian religion actually does not teach that salvation is free but that salvation is obtained through the act of faith? And doesn't this explain why Christians believe that salvation is no longer offered after bodily death--because at that point, faith would no longer be necessary and therefore could no longer be earned?

If faith is required to be saved, then doesn't salvation become an earned commodity? Or do Christians believe that faith itself is a gift?

Is it possible that Christians are very confused about what they believe when it comes to these doctrines of salvation and damnation? Many Christians I know reject the doctrine of predestination and election that I discussed earlier. They state very emphatically that they do not believe in the Calvinistic god, the kind of god who eternally torments people for not having what he alone can give them. Yet, at the same time, these very same Christians tell unbelievers that they will pray for them, and when a person does "accept Christ", they pray and thank God for the conversion. Isn't praying that God will "draw someone to himself" or thanking God when a person becomes a Christian an indication that the one praying believes that it is God who changes a person's heart and not the person himself? And if you believe that God does the converting and that faith itself is a gift, then how is your god any different than the Calvinist god since it would then be obvious that your god does not give this "gift" to all?

answer to Concerned Ch...:
Bull ****. your first sentence contradicts your second one.

answer to Mark Alexander:

If faith is a gift and free then there is no question of CHOICE.

answer to jayfer1976:
"He does know who will and won't accept Him (that's not predestination exactly, that's omniscience). "
Ok. I think there is no contradiction between these predestination and omnipotence stuff.
If God knows that something will happen to someone--tell me why exactly that thing will happen? Does anything happen without God's will?

Answer 1

We are saved by God's grace. But faith without works is dead. Also man judges us by our works, they can't see our faith when we aren't doing anything.

If there is no afterlife I won't suffer for it. But if there is I'm going to heaven and those who don't believe go to hell, either way I win.

Answer 2

Some 1 said "Salvation is free. All you have to do is give your Earth life to God for an eternal life.
"

I don't have to give anything to GOD, he is so pwoerfull that he can take it him self when ever he wants. Cain once tried to give something to GOD and he did not liked it.

Grace alone is not going to work. Depends on Church and what thier teachings are. All 4 gospels of NT have different ways of teaching and since CHristianity well known for taken things they like and ignore what they don't like , its not a suprise that those who preached about grace ignore everything else.
Its in the bible where it says what has to be done. Help poor, sale your house and help others, obey community, Faith, Grace, acceptance and many other rules. Grace alone will get you nowhere. Who would care about any of the commandment of GOD if only thing is grace that gets you up there.

Therefore Christianity and Stupidity

Answer 3

How does one have faith in the first place? A person cannot believe unless it has been revealed to him. When a person has the truth revealed to him, it grows faith. When one is told that a person hidden from their view will catch them if they jump, one has a choice to believe that or not.

Taking the step based on that truth is faith confirmed. it is not a work but an acceptance of a work already done, that of Jesus dying on the cross to pay for the sins one's committed. It is like a voucher. You have a voucher for an item in a shop, but it isn't yours until you give it up and accept the item. You do nothing that can be construed as earning it or deserving it, but you chose to accept the offer that someone else has made on your behalf.

Faith is believing what is not seen. One cannot see before they believe or it negates trust and surrender in God. Instead, they hear the truth, they trust God and they are saved when they take the risk. Like falling into a net when stepping off an edge, the person chooses to fall, but it is the net and the net alone that does the saving. The net cannot save if the person does not let go and fall, and the person does nothing to save himself when they fall.

The gift is offered to all. Jesus has paid the price for all. But not all have heard the news, and others have not cashed in. By choosing to reject the offer one misses out.

It is free because the cost has been paid in blood. Not one drop of the price required for life has been earned or deserved by anybody except for Jesus.

Yes, a person's heart can be changed by God, but only with the person's submission. God does not force a person. But he calls a person, he prompts a person to draw close. But in the end the person chooses to accept or not. Only when a person confesses Jesus as Lord does God save them because He has been invited to.

Answer 4

Wow, good question.

Salvation is free and God offers it to all who will accept it. He wants ALL of us with Him in Heaven. He does know who will and won't accept Him (that's not predestination exactly, that's omniscience).

Faith is not an act. It's an internalized thing. The actions/decisions I've made since accepting God's gift and taking Christ as my savior are a result of that faith.

Yes, God does change a person's heart, but it doesn't happen at the immediate point of accepting Christ. God is always working in your heart (at least, this is my belief), and you begin to feel it when you open yourself to Him. In doing that, you draw yourself closer to God. We praise and thank God for the conversion because without Him, there is no one to accept anyway.

The faith and works issue---if you could really secure salvation with your works, then ANYONE doing good works would be welcomed into Heaven, including Atheists and Agnostics. The faith is the issue. Faith gives depth and meaning to your works. Not to say that anyone's works are empty without faith...but you suddenly aren't doing things to achieve something for yourself, you're doing these things because you want to please the one who has saved you.

Answer 5

Salvation is a free gift but not everyone can accept it.
When Cain did wrong God told him to do right and he would be accepted but he could not humble himself to admit that Abel's sacrifice was the correct one and his was wrong. Some people receive a "nudge" from God which is an opening door that leads to Him and they reject It. There are two extremes. The person that says that Faith and Grace alone is enough to please God and make it to heaven, and the other extreme says that works is the only way. I believe that God is just to know how far we can achieve by our mental faith in Him and how far we can live a Christian life as far as manifesting works and obeying His commandments.
God is a God of Love but He also is a God of wrath. In Noah's day He got tired of all the sin upon the earth and destroyed it. But He saved those who wanted to believe His Prophet for that day, which was Noah, who gave the warning that it was going to rain.
The Bible says that Faith without works is no good and works without faith is no good.
So one must keep a balance for God is balanced in all. How can one say they love Him and then refuse to obey His Word? How can one simply do good works and ignore Him?
Sooner or later God gives each individual a chance to
accept Him. Then that individual upon accepting Christ into their heart, begins to grow in grace.
It's God's grace that He gives His children by helping them to live a Christian life, and so, faith to believe in Him is what God gives to you and Christian works is what you do to show your gratitude to God for giving to you the gift of faith.
And it is a gift because not everyone can accept that there really is a God.
And what does that mean?
It's not that we really choose God. It's that FIRST, God chooses us and presents Himself to us and then we respond with a yes or no.
But God is just and if even Cain had a chance to do right,
then everyone has that chance to be "accepted" but sometimes there are people who just cannot "accept" God even if a bright Pillar of Fire presented Itself to them and God personally speaking to them, they still cannot believe their own eyes and ears.
That's because they are not meant to.
And there are a few that are actually born to be bad...like
Pharoah that was raised up just to show God's Power over him. And remember Esau? The Bible said that Esau was HATED even before he was born. How is that?
God who KNEW the future, knew the evil that was in Esau.
He knows all things about everybody.
So, the best thing is to not worry too much about who is saved and who isn't but run our own individual race with fear and trembling and thank God if we can feel His Presence and thank God that there is a Promise of Eternal Life in a Perfect place and body and that this life here is but a testing ground that will be over sooner than one thinks and can never be compared to the glories that await a true believer.
God will reward those who love Him in a mighty way!

Answer 6

"The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." (Romans 6:23)
Imagine you've been working for ridiculously low wages. Then along comes someone who offers a trade - a huge amount of money, tax-free, in exchange for your puny paycheck. Would you take it? There isn't anything you can do to earn the gift - it's a gift. But to get it you have to accept the deal.
God claims to be in charge of the entire universe, and says that when people don't pay attention to him, we earn death - like we would wages. But he offers life in exchange for those wages. It's not something that can be earned or added to, But if you want it you have to accept it. God will never overrule your choice in the matter. No room for works, only faith.

As far as God changing a person's heart, those who have decided to accept the deal have found out there are things about themselves they don't like. They also discover that they haven't got what it takes to fix themselves, and come to the conclusion that only God can change them. However, God still never does anything that the person doesn't want. He doesn't force any kind of change on anyone.

Regarding things happening against God's will: There are many things that happen outside of God's desire, but nothing without his permission.

Answer 7

Joh:3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh:3:17: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh:3:18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh:3:19: And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Joh:3:20: For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Joh:3:21: But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.IT WAS PAID AT THE CROSS.WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE,AND WE MUST DO HIS WORKS TO FULL FILL SALVATION

Answer 8

gosh you got a long question.look, salvation is free in that you do not have to pay anything to God to get it. Besides what could you possibly give God that he does not have right now. and yes it is God who draws a person to Himself(John 6:44), although the will to choose god rests entirely within the person.Yes faith itself is also a gift(1 corinthians 13).

Answer 9

Salvation is by grace alone. Living in a state of grace we do good works through faith. This is what THE CHURCH has taught for 2000 years.

Many who have left the church add much confusion, but the church Christ established has never taught differently.

Answer 10

SALVATION 101

Part One--- Become a Child of GOD
This happen's when you ask JESUS to come into your HEART (Spiritman) and SAVE (Recreate) YOU (a Spiritman living in a Body).
It is a Free GIFT offered to EVERY-BODY

Part Two--- After you become a Child of GOD
YOU Work out your OWN SALVATION
A. Renewing of your SOUL
B. Healing of your BODY
C. Working out your GODLY Finance's
D. Working out getting GOD's Blessing's to flow in your life concerning other thing's, etc.
Renewing your SOUL is accomplished by Reading, Studying and Hearing the WORD of GOD Preached (the WORD of GOD is in the BIBLE).
These are BASIC instruction's, more to it as you Grow in FAITH.

Getting Born-Again is completely FREE.
Learning to Walk with GOD take's WORK.
Hope this helps.