Safe and Secure in Christ - 1ಮಾದರಿ

Received by Faith, Not Works

“When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” — Romans 4:4–5 (NLT)

If someone works a job and gets paid, no one calls that payment a “gift.” They earned it. Sadly, many Christians think salvation works the same way — as if God is paying us with heaven because we “worked hard enough” to deserve it.

But salvation doesn’t operate like a job — it operates like a gift.

The Bible makes it clear: we are not made right with God because of what we do, but because of what Jesus has already done. God didn’t design salvation to be earned by effort, good behavior, or spiritual achievements. Why? Because none of us could ever reach His perfect standard. If heaven could be earned, we wouldn’t need Jesus.

Faith is simply trusting and accepting what Jesus has already finished.

Think of it like this: You board a plane, not because you can fly, but because you trust the plane to carry you. That is what faith in Jesus looks like. You’re not saving yourself — you’re resting in the One who saves.

Some people struggle with faith because they think faith means trying harder to believe. But faith is not about how strong you are — it’s about who you are trusting. Even weak faith in a strong Savior is enough.

Faith says:
“I believe Jesus did for me what I could not do for myself.”

Faith takes the focus off you and places it on Jesus. Works say, “I must do more to be accepted.” Faith says, “Jesus has done enough, and I receive it.” When you shift from works to faith, you move from pressure to peace.

This doesn’t mean we don’t do good works as Christians — we do. But we do them after salvation, not for salvation. Good works are the fruit of being saved, not the doorway to salvation.

So today, stop striving to earn what God has already freely given. Salvation is from start to finish by faith.

Prayer
Father, thank You for making salvation simple and accessible through faith in Jesus. I’m grateful that I don’t have to earn Your acceptance — I just receive it. Teach me to trust Jesus more every day and to rest in what He has already done for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.