If Salvation Were Ever By Works, Then God Owed It

By David J. Stewart | December 2020

Romans 4:1-4 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”

The very fact that a preacher could entertain the false idea of people being saved “SOME OTHER WAY” is cause for great alarm! John 10:1, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” Since the beginning of human civilization, salvation has always been promised by God to those who place their trust in the Savior.

Please let me repeat our text passage, because it is so important. The following passage of Scripture 100% unequivocally PROVES, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that no one has ever been saved by the works of the law:

Romans 4:1-4 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.”

What Peter Ruckman, Gene Kim, Robert Breaker, William Grady and Bryan Denlinger are literally teaching, by saying that people were saved BY WORKS in the Old Testament, is that GOD OWED THEM SALVATION!!! I didn't say that, God did! Please read Romans 4:1-4 again if you missed it. The Bible says if Abraham had been saved by works, then salvation wouldn't have been by grace, but of debt. Dear friend, do you really think God owes anyone eternal life? Do you think God owed everyone salvation in the time of Moses, who attempted to obey the Mosaic laws but utterly failed? It blows my mind that any preacher could even think of following such a disastrous, heretical, unbiblical, and theologically irresponsible notion—to teach that anyone has ever been redeemed by keeping God's law.

Romans 4:2-4 “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” Please don't miss that! If Abraham had been saved by works, then he would have had justifiable grounds to brag of his own self-righteousness. No human being has that right! These heretics, like Dr. Peter S. Ruckman, claim that Abraham was saved by faith, but then salvation became by works under the Mosaic law. That is utter nonsense and heresy!

The same argument made by the Apostle Paul in Romans 4:1-4 regarding Abraham, absolutely applies to every human being! No one, not at any time in human civilization, has ever been owed salvation by God. As we just plainly read in Romans 4:1-4, if salvation were by works, then it would be of debt and not of God's grace. That eternal truth didn't change under the Mosaic law. Salvation has ALWAYS been solely by God's undeserved grace, provided through the blood sacrifice on His only begotten Son on the cross (1st Peter 1:18-19).

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“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —Evangelist John Bunyan

Truth + Half Truth = a Lie

Romans 16:17-18, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

1st Kings 18:17, “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah,
that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?”

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“A man doesn't get better to get saved; he gets saved to get better.”
 —Pastor Curtis Hutson (1934-1995), “Salvation Crystal Clear.”

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