In a world where performance is praised and merit is rewarded, the concept of receiving something so precious—eternal life—freely, seems almost too good to be true. Yet, this is precisely the message of the gospel: that salvation is a gift from God, received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. It is not earned, not worked for, and not maintained through human effort.

This truth, affirmed by over 150 clear passages in Scripture, forms the bedrock of the Christian faith. Thanks to the work of Dr. J.B. Hixson of NBW Ministries, we are reminded of the abundance of biblical evidence supporting this crucial doctrine.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proclaims with one voice that we are saved by faith. Not faith plus works. Not faith plus church membership. Not faith plus baptism. Just faith. The finished work of Christ on the cross is sufficient—completely and eternally. Jesus paid it all. To add anything to His work is to declare it incomplete, and in doing so, we insult the very grace that saves us.

Scriptural Foundation

Consider the consistency of this message across the New Testament. In John 3:16, Jesus declares, “Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Just a few verses later, in John 3:36, we read, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life.” The language is not complicated. It does not say, “He who believes and obeys all the commandments,” or “He who believes and serves in ministry.” It says simply: believe.

The Gospel of John alone, often called “the Gospel of Belief,” contains dozens of affirmations of this truth. John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” John 5:24 speaks with eternal finality: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

Throughout Acts, the pattern continues. When the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “What must I do to be saved?” the response was immediate and unequivocal: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Not “Believe and behave,” not “Believe and be baptized,” but simply, believe.

Paul’s letters repeatedly emphasize this point. Romans 3:28 states, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Galatians 2:16 hammers it home: “A man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:8-9 famously declares, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

These are not isolated verses taken out of context—they are a flood of divine assurance. The testimony of Scripture is overwhelming: salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Faith Alone Does Not Give Us a License to Sin

Critics of this doctrine often respond with alarm: “If you tell people they’re saved by faith alone, they’ll think they can live however they want!” But Scripture answers this objection too. The apostle Paul confronted it head-on in Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!” True faith transforms. When a person places their trust in Christ, they are made new. Their identity is changed, their desires are realigned, and the indwelling Holy Spirit begins a lifelong process of sanctification.

However, this transformation is not a requirement for salvation—it is the result of it. The moment we mix works with grace, we redefine the gospel. Salvation is not a contract of performance; it is a covenant of promise.

Yet, we must be clear: believing in Christ does not make us sinless. Even the apostle Paul confessed his struggle with sin in Romans 7, saying, “For what I am doing, I do not understand… I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15). Christians are not perfect. We are not called to perfection but to dependence—on Christ and His Spirit, daily.

A Call to Rest in the Finished Work

To rest in Christ’s finished work is not spiritual laziness—it is the ultimate act of faith. Hebrews speaks of those who “have believed [and] enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:3). Our salvation is secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because He holds tightly to us (John 10:28). The assurance of salvation is not arrogant presumption—it is biblical confidence. As 1 John 5:13 tells us, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”

Those who truly grasp the magnitude of God’s grace are not driven to sin but to worship. They don’t abuse grace—they cherish it. They understand that their obedience flows not from obligation, but from gratitude. Works matter—not for salvation, but as evidence of a growing faith and love for Christ (James 2:23). We work because we are saved, not to get saved or stay saved.

The Danger of Adding to the Gospel

Perhaps the greatest threat to the gospel today is not outright denial but distortion. Satan loves religion. He loves adding fine print to the gospel. He whispers, “Yes, Jesus saves—but you better keep proving yourself.” That is a lie. The Galatians were rebuked for falling into this trap: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3). Salvation is not grace at the start and works at the finish. It is grace from first to last.

When we tell people they must do something to earn God’s favor, we rob Christ of His glory. When we insist that faith must be accompanied by a certain level of behavior to be valid, we elevate human effort and diminish the sufficiency of the cross.

The gospel is not complicated. It is not a theological puzzle. It is not a performance-based system. It is a promise. Believe, and you will be saved.

Conclusion: Stand Firm in Grace

The message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is not a doctrine to be debated—it is a truth to be declared. The apostle Paul warned against any deviation: “If any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:9).

We must contend for this truth in a world where religion so often clouds grace and where the simplicity of the gospel is drowned in human effort. Faith alone saves because Christ alone is enough.

Let us stand firmly on the authority of Scripture—over 150 verses strong—and boldly proclaim the good news: salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone. And because of that, to Him alone be the glory.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Prophecy Recon | Bible Prophecy & Current Events

As a believer, I understand that the ‘last days’ would be like the days of Noah and of Lot (Luke 17:26-29). It seems that it’s becoming more apparent for Christians today.

On the surface, this warning has always provided proof that Jesus will return in the clouds for his church at a time that is not expected by the unbelieving world. The flood had come after 100 years of warning and faithful building by Noah and his family. Sodom and Gomorrah were reduced to ashes and ruin in one day, following an attack on Lot’s home. People were going about their normal lives with eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building. Then suddenly, they were destroyed.

But now, I believe we can see more clearly the underlying culture that Jesus warned about that would be present at the time of his return. Looking at the times of Noah and Lot (remember, they lived over 500 years apart from each other), we can see much evidence of overt wickedness throughout the chapters of Genesis 6, 18, and 19. In Noah’s time, we learn that the daughters of men had ‘relations’ with the Sons of God. People’s hearts were always full of evil, and the earth was filled with violence.

With the case of Lot, homosexual men surrounded his house, demanding he give the ‘men’ in his house. Before this time, Lot had to be rescued by Abraham after the battle of five versus four kings over possessions and food supplies. What becomes clear is that cultures that have every need satisfied wipe their mouths, look around, and try to fill their insatiable appetite for evil, while despising authority. Those generations met their sudden destruction, as will ours.

Let’s compare our generation. There are many aspects of our culture that have been captured wonderfully by many writers for Rapture Ready. I will just mention a couple. In our own nation, we’ve seen the drastic decline of Christianity since the 1960s, following the removal of the Bible from public schools. Since then, we’ve seen the proliferation of false religions, sexual deviancy, violence, and broken families.

It’s heartbreaking for believers to watch our nation fall, to see the gleeful celebration of martyred Christians, attempted murder and murder of righteous leaders. It’s so sad to watch lawlessness overcome our cities and others. Recently, Australia passed the Conversion Practices Ban Act that bans prayers aimed at changing or suppressing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

2 Timothy 3:13b comes to mind, concerning the last days. “…while evil people and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived themselves.”

What we are witnessing today is only going to get worse. Birth pains are increasing, as we were warned by our Savior in Matthew 24.

How should we be?

We understand that Jesus will come and rescue our generation, not Abraham nor angels. But how should we be in the meantime? Let’s look again at the generations of Noah and Lot and how they acted. I suspect there will be a better role model between the two.

Let’s start with Lot. When Abraham and Lot were going their separate ways, Abraham told Lot to choose first. He chose the plains of the Jordan because they were watered and apparently bustling with business. We see him sitting at the gate of Sodom when the two angels come to investigate. He has some authority. And with his authority, he offers his daughters to appease the vicious mob that wants the two new ‘men’ (angels) in town. When warned to leave the city immediately, Lot hits the snooze alarm in the morning and negotiates with the angels about how far he must go to protect himself and his family.

And let’s not forget Lot’s wife, who aimed to preserve her own life and lost it (Luke 17:32-33). I won’t even mention what happened with Lot and his daughters afterward. Lot did not make the Hall of the Faithful in Hebrews 11. But he is still declared a righteous man because he was distressed by the debauchery of those unprincipled people (2 Peter 2:7-8).

The fact of the matter is, if God chooses you and you respond, there is nothing that can separate you from the love of Jesus (Romans 8:35). Praise God! I cannot give God enough thanks for his tender mercies.

Let’s look at Noah’s example. He was immersed in a severely unholy culture. Looking through Genesis 6, 7, 8, and 9, we see a man who walked with God despite the earth being filled with corruption and violence. God asked him to complete a task that was devoid of common sense and would take about 100 years to complete. He would have been mocked and possibly attacked by his peers. But he led his family faithfully. Not one of his peers befriended or trusted him.

Due to Noah’s faithfulness, he and his family were delivered while the rest of the world was destroyed. God blessed Noah following the flood, and he had dominion over all the creatures of the earth. Was Noah perfect? No. But he did make the Hall of the Faithful in Hebrews 11.

What can we take from these two righteous examples submerged in a culture that has outright disgust for all things ethical, honorable, or decent? Let’s not use our authority to appease the wicked or put ourselves in situations where we need a rescue. Let’s stand our ground but not try to preserve our own lives. We go and do as the Spirit leads us. It won’t be violent. Noah did not use violence in his violent culture. But we can be sure he did not back down from his mission.

Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 says, “A sinner can do evil a hundred times and still live a long life; although I know that in the end things will go well with those who fear God because they fear him. But things will not go well with the wicked.”

We’ve seen this scenario play out many times throughout the Bible. And it’s playing out right now. Let’s keep our noses to the grindstone, not giving ground to the enemy but giving a reason for our hope at each opportunity. A flood is coming soon.

Maranatha!

Jeff Hauck

jeffreyjhauck@yahoo.com