What is the Biblical basis for salvation?

Some doctrines are only implied by Scripture (e.g., the Trinity). Others are explicitly stated only once (e.g., “Jesus wept,” John 11:25). But then you have doctrines repeated so often, and so clearly, it’s incredible that anyone could miss it. The Biblical basis for salvation is like that. Scripture repeatedly states that salvation comes through believing in Jesus.

Here are forty verses that make that clear:

1. John 1:12: “But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name.”
2. John 3:14-15: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
3. John 3:16: “For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
4. John 3:18: “Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”
5. John 3:36: “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”
6. John 5:24: “Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”
7. John 6:40: “For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
8. John 6:47: “Truly I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life.”
9. John 11:25-26: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”
10. Acts 10:43: “All the prophets testify about him that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins.”
11. Acts 13:38-39: “Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and everyone who believes is justified through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.”
12. Acts 16:31: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
13. Romans 1:17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.”
14. Romans 3:22: “The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction.”
15. Romans 3:25: “God presented him as an atoning sacrifice in his blood, received through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.”
16. Romans 3:28: “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
17. Romans 4:5: “But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness.”
18. Romans 4:16: “This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all.”
19. Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
20. Romans 9:30: “What should we say then? Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained righteousness, namely the righteousness that comes from faith.”
21. Romans 10:6-8: “But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ that is, to bring Christ down or, ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ that is, to bring Christ up from the dead. On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim.”
22. Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
23. Romans 10:10: “One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.”
24. Romans 11:20: “True enough; they were broken off by unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware, because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.”
25. Galatians 2:16: “Yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.”
26. Galatians 3:2: “I only want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by believing what you heard?”
27. Galatians 3:7: “You know, then, that those who have faith, these are Abraham’s sons.”
28. Galatians 3:11: “Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.”
29. Galatians 3:14: “The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.”
30. Galatians 3:22: “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
31. Galatians 3:24: “The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.”
32. Galatians 3:26: “For through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.”
33. Galatians 5:5: “For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.”
34. Ephesians 1:13: “In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed.”
35. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast.”
36. Philippians 3:8-9: “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.”
37. 1 Timothy 1:16: “But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.”
38. Hebrews 10:39: “But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.”
39. James 2:23: “And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.”
40. 1 John 5:1: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of him.”

Amazingly, some people can read those verses and still doubt that salvation is a gift received through faith. They can insist, “We also have to do some good works to be saved!” No, you do not. If you’re still not convinced, here are fifteen verses that explicitly say that salvation is not by works, nor does it come by following the law:

1. John 1:12-13: “But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.”
2. Romans 3:20: “For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.”
3. Romans 3:28: “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
4. Romans 4:2: “If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God.”
5. Romans 4:5: “But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness.”
6. Romans 4:6: “just as David also speaks of the blessing of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:”
7. Romans 9:16: “So then, it does not depend on human will or effort but on God who shows mercy.”
8. Romans 11:6: “Now if by grace, then it is not by works; otherwise grace ceases to be grace.”
9. Galatians 2:16: “Yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.”
10. Galatians 2:21: “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.”
11. Galatians 3:11: “Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.”
12. Ephesians 2:8-9: “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.”
13. Philippians 3:9: “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.”
14. 2 Timothy 1:9: “He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
15. Titus 3:5: “he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

Can language be any clearer? Unlike many other areas of theology, salvation is not supposed to be one full of mystery. God wants you to understand how to be saved: Believe in His Son. Jesus did all the work of salvation. He died on the cross for your sins and rose again from the dead for your justification (Romans 4:25). Now, you can be saved by simply believing in Him.

I suppose that, in a sense, you could say that salvation is by faith plus works, but only if you understand that you have the faith, while Jesus does the work.

Send your questions or comments to shawn at freegrace.in.

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