Styx has a song I used to love called “Born for Adventure.” One line talks about being a thief on the highway, coming to steal the rich man’s gold. When I was young, that kind of restless adventure appealed to me. I wanted excitement. I wanted to chase the world. I wanted to plunder whatever life had to offer. But thankfully, the Holy Spirit prevented me from becoming that person. My parents taught me values, and I am grateful for that. But something greater was also at work. The Holy Spirit. Whenever I talk about grace, someone usually feels the need to add, “But we still need good works.” I understand the concern, but I also think that response shows how much value the modern church has placed on outward works. Without Christ, we are not good people. Isaiah said, “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus said, “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). That means even things that look good on the outside can still come from the flesh. I struggled with this in the 90s. The pastors were not preaching a harsh works-based salvation, but there was still a heavy focus on facing sin head-on, improving ourselves, and doing good works. The message often felt like, “Here is how to become a better person.” But good works are most often just another form of the lust of the flesh. They become a way to feel righteous, prove ourselves, impress others, or measure our own spirituality. I once knew a man who attended that church. He thought he was going to heaven because of his donations and good deeds. He was involved. He gave generously. People respected him. But when I asked more questions, I realized he was trusting in what he had done, not in Christ. That is the danger. Good works often look spiritual while still keeping the focus on us. Grace brings the focus back to Christ. We are not saved because we are good. We are saved because Jesus is good. The only truly good person is Christ Jesus. His work on Calvary and His shed blood cover us. We are accepted because of Him, not because of us.

I Do Not Send People to Church I made a phone call last week. I had seen the name of a man I knew back in the 1990s on the marquee of an office building. Years ago, he was my Sunday school teacher. He taught us a Greek word that changed the way I understood the gospel: Metanoia — a change of mind. He taught us that we are not saved by religious performance. We are not saved by promising God we will do better. We are not saved by cleaning ourselves up enough to be acceptable. We are saved by believing on Christ Jesus. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”— Acts 16:31, KJV That teaching stayed with me. After he taught that, he was accused of false teaching and removed from the church. But I never forgot what he taught. So when I saw his name, I called him. I wanted him to know that the seed he planted all those years ago never died. I am a Berean at heart. When someone teaches something, I do not accept it just because they have a title. I search it out. I study. I compare it to Scripture. “They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”— Acts 17:11, KJV And the more I study, the more convinced I become that one of the biggest problems in Christianity today is that men keep burying the power of Christ under religious tradition. They create checklists. They create performance tests. They make salvation sound like something Christ began, but we must maintain. But that is not the gospel. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:Not of works, lest any man should boast.”— Ephesians 2:8–9, KJV Christ died for all of my sins. Not some. Not most. All. “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”— Hebrews 10:10, KJV Yes, believers should grow. Yes, sin has consequences. Yes, the child of God should desire truth. But growth is not the root of salvation. It is the fruit of the Spirit.

What does it mean,”work out your Salvation with fear and trembling”?

Tuesday May/14/2026 Topics: Opening comments Are you good enough to get into heaven? Link to: www.GoodOMeter.org Let's Get Discipling!