Ephesians 2:8-10
⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Salvation is only through grace and not works. Religion is a piece of work by man, which has no trace of an acceptable thing to salvation in the Bible. Religion is but a vain effort to ensure a righteous standing with God. It is a falsehood blinding men’s eyes to spiritual truth, a clinging on to your own made cisterns-(broken cisterns) that cannot hold water. It is unsound, non-powerful, and ultimately unfulfilling. Only through Christ can we gain that right standing and true spiritual fulfillment for works alone are vain.
2 Timothy 1:8-9
⁸Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, ⁹who 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.
Grace, which was given to us before time began: God is the author of salvation and if He is that author, He is the initiator, whatever is done is done in its rightness, and nothing can be added to His work.
Joshua 8:30-31
³⁰Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, ³¹as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Now we know that that Altar is typical of Christ.
On renewing the Sinai covenant, Joshua followed the instructions to make an altar of uncut stones or whole stones, even the temple was built with whole stones. This simply shows that salvation is not a matter of works or vain additions but rather the work of God, which is whole and perfect in itself. To this effect, Solomon perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it for God has done it so that people fear before him.
The Greek word for ‘whole’ is Shalem and it implies perfect or complete, God’s work of salvation is perfect or complete and nothing can be added to it or taken from it. If the stones are cut, it implies the work of man, if they are whole; it simply shows man has not worked a work on them to cut them.
Amidst a failed religious system, the altar was placed for those who came to that place of recognition that no salvation can be achieved in themselves. They come not in their righteousness but in that which is imputed on them through Christ Jesus.
We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We are only recreated through Christ Jesus and can do good works in Him, which implies that works outside Christ are vain knowing that they are of Mans effort.
Salvation is the work of Christ on the cross seen in the shedding of His blood, a perfect work that grants us perfect salvation.
We can do nothing in ourselves but like a child born who is learning to walk by the hands of his mother, we can do nothing on ourselves but with Him, we can do much more in the salvation journey than we could ever do on our own.
It is FINISHED; a finished work needs no additions. Hallelujah!
Prophetic Utterance:
I am His workmanship with deeds perfected in Him who makes me whole. By faith, I am complete, perfect to His perfection; my righteousness, peace, and joy are complete in Him who makes me whole.
Halleluya
Guiding Text:
Jeremiah 2:13
¹³“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Psalms 127:1-2
¹Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city. The watchman stays awake in vain. ²It is vain for you to rise up early. To sit up late. To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.