Ephesians 2:9

not by works, so that no one can boast.

(v9, NIV)

Many people think you can get to heaven through works. This often comes in the form of being a "good" person. So, if you're "good" enough, you'll go to heaven. This is far from the truth, yet so many people believe this. Sometimes you'll hear of people who randomly ask people this question and whenever I've heard of this study being done, the common response is that being "good" is the way to heaven. How did people even come to this conclusion? Some religions or religious people follow this train of thought. They follow a strict set of rules and if they adhere to them then they will go to heaven. At the time when Paul was writing these letters, there were many Jews who held this belief. Even some of the Jews who had began following Jesus still held to the idea that being "good" or performing works were a way to be saved. It is not by works. We were dead in our trespasses and without God's intervention we would have remained dead in our trespasses. It is not our doing that saved us from being dead in our sinful nature, but God's saving grace. If it were by some sort of effort or redeeming factor of ourselves, we would have reason to boast. We could boast to others and boast to God that we are so good. We could walk around receiving high praise for our efforts in attaining salvation. It doesn't work that way. We all deserve to die; regardless of how much "good" we accumulate. We can only get so close to being perfect, but we are still imperfect. Therefore, we fall short of the glory of God.

Greg told me a really good story a while back. I guess he got it from somewhere else. I have a feeling I told this story already. This girl was arguing with her father over a sin she had committed. She was trying to push it off as something so small that it wasn't a big deal but the father wouldn't agree. The argument ended without any conclusion and both parties holding their own opinions. The daughter's birthday was soon and the father made her a cake. When presented with the cake, the father told his daughter that one of the ingredients was poo. However, he said that only a little bit of it got in, so it wasn't a big deal. Nobody ended up eating the cake.

We are all spotted sinners. Even if we wash most of it, there still exists some spots. The way we are saved is not merited to any of our efforts. It is by God's amazing grace given to us. Therefore, nobody will be able to boast. If you have reason to boast in our own efforts for your salvation, you are not saved. This is because it is not by works, so that no one can boast.