“I Do the best I can” or, “I hope to do better” are expressions which we often hear when speaking to persons about their souls. It is the natural thought of a proud heart to do something for salvation. Many are so very ignorant, that they think that though some of their works are bad, yet that others are good, and that God will put the bad works into the one scale and the good ones into the other, and that if the good works preponderate, they will be lost. Of course, such always flatter themselves that their good works will outweigh the bad, and are thus deceived. Others compare themselves with their neighbors and think that they stand as good a chance as most, a better chance as most, and a better chance than some; therefore they find no cause for fear. Again, there are not a few to be found who have addicted to various forms, and so regularly observed certain ordinances, as to trust to their Christianity as being of sufficiently good quality to ensure them heaven. But all such false refuges are leveled by one sentence of the Scriptures, that salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:9.)
It is clear that if a person could be saved by his own doings, those who think that they have attained to the required amount might reasonably boast over those who have not. But the Apostle asks, "Where is boasting? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." (Rom. 3:27, 28.) It is a delusion, then, to trust to works of any kind for salvation, and, as we have seen, utterly condemned by the Word of God. Besides, it is clear, that if man could have done one thing that God could accept at his hands, he could do more, and Christ need not have come into the world to save. Therefore we find the Apostle saying, that "if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Gal. 2:21.)
Alas! what a fatal mistake some are making. How often we are met by those who appear to be living proudly on their works! It was well said by an old Christian, that "men's good works are only splendid sins." The fact is, that "a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." A man must be born again before he can render to God acceptable service. H. H. S.