If you look through all the Epistles of Paul it is very evident that he taught that Salvation is by faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ, without works nor rituals of any kind. Obeying The Law Of Moses (Including the Ten Commandments) will not save a person because it is impossible for us to do that with the sin nature we all have. That all of us are sinners headed for the judgement of God, God’s wrath, and are desperately wicked. That Salvation is something that happens in a moment of time and at that moment of Repentance (changing mind/view about sin) by accepting through faith the forgiveness of all your life’s sins by the act of atonement Jesus provided to us all for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). This is what Paul taught. Let’s look at some of the many Scriptures and teachings of Paul on this subject and you can see for yourself.
“For by GRACE are ye saved THOROUGH 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)
“For there is ONE God,and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself A RANSOM for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2: 5-6 KJV)
“Now to the one who WORKS, his wage is NOT RECKONED on the basis of GRACE, but as what is DUE. But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but BELIEVES in Him (Jesus) WHO JUSTIFIES the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
“Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF The Law Of Moses, but BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have BELIEVED in Jesus Christ, that we might BE JUSTIFIED by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and NOT BY THE WORKS OF The Law Of Moses: FOR BY THE WORKS OF The Law Of Moses SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.. But if, while we seek to be justified BY CHRIST, we ourselves also are FOUND SINNERS, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make MYSELF a transgressor. For I through The Law Of Moses am dead to The Law Of Moses, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY The Law Of Moses, THEN CHRIST DIED IN VAIN.” (Galatians 2:16-21 KJV)
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.” (Galatians 2:6-8 KJV)
In Galatians, there were those who came and started telling the believers that in order to be saved, the practices of The Law Of Moses are also required and not faith alone in Christ. That is that works and rituals of The Law Of Moses are also still required. Paul called this a ‘perversion’ of the Gospel of Christ. He called it ‘another Gospel’, that is to say a fake gospel message. And he says that it is a very serious matter. So serious that those that add anything to the Gospel message of faith in Christ alone as the way to Salvation are to be ‘accursed’. If a person’s righteousness come by following The Law Of Moses , then Christ died for our sins, in vain. If a person believes they can work away their sin debt by following The Law Of Moses (by doing good works and being a good person) they do so in complete PRIDE. They are saying they have a self righteousness that will lead to Salvation because they are following The Law Of Moses. They are saying that Christ’s Sacrifice for our sins was not sufficient. God forbid! This will never work.
