And if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.But if it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
4 sermons cite this verse
… I can't earn it. I can't deserve it. It's just a free gift of God. In fact, let me read a few verses. Romans 11, 6. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace. Otherwise, work is no longer work. We got to decide. Romans 4. When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. but people who are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. Galatians 2 verse 21, I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing. If I could earn it myself, then the cross is futile. If I could do it myself, then the blood of Jesus means nothing. If I could earn my way and give my way and preach my way into righteousness, then Calvary is insufficient. …
appointed by God as inspectors of weights and measures, their judgments upon us cause us no alarm whatever. We do, however, confess that we are not Infallible—we do make mistakes about the meaning of Scripture—mistakes for which we are very sorry. It is well for a minister, when he is preaching, to sometimes say, "Friends, so much as this I think I do know, but there are some things which I do not know." It might be a comfort to us to hear that the preacher did not know everything, for we would then see that he was like ourselves. Here is the Bible and if any of us imagine that we perfectly understand everything there is in it, that is proof that we know very little of it! "Oh the depths, oh, the depths!" Jerome used so say, "I adore the Infinity of Scripture!" And well he might! He who is a superficial student of Scripture picks up a few grains of gold, but he who digs in this mine gets nuggets—and he who digs still deeper finds solid beds of gold! And the further he descends into the very heart of the Truths of God, the more he discovers that the riches of it are incalculable! And he often has to stop in his search and cry, "Who can fully understand Your Word, O God? We can no more understand that than we can understand Yourself to the fullest." We also need to have our eyes opened as to the great Doctrines of the Gospel. I meet with some who mix up the Covenant of Works with the Covenant of Grace in a most remarkable manner and talk to the children of the free woman as if they were children of the bondwoman and make salvation to depend partly upon self and partly upon Christ—which would be a salvation neither worth preaching nor believing! If we have begun in the Spirit, let us not seek to be made perfect in the flesh. If salvation is of Grace, then it is not of works—otherwise Grace is no more Grace! But if it is of works, let us say so, for then it cannot be of Grace—otherwise work is no more work. A clear line of distinction between merit and mercy, between desert and Sovereign Grace, must always be drawn—and he who has cried to the Lord, "Open You my eyes," until he has had his eyes opened concerning that distinction, has much reason to bless and thank God. Oh, for a clear testimony, throughout all our Churches, to the grand fundamental Doctrines of Grace! Pray that you may give it yourself and that you may hear it every day. …
And Paul said in Romans 11, six, and I love this, he says, and if by grace it is no more works, otherwise grace is no more grace. And if by works it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. That sounds like a, some sort of a little conundrum, a little riddle. But what's he saying? He said, you can't mix grace and works. You just have to make up your mind. Either you're saved by the grace of God, or you're saved by self-effort. But yet here comes James, and say, and James says, that faith without works is dead. Now, are, are James and Paul having an argument? No! They are in agreement. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. What James and Paul are talking about are heads and tails of the same coin and they're exactly what Jesus is talking about when he says, whosoever hears these sayings of mine and does them is like a wise man that built his house upon a rock. …
III. PRESENT SALVATION BY GRACE MUST BE THROUGH FAITH. A present salvation must be through Grace and salvation by Grace must be through faith. You cannot get a hold of salvation by Grace by any other means than by faith. This live coal from off the altar needs the golden tongs of faith with which to carry it. I suppose that it might have been possible, if God had so willed it, that salvation might have been through works and yet by Grace, for if Adam had perfectly obeyed the Law of God, he still would only have done what he was bound to do—and so if God should have rewarded him, the reward, itself, must have been according to Grace— since the Creator owes nothing to the creature! This would have been a very difficult system to work, while the object of it was perfect, but in our case it would not work at all. Salvation in our case means deliverance from guilt and ruin. And this could not have been laid hold of by any measure of good works since we are not in a condition to perform any. Suppose I had to preach that you, as sinners, must do certain works and then you would be saved? And suppose that you could perform them? Such a salvation would not, then, have been seen to be altogether of Grace—it would have soon appeared to be of debt Apprehended in such a fashion, it would have come to you in some measure as the reward of work done and its whole aspect would have been changed. Salvation by Grace can only be gripped by the hands of faith! The attempt to lay hold upon it by the doing of certain acts of Law would cause the Grace to evaporate! "Therefore, it is of faith that it might be by Grace." "If by Grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise Grace is no more Grace. But if it is of works, then is it no more Grace: otherwise work is no more work." …