Does salvation by grace alone mean everyone ever born is saved?

[Ozzy]

As most of us, I have heard the age old doctrinal argument over grace and works many times. Most of us have given it much thought and basically there are three paths we can take. We can say only grace(faith) saves us, or that we need only works, or we need some combination of both.

 

But lately I have been thinking about what the pure doctrine of grace has to be. Many people get angry at those who say works is needed, say, such as baptism, or keeping commandments. But usually I find that people just have different vocabularies when it comes to debates like this and that usually they do believe the same thing as the others, they just use different words.

 

So, I have been trying to decipher the languages and words people use to describe their beliefs and I think they are both talking about the same thing. For instance, salvation by grace supporters say that "God loves us so much that He sent His Son to save us and that by the mercy, love, and grace of God we are saved. There is nothing we can do, nor nothing we should do. God loves us that much." So in this pure form of salvation by grace, this would mean that everyone ever born, good or bad, righteous or evil, or just someone who doesn't care about anything - everyone is saved. God loved all of us, so he saved us. That would be it. We wouldn't even need to know about it because it would be done. But what I have found is that no salvation by grace believer actually believes that. They do not believe everyone would be saved because they really believe that we have to DO SOMETHING. Even if it is minimal, like say, confessing with your lips that Jesus is our Savior. Or merely having a belief. Or having to be a Christian, or have a good heart, etc. You get the idea.

 

In other words, you take two people side by side. One person has done nothing, and the other person has done the work of accepting Jesus and being a good person. Saved by grace people would say the first person is lost and the second is saved. So in my opinion, the saved by grace people really do believe in salvation by grace and by works. Now they may argue over how many works need to be done, but their true belief is that some sort of work, even if it is minimal, is necessary. Otherwise, someone who doesn't even know about Jesus is saved right along with someone who murders for a living, and right along with someone who is righteous and holy.

 

I see the two camps fighting over and over, but they both believe the same thing! So the question is, is either everyone saved or do we need God's grace and to do good works?

[Salty]

Christ's Salvation is by Faith alone, a free gift that is not earned, and that's how we are saved by grace.

 

But 'works' in Christ are a show of our Faith.

 

So really, the two shouldn't be compared with each other, because they are two separate things. The comparison involving 'works' in Christ's Salvation is to do with rewards vs. shame when He returns. Does not mean those who had Faith but had few works in Christ won't be saved.

[OneLight]

From what I gather, you see accepting the salvation Christ gives as a work. Work based salvation is doing things to show God they are worthy of salvation, as we read the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23.
 

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

 

These tried to enter heaven through their works while not accepting His salvation and new life in Him.

Let's look at the most basic and best known verse in scripture, John 3:16.
 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 

God does not promise everyone will be saved. There are conditions already set for salvation. Belief in Him. Those who did works believed in Jesus, which is why they were able to do the works in His name, but what was missing? They did not truly believe in Him, but the power they witnessed by using His name. They never took the time to get to know who Jesus was and what He taught, no real relationship with Jesus at all.

I think what you present is splitting hairs. All through scripture we see that we need a personal relationship with God in order to know Him in order to believe in Him. That is not a work in biblical terms.

[Edwin]

You ask,

 

"Does salvation by grace alone mean everyone ever born is saved?"

 

No, it does not, as the following verses make clear. Many are lost, few are saved.

 

Mat 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy [fn] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 
Mat 7:14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 

 

ESV Footnotes: (7:13) Some manuscripts For the way is wide and easy

Edited July 28, 2014 by Edwin

[Wildstar]

The book of James states faith without works is dead.  His book was referring to those not living in love.  (I have heard people use that verse to support water baptism for example, but its taking it completely out of context).

 

Jesus tells us the work of God is to believe in Him.  

 

1 John 2:2 shows that Jesus was the propiation for 'our' (the churches) sin and also the whole worlds (everyone.) sin.  

 

Jesus also requires us to repent and to believe in the gospel to be saved and the holy spirit is the deposit guaranteeing the inheritence.

 

There was a time when Jesus was fasting and he said to his apostles that were telling him to eat "I have food you dont know about"  which is the work of God.  We need to do the work of God to fill our spirits.

 

 

Okay wrap it all up and understanding that scripture never contradicts but works as one unit...  We're saved by faith, we show our faith with love and Jesus love covers every human being ever born.

 

When Jesus was baptized taking away the worlds sin and dying with all the worlds sin at his cross (John stated he took away the sin of the world), he didnt say only a few select people.  I have hope that everyone in this world has the opportunity to change and to believe in God for salvation.  Yes Jesus sacrifice blotted out all peoples sins.  But he wants us to repent and to believe to take advantage of the gift as is evident from most of the bible with its warnings. 

Edited July 29, 2014 by Wildstar

[jmlusa2000]

We are saved from the "wrath" that is God's judgement of sin. (Romans 5:9) ; (1 Thessalonians 5:9). When a person sins, it sepaerates them from God, and the consequence of sin is death. (Romans 6:23) Salvation delivers us from sin and therefore removes the sin...they (the sins) are gone, forgotten forever.

 

Only God can remove sin, and deliever us from sin's penalty. who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, (2 Timothy 1:9) He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)

 

Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection is what has made salvation possible. (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). The Bible states that salvation is a gracious gift of God (Ephesians 2:5,8). Salvation is only available through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12)

 

We must hear the gospel-the good news of Christ's death and resurrection. (Ephesians 1:13). We must fully believe and trust in the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16). We must also repent, which will change our minds about sin (Acts 3:19), and call on the name of the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9-10, 13).

[Guest]

I see the two camps fighting over and over, but they both believe the same thing!

 

So the question is, is either everyone saved

 

or do we need God's grace

 

and to do good works?

 

~

 

You Are Trying To Make Three Paths To God, Not Two, Not One

 

Thomas saith unto him,

 

Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:5-6

 

One Is The Big Fat Lie Of I'm OK, You're OK, See Jesus Said You All's OK

 

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

 

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14

 

One Is The Way-Too-Funny-If-It-Wasn't-So-Deadly Lie Of I'm Too Goody Goody Do Good To Go To Hell

 

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

 

There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

 

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

 

Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Romans 3:10-13

 

And One Is The Pride Busting God's Own Truth

 

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24

 

Of Only By Faith Can A Sinner

 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

 

Be Severed From His

 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

 

Just Wages

[Fez]

There is one path to salvation, and that is through Jesus.

 

No one comes to the father except through Jesus.

 

That is all it takes, accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The other posters have stated it well.

[Serendipity]

"For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing?"   Galatians 2:19-21

 

[dscapp]

"Does salvation by grace alone mean everyone ever born is saved?"
 

No, salvation by grace is only one part of it.

One would (first) need to believe and have faith that God raised Jesus from the dead. Rom 10:9.

And not many know how to come to this conclusion, but I'm praying.

It is by (His) grace and (through) our faith that we are saved, two things are happening here. - ds