There are two ways of salvation known to men—the way of merit and the way of mercy. Most people everywhere believe that they are saved either by their own goodness or by God’s grace. The basis of every world religion, except Christianity, is that man is saved by his own goodness. Through the years some people, not understanding the Bible, have tried to interject the idea of salvation by works into Christianity. But the Bible clearly refutes any idea of working for salvation when it says that we are saved, “not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9).
Salvation then is of God’s grace, not of our goodness. It is of mercy, not merit.
I know a man who when he was a boy lived down the street from a neighborhood grocery store. Almost every day he was in the store buying popsicles, bubblegum, and candy. He and the owner became very close friends. One day the little boy stole some pencils from the grocery store. They weren’t worth very much—perhaps 25 cents. And he didn’t need them. It was just one of those boyish acts. In fact he took them home and buried them in the yard.
When his dad discovered what had happened, he made the boy take the pencils plus the price of the pencils to the owner. It just so happened that all of this occurred on the boy’s birthday. When he returned the pencils and told the proprietor what he had done, the storeowner looked at him for a long time and said nothing. Then he shoved the money back across the counter and said to him, “Happy birthday, son.”
Wasn’t that a gracious, kind, and loving thing to do? The boy deserved a scolding at least. But instead he received a birthday gift. That’s the way God deals with us. He does not deal with us on the basis of our merits but on the basis of his grace. We're saved despite what we have done, not because of what we've done.
Through Jesus Christ, God’s love, mercy, and kindness is extended to you. If you will repent of your sins and commit your life to Jesus Christ, you can be saved. There is no other way this can happen.