II Timothy 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:”
Our Eternal Salvation and Calling to Spiritual Life is “not according to our works”; that is, they are not the result of anything that we have done or said or have not done or said; neither are they the result of anything that someone else has done or said on our behalf. These “works” are anything that we might do or say. Neither “works” under the Old Testament Law Service nor the works promoted under many Christian religions of our day can cause or initiate or activate or consummate our Eternal Salvation and Calling to Spiritual Life. Paul expounded upon this blessed truth when he gave us at least thirteen different key points in our Eternal Salvation in Ephesians Chapter One and then explained that us receiving Spiritual Life is much like raising the dead to life in Ephesians 2:1-7. He then tells us that both our Eternal Salvation and Salvation from Spiritual Death are “not of works, lest any man should boast”: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10). Our Christian Brethren who are proponents of Eternal Salvation by our works always flee to passages like “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. … 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 9-13). The problem is that they neglect to consider the context of such passages; for Paul had already told us who he was writing about: “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” (Romans 10:1); that is, “they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:3); that is, they were trying to established their own “righteousness” to make themselves fit for Eternal Salvation and they were overlooking the truth that the “righteousness” that makes us fit for Eternal Heaven is “the righteousness of God”; that is, what Jesus Christ had just done for us when He “said, It is finished” (John 19:30). Therefore, the salvation that Paul wrote about here is the salvation in this present life from the peril of “ignorance”; that is, “ignorance” of the magnificent truth that God the Father “hath made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (II Corinthians 5:21). There is a great peril of such “ignorance”, for the teaching of Eternal Salvation by human works conveys upon men the Glory that is the exclusive right of Jesus Christ; for He plainly declared that He “will not give” His “glory unto another” (Isaiah 48:11)! Thus, He had just reminded us of and warned us of the Sovereign power of God to rain down destruction like He did upon “Sodoma” and “Gomorrha” (Romans 9:29). Over and over again, Israel didn’t believe it; but, the Lord did it (II Kings 25; II Chronicles 36; Matthew 24:2) just like he warned them, and us!